Moist and fluffy flourless almond cake with citrus flavour

Cakes... A delicious and easy (relatively speaking) sweet treat that it is sooo versatile! No matter the season or the day of the week or the hour of the day.... a generous slice of cake is always welcomed by most people and I don't blame them! The possibilities are countless regarding the shape, the size, the flavours... everything really! It is one of my favourite sweets and I like to try different flavours especially when citrus are involved which they "break" down nicely the sweetness of the cake. And today this is what this cake is about. Just a simple, sponge-like cake, fluffy and moist with an exciting but not overwhelming touch of lemon and orange flavour. Enjoy it with your coffee, tea or a snack anytime! And if you have the time and you are in the mood to take an extra step, then pass the cake with a nice jam glaze as the recipe indicates further down 

Recipe from "Cook Book" magazine of "ETHNOS" newspaper

Ingredients (for 1 cake tin)

For the cake:
2 oranges, unwaxed

1 lemon, unwaxed

6 eggs

450 gr. of granulated sugar

550 gr. of blanched almonds, ground into powder

1 tsp of baking powder

For the glaze (optional):
1 tbsp of jam of your choice
1-2 tbsp of cognac

Method:
Boil the oranges and the lemon in a saucepan filled with plenty of water for about 1 hour or until they are tender.

Drain in a colander and leave to cool down. Cut the fruits in pieces and discard the pips. Transfer into a blender and whiz thoroughly until they become a purée.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly brush with butter and dust with some flour the bottom and the sides of a cake tin.

Put the eggs and the sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat until they become pale in colour and fluffy. Add the fruit purée into the bowl and gently stir with a rubber spatula to blend. Then slowly add the ground almonds and again gently mix with the spatula

Empty the batter into the tin making sure that it is spread evenly.

Put in the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Take out of the oven and allow the cake to cool down in the tin for a few minutes before you turn it on a serving platter to cool completely.

For the glaze, put the jam and the cognac in a small saucepan and boil on high heat for about 1-2 minutes to thin it out. Brush the cake with the mixture and then serve.