Now this is a beautiful cake.
Why more so than any other? Because it is neither cake nor pudding, neither pure sweet nor pure bitterness, neither entirely Eastern nor entirely Western.
It’s got the crunch of ground almonds, and the melting softness of a soaked meringue. Sweet in two ways, sugar and honey-soaked, but chastened fittingly by the bitterness of the whole oranges that have gone into it, peel, pith, and all, and the zest strips that dress it up after. And, flavored not just with orange and almond, but also saffron, it holds together the redolence of so much of the East without becoming a typically syrupy Eastern sweetmeat. You can’t go wrong with it. Bake it too little and it’s pudding-like. Bake it too much, a dollop of cream sorts things out (or you can re-hydrate with honey and orange, as I’ve done).
The idea for this cake owes first to Claudia Roden, whose original publication in her 1968 A Book of Middle-Eastern Food apparently documented several Sephardic recipes that were flourless, and therefore Passover staples (I don’t have the book, so can’t verify this; Roden’s updated New Book of Middle-Eastern Food, which I do have, doesn’t record this recipe).
As a tip of the hat to Roden, and to celebrate this cake’s key ingredient much as my last Sicilian Whole Orange Cake post did, here’s a riddle that Roden does record in her New Book of Middle Eastern Food:
Riddle: She is the beautiful daughter of a handsome man. Her beauty is that of the moon. Her children are within her bosom and her dwelling is high. Who is she?
Answer: An orange
This cake can be made three ways: flour-less (and therefore also gluten-free)…
…with the addition of some minimal flour to help retain its structure a touch more robustly…
…and in ramekins which of course celebrate its pudding-like melt-in-your mouth heart. One tip is to use any batter that looks like it might overflow from your 9″ springform pan in little ramekins — so that you can have your cake, and eat your puddings, too.
Sephardic Whole Orange-Saffron Cake
Ingredients
- 4 large organic oranges
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (optional)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup honey, plus extra for the burnt orange garnish
- sliced almonds to serve
Instructions
For the Cake
- Place two whole oranges (unpeeled) in a saucepan deep enough to cover them with water. Bring to boil, cover and lower flame, and leave to simmer until the the orange skins are fork-tender–about 30 minutes, or longer (if your oranges have tough rinds). Lift from the water and allow to cool.
- Now cut the cooled oranges and remove any seeds. Put the cut pieces and any running juice into a blender jar and pulse until roughly pureed.
- Add the vanilla and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of the saffron onto the orange puree. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9″ springform pan with parchment; butter the parchment. If you’re using ramekins, butter the ramekin bases lightly.
- Put the whole almonds into a spice or coffee grinder, and pulse until fine. Add the baking powder, salt, and flour (if using); pulse a few more times to combine. Set aside.
- In large bowl, whisk sugar with eggs for 7-8 minutes on high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume, is pale yellow, and a ribbon holds shape for 3-4 seconds.
- Fold in the ground almond mixture, followed by the melted butter.
- Finally, fold in the orange puree mixture.
- Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake until golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes.
- When the cake comes out from the oven, quickly run a knife around the edges to release from the sides of the pan. Invert, peel off parchment, and set on a serving plate to cool completely.
For the honey-orange syrup:
- Zest strips of outer peel from one remaining orange and then juice orange. In small saucepan combine zest, juice, honey, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads until bubbling.
- Pour the syrup over cake.
Finishing:
- Slice the final orange in thick-ish rounds. Butter a skillet and heat to almost smoking. Add the orange slices in a single layer, and brush with a little honey. Cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping in between, until the orange slices are browning and the fruit is softening just slightly. Set these on top of the cake.
- Garnish with slivered toasted almonds, and slices of burnt orange, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Hi Deepa,
This is the first time I have viewed your attractive and interesting site. And, I will be back. Claudia Roden has the Sephardic Orange cake on pg. 413 of her first Book of Middle Eastern Food. The recipe appears again, as Gateau a l’ Orange on pg. 599 in her new The Book of Jewish Food. The latter version is different in that it ads 2 Tbsp. orange blossom water & 1/4 cup extra sugar. (She also provided a variation with 5 eggs, matzo meal, bread crumbs on pg. 414). Yesterday, I made a version with Meyer Lemons, pureed uncooked. The recipe contains 1/3 cup yogurt & flour. So while no longer meeting Passover or Jewish dietary law for a meat meal, it is delicious. I found the recipe, an adaption, by Linda Conte on her blog site.
Sincerely,
Rosanne, thank you so much for recording those variations, including your own! I’m tempted to incorporate those in the recipe or at least post — a cake is never just one single thing, but this delicate balance of so many, right? The yogurt addition sounds like it would bring in a wonderful tang. Thanks for your comment!
Oh, and the Meyer lemon substitution will always have my heart.
Can this be made ahead & stay fresh? What is the shelf life? Also can it be frozen & defrost nicely? Thanks