There is no doubt that 2021 a distant cousin to 2020, hasn’t quite turned out as any of us could have ever imagined. We have all had our set of highs and lows and the feeling of sleeping up in their own bed has been pretty surreal for most of us. Most of us have spent a lot more time at home or cautiously travelled around. It has been a perfect opportunity for me to spruce up the interiors of my home and add calm, cosiness and colour. And of course vibrant food like this gorgeous Whole Orange Almond Cake
The projects I took up this year were scrapping up hideous wallpapers, panelling walls, co-designing my study, choose the wrong cladding to visualising my own study. I have to go a long way because I am very ambitious and yet frugal on my budget. So, keep reading on my banter while I might start filling your lives with snuggly cushions, throws and bed linen. But food will always be my first love.
Orange the happiest color.
Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky described orange as “red brought nearer to humanity by yellow.” It is a sacred color in many Eastern religions
Whole Orange Almond Cake
Preservation has been the key ethos for me in this year and will also follow course for the years to come. The uncertainty of the current circumstances makes we even more protective of my memories. Every moment is precious and just like we preserve fruits and pickles through the cold winter months, as the new era of viral living clogs our mind we ought to preserve things through our toughest times. The feeling resonates through my mind as my practical approach to my good turns and few misdeeds (no one’s perfect).
I have a strong desire to preserve my past and my present, honouring my mother’s legacy and also find a way to connect to my future generation. Sometimes my mind gets flogged by sadness in the air but I am quick to bounce back.
The recipe this orange cake is from my mother diary though she made her with plain flour while I have used ground almonds. The ground almonds make the texture of the cake crumbly, moist and and nutty at the same time. The use of whole oranges ensures the citrusy smell and flavour flows through every bite. The definition of whole fruit here comprises of the orange rind, pulp and skin (except the seeds). Quite importantly, orange rind is generally bitter but through recurrent boiling we can get rid of the bitterness just like we do in case of bitter gourd.
The richness here is attributed to the citrus oils of the fruit and greek yoghurt and no addition of any butter or oil is required. I hope you enjoy the recipe and write back to me for any doubts. Here are a few other fresh fruit cakes on my blog that you could try like the No-Bake Strawberry & Elderflower Cheesecake | A Royal Fan or the The White Strand | Almond Blood Orange Cake
- 350 gm almond flour
- 200 gm sugar
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup greek yoghurt
- 2 large oranges
- A pinch of salt
- Preheat the oven to 150C / 300F.
- Line the cake tin or smear butter to a bundt pan and dust flour evenly to coat the pan. I have used a 8 inch bundt pan.
- The first key step is to remove the bitterness in the oranges. 🍊 For that in a pot you’ve got to place the oranges and fill it water covering them completely. The bring it to a simmer for 10 minutes. Repeat this process thrice and then drain the water.
- Allow the oranges to cool then slice them up and remove any seeds. Once sliced blitz them gently.
- Now mix all the dry ingredients and mix them well. Make a well and add the wet ingredients into the well.
- Now with a rubber spatula evenly mix the cake batter until it has a smooth consistency.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake it on the middle shelf for atleast 1 hour. Use a knife to check the if the cake is done. If there are no crumbs then you are good to go or bake it for another 10-15 mins.
- Serve it with sour cream or vanilla ice cream or have it with tea. Bon Appétit !!