Orange and Ginger Cake

Orange and ginger cake is a beautiful gluten-free cake, made with navel oranges and freshly grated ginger. The cake is also dairy-free. Cook the cake in a loaf tin, and cut thick slices for a simple afternoon tea for the kids. If you have company with more sophisticated palates, you can make it look fancy by cooking it in a round tin. Serve it with orange and and ginger syrup drizzled on top, a dollop of coconut yoghurt or cream and some orange puree. I decorated my cake with thinly sliced persimmons which I picked up last weekend  at the Birch Store in Moss Vale, https://birchstore.com.au These are grown nearby at Danollie Farm.

Don’t be put off by the number of steps as it’s a sturdy cake that can be made in advance. Alternatively, cook and puree the oranges, and blend the nuts a day ahead so that you’re ready to throw everything together. I’ve used amaranth flour. This is a gluten-free, protein-rich flour, produced by grinding seeds from the amaranth plant into a fine powder. It was originally cultivated by the Aztecs 6,000- 8,000 years ago https://www.ancientgrains.com/amaranth-history-and-origin/ However, if you don’t have amaranth flour, the cake also works with coconut flour or rice flour. I love the combination of different nuts, but you could use just almonds if you prefer. You can also substitute the oranges for mandarins, if you like.

If you like baking cakes with fruit purees, you might enjoy this cake: https://atamandastable.com.au/spiced-pear-and-almond-cake/

Do you have a favourite cake for all occasions?

Best wishes,

Amanda

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Print Recipe

Orange and Ginger Cake

A gluten-free, dairy-free cake, delicioius as it is, or drizzled with syrup and served with coconut yoghurt and orange puree

Servings: 8 people

Author: Amanda Lawson

Ingredients

• 2 oranges, washed & unpeeled (about 300 g)
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 270 g raw sugar (1 1/4 cups)
• 90 mL olive oil
• 200 g raw almonds
• 100 g walnuts
• 100 g hazelnuts
• 75 g amaranth flour (substitute with coconut or rice flour)
• 1/4 cup grated ginger, drained of its juice (save the juice for the syrup)

Orange and Ginger Syrup

• 1 orange, cut into quarters
• 1 tbsp ginger juice (or 1 tbsp sliced ginger)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup raw sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced).
• Grease and line a 12 cm x 20 cm loaf tin, or a round 24 cm diameter springform cake tin.
• Place the oranges in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
• Grind all the nuts together in a food processor or blender.
• Once the oranges are cooked, drain the water, then chop them up, discard seeds and puree the oranges in a food processor.
• Whisk the eggs and sugar together in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
• Turn the mixer down to its lowest speed and add the orange puree and olive oil, then the ground nuts, flour, grated ginger and a pinch of salt.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, smooth out the top, then bake for 1 - 1 1/4 hours until golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow the the cake to cool before turning it out onto a wire rack.
• Drizzle with orange ginger syrup and serve with any remaining orange puree, cream or coconut yoghurt, or serve it just as it is.

Orange and Ginger Syrup

• Put the orange quarters, ginger juice or sliced ginger, water and sugar in a medium saucepan and stir to combine.
• Bring to a boil, turn the heat down a little and cook for about 20 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half. It should be a thick syrup.
• Drizzle over the cake just before serving. Refrigerate the remainder and use it as a cordial, or as a syrup for ice cream.

Notes

The cake will keep for up to three days in an airtight container. If making the cake beforehand, drizzle the syrup on top just before serving.

Both the syrup and the orange puree can be prepared a day ahead.