Well, as usual, I ended up entertaining a whole group of people last Thursday - I just can't help myself...I was born to host!!! It was originally meant to be just 2 girls but a few others heard about it and, before I knew it, I had 7 old school friends invited over for morning tea. (old as in from a long time ago obviously, not meaning that we are getting old!)
I had asked everyone to bring a plate but still couldn't help myself from cooking up a storm. One of the things I made was a boiled orange and dark chocolate cake. It was very popular and I have been asked for the recipe by a few people so I thought it best to share it on here. It is such an easy recipe to make and I love it because the most time-consuming part of the recipe can be done up to 48 hours before you need to make the cake, leaving only about 10 mins of prep on the day (plus 60 mins of cooking time). I must say that this wasn't my best attempt at the cake as my eggs were huge and the mixture ended up a bit too moist which meant I had to cook it longer which meant I burnt the top - I have never had this problem before so maybe I was just "off my game" that particular day. Anyway, it still tasted nice but wasn't as good as usual.
This recipe is beautiful served warm as the chocolate is all gooey and soft - it is also fabulous with a nice dollop of thick cream. It reheats nicely in the microwave so you can eat it warm and gooey for many days after making the recipe...assuming it lasts that long obviously. The other great thing about this recipe is that it is gluten and dairy free but is absolutely gorgeous and decadent even without those thing!
I have decided to add extra info for the recipes such as prep time, cost etc. - let me know if you think I should add anything else!
So, without further ado, here it is...
Boiled Orange and Chocolate Cake
Serves: easily serves about 8-10 people as it is rich
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 2 hours to boil oranges plus 1 hour to cook cake (note, oranges can be done in advance)
Cost: Roughly $10 plus extra for the cream if you use it!
2 large oranges, washed
6 eggs
300g ground almonds
250g caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free baking powder available if required)
100-150g dark chocolate chopped into bite-sized chunks (good quality - I use Lindt or Plaistowe)
Icing sugar to dust if desired
Step 1: Put oranges in a pot and fill with water until almost covered. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hours. Please make sure you top up the water occasionally - I forgot to once and the burnt mess in the bottom of the pot was not pretty!!! If you are fussy and want to ensure the oranges are not bitter, simmer for 1/2 an hour, discard water and do the final 1.5 hours in the fresh water. I do this step but am not really convinced it makes a difference as I have tried it both ways. Please note that the orange boiling step can be performed 24-48 hours in advance and the whole oranges can just be put in the fridge until required. If you are in a rush and can't be bothered with the boiling, you can apparently pierce the skins with a fork, then microwave on high for 8 mins (turn every few minutes and adjust timing for size of fruit). I have never tried this method but my lovely friend Robyn has and she said it was fine!
Step 2: Preheat oven to 190ºC/170ºc fan forced and line the base and sides of a spring-form tin with baking paper.
Step 3: Cut oranges in half and remove any pips (i have never found any personally) and then process the oranges (including peel) in a food processor or blender.
Step 4: Cream eggs and sugar together with a beater. Add all of the remaining ingredients and fold through.
Step 5: Pour batter into prepared tin and cook for 1 hour - check during the cooking process and pop a piece of baking paper over the cake if it seems to be burning. The cake should be moist but not wet so, if it is not cooked properly after 1 hour, leave it a little longer.
Step 6: Allow to cool in tin, remove gently, dust with icing sugar and serve with thick fatty dollopy cream...prepare to swoon!!!
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