Sunday, January 4, 2015

English Orange Breakfast Cake

English Orange Breakfast Cake

I have been wanting to make this cake for a while. This cake is popular in Britain for breakfast or for dessert topped with powdered sugar or an orange glaze on top. Many pubs in the UK serve it for dessert.  There are different versions of this cake in the British cookbooks that I have come across, but the most common recipe I have seen usually uses clementines instead of oranges.  In my research of this cake I also found that it is a popular dish for Passover. It is hard to say where this cake originated since it appears in many cookbooks from different countries even though it appears to dominate in British culture. All I can say is that it is yummy!

It is at the end of the holiday season and I have oranges abound in my kitchen so oranges are what I used for this version.  This cake is rich and moist.  The bright orange color is pleasing to the eye especially with a little powdered sugar sprinkled over the top which is how I eat it. 

Whether you eat this cake for breakfast or dessert, you are sure to be pleased with the orange flavor and sweetness of it.

Ingredients:   3 Oranges (4 to 5 Clementines if that is what you are using)
                      6 Eggs
                      1 1/4 cup of regular sugar
                      2 1/3 cups ground Almonds (I used Bob's Red Mill)
                      1 heaping teaspoon of baking powder
                      Butter/Oil to grease the pan (I used Safflower oil)

Put the oranges in a pot.  Cover fully with cold water.  Bring to a boil and cook for 2 hours.


After cooking let cool. You can drain the pot or allow the oranges to cool down in the water.

Once cooled, squeeze out any extra water from the oranges.

Put the oranges in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.



Add ground almonds, baking powder, sugar and eggs.  Pulse until fully incorporated.








Pour batter into an 8 inch springform pan oiled or buttered and lined with parchment paper.  I also wrap foil around the outside bottom and sides to prevent any batter from leaking.


Then bake at 375 degrees F for an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle.  My oven took about an hour and 15 minutes to cook the cake.

Once done, place on a rack still in the pan to completely cool.  Some of the recipes I read advised to leave the cake in the pan over night to cool. I cannot wait that long.


Once cooled cut a slice! Add a little powdered sugar to make it look a little more elegant.

 

                                                                        Enjoy!!