Cara cara oranges are amazing — they signal the end of harsh winters for us up in the northeast. I get so excited when my local Costco has them in stock. As we are in the middle of a pandemic (Day 32 of lockdown for us), I thought a semi-not terrible for you cake would be a perfect pick-me-up.
The recipe might look a bit odd, but the outcome is stellar. I ran out of almond flour, and thought the nuttiness of the spelt would accentuate the almond and orange flavors.
I also added yogurt for moisture and also some flax meal for added nutrition(ha).
I boiled 2 oranges for this recipe — not for long, just 15 minutes. That’s the second most time consuming part, apart from baking. But it is SO worth it. The end result is spectacular, chock-full of citrus flavor and floral cardamom notes. This is sure to hit the spot with your favorite cuppa.
Ingredients:
For bundt cake:
3 whole eggs + 4 tbsp egg whites
1.25 cup raw cane sugar
1.75 cups almond meal (Trader Joes)
1.5 cup spelt flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
2 tbsp flax meal
3.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup whole milk yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
2 large cara cara oranges
For citrus glaze:
2 oz full fat cream cheese
4 tbsp powdered sugar
1.5 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp cara cara orange juice
Zest of one cara cara orange
Directions:
For the bundt cake:
Thoroughly wash and clean skin of the 3 oranges. Place 2 oranges in boiling hot water and boil for approximately 10-15 minutes. Cool oranges down for 30 minutes by placing in an ice bath. Cut oranges into small chunks and puree in a food processor for 1 minute or until no large chunks remain.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Place aside.
Combine dry ingredients in a medium size bowl and whisk together to incorporate.
In a large bowl, cream together eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy on medium high speed for approximately 5 minutes. Gradually fold in flour mixture so as not to lose volume. Add in vanilla, oil, yogurt, and whole orange puree. Do not overmix.
Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick put into the pan comes out dry with no crumbs.
For citrus glaze:
Microwave 3 oz of cream cheese for approximately 30 seconds. Add in sugar, lemon juice, and orange juice. When cake reaches room temperature, place glaze into a small sandwich ziplock, cut a corner and glaze cake. Top with zest.
That’s it, I know it reads as though it’s labor intensive. But the cake is That’s it! I know it reads as though it’s labor intensive, but the cake is WELL worth it! I hope you give this recipe a try. Good luck!
P.S. There’s actually a slice of the cake missing because I could not wait to try it as soon as it came out of the oven glaze-less. Worth it. (Glaze entirely optional)