Orange and lemon cake recipe

This citrussy cake with candied macadamias is an irresistible treat. Photo / Fresh Media

The weather might be a bit unreliable but you can still celebrate spring with this lovely gluten-free cake.

Fragrant with citrus flavours and topped with candied nuts, it would be hard to resist a slice of this cake with a cup of tea or coffee.

Orange and lemon cake

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 large lemon

1 large orange

2 oranges, cut into thin rounds

½ cup macadamia nut oil

4 free-range eggs

175g raw sugar

175g ground almonds

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp liquid honey

Lemon yoghurt glaze

1 cup Greek yoghurt

½ cup icing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

Candied macadamias

¼ cup macadamia nuts

1 Tbsp liquid honey

1 Tbsp raw sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease a 20cm cake tin and line with baking paper.
2. Place washed whole orange and lemon in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 30 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.
3. Blend boiled orange and lemon (skin and all) in a food processor until mushy. Add the oil, raw sugar, eggs, ground almonds and baking powder and blend until smooth.
4. Drizzle the honey into the cake tin, then line with the orange slices. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40 mins.
5. Candied Macadamia nuts: in a small bowl, combine the macadamias, honey and sugar. Toss well to cover each macadamia with the honey and sugar.
6. Tip the macadamias on to a lined baking tray in a single layer (separate them out) and place in the oven with the cake to bake for 8-10 minutes until caramelised and golden brown. Don’t forget to set a separate time for the nuts. Cool and set aside.
7. Lemon yoghurt glaze: in a bowl, mix yoghurt, icing sugar and grated lemon zest. Cover and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
8. Decorate the cake with yoghurt glaze and candied macadamias.

Afterword

Macadamia oil makes this cake beautifully light but you can use a neutral cooking oil instead.

– fresh.co.nz