This plum and orange syrup cake was inspired by a delicious looking cake a friend on the other side of the world posted to Facebook. It turned out to be one of those cakes that uses cooked whole oranges instead of butter or oil to create a lovely, moist (virtually fat free) cake. There are quite a few variations on this recipe, but essentially it has a base of oranges, ground almonds, eggs and sugar, and from there you can add whatever flavouring you like.

In my interpretation of this recipe I have decreased the amount of sugar in the cake as I think the syrup more than makes up for this. I have added fresh plums to the top for a burst of colour and they work really well with the oranges and almonds. I have also added fresh ginger, mainly because I love it and think it goes really well with oranges and plums. However, if you don’t like ginger simply leave it out. The syrup is made from orange juice and just a little raw sugar as orange juice has heaps of natural sugar to start with. I have also added thyme to my syrup as although an unlikely combination, plums and thyme go really well! Again though, if you don’t like thyme or can’t get any then feel free to leave it out.

I hope you give this lovely cake a try. It’s so moist and citrusy and not too sweet at all making it a lovely dessert or daytime treat. I’s also delicious heated and served with a dollop of (coconut) yoghurt. Enjoy!

Plum and Orange Ginger Cake with Orange Thyme Syrup

For the cake:
2 whole oranges
6 eggs
2 cups/200g ground almonds
1 cup/125g coconut sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (optional)
8 fresh plums, cut in half stones removed

Preheat the oven to 160ºC and line the sides and bottom of an 8″/22cm springform cake tin.

Either place the two whole oranges in a large pan of water and simmer for approximately 2 hours OR place the oranges in a covered bowl in the microwave and heat on high for 3-6 minutes. You are looking for the oranges to be very soft with a little liquid coming out.

Allow the oranges to cool, then place in a food processor and blend until you have a fine pulp. Add the sugar and eggs and process to combine. Lastly add the ground almonds, baking powder and ginger and process until just combined. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and smooth the surface. Carefully arrange the halved plums on top and then place the cake in the centre of the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour. The cake is ready when the top has formed a nice golden crust between the plums and a skewer comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Transfer the cake a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile make the syrup.

For the syrup:
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup raw sugar
handful of fresh thyme (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a small pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the orange juice starts to caramelise and looks syrupy. Add the thyme leaves, remove from heat and allow to infuse.

To serve, strain the syrup to remove the thyme and any orange pips etc. Place the cake on a large serving plate and pour the syrup over. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week.

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