A sugar free, low carb, gluten free blood orange & almond cake that is moist, dense, delicious and comforting. It uses the entire orange (except the pips), which reduces the waste and adds to the fibre, helping slow down the sugar absorption in the bloodstream.
- 2 blood oranges (organic is best as you are using the whole orange, including the skin - use plain oranges if you can't find blood oranges)
- 6 medium eggs
- 250 g (2 and 1/2 cups) ground almonds
- 150 g (3/4 cup) xylitol (or use 100g xylitol and a few drops liquid stevia)
- 1 tsp baking powder (gluten free if needed)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- a syrup made by pouring boiling water over 1 tsp rice syrup and a few drops liquid stevia, optional
- creme fraiche or yogurt, toasted flaked almonds and orange zest, to serve, optional
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Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5. Pierce the oranges all over and heat in the microwave in a bowl for 5 mins until soft (or boil for 2 hours on the stove). Allow to cool and remove the pips, then blitz in a food processor to make a pulp.
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Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add in the other ingredients and mix well. Add the orange pulp and stir until combined. Pour into a greased and lined 23cm (9") cake tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 mins - 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If doing the syrup, pierce the cake all over with a skewer while still warm and spoon over several tablespoons of syrup. This will make the cake slightly sweeter and more moist and dense. You can skip this step, if you prefer.
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Allow to cool slightly. Gorgeous served warm or cold with a big dollop of creme fraiche, full-fat plain yogurt or unsweetened coconut yogurt, toasted flaked almonds and/or a grating of orange zest.