Cooking for Pesach always proves a challenge as I try to avoid using matzo meal - including dry cement as a main ingredient hardly appeals - and so for the next couple of weeks my Delicious! newsletters will include 'Kosher for Pesach' recipes that taste so good that you'll gladly use them the whole year round.
We're nearing the end of the citrus season - the scent of orange blossoms from the orchards alongside my home is already heavy in the air - so let me kick off this week with a moist and utterly addictive cake that uses neither flour nor dairy making it the ideal parev and Pesach-friendly dessert!
CITRUS-DRIZZLED ORANGE & ALMOND CAKE
6 large eggs, separated
300 ml white sugar
grated zest of 2 oranges
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking powder (omit for Pesach)
200 g ground almonds
GLAZE
¼ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange liqueur
1: Preheat oven to 180°C.
2: Beat the egg yolks and 250 ml sugar together until light and creamy.
3: Stir in orange zest and lemon juice then stir in baking powder if using and ground almonds.
4: Beat egg whites with remaining 50 ml sugar until stiff then carefully fold egg whites into the yolk mixture.
5: Grease or spray your cake tin well, pour in cake mixture and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
6: Brush with prepared glaze while hot and decorate with orange zest.
GLAZE
1: Microwave orange juice and sugar on high for 3 – 4 minutes stirring once every minute.
2: Allow to cool slightly then add liqueur.
COOK'S NOTES: Omitting the baking powder will obviously make for a flatter cake so make sure you fold in the egg white carefully to keep as much air as possible in the mixture. Orange zest is just the orange skin and not the white, bitter pith beneath and a microplane - the ultimate grater - is ideal for this task. Baking time depends on the depth of the cake tin - tin should never be more than 2/3 full or it could overflow - and may be even less than the time given if using a very flat tin. If you don't have orange liqueur then substitute with any brandy or any other alcohol