Just for a change...
When I was baking for cafes, I made dozens and dozens of Orange Almond Syrup Cakes each week. They just seem to be the ubiquitous gluten-free-go-to at every cafe around.
They are very good cakes, amazingly moist with the flavour deepening over time and great keepers, no problem lasting at least a week without issues, but I'm ready for change.
I've had my eye on this cookbook, Indulge, by Rowie Dillon for a while now. I'd heard good things from other reviews and as I'd tried her successful range of baked goods, I knew it would hold lots of gluten free treasures. I was right.
This recipe caught my eye straight away- I had made my own similar cakes for so long that I had a reference point to go to, mine were also gluten and dairy free, but this one had tofu, not something I've used in a cake before. Time to try something new!
I admit I've changed out the oranges for mandarins, not that I have anything against oranges, I just wanted a break from the usual.
Mandarin Almond Syrup Cake
2 Mandarins
400gr Almond Meal
200gr Tofu- The recipe called for silken, I only had firm but it still worked out OK
250gr Palm Sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp Cardamom
1 tsp gfree Baking Powder
Place the mandarins in a pot full of water, then boil for an hour.
Drain. Puree until smooth.
Blitz the palm sugar, tofu, mandarins and olive oil until nice and smooth.
I usually use Rice Bran oil for everything from frying to baking, I just think it's handy, a very high smoke point and extremely mild flavour. I was halfway through making this cake when I realised I was out! Oh no! I rummaged through my stash.... garlic oil, chilli oil, lemon myrtle, smoked, truffle.... then thank goodness- Homeleigh Grove Blood Orange! Close enough, yummy and very local. Win win!
Sift the almond meal, spice and powder. Then add the blitzed ingredients stirring until smooth.
Put mixture into a greased and lined 22cm cake tin and bake at 180* for an hour and 10 minutes.
Serve with mandarin syrup.
Mandarin Syrup
500ml mandarin juice
250gm palm sugar
Place sugar and juice in saucepan and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved.
Bring to the boil, and cook down for 15 minutes until thickened and syrupy.
Pour over cake.
This is a lovely cake indeed.
Moist but still fairly delicate, and the flavour is certainly better the next day. The only thing that needs changing is when to pour the syrup. I would prefer to leave it off and just pour some over each slice as required. I found the syrup absolutely delicious, but a bit sweet for me and the cake tended to break up a bit as the syrup soaked in. That minor difficulty aside, I'll certainly be making this recipe again, but maybe playing around with it just a little more.
So Dear Readers, which is your favourite citrus fruit, and would you put it in a cake?
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