Almonds, honey, oranges... there is a touch of the Med about this fragrant trio. And if you use a gluten-free baking powder for the cake, you’ll have a gluten-free pud – and a very good one at that. Should you find yourself with some cake left over and no more honeyed oranges, don’t worry – it’s lovely on its own.
Serves 8–10
For the almond cake
225g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
225g caster sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
225g ground almonds
3 large eggs
125g polenta or fine cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
A large pinch of salt
100g honey
For the honeyed oranges
5 large oranges
3 tablespoons honey
Preheat the oven to 170oC/Gas 3. Butter a 20cm round springform tin and line it with baking parchment.
Beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest, if using, together using a mixer, or with a handheld electric whisk, for several minutes until pale, fluffy and light. Stir in the ground almonds until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each fully before you add the next. Thoroughly combine the polenta, baking powder and salt, then fold into the cake mixture.
Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 45–50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Warm the honey in a small pan until it is very loose and liquid. Make holes all over the top of the hot cake with a skewer, then trickle the warm honey over the surface. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
For the honeyed oranges, finely grate the zest from one of the oranges into a small pan. Slice the peel and pith away from all 5 oranges. To do this, cut a slice off the base of each and stand the orange on a board. Then use a sharp knife to cut down through the peel and pith, slicing it away completely, in sections. Now, working over a bowl to catch the juice, slice the orange segments out from between the membranes, dropping them into the bowl. Squeeze the juice from the orange membranes on to the zest and strain the juice from the bowl of segments into the pan too. Add the honey, stir over a low heat to combine, then boil for 1 minute. Leave to cool, then pour over the orange segments and stir gently.
Serve the cake in slices with spoonfuls of the honeyed oranges and their fragrant syrup.
PLUS ONE Crème fraîche or thick yoghurt is good on the side.