Blood Orange Almond Paste Cake

This post is sponsored by Wilfa

Is it weird that I have a favourite cake texture? I’ll let you decide but I’m guessing its not quite normal. Weird or not, the fact is I do have an ideal cake texture and todays recipe is a perfect example, a cake that I am completely in love with. The texture is found most commonly in pound cakes and loaf cakes, it's a dense and buttery texture, almost velvet-like in its tenderness. It’s the type of cake that sits on your counter and demands you take a little nibble every time you walk past it, a cake that needs sharing before you ‘accidentally’ eat 3 slices in 1 day.

This particular cake, made with the secret ingredient almond paste, is an adaption of a recipe from Elisabeth Prueitt of Tartine Bakery fame, itself an adaption of a recipe from the legendary baker Flo Braker. I’ve made many versions of this cake over the years, but always with an element of citrus to brighten and balance the sweetness in the recipe. Todays version is made with early season blood oranges, but if you cant get your hands on those, it’s also great with regular oranges or, more traditional, with lemons. If you have made a version of this recipe before and you’re in the US you may notice the ratio of eggs is different from the original recipe and this is simply to reflect UK egg sizes (UK size large is a US size extra-large).

Another reason I love this cake is that is baked in a pullman loaf pan. If you’re subscribed to Second Helpings, you’ll know that a pullman loaf pan produces loaves that are perfectly square, like this weeks post for Shokupan. I cant help but love the clean sharp edges it gives to the cake, giving it a very ‘bakery style’ look. If you are in the market for pullman loaf pans, I get mine from Rackmaster (if you want the lid for making square loaves of bread they can be purchased separately).

Making this cake normally requires a stand mixer, the almond paste needs breaking down with the sugar to create a breadcrumb like texture and this takes quite a bit of power, not something many hand mixers could handle. Thankfully I used my Wilfa Smooth Mix Hand Mixer which has a powerful 500W motor that is more than up to the task at hand. If you are in the market for a hand mixer, or you’re looking for the ideal gift for someone new to baking, I can wholeheartedly recommend this mixer. It has a 5-speed action with a useful boost function as well, comes with both whisk and dough hook attachments, and also just look really smart. One of the reasons I agreed to be Wilfa’s ambassador was that I was really taken with how well built and how powerful their equipment is, and that of course stands true for the hand mixer.

For 20% off Wilfa products use my code THEBOYWHOBAKES at checkout.

Blood Orange Almond Paste Loaf Cake
Serves 10

Almond Paste Cake
120g plain flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
250g almond paste (see note)
250g caster sugar
Zest of 3 blood oranges
280g unsalted butter, room temperature
5 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
A couple drops almond extract

Blood Orange Juice
100ml blood orange juice
100g caster sugar

Blood Orange Glaze
200g icing sugar
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
A couple drops almond extract
Pinch of salt
1 blood orange

Note: this recipe uses almond paste, not marzipan. The one I use is 50% almonds (marzipan tends to have a much lower almond content) and can be bought from Ocado and either online or in-store from ScandiKitchen in central London, among other places. It is a brilliant ingredient and well worth tracking down for the occasions you want to make a version of this cake.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC Fan) and lightly grease a 9x4x4 pullman loaf pan and line with a piece of parchment that overhangs the long sides of the pan, securing in place with metal binder clips.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the almond paste, in small chunks, to a large bowl along with the sugar and orange zest. Using the Wilfa Smooth Mix Hand Mixer mix together until the almond paste is broken down into a fine breadcrumb like mixture. If the almond paste remains in large chunks the final cake batter will have lumps. Add the butter and and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully combined before adding another. Add the vanilla and almond extract and mix briefly to distribute. Add the flour mixture and mix briefly just until a smooth cake batter is formed.

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread into an even layer. Bake in the preheated oven for about 70 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. While the cake is baking make the simple syrup. Place the orange juice and sugar into a small saucepan and bring just to a simmer to dissolve the sugar.

Once the cake is baked, allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack. Brush the top and sides of the cake with the syrup and allow the cake to fully cool before glazing.

To make the glaze whisk together all the ingredients with just enough blood orange juice to make a thick but pourable glaze. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, teasing it over the sides of the cake so it drips down the sides.

Kept covered the cake will keep for 3-4 days.

Double Chocolate Loaf Cake with Whipped Caramelised White Ganache

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY DOVES FARM

Easter and Chocolate, it is a match made in heaven, or maybe just an excuse to enjoy more chocolate. Either way I couldn’t let the holiday pass without a very special chocolate recipe for you all. I wasn’t in the mood for anything too complicated but I did want a big hit of flavour, high impact, low effort. This bakery style loaf is dense but tender and has a rich chocolate flavour backed up with some Doves Farm Organic White Rye Flour. Wholemeal rye flour, which you may have seen me use many times before, especially paired with chocolate, has a strong tangy rye flavour and the added texture that comes with wholemeal flours. For this cake I wanted something that backed up the chocolate flavour but didn’t add as much of its own flavour, more of a team player than the star of the show if you will. For the frosting I went with a very simple whipped caramelised white chocolate ganache, topped with chopped mini eggs (it’s easter, they’re mandatory). If you’ve never made this type of chocolate before you can learn how to make it here, or you could just buy it.

Doves Farm Organic White Rye has a creamy off-white colour and a mild tangy flavour that is amazing in this cake. I call it a bakery style loaf, partly because it’s a large loaf but also because it’s a dense but tender loaf, it’s like if a British tea shop cake met an American pound cake and had loaf shaped baby. The rye flour adds a subtle tang which helps intensify the chocolate flavour and also helps gives this cake its characteristic texture. When you bake with rye, especially if you are substituting it for regular wheat flour, you’ll notice it absorbs more liquid than wheat flour. In this cake for example I have made versions with regular plain flour and a rye version and the latter was a noticeably thicker batter when made to the exact same recipe. To compensate for this, I have included a little more moisture than if making it with plain flour. As a general piece of advice, when it comes to alternative/ancient grains such as rye, when adding them into your baking it’s a good idea to start with a smaller amount and see how it affects your recipe. Generally if I am adding some to an existing recipe I would sub in 25% of the grain and this normally adds a new depth of flavour without changing the texture of the finished bake in any dramatic way. After that point you can add more of the grain should you think you’d like more of the flavour and if it hasn’t affected the texture in any negative way. In this cake for example I ended up using a 50% wheat flour cocoa powder mix and 50% Doves Farm Organic White Rye Flour for the perfect balance of flavour and texture. 

Doves Farm are a family owned British organic flour and food company, founded in 1978. Their Organic White Rye Flour is available direct from www.dovesfarm.co.uk or from Ocado, Sainsbury’s or Tesco. 

Double Chocolate Loaf Cake with Whipped Caramelised White Ganache
Serves 10-12

125g unsalted butter, diced
150g caster sugar
150g light brown sugar
5 large eggs
125ml sour cream
75ml strong black coffee
100g plain flour
50g cocoa powder (dutched/black)
150g Doves Farm Organic White Rye Flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
150g dark chocolate chips

Whipped Caramelised White Chocolate Ganache
150g caramelised white chocolate, finely chopped
75ml double cream
Chocolate mini eggs, roughly chopped, for decoration

@theboywhobakes When caramel meets chocolate #caramelizedwhitechocolate #caramel #bakinghacks #SixNationsRugby #JDAirMaxMode #GameTok #fypシ #tiktokbaker #chocolatelover #chocolaterecipe ♬ Why Are There Boundaries - FKJ

@theboywhobakes Whipped caramelised white chocolate ganache #caramelizedwhitechocolate #whippedganache #SixNationsRugby #JDAirMaxMode #caramel #fypシ #tiktokbaker #chocolatelover #chocolaterecipe #ganache ♬ Orange Juice - Tomppabeats

To make the cake you’ll need a loaf pan that measures 9x4x4 (the type I prefer is known as a small Pullman pan and is available here). If you only have a traditional 1lb loaf pan (the type normally called for in a loaf recipe) you can make a batter 3/5’s of the above recipe and bake for about 45 mins.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC Fan) and lightly grease your loaf pan and line with a strip of parchment paper that overhangs the long sides of the tin, securing in place with metal binder clips.

Place the butter in a small saucepan and place over low/medium heat and cook until the butter is fully melted. Remove from the heat and set aside for the moment. 

In a large bowl add the sugars and eggs and using an electric mixer whisk together for a minute or two until fully combined. Add the sour cream, and coffee and whisk briefly to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together the plain flour, cocoa powder, Doves Farm Organic White Rye Flour, baking powder and salt. As we are using both light brown sugar and cocoa powder it is advisable to sieve this mixture as both of these ingredients have a nasty habit of clumping. Add the dry goods to the egg mixture and use a balloon whisk to gently stir the batter together. Pour in the cooled melted butter and fold with the whisk until combined. Add the chocolate chips and very briefly mix into the batter. Be careful to only mix as needed, cakes with rye flour can become gummy if mixed for too long. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside for 20 minutes before carefully unfolding and setting onto a wire rack to cool completely. To ensure the crust of the cake is tender and hasn’t dried out, whilst the cake is still warm cover with a clean kitchen towel. The warmth of the cake is caught by the towel and slightly steams the outside of the cake helping ensure it stays tender.

For the ganache place the chocolate and the cream into a small bowl and place over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has fully melted. Remove from the heat and stir until you have a smooth silky ganache. Refrigerate for up to 30 minutes or until the ganache has thickened up but is still spreadable. Remove from the fridge and using an electric mixer whisk the ganache until it turns into a pale and fluffy cream like texture. Spread this over the top of the cake and decorate with the chopped mini eggs.

Kept covered this cake will keep for at least 3 days.