ORANGE AND ALMOND TORTA – BIRTHDAY CAKE
My son was home from London so we celebrated his 23rd birthday by having a big extended family birthday Moroccan Feast. All Recipes to follow but first, the Birthday Cake !!!
I based it on a recipe from the cookbook Moro but adjusted the Syrup slightly from the original recipe. The cake was delicious but unfortunately it sank in the middle a bit. So I segmented some Oranges and placed the Orange segments in the middle. I thought it looked pretty and it covered up the dip !!!
This cake is Gluten Free and Dairy Free !!!
CAKE
- 6 eggs – separated
- 240g Caster Sugar
- 230g Blanched Almonds – ground in the food processor (fine but not as fine as ground almonds)
- Zest of 2 1/2 Oranges – very finely grated and no white bits!
SYRUP
- Juice of 6 Oranges
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 1 whole Cinnamon Stick
- 1/4 cup Caster Sugar (keep 1 tablespoon of Caster Sugar aside out of this 1/2 cup!
CAKE
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees – and have a shelf in the middle of the oven.
Line a 23cm Spring Form Tin on the bottom and sides with greaseproof paper. (You will need to put a little bit of butter around the sides to get the paper to stick.
Whisk the Egg Yolks and the 1/2 cup Caster Sugar (minus 1 tablespoon) together until very pale. Add the Ground Almonds and the Orange Zest and mix through. The mixture will be very thick.
Beat the Egg Whites and the 1 Tablespoon of Caster Sugar until very stiff, and then carefully fold the Egg Whites into the Sugar and Almond mixture. Be careful not to knock out all the air of the Egg Whites. At first it seems very thick, but be patient and it will all come together.
Put into your prepared Tin and bake in the oven for 60 minutes. It should be golden on top and firm to touch. When ready, take out of the oven, and let cool completely on a rack before opening the tin.
While the Torta is cooking, make the Syrup.
SYRUP
Place the Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, Cinnamon Stick and Caster Sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Allow to cool.
When the Torta is cool, take it out of the tin and place it on a serving plate. With a skewer, place approximately 8 holes into the top of the cake, making sure not to go right through to the bottom. Slowly pour approximately half the Syrup over the top, allowing it to disappear into the cake. You might do some first, wait for it to be absorbed and then pour some more.
Put the rest of the Syrup in the fridge.
To fill in the dip in my Torta I segmented some Oranges and placed them on top and it looked lovely and the freshness of the Orange segments really complemented the cake. You can serve the Torta with the rest of the Syrup on the side for those who want a bit more.
