Everybody who lives or works within stone’s throw of a modern cafe these days knows about the classic gluten free treat, Orange Almond Cake. It’s nearly a cafe staple, and some of my anti-glutenite friends have been fed it so many times, they can barely face it now. So it’s time for a flavour revamp. A classic mexican “dessert”,  Yucatean Oranges, to the rescue. (If you haven’t tried this refreshing summer street food, see my note at the end of the post! Hint: there’s cayenne pepper involved).

See, though Orange Almond Cake is well known, its a bit of a strange one, because it’s made with whole cooked oranges, pulped and added to the mixture. That’s how I came to put the idea of orange and chilli together. The other interesting thing about the Orange Almond Cake is that it’s more like a sponge than anything else – made with whipped eggs and sugar. It has no extra fat added, and its completely dairy free (unless, like me, you like to serve the cake with greek yogurt!)

Of course, I’ve also had chilli on the brain, because I made chilli chocolate truffles from the leftover cake crumbs from last week’s Mexican Mess Gateau. I’ll think about sharing that some other time. Maybe. They are a good secret.

Back to my Chilli Orange Almond Cake. So obviously I had to put a little chilli into the cake – but that’s quite subtle. I used some semi-dried flakes of the long red chillis that are usually available in supermarkets. They are (usually) not insanely hot, and they have a nice capsicum-like sharpness.  In Aussie you can buy these chilli flakes in little ziplock bags, they keep for weeks in the fridge and are already chopped up!

Orange pulp, chilli flakes, ground almonds and baking powder are folded into the whipped eggs, creating a deliciously citrussy fluff.

You should expect the cake to sink a little in the centre – that comes from the lack of gluten to help hold the centre structure together. But that’s ok, because it leaves a well for the best part of the cake – the part I haven’t told you about yet:

It’s soaked while still hot with a spiced chilli orange syrup. This is where the heat ramps up just a little! While the orange syrup is cooking, the chilli flakes rehydrate and become candied. There’s a little cinnamon and clove in there too, just to round out the flavour.

The sugar plumped chilli flakes and orange pulp stick to the outside of the cake. It’s all sorts of wonderful. And some of the syrup is poured over the cake when you serve it.

Chilli Orange Almond Cake with Chilli Orange Syrup

Makes a 17.5 cm round cake – Serves 8-10.

Gluten Free Chilli Orange Almond Cake

ingredients

1 whole orange
3 eggs
85 g caster sugar
220g ground almonds
3/4 tsp baking powder (make sure it’s gluten free)
1 tsp semi-dried chilli flakes (or 1 tbsp chopped long red chilli)

mixing

Line the base and sides of a 17.5cm round cake pan with bake paper.

Place the orange in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Cool the orange in cold water. When the orange is cool, cut into eighths and puree in a food processor or blender. Set aside.

Combine the eggs and sugar and whisk until thick and creamy. Add the orange pulp, almonds, baking powder and chilli flakes, and fold the ingredients until completely combined. Spoon into the prepared cake pan. Smooth the top. Drop the pan on the bench a couple of times to ensure that there are no big air bubbles in the cake.

Bake the cake at 180 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. The centre may have sunken a bit towards the end of the cooking process. If you find that the cake browns too quickly, pop a sheet of baking paper over the top of the cake about halfway through the cooking time.

When the cake is done, remove and poke all over with a skewer. brush about 1/2 cup of syrup over the cake. Let the cake cool until just warm, then remove from the cake pan and place on a wire rack. Pour another 1/2 cup of syrup over the cake, reserving the rest of the syrup for serving.

Serve with greek yogurt.

Chilli Orange Syrup

ingredients

200mL fresh orange juice (squeeze it yourself if possible – about 2 oranges)
200g caster sugar
2 tsp semi-dried chilli flakes (or 2 tbsp fresh chilli)
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
1/4 tsp salt

mixing

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer about three minutes. Let cool.

Yucatean Oranges

This treat is a wonderful cooler for a hot day – A classic from the Yucatan peninsula.

4 Oranges, peeled and sliced into rounds
cayenne pepper, to taste (start with 1/8 teaspoon and don’t be afraid to experiment up with the heat!)
paprika, to taste
salt and sugar, to taste

mixing

Combine the oranges, their juices, with the cayenne, paprika, and salt. Chill for 15 minutes, and adjust the seasoning, including adding some sugar if you like. Chill for a further 45 minutes. Serve ice cold.