North African Orange Cake

I needed to make a quick gluten-free cake to take to dinner at a friend’s house. Wanting to try something a little different and a bit exotic, I looked back through my old recipe file, a large shopping bag over 20 years old. I found an easy recipe for an Orange Cake that used a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs. It is sweet but not cloyingly so. Orange, cinnamon and cloves in the syrup make a winter kitchen smell warm and cozy. Keeping my fingers crossed I substituted oatmeal for the breadcrumbs. Because the citrus syrup you pour over the cake is so sweet and orangey, I knew I could not go too wrong.

There are several great things about this recipe: It only takes a few minutes to make it, you don’t need to preheat the oven, you can make it a day or two ahead and it will stay good for several more days, it is gluten free, and the syrup is so good I use it in many other recipes: just yesterday I made a trifle with the orange syrup. Delicious!

Try this easy North African Orange Cake – gluten free

This cake takes only a few minutes to put together and can be made a day or two ahead. You don’t even have to preheat the oven.

 Ingredients

2 oz      chopped rolled oats, or another gluten free flour

7 oz      granulated sugar, minus 2 T

3.5 oz   ground almonds ( 2T are used to prepare the pan)

1½ tsp  baking powder

7oz       canola oil or any non-flavored oil

4           large eggs

zest of 1 orange

zest of 1½ lemons

 Citrus syrup

1           orange, juiced

1           lemon, juiced

3 oz      granulated sugar

2 T       Grand Marnier or other orange liquor

2           whole cloves

1           cinnamon stick (or ½ tsp cinnamon powder)

 Utensils

Measuring cup, scale, measuring spoons, 2 medium bowls, small saucepan, micro planer, 8 inch cake pan and parchment paper.

Method

Don’t preheat the oven.

Line an 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper, grease it with a shot of cooking spray or butter, then use 2 T ground almonds to coat the parchment paper.

Mix the chopped rolled oats with the granulated sugar, ground almonds, baking powder, and orange and lemon zests. Whisk the eggs into the oil. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well. Mix gently till combined well but don’t over-beat.

Pour the mixture into the pan and place in the middle rack of your oven. Turn the heat to 350F. Bake the cake for 40 to 50 min or until it is golden brown and a skewer piercing the center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, combine the citrus syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.

When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to sit for 5 minutes before taking the cake out of the pan. Run a knife around the outside of the cake to loosen it in the pan, then turn the pan upside down on a plate, and tap the bottom of the pan. It should easily fall out. Remove the parchment paper. While the cake is still warm, take a skewer and poke approximately 10 holes in the cake. Spoon the syrup all over the cake.

Enjoy!