Recipe: Boiled mandarin cakes

Thank goodness for citrus season! When the early spring days are short, these little pops of orange and yellow bring a welcome freshness to the kitchen. The mandarin tree gifted by my father for my daughter’s fifth birthday is now earning its keep, with the branches heavy with fruit in early spring. A fruit tree really is a gift that keeps on giving.

Serves 9

INGREDIENTS

3–4 medium mandarins (about 150 g)
3 free-range eggs
3 tbsp honey or ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
¾ cup (110 g) plain white flour (wheat, spelt, or gluten-free flour mix)
½ cup (60 g) LSA
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda

CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL GANACHE

80 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
2 tsp olive oil

1.  First, place the mandarins in a small saucepan and cover with water.

2.  Bring to the boil and cook for 30 minutes. Top up with extra boiling water as needed to keep the mandarins covered. After this time, drain and leave to cool completely.

3.  Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C). Generously grease a medium sized muffin tray (9 holes will be used), or line with cupcake cases.

4.  Halve the mandarins, removing any pips, and place in a food processor along with the eggs and honey or sugar. Blend until smooth.

5.  Add the flour, LSA or ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda.

6.  Pulse 6–8 times until just incorporated – don’t over-mix, or the cakes will be tough.

7.  Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tray to fill 9 holes.

8.  Bake for 18–20 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

9.  Cool in the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer the cakes to a cooling rack.

10.  Make the ganache. Place the chocolate and olive oil in a heatproof bowl and set this over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure that the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat, stir and cool for 5 minutes.

11.  Sit the rack of cakes over a plate or tray and slowly pour a tablespoon of ganache over each cake. Leave to set, then use a small knife to loosen the chocolate drips and place these on top of the cakes to decorate.

12.  Store in an airtight container and consume within 3 days. 

Recipes extracted from The Homemade Table: Seasonal Recipes, Preserves and Sourdough by Nicola Galloway, published by Potton & Burton, RRP: $59.99.