I had been trying to find a simple recipe for this cake for a while and then this one appeared in a Sunday Star Times magazine, courtesy of Donna Hay. I love the idea of using the whole mandarin.
I’m pretty certain you could use three large whole oranges instead of the mandarins for an orange almond cake.
The recipe also makes this a gluten free and dairy free dessert.
Ingredients
400g mandarins, unpeeled
6 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
2 1/4 cups almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
Mandarin Syrup Ingredients
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup mandarin juice
1 cup caster sugar
Method
To make the mandarin syrup, place the water, mandarin juice and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium, bring to the boil and cook for 5-7 minutes or until thickened. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the mandarins in a saucepan over high heat and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool slightly. Place the eggs and sugar in a food processor and process for 2 minutes to combine. Add the mandarins and process for a further 2 minutes or until combined. Add the almond meal and baking powder and process to combine.
Pour into a lightly greased 20cm spring-form tin lined with baking paper and bake for 30 minutes. Cover with foil and bake for a further 45 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
Pour half the syrup over the cake and allow to soak. Serve with the remaining syrup. Serves 6-8.