GLUTEN-FREE MANDARIN & YOGHURT ALMOND CAKE

Great as a cake or dessert and with mandarins still freely available it’s easy.

125ml (½ cup) light olive oil, plus extra for greasing
220g (2cups) almond meal
2 ½ teasp baking powder
2 teasp lemon thyme leaves (substitute w regular thyme)
3 eggs lightly beaten
250ml (1 cup) fresh mandarin juice (about 6 – 8 mandarins)
180ml (¾ cup) honey
130g (½ cup) Greek-style yoghurt, plus extra to serve
1 teasp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.  Use a little olive oil to grease a 22cm cake tin and then line the base with baking paper. Combine the almond meal, baking powder and thyme in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients to combine, then fold in the almond meal mixture. Pour the mixture into the cake tine and cover with baking paper and foil.  Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, then remove the baking paper and foil and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Set aside to cool in the tine for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Candied mandarins & syrups for cake

Juice of 2 mandarins (about 100ml),
plus 2 whole mandarins, peeled and thinly sliced
80ml (1/3 cup) honey
4 lemons thyme sprigs (substitute with regular thyme)
3 tabs pistachios, roasted, coarsely chopped

Combine the juice, honey, and thyme in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium, then add the mandarin slices and simmer for 3 – 5 mins each side or until the mandarin slices shrink and caramelise.  Add the pistachios and toss to combine, then arrange over the cake.  Serve with yoghurt.

Recipe courtesy NZ Gardener Garden Diary