Lemon and orange fat-free cake

Now this cake is a bit of an experiment and whilst I’m not claiming that it’s diet-proof it is most certainly on it’s way to being virtuous – whilst still being absolutely delicious.

It contains no flour and is therefore lower in carbs than a regular cake – I’m using ground almonds instead. It contains no fat at all – it uses the eggs to bind (plus of course the eggs also up the protein quite considerably) and it contains a nominally reduced amount of sugar, as I’m using a sugar substitute called Truvia which is widely available.

I can’t remove all the sugar entirely, as sugar does actually add structure to the cake and whilst I may be desperate, I’m not crazy.

The cake is rather odd because essentially it’s a sweet almond flan, which doesn’t sound all that appetising, but it’s the wonderful sharpness of the fruit that truly makes this cake. Of course the lack of flour and fat makes this perfect for coeliacs too.

METHOD
Place the fruit in a large pan full of water, cover and bring to the boil. Boil gently for 2 hours but keep your eye on the pan and top up when needed.

Drain the pan and then once the fruit is cooled whizz up the fruit, skin and all, with a hand-blender until you have a beautiful pulp.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the rest of the ingredients, whisking as you go. Pour in the pulped fruit and whisk again.

Pour the batter into a greased and lined 20-inch springform cake tin and bake on 170C for 40 mins, then cover the top with a little foil or baking parchment and bake for a further 20 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

One last note about this cake is that it tastes better after twenty-four hours and then again twenty-four hours after that – if you can keep it for that long.

Eat and of course, enjoy!

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