Autumn has well and truly set in and Winter is fast approaching. Of course, as the colder months get close it seems like my body tries to go into hibernation mode and all I want is carbs and sleep. One of my favourite cakes is Orange cake - a lot of orange cakes are made with ground almonds which is great for us gluten free eaters, but I find they can be incredibly dense - sometimes that's fine, but more often than not I don't want to feel like I have a brick in my stomach!
I wanted something light, fragrant and delicious. I'm obsessed with citrus and coconut together, I think because it reminds me of summer, and the addition of rosewater takes it to another level - the flavour of rosewater is very subtle, but the smell is incredible and it does wonders to this humble little treat.
Ingredients
1C sorghum flour
3/4C cashew nuts, blended
1/2C desiccated coconut
1t baking soda
2 oranges
2T pure maple syrup
1/2t pure vanilla essence
2 eggs
60ml rosewater
Place your oranges in a pot of water and boil, skin on for about 45 minutes. When done, let cool them cool a little before cutting into quarters and blending with the rind on (don't worry it won't be bitter!) until smooth.
Blend up the raw cashews with a magic bullet or food processor, and in a bowl mix together the cashews, flour, coconut, vanilla, maple syrup and rosewater.
Add the blended orange to the rest of the ingredients, then the eggs. Finally add the baking soda before transferring to a round springform tin or loaf pan.
Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Serve with coconut yoghurt, or fresh whipped cream and maple syrup for a decadent treat.
