These blood orange cakes carry a heavenly combination of savoury and sweet, with their moist and fluffy almond-based sponge, a secret but distinctive addition of olive oil, and a generous serve of creamy and slightly citrus mascarpone ice-cream.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (185 g) self-raising flour
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 cup (120 g) almond meal
- 1¼ cups (275 g) caster sugar
- ½ cup (125 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp finely grated blood orange rind
- ½ cup (125 ml) strained freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- 3 eggs, beaten lightly
CANDIED BLOOD ORANGES
- 1½ cups (375 ml) water
- ½ cup (125 ml) strained freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- 1 cup (220 g) caster sugar
- 3 medium blood oranges (480 g), cut into 5mm slices
MASCARPONE ICE-CREAM
- 1 cup (250 ml) strained freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- 300 ml thickened cream
- 1½ cups (240 g) icing sugar
- 250 g mascarpone
Steps
Make candied blood oranges, then mascarpone ice-cream.
Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease eight 10 cm springform pans. Line each base and side with baking paper.
Sift flour and bicarb into a large bowl; whisk in almond meal and sugar. Add oil, rind, juice and eggs; whisk until mixture is smooth.
Bake cakes for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand cakes in pan for 5 mins before transferring to plates.
Brush hot cakes with reserved syrup from candied oranges. Top cakes with candied blood orange slices; serve warm or cool with scoops of ice-cream.
CANDIED BLOOD ORANGES
Stir the water, juice and half the sugar in a large frying pan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add orange slices; simmer for 20 mins or until rind is soft. Add remaining sugar to pan; stir gently until dissolved. Simmer for a further 10 mins or until oranges are candied and syrup is thickened slightly. Using a spoon, transfer slices to wire racks on oven trays, in a single layer. Reserve 1 cup (250 ml) syrup. Cool. Chop 100 g orange slices for ice-cream.
MASCARPONE ICE-CREAM
Bring juice to the boil in a small saucepan; boil for 12 mins or until reduced to ¼ cup (60 ml). Cool. Refrigerate until cold. Beat cream, icing sugar and reduced juice in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold in mascarpone and chopped candied orange. Spread mixture level into a 1 litre (4 cup) loaf pan. Cover surface with plastic wrap; freeze for 6 hrs or overnight until firm.
Photo: bauersyndication.com.au