Whether you over-indulged ever so slightly over the Christmas period and are now on the inevitable January detox or you are simply in need of something light and refreshing to tickle your tastebuds, these bite-sized wonders will go down a treat.
Oranges, satsumas and clementines are surprisingly good at this time of year as Seville oranges are just approaching the end of their season and blood oranges are just approaching their best. This cake stays moist for days after baking, and is even better if prepared 24–48 hours in advance to allow the flavours to fully develop.
If you intend the recipe to be completely gluten-free, make sure you check the labels on all your ingredients before use as items like baking powder quite often contain small amounts of wheat flour. Doves Farm and Dr Oetker both make gluten-free baking powders which can usually be found in large supermarkets.
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Makes 16, preparation time 2 hours 20 minutes, baking time 1 hour
Ingredients
For the cake
2 oranges
5 eggs
250g caster sugar
1tsp baking powder
280g ground almonds
For the topping
1/2 jar Seville orange marmalade
100g icing sugar
1tsp orange juice
zest of 1/2 an orange
Method
Place the oranges in a pan and cover with water. Boil and leave to simmer for 1.5 –2 hours, covered. Do not let the pan boil dry. Drain and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 170 ºC (160 ºC fan) and grease an 8” square baking tray with butter. When the oranges are cool, cut them into quarters, remove any seeds and purée in a blender.
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Place the eggs, sugar, baking powder and ground almonds into the blender and mix until combined. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until the cake is firm and slightly brown on top. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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When the cake is completely cool, cut into bite-sized squares.
To make the topping, place approximately 1/4 tsp Seville orange marmalade on top of each square. Combine the icing sugar with enough orange juice to make a thick paste, and drizzle over each square. Let the icing flow down the sides of the cakes and don’t be too concerned if the marmalade starts to show through. Top each square with grated or sliced orange zest and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
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