Orange Almond Cake with Citrus Crème Fraiche Recipe - Great British Chefs

Step 1

Begin by making the honey-poached orange segments. Place the orange segments in a heatproof bowl and the honey in a small pan. Bring the honey to the boil and cook until it begins to change colour and caramelise, then pour in the orange juice. Return to the boil, then pour the syrup over the orange segments and allow to macerate for at least 2-3 hours, or overnight

Step 2

Next, make an orange purée for the cake. Cut the tops and bottoms off the oranges, then place them in a large pan. Cover with water, then bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 hours, or until very soft. Drain off any excess water, then transfer the oranges to a blender and blitz until puréed. Weigh out 375g of the purée (any remaining can be used in other dishes or discarded) and place in the fridge to chill

Step 3

While the oranges are simmering, make the candied zest. Peel the lemon and lime and slice the peel into thin julienned strips. Place the strips of peel in a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for 1 minute, then refresh in cold water. Repeat this process once more, then drain the zest

Step 4

Place the sugar, water and glucose in a pan and bring to the boil, then stir in the twice blanched zest and cook until the peel turns translucent. Leave to cool in the syrup

Step 5

Make the citrus crème fraiche by stirring all the ingredients together. Set aside

Step 6

Preheat an oven to 170°C/gas mark 3 and place the eggs and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Mix the baking powder with the ground almonds in a bowl and set aside

Step 7

Whisk the eggs and sugar together until just combined, then add the 375g of orange purée and almond and baking powder mixture. Whisk again until combined, then pour into a 2lb loaf tin lined with baking paper. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, then remove and leave the cake to cool in the tin, wrapping it with a tea towel or cling film to keep it moist. Set aside until ready to plate

Step 8

To serve, remove the cake from the tin and cut into approximately 30 equal-sized cubes. Place 3 cubes on each serving plate, then place a large quenelle of the crème fraiche in the centre. Scatter the orange segments around the plate, drizzling some of the syrup on top, then garnish with the candied zest, diced lime segments and toasted almonds