Cody asked me to make this week's orange and almond cake. As it is my study week (which means I am craving sweets BIG-time) I thought I'd make it with a twist. An extremely rich, chocolate-y, twist.
This recipe is not too different from the original, so if you are already adept at making orange and almond cake, this stupendous sweet will be a piece of cake (I am soo very good at making lame jokes!).
You will require...
Cake:
Cake:
1.5-2C almond meal
½ C xylitol, or any other sweetener you prefer
1/2 – 3/4C cacao powder
1-2tsp gluten-free baking powder
4 oranges, unpeeled
200g dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa. I normally use dairy and sugar free dark chocolate that you can buy from natural food stores.
4 free-range eggs
vanilla essence
Icing:
Solids from separated yoghurt (do not despair - this is extremely easy!), or philly cheese
1 orange, juice or boiled whole
Method of Preparation:
Boil the oranges for half an hour, empty the water out of the saucepan, and boil again for another half an hour in fresh water. Emptying the water out and refilling with fresh water reduces the bitterness of the orange rind. Blend the oranges in a food processor until smooth.
Mix all the dry ingredients together, ensuring that the baking powder is thoroughly incorporated into the mixture. Add the oranges, along with the eggs and vanilla essence, to the dry ingredients. Temper half of the chocolate, and roughly chop the rest. Put both lots into the cake mix.
Pour the cake mix into a greased cake tin of your preference, and cook at 190 degrees for 40 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.
Blend boiled orange, or juice of orange, with the yoghurt/cheese using a food processor. Once smooth consistency add liberally over top of cooled cake.
If you are going down the philly cheese road, allow it to sit for a short period of time at room temperature, before using, so it becomes easier to manipulate.
Yoghurt Separation:
Now if you have the balls to try the yoghurt-icing I must first congratulate you. It is well worth it. Separation of the yoghurt does require it to strain, using some good ol' cheese cloth, over night. Just get a large bowl and place the cheese cloth over the top (I used cheese cloth that had been folded over itself a few times, increasing strain-ability), securing it with a rubber band. Pour the yoghurt over the top of the cheese cloth, it should remain sitting on top. Cover, and put in the fridge to strain. Over the 12-24hrs most of the liquid component of the yoghurt (called the whey) should be at the bottom of the bowl, with the remaining solids on top. Do not throw the whey away - it can be kept in the fridge for a couple of weeks and used for other great things!! (recipes coming soon...).
Most people with lactose intolerance do not have trouble eating yoghurt, so for these people, it definitely serves as an adequate substitute to the less-tolerable cheese.
Grate some dark chocolate over the top, and allow a few hours for the icing to set in the fridge.
The philly cheese icing is predictably a lot firmer than the yoghurt-icing, however, the yoghurt still does hold it's place on the top of the cake (see pics). Like a boss.
I gave some of this cake away to my doctor and her receptionist who, over the last couple of weeks, have been absolutely amazing. And seriously when the day comes that I have my own private clinic (pfft yeh right!), I am going to steal that receptionist away! She is always a pleasure to talk to, both on the phone and in person, and she treats all patients equally and with the highest regard. It doesn't matter how run off her feet she is, and how many phone calls she has had that day, she always makes sure she has a smile on her face, especially plastered there, for you. It really makes a difference to how you feel, especially when you are in such a state that you have to resort to crawling, on your hands and feet, over to the receptionist desk. So I hope I gave them a little bit of joy to repay them, even just slightly, for the perpetuating relief they have given to me in this last week.
Cody has also eaten almost half of what was left of the cake. To avoid missing out, I know what I'm having for breakfast!
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