Gluten Free Almond Mandarin/Orange Cake

We are so lucky to have so many fruit trees.  We love being able to walk around the place and just pick fruit and eat it as we go.  It can't get fresher than that.  The citrus trees do very well, the lime (the Jessica tree as shown here) and mandarin trees are very prolific.  Here is one of our favourite, ever so easy recipes to use up the glut of mandarins and eggs (we have chooks as well).  So that I can make this cake all year round I usually cook and puree the mandarins then freeze it in measured portions, I just defrot a portion when needed.
 I use 5 mandarins per cake so I boil them in multiples of 5 then divide the pureed mixture into equal portions (ie 50 mandarins = 10 servings/cakes).  I freeze the mixtures flat in zip lock bags, which I take out of the freezer about ½ an hour before I need it, usually by the time I get the ingredients together , line the cake tin/s and start mixing the cake it is thawed enough to use.

Clean the fruit and remove any blemishes.

Cover with water and bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for approximately 2 hours or until the fruit is soft.

Once cooked, drain and return to saucepan.

Puree until smooth.

Divide into equal amounts.

Freeze.

Remove the frozen mandarin puree approximately 1/2 hour before it is needed.

 

Orange/Mandarin and Almond Cake

Ingredients

2 oranges or 5 mandarins
6 eggs
250g caster sugar
250g almond meal
1tsp baking powder
Icing sugar for dusting after baking

Preparation

Wash oranges/mandarins and place unpeeled, in a pot of boiling water and simmer for 2 hours. Drain the water and allow fruit to cool.  Puree fruit including the skin and pips until smooth. (I use a wand/stick blender).  Preheat oven to 190°C.

Break 6 eggs into a mixing bowl. Add caster sugar and beat/blend together.

Place the pureed oranges/mandarins into the egg mix.  Blend together to a smooth consistency. Add the almond meal and baking powder and blend.

Line 20 cm spring form baking pan with baking paper.

Pour batter into the pan/s and bake for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, until the top is golden brown.

Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream or ice cream.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we do.  Carole



This Weeks Treasure Finds....Part 1.

My good luck in finding lots of treasures at the thrift/op shops I visit weekly, continues.  I have been having a great run of good fortune.  I keep justifying my obsession, compulsion, hobby by telling myself and my husband that I plan to sell some of the items on-line or even at the markets, but, you know there is always a but, I  just haven't got around to it yet.  I have made a start with listing a few things on Etsy, but honestly nothing that will make a dent in all the stuff I have.  Never mind, I am enjoying having these treasures around me and I enjoy the process of shopping for them, so why stop?  I keep telling my husband it's our retirement fund.

I know, can you believe it!!!   Vintage Tupperware, Pyrex, Quilted pot holders, cake tins, aluminium strainer, anodised aluminium bread bin, wooden laundry tongs, on and on I go.

What about the Laundry Tongs!  Aren't they great, I am so going to use them, I am currently using a big old (not too old) wooden spoon to put things in and out of soaking water.

This is where the Chianti bottle has found its new home, on top of the freezer on the verandah.

This is an old heavy billy can, I'm going to use it in the laundry.... not sure how yet.

I have had a set of 12 of these for some time now, but one broke last time I used them.  So now instead of 12 parfait glasses I have a "bakers dozen" (13). 

These old pastel coloured Tupperware containers remind me of breakfast time and school when I was younger, like 45 years ago, OMG did I just say 45 years ago.  We used to eat our cereal out of the bowls and freeze cordial drinks in the cups with the lids then take them to school wrapped in newspaper or a tea towel.  At morning recess we would pop the still frozen contents out, careful to drink the melted drink and not spill it down the front of our school uniforms.  We'd then pop the frozen block back into the cup upside down , this allowed the thin part of the popsicle to poke out of the top of the container, held there temporarily by the wider part of the popsicle sitting in the thinner part of the cup.  I so hope that all made sense, it is such a vivid memory.

Sharing at Link Parties Here, Here and Here.


Thanks for stopping by
Carole

Atomic Fish in Space Wall Art

A couple of weeks ago a friend from pilates told me about an op shop that I didn't know about. She took me there and as I walked in the door I saw my new love. I just had to have it. What do you think?  It is sooooooooo very 1960's. I just love the colours.  It has taken me until now to find the right place for it.   On the back it is numbered74/75.

A Birthday Quilt

Well it was my youngest sisters 50th birthday earlier this month and thanks to the suggestion made by my oldest sister, I knew what to get her as a gift, I should say make her and that was a quilt.  I am always collecting fabric from my travels to op shops, thrift stores, car boot sales, garage sales etc. so what better way to use some of it.  The quilt is made from a discontinued sample book of curtain material.  Each piece of material gave me 4 pieces of the same pattern and colour.  The patterns were repeated on different coloured material.  The border is a recent purchase which is also remnant of curtain material.

As I usually do, I get so caught up in the "task", this time making the quilt, I forget to take photos.  I forgot to take any of the sample book before I took it apart, I forgot to take photos of the finished quilt...... I know, how do you forget to take photos of the finished item!!!!!!  At least I got one of Jackie opening the parcel, so you can at least get an idea of what it looked like finished.  I'm going to have to take to trip to her place (3+ hours away) and take a photo or two.  A good excuse, as if I need one to visit. Road Trip.

Linking here at the Farmhouse Porch.
and Southern Hospitality

30th Wedding Anniversary

Last week was our 30th wedding anniversary, and to celebrate my husband and I went to one of our most favourite places, Byron Bay.  My husband had booked a beautiful bungalow at Belongil beach, with beach front access.  It was lovely, but it did rain most of the time, still beautiful.  We went to Bangalow markets on Sunday morning and  made some great purchases, food and bric-a-brac and then some more food.  What more could you ask for. 

That is Julian Rocks in the distance, a great diving spot.

The light house is still operational and at night is awesome to see (especially relaxing on one of those lazy boy chairs with a glass of bubbly...... ahhhhhh memories).

There was so much I wanted to buy at the markets like these printers drawers.  I have seen them before but it was when Karla posted about them that I knew what I would use one for, but they cost $120 to $150 each so alas I didn't get one. 

Sharing at Knick of Time Tuesday #47 and In the Old Road.