Orange & Almond Yoghurt Cake

Serves: 10 -12

Time: 1 ½ hours

Equipment: 24cm Savarin or bundt tin. You can adapt a 24cm cake tin by placing an empty tin can in the centre, weighed down with baking beans and lined with baking paper.

INGREDIENTS

• 325g Full fat Greek style yoghurt

• 4 Large Eggs

• 150g Vegetable oil (weigh it)

• 1 1/2 tsp Almond extract

• 2 Large oranges zest and juice for drizzle

• 200g Caster sugar

• 225g Self Raising flour

• 75g Ground almonds

• 1 tbs Cornflour

• 1 tsp Baking powder

• Caster sugar for drizzle

• Icing sugar for decoration

• Toasted flaked almonds for decoration

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 160C Fan/180C conventional

2. Ensure your tin is well greased. I like to use a lining paste, see note below.

3. In a large bowl whisk together the yoghurt, eggs, oil, almond extract and zest of two oranges.

4. In a separate bowl mix together the sugar, self raising flour, ground almonds, cornflour and baking powder until combined.

5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients ensuring there are no lumps.

6. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in preheated oven for 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean.

7. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin to cool for 10 minutes.

8. While the cake is baking make a simple syrup. Take the juice from 1 ½ oranges (approx. 8 tbs) and add same quantity of caster sugar. Place in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 2 minutes and set aside.

9. While the cake is cooling in the tin prick the base with a cocktail stick and brush with the warm syrup.

10. Turn out onto a cooling rack lined with baking paper (the syrup may make the cake stick to an uncovered rack) and brush the cake with syrup. Do not oversoak the cake else it may be soggy.

11. Mix some icing sugar with the remaining juice from half of an orange and use to pour over the cake.

12. Sprinkle with toasted, flaked almonds

NOTE

Lining paste for cake tins:

• 100ml Vegetable oil

• 100g Plain flour

• 100g Trex or vegetable shortening

Whisk the ingredients together and store in the fridge in an airtight container. Will last a couple of months. Brilliant for bundt tins and other awkward shapes. Coat the tin well getting into every nook and cranny