Serves 8
I first made this cake at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School, the recipe was shown to them by Sophie Grigson and it's a real winner. It can be made gluten free by swapping the regular breadcrumbs for gluten free breadcrumbs.
The cake is deliciously moist and very addictive, it makes a perfect dessert dish served with a spoon of créme fraiche or greek yoghurt. I like to decorate the top with slices of candied orange but this is optional.
Ingredients:
50g breadcrumbs made from slightly stale bread (gluten free if necessary)
160g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
1 1/2 level tsps baking powder
200ml oil
4 eggs
finely grated zest of 1 orange & 1 lemon
Orange Syrup:
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lemon
50g caster sugar
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Candied orange slices (optional)
Créme Fraiche or Greek Yoghurt to serve
Method:
Grease and line an 8" springform tin with greaseproof paper.
Mix the breadcrumbs with the sugar, almonds and baking powder.
50g breadcrumbs, 160g caster sugar, 100g ground almonds, 1 1/2 tsps baking powder |
Whisk the oil with the eggs, pour into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the orange and lemon zest. Pour the mixture into the grease and lined tin.
200ml oil, 4 eggs, finely grated zest of 1 orange & 1 lemon |
Put the tin in a cold oven and set the heat to 180˚C.
Bake for 45-60 minutes until the cake is a rich golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the tin before removing from the tin to a plate.
Aga: I use a 4 oven Aga, put the tin into the plate warming oven for 15 mins, then move it up to the simmering oven for another 15 mins and then into the baking oven for 20 mins, after 20 minutes check to see if a skewer comes out clean, if not, return to oven and test again in 5 minute increments until it does.
While the cake is cooking, make the syrup
Put all the ingredients in a small stainless steel saucepan, gently bring to the boil, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for a few minutes until starting to thicken.
While still warm, pierce holes in the top of the cake and gently pour the syrup all over the cake, letting it soak into the cake via the holes. Decorate with candied orange slices if using and leave to cool.
Serve with a spoon of Créme Fraiche or Greek Yoghurt.
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