I’ve had some major kitchen disappointments lately. Things aren’t turning out as expected. Yesterday’s pavlova-making episode involved a slightly undercooked, unusually flat meringue collapsing under the weight of the whole pears propped on top. The mascarpone cream underneath gradually softened as, in a rush, I hadn’t taken the time to cool the poached pears completely. Sticky espresso caramel oozed over the edge of the serving plate and pooled on the table, while the bowls stacked up on the bench-top and dirty utensils were strewn over the kitchen. And I had just 15 minutes to get ready to go out for dinner.
It was probably the fastest clean-up I’ve ever done, even if it wasn’t the most thorough.
24 hours later it is almost all gone – it’s difficult for chocolate meringue, mascarpone, spiced pears and caramel to taste bad. It just wasn’t quite right, and 6 egg yolks are now staring me down each time I open the fridge, with a 2 day expiry… Any ideas?
These loaf cakes were another example. The first time I tried them, I had some fixed idea that I wanted to use polenta. And olive oil. And they looked cute – like if you saw them in a cafe, you would probably order one, before being overwhelmed by the too dry, crumbly texture and overwhelming polenta-ness of it all. Maybe that’s harsh – my housemates liked them. It’s a work in progress, let’s say. But I kept returning to the original flourless orange cake recipe. You probably know it – originally by Claudia Roden in her 1968 ‘A book of Middle Eastern Food’, it was popularised later by the New York Times, The Cooks’ Companion, Woman’s Weekly and a whole host of others.
It was worth it. Full-bodied orange flavour unhindered by polenta and undiluted by olive oil, silky smooth and moist with just ground almonds to complement it. The kind of cake that gets better over a week but will only last a couple of days, if that. It reminded me that sometimes you don’t need to fix, or improve on, what isn’t broken. That sometimes a recipe can just be taken at face value, made and enjoyed, no bells and whistles required. I have a habit of (mostly) not following recipes, generally because my time to cook and photograph is so limited that I can’t afford to make a single dish 5 or 10 different times.
So I hope you don’t mind that this is probably the thousandth publication of these flourless whole orange & almond loaf cakes on the internet. It’s a testament to its genius, and a celebration of it. I’m convinced that everyone should try it – the sweetness balanced by the inclusion of orange peel, a hint of almond nuttiness and the sheer simplicity of those five ingredients. It’s unique and unlike any other cake in my repertoire. Whole oranges are boiled for an hour to two, toning down the harsh bitterness of the peel, then pureed to a paste. Because whole oranges vary – in sweetness, in peel thickness, in size and shape – each rendition is slightly different. Then it’s a mere four more ingredients – combine with eggs, ground almonds, caster sugar and baking powder.
To decorate them how I did here: if you want it to be completely dairy free or have a blow-torch you feel like pulling out, line the loaf tins with thinly sliced orange to brulee after baking (see photos above). If you’re a cream cheese frosting fan without dietary restrictions, pipe that on top instead.
- 2 large whole oranges (or 3 small)
- 5 eggs
- 250 g ground almonds
- 250 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 large orange or blood orange , very thinly sliced
- extra white sugar
- kitchen blow torch to brûlée
- 115 g butter , softened
- 187 g icing sugar , sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 75 g cream cheese.
- extra orange segments and chopped pistachios to decorate
- 1 blood orange
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup water
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Wash the oranges and place in a pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a simmer. Place a circle of baking paper on top (so the oranges stay mostly under water) and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Drain.
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Cut the oranges into chunks, and blitz in a food processor to a puree.
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Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease and line 10 mini loaf tins with baking paper (mine were 200ml capacity - 10cm x 6cm x 3.4cm height).
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If you are making the upside down orange loaves, place 1-2 extremely thin orange slices in the base of each tin.
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Combine the eggs, ground almonds, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the whole orange puree and whisk to combine.
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Divide between the loaf tins, smoothing the surface of each.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tins before removing to a wire rack.
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To brulee the orange (optional): sprinkle a thick layer of sugar over the top of the oranges. Brulee with a kitchen blowtorch.
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Beat the butter with an electric or stand mixer until very pale, about 5 minutes.
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Add the icing sugar and beat again until combined and very pale, another 5 minutes.
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Add the vanilla extract.
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With the mixture on a medium speed, gradually add the cream cheese, teaspoon by teaspoon, until just combined.
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Fill a piping bag with a round tip with the buttercream. Pipe swirls onto the top of the mini cakes. Decorate with candied blood orange, fresh orange segments or chopped pistachios.
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Slice the orange into thin rounds.
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Combine the sugar and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil.
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Add the orange slices and boil for 15 minutes or until the peel just starts to go translucent. Remove from syrup. Transfer to a sheet of baking paper to cool.
lemon curd or bread pudding for your egg yolks! or just scramble them if you get too lazy lol.
YES was so tempted to do lemon curd, and bread and butter pudding has been on my list to make for so long. Ended up with the Violet Bakery 3-egg yolk chocolate chip cookies, spur of the moment cookie baking after dinner haha! They were 100% worth it, even though I ate way too much raw cookie dough. Thanks Heather!
Sorry to hear your Pavlova didn’t go well!! We have all been there. A bad day at the kitchen is no testament to your skills or passion. These things do happen. 🙂 On the other hand, I think that your first foray into using a mini loaf pan paid off! These are the most delicious looking loaves ever! I love a good orange and almond cake and the decorating really tops it all off. I could definitely see myself buying some of these at a cafe. Happy Hump day! I am sure there will be plenty more delicious pavlovas to come 🙂 xx
Thanks Lynnette! Exactly, and I think pavlovas are pretty up there in terms of things most likely to fail haha. I can’t wait to make heaps of other cakes in these little tins too – mini carrot cake loves, mini ginger loaves, mini sticky date puddings – endless possibilities! Hope you are having a lovely week xx
I made a Pavlova on Saturday and I was lucky it turned out good. Gone in 2 days 😋, it will appear on the blog soon. But I had so many kitchen disasters, and very messy ones… 😆 I love your orange and almond loaf cakes, they look adorable and the flavors are intriguing. Pinned, going to make them! 😊
Pavlovas NEVER last long – even piled high with cream, I think their relative light/airyness makes it easier to justify larger slices and second helpings haha! Thanks so much Nicoletta – glad I’m not the only one with messy kitchen mishaps 🙂 hope you are having a good week!
This sounds so good, can’t say i’ve ever tried it either. Think i’ll pass this on to my mum to bake, she will love this recipe. Thanls simon.
Thanks Simon, would love to know what you and your Mum think of them!
So yum! Gonna try this asap. But can u also mention how you made those candied blood orange bits for decorations?
Thanks
Hi Sara! No worries, I forgot to put that bit in the recipe! I’ll updated the recipe now. Would love to know what you think! x
These are so beautiful, Claudia! I’d never know you experience kitchen fails with stunning creations like this! I love the combination of almond and orange.
P.S. lots of egg yolks are great for creating custard! You could make trifles, layering small slices/blocks of these loaf cakes with orange-laced custard. I did something similar here and it was so tasty: http://monpetitfour.com/orange-raspberry-trifle
XO
Thanks Beeta! I definitely do, but luckily not too often. I think I have more fails the more experimental I get though!
I ended up making Violet Bakery’s 3-egg yolk chocolate chip cookies (and now have heaps of cookie dough balls sitting dangerously in the freezer…) but was thinking about making a custard creme-brulee like you say. And that trifle looks amazing! Next time I get up the courage to try a pavlova I will definitely keep that in mind xx
I’ve not seen this recipe, Claudia, so I’m so glad you shared it here! Sublime is the word… but then I saw you bruleed those oranges… 😮 !! I’m completely inspired and can’t wait for citrus season again! Delicious my dear!
Thanks Traci! Definitely give them a try, I love how simple but intensely flavoured they are with the whole orange involved. Hope your week is going well! x
Claudia they are so beautiful and cute and sound delicious! I love mini cakes 🙂
Hope all is well! I’ve been such a dud with commenting lately given the busy schedule of rotations, but I have a vacation now for a few weeks! Can’t wait to see what more you create 🙂
Thanks Erica! Me too don’t worry, I’ve been so slack with replying to people! Hope your rotations have been going well though and hope you have an amazing few weeks vacation! xx
I tried to change a chocolate cake recipe recently (and was so stubborn), I ended up making it four times before I finally admitted defeat. Claudia Roden’s recipe is a classic and one I have used many times. I usually make one big cake, but love your little loafs. Huge congratulations on the Saveur nomination, very well deserved! You have my vote, Claudia! xx
Hahaha I’m glad I’m not the only one that tries a bit too hard to change recipes sometimes! I’m sure your chocolate cakes would still having tasted amazing though – 4 times is serious persistence! Thanks so much Louise, I still can’t quite believe that The Brick Kitchen is a finalist, so excited! Hope you are having a lovely week xx
Claudia, these look amazing! You always make the make the most incredible dishes! Even that pavlova that didn’t work out sounds divine! Which is why it was no surprise to see that you made the short list of the Saveur Food Blog Awards!!! Congratulations!!!! So amazing and so well deserved! Voted 🙂
Thanks so much Kathleen! That is so so lovely to hear, it seriously means a lot. I’m so excited and I really still can’t quite believe it! Thanks os much for your support xxx
I HEAR you Claudia! Kitchen fails are the worst but a necessary part of food blogger life. These loaf cakes look magical! I am pinning. Also congratulations on your nomination for the Saveur awards. I love your blog – you deserve it!
Exactly – they suck when they happen, but to make more unique and interesting creations they are totally necessary. So so true Thanks so much Jess, it’s crazy and so exciting! That means a lot to hear, you are way too kind xx
The instructions state to combine the almond flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder and salt, but the ingredients don’t list salt. How much salt?
Oh sorry about that! It’s 1/2 a teaspoon, I’ll add it to the recipe 🙂
Kitchen fails are one of the hardest things for me to swallow. The poor hubby has to deal with me silently screaming or slamming dirty dishes into the dishwasher as I talk to myself about what went wrong. Sounds like you handle it better than me! Ironically I posted about a culinary fail a couple months back and it was for a flourless blood orange cake! I ended up not making mine flourless because it frustrated me so much and I wasted a lot of almond meal. Anyway will be trying your recipe here. They look so fluffy and delightful. Thanks for posting!
If I want to make a cake instead of the mini loaves, what size pan can I use? Thanks
Hi Sharmila! I would use a 23cm round cake tin for that. Baking time will increase as well – probably about an hour at 180°C but I would check regularly from 45min or so to be safe. Hope that helps!
Thank you, I absolutely adore this cake, its delicious! May I ask, if I could layer this cake? I.e. If I want to serve 40 people could I bake say 4 layers in an 8inch tin and layer them with the cream cheese buttercream? Would the cake have enough structure to support this? Cheers xx
Thanks Leah! I think you could layer it – I would just refrigerate the layers for an hour or so before you stack it, make sure the buttercream is reasonably firm and then refrigerate it again when you’re finished to ‘set’ the layers together. Hope that helps and would love to hear how ti goes!
Hi,
Is this a cake that will stay fresh after a few days, I am going to make it as a cake and with the oranges at the bottom of the tin, then sugar and torch them, how long do I wait to do this?
Hi! yes it definitely will stay fresh a few days – kept in an airtight container, it will last about 3 days well. If you make it without the fresh oranges at the bottom it will last a bit longer, 5-6 days. Hope that helps!