Sugar Free Flourless Orange and Almond Cake

As a little girl my mum used to take me out for special girly days where we would go to our favourite cafe and have the coffee and cake special. Mum would have the coffee and we would share the cake which was always the orange and almond cake. I remember feeling so grown up sitting at this fancy cafe eating cake with my mum.

Fast foward a few (too many) years and I still love orange and almond cake, although I have not had a piece in quite a while. It get a big tick from me being that it is gluten free as it is made with beautiful almond meal. I healthified it a little more by cutting out refined sugar and I have to say to result is as good, if not better than the original version.

Ingredients

• 1 large orange
• 250g almond meal
• 3 eggs
• 100g maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teapsoon vanilla extract

Syrup

• Juice and rind of one orange
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions

1. Place the orange into a pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 hour.
2. Blend the orange into a puree and allow to cool.
3. Whisk eggs until thick and creamy
4. Add egg mixture and the rest of the ingredients together and mix until combined.
5. Pour into a greased and lined 20 cm round springform cake tin and bake at 160 degrees for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and prick all over with a skewer
7. While the cake is baking make the syrup by combining the orange zest, juice and maple syrup in a small pot. Cook over lot heat until it thickens slighty. Set aside.
8. Pour over the syrup and allow to cool before serving.
9. Serve with coconut yogurt or cream

Thermomix Directions

1. Place the orange into basket and fill jug with water up to one and a half litre mark.
2. Cook for 45 mins at Varoma temperature speed 3 until oranges feel soft when tested with a skewar
3. Then discard water and place oranges in TM bowl and blend into pulp for 9 secs at speed 9.
4. Set aside and allow to cool.
5. Place 3 eggs into bowl. Insert butterfly and whick at speed 4 for 2 minutes
6. Leave butterfly in place and add ground almonds, orange mixture, baking powder  and vanilla extract into TM bowl. Mix at speed 4 for 10 secs
7. Pour into a greased and lined 20 cm round springform cake tin and bake at 160 degrees for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven and prick all over with a skewer
9. While the cake is baking make the syrup by combining the orange zest, juice and maple syrup in the TM bowl. Cook for 5 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1. Set aside
10. Pour over the syrup and allow to cool before serving.
11. Serve with coconut yogurt or cream