North African Sticky Orange & Almond Cake

Now here’s a real treat! Light, moist and scrumptiously sticky, this cake is more than a mere indulgence though; with a great balance of protein and carbs, plus plenty of healthy unsaturated fats, it will help you recover after exercise too. Boost the protein content with a dollop of natural yoghurt if you like. Flour free, gluten free, lactose free (not sugar-free though, admittedly) this delicious citrus and almond combination is soaked with an orange syrup infused with exotic spices and then topped with toasted almonds. Top tip - eat with a fork or you will get very sticky fingers!

Ingredients

For the cake

• 50g gluten free breadcrumbs
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 100g ground almonds
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 150ml sunflower oil
• 4 large free range eggs
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• Grated zest of 2 oranges

For the syrup

• Juice of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 orange
• 75g caster sugar
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 cinammon stick
• 3 x star anise
• Toasted flaked almonds to decorate

Method

1. Grease the cake tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper.
2. Pour the breadcrumbs, sugar, almonds and baking powder into a bowl and stir to combine.
3. Break the eggs into another bowl, add the sunflower oil and beat with a whisk until light and fluffy. Stir in the orange and lemon zest and then fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Spoon the mixture into the tin and place in the cold oven.
4. Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4 and bake for 45 mins or until the cake is golden, and firm to the touch.
5. While the cake is cooking, prepare the syrup. Combine the lemon and orange juice with the sugar and spices in a small saucepan. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes until it becomes syrupy. Set aside to cool.
6. When the cake is cooked, remove from the oven but leave it in the tin. Make a few holes in the surface by poling a skewer into the cake and then pour the syrup over the cake. Do this gradually, letting it sink in, and then decorate with toasted flaked almonds, and leave to cool completely.