Spiced orange cakes

Filled with flavours inspired by the Middle East, these mini loaf cakes are drizzled with a spiced orange blossom syrup.

Spiced orange cakes Credit: Lyndey Milan's Baking Secrets

• makes

  8

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  3:45 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 oranges
• ½ cup (80 g) icing sugar
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup (125 ml) olive oil
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1¼ cups (275 g) caster sugar
• 250 g ground almonds (see Note)
• ¼ cup pistachios, roasted, roughly chopped, to garnish
• Rose petals, to garnish

Spiced orange blossom syrup

• 1 orange, juiced
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp orange blossom water (see Note)
• 1 tbsp (20 ml) lemon juice

Instructions

1. Place the oranges in a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours or until the oranges are very tender. Drain and set the oranges aside to cool.
 
2. While the oranges are boiling, make the spiced orange blossom syrup by combining orange juice, spices and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove heat, allow to cool and add orange blossom water and lemon juice.
 
3. Sift icing sugar into a small bowl, add 1 tbsp of the spiced orange blossom syrup and 2 teaspoons of water and mix until smooth. Set aside until serving.
 
4. When the oranges are cooked, pre-heat oven to 160⁰C. Grease a mini loaf tin with eight ⅔ cup (160 ml) holes with butter.
 
5. Cut the cooked oranges in half and remove any seeds. Place in a food processor with eggs, olive oil, vanilla and caster sugar and process until smooth. Add ground almonds and pulse until just combined. Spoon batter into prepared loaf tins, putting two ⅓ cup measures in each hole, and bake for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from oven and sprinkle each mini loaf with 2 teaspoons of cooled spiced orange blossom syrup. Leave to cool before removing from tins.
 
6. To serve, drizzle each mini loaf with icing and top with pistachios and rose petals.

Note

• Orange blossom water is available from Middle Eastern food stores or gourmet delis. Ground almonds are also known as almond meal.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.