I was dying to make something citrusy, something with a bright yellow colour, something that would remind me of sunshine and fill the house with summer smells of freshness.
I love desserts that have a citrus note to them and this torte was no exception. This sunny disc of luscious flavours is a gluten-free torte which I adapted from Stephanie Jaworski of joyofbaking.com . she has such a wonderful collection of fabulous recipes and it’s all explained in such perfect details that it’d be impossible to go wrong, and this torte was no exception. I came across her clemetine torte and knew that I had to make it.
I just want to emphasize on the luxuriousness of this cake and that it’s one of the best things to come out of my kitchen. It’s pure tasteporn..I mean it.
Since this is an orange torte you need oranges, almond flour, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract (I used a vanilla bean), sugar and eggs.
Before I start, I’d like to mention that these oranges need a good boiling because you want these golden beauties soft, soft, soft. I boiled these oranges a day in advance, and boiled them for about 1 hour until they were soft. Let them cool and store in fridge to use next day.
Also a word on almond flour/meal- please don’t get put off or think ‘meh this needs almond meal, who’s got that’? well I didn’t. I simply made it at home by blitzing almonds in a grinder until it resembled flour. It took me about 2 minutes. You can do it and you should, because this cake is extraordinarily delicious and moist and dense and orangey and you’d probably go to hell if you didn’t try this recipe.
ok moving on..
take a clean blender or food processor
throw in your oranges
crack in the eggs in the most clumsy fashion
add in the vanilla (I’m using a vanilla bean, but please use good vanilla extract if you want, I just happen to have a truckloads of these beans)
Once it’s all in
blitz to mix. It will turn into a golden pond of citrus love in a matter of seconds.
admire your handiwork and realize it resembles a milkshake and that you’re lactose intolerant..shed a few tears and get back to work.
in a separate large clean bowl.
dump in your almond flour/meal (whatever you call it)
add the sugar
in with the baking powder
don’t forget the salt
it’s all heaped in. good!
mix using a wire whisk. It’s just easier
mix well like so. I put a spoonful in my mouth and it tasted great already.
Now tip in your orange+egg+vanilla mixture
mix until it all comes together. Don’t be too vigorous.
let that rest a bit and prep the pan. Take a springfoam pan and using its base as guide, cut out a round piece of parchment paper. It’s not geometry, you needn’t be precise. (Again, don’t be put off by this step. It takes a mere minute and it’s important for the cake)
take a bit of melted butter and spread on the base of the tin.
like so.
this enables the parchment to stick better. Flatten it out well so that there are no air bubbles.
Brush the sides as well. I took an extra precaution and lined the base with aluminum foil to prevent any leakages. I have trust issues with this pan, and in return it doesn’t love me back.
Tip in your batter. Tap it a bit and bake @ 190℃
take it out after and hour. Check with toothpick in case it comes out clean and LET IT COOL COMPLETELY! I’m sorry for yelling but this how I yelled at the man who kept trying to eat it.
once completely cooled, very carefully and gently remove the base pan and peel off the parchment paper. Just be a little cautious. It’s a wonderfully moist cake so don’t be too heavy-handed with it.
cut yourself a piece and fall in love.
Note: this cake tastes best after a couple of days of making, and for best results you have to let it be undisturbed overnight.
Ingredients
Oranges : 450g (boiled until soft, best to do a day in advance)
Eggs: 6
vanilla extract : 1 teaspoon or vanilla bean.
Almond flour/meal : 250 g (if you can’t buy it, then grind the same wight of almonds until it resembles flour)
Sugar: 230 g
baking powder: 1 teaspoon
salt: a small pinch
How to: In a blender or food processor, blend in the oranges, eggs and vanilla.
In a separate large bowl mix in the almond flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Pour in the batter and mix well.
Line your springfoam tin with parchment paper after greasing the base and sides. To prevent leakages line the outside base with aluminium foil.
Pour in the batter and bake at 190℃ for 45-60 minutes. Check with toothpick to see if it’s baked. Mine took one whole hour.
Note: Around the 40 minute mark I covered the top with aluminum foil as it was getting a little brown.
Here’s another delicious picture. Enjoy!!
Driedredchillies 