A memorable dessert recipe: Orange and almond torte

Fruit and nuts plus a little magic

This elegant dessert recipe is great for those who don’t like sickly, sweet or over the top cake concoctions. Like most tortes, fruit is a feature of this cake recipe and it uses no flour, making it perfect for when your entertaining gluten sensitive guests.

I love to make this particular dessert recipe for afternoon tea too. It’s more elegant than my delicious old fashioned apple pie and the heady smell of orange and cinnamon fills the house with such a wonderful fragrance that guests always comment when they walk in the door. Of course the proof, like with all good dessert recipes, is in the pudding itself and this one is a taste sensation. The tart finish on the tongue is perfect with a creamy dollop of double-cream and is the perfect served with a strong black coffee made Turkish style or black earl grey tea with a slice of lemon in it.

There’s also room for a little experimentation with this dessert recipe. I’ve often wondered if grated dark chocolate on top might work because orange and chocolate are such a winning combination. I think the flavours would work but the sticky glaze might pose a problem. Another idea of how to make this dessert recipe with a twist would be to replace the syrup with a thick and glossy dark chocolate sauce to serve on the side with some vanilla ice-cream. Oh my – now that I type this I feel compelled to go make it immediately!

Grate orange zest and coconut on top for another twist on this torte. Image by jeffreyw, Flickr.

Grate coconut on top for another twist on this torte. Image by jeffreyw, Flickr.

Orange and almond torte: dessert recipe

Ingredients

• 6 eggs (separated)
• 240g caster sugar
• 230g almonds, ground
• Finely grated zest of 2 ½ oranges

Syrup

• Juice of 8 oranges
• Juice of 1 ½ lemons
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Caster sugar – to taste

Method

Begin by preheating your oven to 180C and fully line a 23cm cake tin (preferably spring-form – it makes life easier) with greaseproof baking paper. Take 1 tbsp. of caster sugar out from the 240g and put aside, then mix the remaining sugar with the eggs yolks until you get a light coloured mixture. Mix in the almonds and orange zest. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs whites with the tablespoon of sugar until stiff. Ever so carefully fold this into the egg yolk/sugar/zest mix. Be gentle and persistent and soon the eggs whites will loosen up the mixture.  Pour into cake tin with care and bake for around 60-70 minutes or until the top is golden and feels firm. If you’re oven cooks unevenly, set a timer to rotate the cake halfway through the cooking time.

Meanwhile you can get on with preparing the syrup. In a small pot, combine orange and lemon juice, cinnamon stick and a rough handful of sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and add additional sugar if necessary but be aware this syrup should be quite tart in flavour. Allow to cool before placing in the fridge.

Allow the torte to cool completely in the tin (sitting on a rack) before removing from tin. Place on a plate and using a skewer, poke 4 holes at even intervals on top of the cake. Then pour around half the syrup on top, the holes will help it soak through the torte.

Serve with remaining syrup in a small jug and cold vanilla ice-cream or cream and coffee.

If you like this dessert recipe, you may want to try my wonderful baked figs recipe too!

Dinner Style By: Gloria