So, it’s officially my favourite time of year again.. it’s time for the return of GBBO! In case you don’t know what I’m talking about.. I’m referring to the wonder that is: The Great British Bake Off. This is a show that is now on Channel 4 and is basically an incredible baking competition, with a different theme each week and all manners of amazing cakes and other baked goods. Some of the creations on this show are seriously incredible and it always leaves me feeling so inspired to get into the kitchen and get my bake on.. and also very hungry! If you manage to watch the Bake Off without developing a serious hankering for a good ol’ slice of cake, then that’s pretty impressive I must say!
To celebrate, this year I wanted to create a Bake Off series on the blog, where by I would share a different bake, in line with the theme of the show that week. I believe that this week just gone was cake week and one of the categories was fruit cakes. I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to share a recipe with you, that I’ve been wanting to post on here for the longest time! This is a recipe that my brother and I have developed together and might just be one of the most delicious baked cake recipes on Charley’s Health to date. Gluten free baking can sometimes be somewhat tricky in comparison to regular baking- and admittedly any sort of baking was something that I actually used to find pretty difficult. Although I’ve always been a keen cook, I’m not a natural baker and have really had to practice and persevere with it over the years! Which is why I’m often a little surprised if a bake goes right first time and actually turns out to be a success! This cake was incredibly, one of those occasions.. and is a recipe loved so much, that we’ve probably made it about 7 times already!
It’s a really moist, spongy cake and I think might genuinely have the best texture out of any cake we’ve made previously! Orange isn’t typically a flavour that I use when baking, but actually works so well in this recipe and adds a lovely hint of sweet and refreshing flavour. The addition of the fresh orange juice, I think also helps to keep the cake moist and the citrus burst mellows the sweetness slightly as well. Another key ingredient for creating that wining cake texture for me, is ground almonds! Not only do I love the flavour that they infuse into baked goods, they cook so beautifully and help to prevent that dry, dense cake texture. I don’t think this is a cake that necessarily needs frosting, as it’s pretty tasty all by itself; but in case you did want to add that extra little bit of pizzaz, I’ve whipped up a chocolate cashew frosting. Chocolate and orange is such a dreamy combination, that I thought this frosting would be the perfect fit. topping with a little slice of orange for decoration.
