Orange Syrup Cake with Apples and Almond

Here is a great cake I made for a meeting at school. It's ideal for this time of year when the fruit selection is in short supply. In summer I make it with raspberries or blueberries, but apples are equally good at this time of year. 

Orange Syrup Cake with Apples and Almond

For the cake:
250g butter
1 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
1 and a half cups flour
half a cup whole almond meal (the almonds are ground with the skins still on)
2 apples - skinned, cored and evenly chopped into small pieces
grated rind of 2 oranges

For the syrup:
the juice of two oranges
half a cup of sugar

Preheat the oven to 170deg. C. and line a large round baking tin with baking paper. 

Cream the softened butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Lightly beat the eggs with a fork and add them to the butter mixture a bit at a time, beating well in between each addition. 

Stir the orange zest into the mixture. 

Sift the dry ingredients and fold in with the prepared apple pieces. 

Place in the lined baking tin and smooth out the top. 











Bake for 1 hour until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. The top will be browned. 











While the cake bakes prepare the syrup by boiling the orange juice and sugar together for about 5 minutes - until a syrup forms. Set aside until the cake is cooked. 

Once the cake has cooled a little, stab the top repeatedly with a skewer. Slowly spoon the syrup over the cake allowing it to soak in. 

   
This recipe makes quite a large cake, so there was plenty left over for the family as well. The almond meal and apples help the cake to keep moist, so it's just as good a couple of days after making. 

Happy baking!!