Gluten-free + Dairy-free Orange and Poppy Seed Cake

This is just another quick blog post for one of my favourite cakes. It uses whole oranges which gives it that bright orange colour. I decorated them with a glaze and edible pansies, because flowers make everything look better.

I am currently posting this from Mooloolaba, and these photos were actually taken a couple months ago. You can either make petite cakes using a muffin pan like the ones above, or simply make a larger cake like the one below. I prefer the little ones.

This wasn’t going to be a blog post because I thought I didn’t have enough pictures. So later on, when I make this next time, I might add more photos. And I feel like I made a lot of food this holidays, but I did hardly any blog posts, so I’m really sorry about that.

I really hope you make these, even if your not gluten or dairy free. They are absolutely delicious and very easy. Have a wonderful week, and I’ll be going back to school two days!!

Gluten-free + Dairy-free Orange and Poppy Seed Cakes

You can bake these in a muffin pan, dariole moulds or a 22cm cake tin. This recipe involves whole oranges which you can boil for 2 hours or, my preferred method, is microwaving for 15 minutes. The poppy seeds are optional. 

Ingredients

• 2 navel oranges*
• 5 eggs
• 250g caster sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or extract)
• 250g almond meal
• 4 tbsp. poppy seeds
• 150g icing sugar
• 2-3 tbsp. water
• Edible flowers (such as pansies), to decorate

Method

1. Microwave method: Place the whole oranges in a large, microwave-safe bowl and cover with water. Microwave on high for 15 minutes.
   Stove top method: Place the whole oranges in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring the boil and cook for 2 hours, in order to remove the bitterness.
2. Once the oranges are cooked and soft, remove from the water and cut into small pieces ensuring to discard the seeds. Place the chopped oranges into a food processor or blender, then process until smooth. This is optional, but you can pass the puree through a sieve to remove any larger chunks of orange.
3. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease and line a tin of your choice (such as muffin pan, dariole moulds or 22cm cake tin).
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs and sugar. Then, with a whisk attachment, beat for 6-8 minutes on high speed until pale and tripled in volume. On low speed, add the vanilla and orange puree. Gently fold in the almond meal and poppy seeds.
5. Distribute mixture evenly between prepared tins and bake for 25 minutes (if using muffin pan). The time will vary depending on size of tin.
6. Set aside to cool completely and transfer onto wire rack.
7. For the glaze, whisk together the icing sugar and water. If it is too thin, gradually add more icing sugar. If it is took thick, gradually add more water. Spread over the cake and allow it to drip down the sides. Sprinkle with extra poppy seeds and decorate with edible flowers (optional). Allow the icing to set, then serve and enjoy!

*For a mandarin cake, substitute the 2 navel oranges for 3 mandarins.