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.

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