Flourless orange cake

I tend to get a bit wild in the kitchen when I get my annual box or two of Greek countryside oranges. Of course, we eat them, I boil jam and I bake them. I love oranges with almonds so almond flour was a must, but to avoid wheat flour (sometimes I do), I added buckwheat flour and the cake just turned out very, very well. Moist and orangey. 

Ingredients

3 medium size oranges (450 g blended and boiled)
6 medium eggs
200 g light brown sugar
2 dried rose heads, crushed almost into powder
1/3 tsp vanilla powder
130 g almond flour
130 g buckwheat flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
pinch of sea salt
150 g melted, cooled butter

to decorate:
natural pistachios
syrup - see recipe how to make
dried, edible rose petals

for syrup and glazed oranges:
2 small oranges
150 ml water
100 g golden caster sugar

Prepare

Place oranges into a pot, pour over the water so that oranges are covered and boil for an hour. Drain and let them cool for a few hours (I let them cool for 12h). Afterward, place them into a blender and blend until a rough puree consistency. 

Preheat the oven to 150°C and line the bottom and grease the sides (with butter) of a 23 cm round cake tin.

Beat the eggs and sugar in either a large mixing bowl or food mixer until pale and thick, for 7-10 minutes, somewhere in the middle adding vanilla and rose petals. Then mix in the pureed orange, almond and buckwheat flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix in until thoroughly incorporated, adding butter in 3 batches. 

Pour the batter in the prepared tin and bake for 45-55 minutes until firm to the touch and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Once the cake is ready, remove from the oven and whilst the cake is still in the tin, pour over the syrup (not all of it, but some) and sprinkle pistachios with rose flowers. Let the cake cool in the cake tin before removing. 

For the SYRUP and GLAZED oranges. Place sugar and water in a pot and boil. Add orange slices and boil for 20 minutes on medium heat. In the meantime, heat the oven 150 degrees hot, place parchment paper on a pan. Take out the slices, place on a pan in one layer and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Take out from the oven and let them cool. Reserve the syrup for the cake and slices for something else or you can alos put in the cake. 

Recipe and pictures: Signe Meirane
Camera: Sony Alpha 7s