Orange and almond cake

This intensely flavoured, moist cake will make your home smell wonderful, and the uplifting properties of orange oil will put the whole house in a good mood.


  • 2 oranges, washed
  • 60g butter softened
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 cups almond meal
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup self-raising flour

Orange syrup

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (1 extra orange)
  • ½ cup water


  1. Place the 2 oranges in a saucepan and boil for around 1 hour or until oranges are very soft.
  2. Grease and flour a 12 pan friend or muffin tin.
  3. When the oranges are cooked add the whole oranges into a food processor and blitz until completely blended.
  4. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
  5. In an electric mixer bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until light and creamy. Add in the eggs one at a time, vanilla bean paste, almond meal and the food processed orange mix.
  6. Add in the self-raising flour and mix until combined.
    Transfer into the friend or muffin tins.
  7. Bake for 35 minutes or until they bounce back when touched lightly.
  8. While the cakes are cooking make the syrup. In a saucepan add in the sugar, water and orange juice from the extra orange.
  9. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved,
    and the mix becomes syrupy. Pour the syrup over the cakes while they are still warm. The cakes are best eaten while warm, straight out of the oven.