Italian Orange Almond Cake

To me, there is no better feeling than happiness.  Happiness makes my skin tingle, my smile grow so big it makes my cheeks hurt and my eyes to tear in elation.  Happiness is such a wonderful emotion.  And it's the simple things in life that brings me to happiness; the laughter of my girls, biting into a fresh sweet peach, walking along the beach and having the feeling of the warm grainy sand on my feet or curling up into the sun for an afternoon nap.  simple yet meaningful experiences in life bring me happiness.  

Baking also makes me happy (no surprise there!). One of the biggest reasons baking makes me happy is that I can take a handful of the simplest ingredients and create the most delicious, melt-in-your-mouth sweet. This Italian Orange Almond Cake is the perfect example of such a creation.  Simple, simple ingredients formed into a deliciously amazing cake.  If possible I would've burst with happiness as I made this cake.  I blame the beautiful, Francesca for my immense happiness as this recipe came from her blog, Della Cucina Povera.  I was assigned to Della Cucina Povera via the Secret Recipe Club this month. I loved and treasured every moment of this assignment. Francesca has a collection of recipes that are deliciously beautiful.  She has a true talent in the kitchen with all the food she puts on her table.  I plan on making the Greek Stuffed Tomatoes along with Creamy Broccoli and Cannellini Soup

that have both caught my eye.

I chose to bake Francesca's recipe for Italian Orange Almond Cake not only because it featured simple ingredients that I had on hand but also because the technique to make it fascinated me. The whole batter is made in a food processor (LOVE it!) which is perfect as 2 whole oranges that have been cooked and cut up into chunks are added into the batter.  Mixing the batter in the food processor allows for everything to come together smoothly.   Almond meal and eggs will hold everything together giving the final outcome a dense texture that is deliciously exotic.   It's truly a very special cake. 

Italian Orange Almond Cake 

            (recipe from Della Cucina Provera)

Ingredients:

2 whole oranges

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups granulated sugar

6 eggs

1 1/4 cup almond flour/meal

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

powdered sugar and grated orange rind  for garnish

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a gentle boil.  Add in the whole oranges and cook at a gentle boil for 1 hour - add in more water if needed as the water will evaporate as it the oranges cook.  After an hour remove the oranges from the water and cool completely.

2. In a food processor pulse together the sugars. Add in the eggs. Mix well all together until light and fluffy.  Add in almond flour/meal and baking powder. Again mixing well all together.

3. Cut up the cooked oranges into chunks.  Remove seeds if you find any. Place orange chunks into batter and process for a good 1-2 minutes or until batter is smooth with no large chunks remain.  Pour batter into a well greased 9 " round cake pan that is lined with parchment paper on the bottom.

4. Bake in a 350 degrees F. oven for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 30 minutes before inverting cake onto serving plate. Serve and enjoy! 
                                  

Happy Italian Orange Almond Cake Baking!

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