Recipes for All Seasons
TUNISIAN ORANGE CAKE
Each cake will feed 10
100g (3oz) fresh bread crumbs or gluten free bread crumbs
300g (10 ½ oz) caster sugar
165g (5 ¼ oz) ground almonds
2 ¼ level teaspoons of baking powder
330ml (10 ½ fl oz) sunflower oil
6 eggs
Zest of 1 ½ large orange finely grated
Zest of 1 lemon finely grated
Citrus syrup
Juice of 1 ½ orange
Juice of 1 ½ lemon
125g (4 ½ oz) sugar
3 cloves
1 ½ cinnamon stick
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. In a 3 and 4 oven Aga, cook in the baking oven, in a 2 oven, in the roasting oven using the cold shelf. Grease and line the base of a round 23cm (9in), 6cm (2in) deep cake tin, spring form if you have one.
Mix the breadcrumbs with the sugar, ground almonds and baking powder. Whisk together the oil and the eggs, pour into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the orange and lemon zest and pour into the prepared tin.
Bake for 45 -60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown, and if you insert a skewer into the centre it comes out clean. Keep an eye on it whilst cooking as the high sugar content means the top will colour quickly.
Once the cake is cooked leave it in the tin for 5 minutes and then turn it out onto a large plate.
To make the citrus syrup, put all the ingredients into a stainless steel saucepan; bring gently to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely and simmer for about 3 minutes. While the cake is still warm, pierce it with a skewer. Spoon the hot syrup over the cake and leave to cool. Spoon any excess syrup back over the cake every now and then until all the juice has been completely soaked up.
Lay the cinnamon and cloves on top of the cake for decoration and serve with whipped cream, thick Greek yogurt or dairy free alternative.
