by Shaun Rankin, Great British Chefs
This gluten-free cake recipe is an ideal rainy-day dessert to make with the family. Dehydrating the orange slices may seem laborious but the resulting crunchy texture works really nicely with the smooth dark chocolate pudding. The crispy orange slices also make fantastic garnishes for ice cream and other treats, and can be prepared in advance of making Shaun Rankin’s lovely chocolate cake.
Ingredients
Chocolate orange cake
- 2 oranges
- 125g of caster sugar
- 125g of ground almonds
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder, gluten free if necessary
- 2 egg yolks
- 80g of sugar
- 225g of dark chocolate, plus a few shavings to decorate
- 250ml of whipping cream
Orange crisps
- 1 orange
- 200g of caster sugar
- 1 star anise
- 200ml of water
Method
1Preheat the oven to 100°C/lowest gas mark2For the syrup, place 200g of the caster sugar and 200ml water in a saucepan and bring to the boil
- 200g of caster sugar
- 200ml of water
3Slice 1 orange and add the slices to the stock syrup
- 1 orange
4Add the star anise and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes until the syrup is glossy and translucent. Allow to cool in the pan
- 1 star anise
5Lay the orange slices from the syrup on greaseproof paper and dry out in the oven for 3 hours. Then, break into small chips6For the orange sponge, preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 47In a pan, boil the remaining 2 oranges whole for 30 minutes – this will take the bitterness out of the skin
- 2 oranges
8Cut the oranges in half, remove the pips and place in a blender with the remaining 125g of caster sugar, ground almonds, 3 eggs and baking powder. Blend until smooth
- 125g of ground almonds
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 125g of caster sugar
9Line a 22cm spring form cake tin and tightly seal the outside with foil. This will help to keep the chocolate layer from leaking10Pour the mixture into the tin and cook in the oven for 12–14 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool11For the topping, use an electric hand-held whisk to whisk together 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks in a large bowl, until doubled in volume
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
12Bring the granulated sugar and 4 tsp of water to the boil. Continue to boil until a sugar thermometer reaches 121˚C. Then, remove the pan from the heat
- 80g of sugar
13Add the sugar mixture to the eggs, whisking continuously14Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over hot water (or in a microwave), and pour into the egg mixture
- 225g of dark chocolate, plus a few shavings to decorate
15Whisk the cream until half-whipped and then fold into the chocolate mix
- 250ml of whipping cream
16Pour over the orange sponge and leave to set in the fridge for 2 hours17Once set, top with the orange chips and shavings of dark chocolate. Slice and serve
