Notes from my Kitchen - Orange and Almond Cake

My brother is visiting and I wanted to try my version of this very Italian cake recipe. It is a very filling cake and perfect for afternoon tea if your guests have had an early lunch. This cake is light and moist and full of flavour.

3 large eggs, separated

200g sugar

¼ t orange blossom water

1 cup olive oil

Juice and zest of 1 orange

180g cream cheese, at room temperature

180g ground almonds

140g cake flour

2t baking powder

Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease a 20cm springform cake tin.

Whisk 2 egg yolks and the sugar until pale and doubled in volume. Add the orange blossom water, olive oil, juice and zest of the orange and mix in. Whisk in the cream cheese, there should be no pieces of cream cheese visible. Sift the flour and baking powder, then add the almonds. Stir into the cake mixture, use a figure of eight movement to keep the air in the mixture. Whisk the three egg whites until stiff and fold in gently. Pour into the cake tin and bake at 170C for 40 minutes.

Allow to cool, remove from the tin and serve with a dusting of icing sugar.