There’s always space for dessert, especially for this stunning whole orange cake glazed with fragrant rosemary syrup. While fruity flavours may not be your go-to for cakes before, the citrusy tang of this one will be sure to change your mind. It’s also perfectly moist, sweet, and full of texture.
Ingredients
- 2 oranges
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 cup fine semolina
- 1¼ cups ground almonds
- 1½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
ROSEMARY SYRUP
- 2 oranges
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 125 ml water
- 1½ tbsps lemon juice
- 2 tbsps orange-flavoured liqueur
- 2 (8 cm) sprigs fresh rosemary
Steps
Place unpeeled oranges in a medium saucepan over high heat, cover with cold water; bring to the boil. Boil covered, 1½ hrs or until oranges are tender; drain. Cool.
Preheat oven to 180 C (160 C fan-forced). Grease a deep 22 cm (9 inch) round cake pan; line base and side with baking paper.
Trim and discard ends from oranges. Halve oranges; discard seeds. Process orange, including rind, with baking powder until mixture is pulpy. Transfer to a large bowl.
Bake cake for 1 hr or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand cake in pan for 45 mins before turning, top-side up, onto a cake plate.
ROSEMARY SYRUP
Remove rind from one orange with a zester, into thin strips. Using a vegetable peeler, peel a long continuous strip of rind from remaining orange.
Place sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat; stir, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Add long strip of rind, bring to the boil; boil for 5 mins or until syrup thickens.
Spoon hot syrup over warm cake. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.
TIP If you don’t have a zester, simply peel the rind into wide strips with a vegetable peeler, then cut them into thin strips. You could vary the flavourings in the syrup by adding either a cinnamon stick or a split vanilla bean instead of rosemary.
Photo: bauersyndication.com.au
