Ballymaloe's Tunisian Orange Cake

Slice of Tunisian Orange Cake with thick syrup drizzled.

5 from 2 votes

Tunisian Orange Cake, with its citrusy zest and moist crumb, is a dinner party favorite – super easy to make and so good. It can very easily be made gluten-free!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Baking

Cuisine: Tunisian

Servings: servings

Author: Margie Nomura

Ingredients

For the cake:

1.76 oz fresh white breadcrumbs (or gluten-free) about 1 cup loosely packed (about 2 slices); slightly stale bread is best
7.05 oz superfine sugar (caster sugar) about 1 cup
3.53 oz ground almonds (almond meal) about 1 cup
1/2 tbsp baking powder
6.76 fl oz sunflower oil about generous 3/4 cup
4 large eggs
1 orange zested
1 lemon zested

For the citrus syrup:

1 orange juiced
1/2 lemon zested and juiced
2.65 oz superfine sugar (caster sugar) about 6 tbsp
2 cloves optional
Pinch of cinnamon or cinnamon stick optional

For the garnish:

Chopped pistachios optional
Crème fraîche to serve

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Line an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan, at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep, with parchment paper.
A good tip to line the cake pan is to fold a piece of parchment into four into a rough square. Fold the square diagonally, so that the two folded sides line up and you have a rough triangle shape. Fold once more in half, bring one folded side to another so that you have a thin triangle with a point. Then line the point of the triangle up with the center of the pan and cut the triangle along the outer curve of the pan. Unfold and you are left with a circle of parchment to fit your pan perfectly.
In a large bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, sugar, almonds, and baking powder.
Crack in the eggs and stir in the oil. Add the zest and give it a good mix.
Pour into the cake pan and place into the cold oven and turn the heat up to 356°F (180°C/160°C fan).
Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. The top should be lovely and golden.
In the meantime, you can make the syrup. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil. You want the sugar to dissolve and then carry on simmering it gently for about 3 minutes.
Once the cake has baked and is still warm (not hot), turn it out onto a plate so the underside is facing up. Poke all over with a skewer and drizzle over the syrup. Check on it occasionally and you can spoon syrup that has run off the side back on top of the cake.
Once it’s all been soaked up, sprinkle with chopped pistachios, cut into slices and serve with a dollop of crème fraîche and an extra bit of orange zest.

Video

Notes

Recipe originally from Ballymaloe Cookery Course: Darina Allen.

Make-ahead and storage

To store: Store in an airtight container or well covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.

To freeze: You can freeze the sponge before pouring over the citrus syrup. Bake and cool as usual, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap, an outer layer of foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost when ready to eat and then pour over the citrus syrup.

Make ahead: Make the cake a day in advance and it will still be delicious, as the syrup sinks in nicely to the cake overnight.

Quick tip

When baking this cake, use the weight measurements for the best results. The volumes are provided for reference.

Nutrition