and Mandarin and Almond Cake with Cinnamon Syrup

and when life gives you mandarins
Make Mandarin and Almond Cake with Cinnamon Syrup.

At work we get weekly fruit boxes delivered. After a few weeks the mandarins start piling up. We eat them but not fast enough. So at the end of the day Friday I threw out a few old ones and ended up taking around 20 home.

Sunday morning I got up relativity early and baked a cake specifically for morning tea Monday.

Gluten Free Mandarin and Almond Cake with Cinnamon Syrup. 

Ingredients

300g (2 large, or 3 small) mandarins, skin on, quartered, seeds removed
1 3/4 cups caster sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
125g butter, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups almond meal (ground almonds)
1/3 cup gluten-free cornflour (made from maize not wheat)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm-deep, 20cm (base) round cake pan. Line base and side with baking paper.

2. Combine mandarin, 1 cup sugar, cinnamon and 13/4 cups cold water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Boil, covered, for 15 minutes or until mandarin skin is tender. Remove mandarin with a slotted spoon. Process mandarin until almost smooth. Cool. Reserve syrup.

3. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in almond meal, cornflour and mandarin purée. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

4. Meanwhile, place reserved syrup in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until slightly thickened.

5. Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack over a baking tray. Pour half the syrup over cake. Serve cake warm with the drizzled with remaining syrup

Verdict?

Amazing. The cake did not last long at all. It was soft and juicy and light and sweet. I will definatly be making this one again.

You can also serve with some double cream. But I excluded this and I don't think it was missed.

But what about the other 17 mandarins? Well I chopped up one and added it to my fruit salad. The other 16 I used to make Mandarin Marmalade. 

Cute jar huh? My friend crochet the cover.

Tip: If you are making the marmalade, look for mandarins which do not have loose skin. The ones which are harder to peel are better, in my opinion, because the skin stays together, so they are easier to strip of the rind and to cut into nice julienne strips. Also cut the skin into strips about 1cm wide first. Strip of the rind with a small sharp knife, then cut into the julienne strips.

Love, love Elle.