Orange Cake.

gluten free, paleo, totes fantastic. i saw this thing on the internet, with this simple recipe catching my eye. whole oranges? so few ingredients? what’s the deal? the deal is that this is an amazing dessert. PERIOD.

ingredients:
2 oranges
4 eggs
2 cups almond meal
3/4 cup honey (or agave)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 oz. chocolate (for topping)

preheat oven to 375.

1) boil the oranges for 90 minutes or so, until they are tender.
2) drop the oranges, peel and all, into your food processor, and blend very well.
3) add in eggs, honey, and almond meal, processing smoothly each time.
4) and in salt and baking soda.
5) pour into a 9-inch greased cake pan, and bake for 50 minutes – toothpick should come out clean, obv. this can also make between 1 and 2 dozen cupcakes, which should bake for only 25-30 minutes.
6) if you want, melt down than chocolate and throw it on top as a ganache, you know?

Coffee Almond Crunch Cake

David and I have recently become a bit obsessed with Gordon Ramsay. There are episodes of Kitchen Nightmares (U.K) on Netflix and we have been watching some almost everyday. After watching the show so much, we decided that we needed to check out a cookbook and see if Gordon knows what he is talking about. And of course, we tried dessert first.

Coffee Almond Crunch Cake

Cake:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten (we used large eggs)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 heaped cup ground almonds (we used almond meal from Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup cooled espresso or strong black coffee (we used espresso)
2/3 cup self-rising flour*
1/2 tsp. baking powder
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Crunch Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees (F). Butter the bottom and sides of a deep 8-inch diameter cake pan with a removable bottom. For the crunch topping, mix the flour and sugar in a bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Add the almond extract and mix well. Fold in the ground almonds, followed by half the espresso. Sift in the flour and baking powder together and fold this through the mixture. Finally, fold in the remaining espresso.

Spread the batter in the cake pan and level with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the crunch topping evenly over the top, then continue baking until the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 20-30 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before unmolding onto a wire rack. When completely cooled, dust with confectioners’ sugar, then cut into slices to serve.

*Self-rising flour includes some additional baking powder and salt. We didn’t have any on hand, so we just made our own. To one cup of flour add 1/4 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. baking powder. Keep in mind that the recipe calls for only 2/3 cup of self-rising flour.

David: It was delicious. It was not too sweet, but you could definitely taste the almond and the espresso. Instant winner.
Carla: It was great. It would be good as a dessert or for breakfast. Easy to put together, which is always a plus. I would definitely make this recipe again.

Flourless Chocolate Cake (July 22, 2009)

I got this from a link from smittenkitchen.com

One 9-inch (23 cm) cake
This cake is extremely rich, and tastes like the most delicious, silkiest, most supremely-chocolate ganache you’ve ever had. As mentioned, it’s equally good a few days later, and only an idiot could possibly mess it up. You don’t need to use ScharffenBerger chocolate for this cake, but use a good one—you’ll appreciate it when you taste your first melt-in-your-mouth bite.

10 ounces (290 gr) ScharffenBerger bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
7 ounces (200 gr) butter, salted or unsalted, cut into pieces
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200 gr) sugar
Preheat the oven to 350F (175 C).

1. Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan* and dust it with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess. If you suspect your springform pan isn’t 100% water-tight, wrap the outside with aluminum foil, making sure it goes all the way up to the outer rim.

2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (or microwave), stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and cover the top of the pan snugly with a sheet of foil. Put the springform pan into a larger baking pan, such as a roasting pan, and add enough hot water to the baking pan to come about halfway up to the outside of the cake pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

You’ll know the cake is done when it feels just set, like quivering chocolate pudding. If you gently touch the center, your finger should come away clean.

5. Lift the cake pan from the water bath and remove the foil. Let cake cool completely on a cooling rack.

Serve thin wedges of this very rich cake at room temperature, with creme anglaise, ice cream, or whipped cream.
Storage: This Chocolate Idiot Cake can be wrapped and chilled in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Tres Leches Cake (July 20, 2008)

From Carla’s birthday extravaganza!

INGREDIENTS

* 5 eggs
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 2 cups white sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter
* 2 cups milk
* 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
* 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
3. Cream butter or margarine and 1 cup of the sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, beat well.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter or margarine mixture 2 tablespoons at a time, mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.
6. Combine the whole milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
7. Whip whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup of the sugar together until thick. Spread over the top of cake. Be sure and keep cake refrigerated, enjoy!

carla only used 1 and 1/2 cups of milk for this; it was still plenty moist. the taste of the strong mexican vanilla she used really took it to a whole new level. very delicious!