Whole orange olive oil cake with rosemary drizzle
SERVES 8-10 PREP 25 mins plus infusing COOK 1 hr 30 mins EASY V 1 large whole seedless orange
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested 225ml olive oil, plus extra for the tin 200g ground almonds
120g polenta
1 tsp baking powder (use gluten-free if you need to)
3 large eggs
225g golden caster sugar natural yogurt or crème fraîche, to serve (optional) For the rosemary drizzle
100g golden caster sugar ½ orange, juiced
½ lemon, juiced
6 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground
4 rosemary sprigs 1 Bring a pan of water to the boil. Lower the orange in and cover with a lid but leave a gap so that a little steam can still escape. Boil gently for 30 mins, then remove from the water and allow to cool slightly. Quarter the orange and remove any pips, then transfer to a blender or food processor, add the lemon juice and blitz to a smooth purée.
2 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4 and oil the sides of a round 23cm cake tin. Line the bottom of the tin with baking parchment.
3 Sieve the almonds, polenta, baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt into a large bowl and mix together thoroughly. Whisk the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until really pale and fluffy, about 4 mins, then with the mixer still whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream so that the mixture doesn’t split. Once incorporated, scrape the orange purée in and whisk to combine, then add the dry ingredients, combining until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 55 mins to 1 hr 5 mins, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
4 Cool in the tin on a wire rack while you make the syrup. In a pan combine the sugar, orange, lemon juices, cardamom and 30ml water. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then add the rosemary. Turn off the heat and infuse for at least 30 mins.
5 Use a skewer to poke holes in the top of the cake, then pour over the syrup. Allow to settle for 5 mins or so, then slice and serve with some natural yogurt or crème fraîche, if you like.
GOOD TO KNOW gluten free
PER SERVING (10) 537 kcals • fat 36g • saturates 5g • carbs 44g • sugars 35g • fibre 1g • protein 9g • salt 0.5g