flourless mandarine cake

River requested I make Mette's apple pie to take for dessert when we were having dinner at a friend's house on Saturday night. I had only two apples and there were no more organic apples to be found in Sorrento on Saturday morning.

I couldn't justify the 25km round trip to the organic farm so I thought about what was in the fruit bowl. Lemons aplenty meant lemon tart was an option, but we took that last time and I'm happy it was off the list because I would never have made this sublime flourless mandarine cake.

With 7 mandarines, almond meal, Billington's unrefined caster sugar, 6 eggs and a teaspoon of baking powder we had a simple and deliciously seasonal dessert to share and enjoy. 

Flourless mandarine cake


Ingredients


7 small or 4 large mandarines
250 grams almond meal
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 eggs


To make


Grease a 22cm springform tin
Preheat oven to 170C
Place mandarines (skin on) in a saucepan and cover with boiling water, gently boil until soft
Drain mandarines, cut in half (as pictured above) and de-seed 
Puree mandarines with skin on in a food processor or blender. Allow to cool.
In a mixing bowl combine almond meal, sugar and baking powder
In a separate bowl beat eggs until pale and fluffy
Fold eggs into dry ingredients with mandarine puree
When all ingredients are combined pour into tin
Bake for 50-60 minutes

For the syrup

Juice two mandarines and save the peel from one
Slice peel into long fine strips and boil in water until soft (5-7 minutes)

In a small saucepan combine 3/4 cup caster sugar, mandarine juice and peel. Simmer gently until sugar dissolves and syrup thickens.

Using a skewer pierce top of cake to allow syrup to run into cake. Spoon syrup and rind over.

Serve with cream or ice cream.