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Monday, 11 February 2008 |
orange-almond cake
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At a recent gathering of my cookbook club, Peggy Knickerbocker, the author of Simple Soirées, told us about a wonderful cake she’s been making with ground almonds and boiled whole oranges. I said it sounded like the one that Egyptian-British author Claudia Roden made famous (and that was written about in the New Yorker last year). Peggy said, yes, she’d heard that, but she got the recipe from a friend in Paris. I had Peggy send me the recipe and then I did a little sniffing around and indeed, there are versions of this recipe all over that stem from Roden’s original. It’s a kick to make; it’s moist, light, and wholesome because it’s flourless; and it’s as good for breakfast as it is in the afternoon or for dessert. No wonder good cooks everywhere seem to be baking it.
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serves 8
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prep time: 10 minutes |
cook time: 35 minutes
bake time: 1 hour
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2 large seedless navel oranges
butter and flour for pan
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups ground almonds (see note)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
salt
powdered sugar
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Wash oranges then put them whole in a saucepan; cover with water by an inch or two and bring to a boil. Cook until soft enough that the tip of a sharp knife slides easily into the center, about 35 minutes. Drain oranges and let cool completely, then cut into chunks and remove any oddball seeds. Purée oranges in food processor or blender, peel, pulp, and all.
Preheat an oven to 375°. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until thick and lemon-colored. Sprinkle in ground almonds, sugar, baking powder, pinch salt, and orange purèe, then beat until completely blended. Pour into prepared cake pan and bake until browned on top and no longer jiggly in the center, 50 minutes to an hour. Let cake cool in pan, then run a knife around edges to loosen and remove side of pan. Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar and serve. |
Note: for the best flavor, grind whole roasted, unsalted almonds yourself (you'll need about 2 cups) in a food processor, but don’t run the motor so long that it turns to paste. Otherwise you can buy already ground almonds in some stores.
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