Orange, honey and almond cake

I came across a recipe for an almond and lemon cake once. The recipe was very simple and I wanted to see if it could be altered. For example, I thought a sugar free version with honey would go well with orange. I then proceeded to experiment…

You will need:

2 bowls

Sandwich tin with removable sides

3 eggs

1 orange

8 tbsp honey

1 ½ cup ground almonds

1 tbsp oil

Oil the sandwich tin and dust lightly with some ground almonds

Separate the egg whites and yolks and put them in one bowl each.

Grate the zest and squeeze the juice from the orange.

Whisk the egg whites until forming white peaks.

In the second bowl combine egg yolks, orange peel, 4 tbsp of orange juice, the honey and the almond flour. Whisk until combined. (Yes, you will end up with leftover orange juice. Just drink it!)

Using a spatula fold the egg whites into the almond mixture until just combined. Pour into sandwich tin and bake in 180 degrees for 40 minutes.

OK, verdict. I was right in that orange and honey is a fantastic combination. I think the honey is a touch overpowering though and may use less next time and maybe a bit of agave nectar instead. Still, it’s very tasty and I don’t expect it to last very long. Especially as it’s been hours since the tolerant one was fed and dinner is at least an hour away. Yep, he’s already downstairs cutting himself a second piece. (Curses! I thought my ninja-like skills would mean she didn't notice me doing that. It really works and the level of honey is just fine, leave it alone woman! - Tolerant)

And if you want to try the original recipe, I posted it a while ago here

Intolerant Xmas and glutenfree gingerbread men

So, the festive season is upon us and as we all know it will be an orgy in gluten, lactose and sugar. So how do I survive Christmas? The honest answer is through a compromise. I accept that for a month I will keep having headaches, a bad stomach, joint pain and sleeping problem. However, at the same time I try to minimize disruption by ensuring there are suitable alternatives for me so I don't have to reach for the stuff that make me ill. Last year I made gluten free, lactose free and sugar free gingerbread men. They taste fantastic but I wouldn't recommend them if you have teeth that break easily... So hard. Which probably makes this the ideal recipe for a gingerbread house.

75g of dairy free margarine
100 ml agave syrup
100 ml maple syrup
700 ml glutenfree white flour mix
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Mix margarine and syrups. Mix the dry ingredients, then knead it all together. Allow to rest in the fridge over night. Take out a couple of hours before baking, roll flat and using cookie cutters make shaped ginger snaps. Bake in 225 degrees for about 5 - 7 minutes.

A tip is to roll the dough out on baking paper, remove the dough between the shapes and simply transfer the paper to an oven tray. It is extremely difficult moving the cut snaps before they have been baked.