Gluten-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free.
During winter, oranges are in plentiful supply. Nature is wonderful, providing us with an abundance of citrus at this time of year when we need that extra hit of vitamin C. Just slicing or zesting an orange releases their wonderful scent that makes me so happy! Whilst I love to eat oranges fresh, I wanted to create a cake that packed a real punch of orange flavour.
I also had some baked orange sweet potatoes in the fridge so I decided to incorporate this as part of the icing to give that pop of orange colour that I really wanted to see. For the mashed sweet potato, I baked them whole with their skin on (and pricked them a few times with a fork before placing in the oven). I used the thinner, longer sweet potatoes which take approx 45 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees celsius. The larger, rounder ones may take a little longer, but you’ll know when they’re fully cooked if you can put a fork through the middle of the sweet potato without any resistance. You will only need one or two sweet potatoes, depending on the size, but I always bake more and keep extra ones in the fridge to use for another meal. This delicious cake is light and moist – it’s gluten-free and refined sugar-free. If you love citrus, you will definitely love this cake!
Tip: Zest the oranges first before cutting in half to squeeze the juice.
Ingredients
2 cups almond meal
150ml plain organic yoghurt
3 eggs
100ml pure maple syrup
100 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tbsp orange zest (avoid the white part as it’s very bitter)
1 tbsp psyllium husk
2 tsp bi-carb soda (baking soda)
Icing
3/4 cup cold mashed orange sweet potato (skin removed and discarded)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2-3 tbsp pure maple syrup (start off with 2 tbsp and add more if you want it a little sweeter)
2 tbsp orange zest
Pre-heat the oven to 160 deg C. Line the bottom and sides of a baking tin with baking paper (I used a baking tin measuring approx 27cm x 20cm x 5cm), and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, add the almond meal, psyllium husk, and bi-carb soda and mix to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well until fully combined.
Pour cake batter into the prepared baking tin and place in the oven. Bake for approx 30 minutes (a little more or less, depending on the oven). Cake is cooked when a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean or a few crumbs appear on the skewer. Allow cake to cool in the tin.
For the icing, mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl until fully combined. Spread evenly over the cooled cake. Slice the cake as desired and serve.
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