Sicilian Orange & Almond Cake

Place the whole, unpeeled oranges in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour, turning the oranges occasionally, until they are completely soft when pierced with a skewer. Drain and leave to cool until comfortable to handle — about 20 minutes. This step is what makes this cake extraordinary: boiling the oranges whole removes all bitterness from the pith and transforms the entire fruit — skin, pith, and flesh — into a deeply fragrant, jammy mass. Do not skip or shorten this step. While the oranges cool, preheat your oven to 170°C (150°C fan) and grease and line a 23cm round cake tin with baking paper.

Cut the cooled oranges in half and remove any pips — these are bitter and must come out. Place the entire orange halves, skin and all, into a food processor or blender. Blitz to a smooth, thick, fragrant purée — this takes about 1–2 minutes of processing. The purée will be a deep amber-orange colour and smell intensely of orange blossom and citrus. Set aside. The purée can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated, which actually deepens the flavour further.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and caster sugar together vigorously for 2–3 minutes until the mixture is pale, thick, and slightly increased in volume. Add the orange purée and stir to combine. Add the ground almonds, gluten-free baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Fold everything together gently with a spatula until just combined — do not overmix. The batter will be quite loose and wet; this is correct. It will look nothing like a conventional cake batter, and that is exactly right. Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50–60 minutes until the cake is deep golden brown, has pulled away slightly from the sides of the tin, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil after 40 minutes. Leave to cool completely in the tin — this cake is fragile when warm and will firm up as it cools. Once fully cold, turn out onto a serving plate. Dust generously with icing sugar and scatter toasted flaked almonds over the top. The cake keeps beautifully for 3–4 days at room temperature, wrapped in foil, and actually improves on day two as the orange flavour deepens.