The Living Kitchen: Organic Vegetarian Cooking for Family and Friends is restaurant owner Jutka Harstein’s celebration of good health and deliciousness. The beautifully illustrated book is overflowing with easy-to-follow recipes full of life forces: a bountiful resource for your kitchen. Why not try her delicious Orange and Almond Cake — it is so good she travelled 400km for it!

Orange and Almond Cake

Serves 12–14. You will need a round, 28 cm (11 in) diameter cake tin. Preheat oven to 180° C (350° F).

Ingredients:

• 2 medium oranges with thin peel
• 6 eggs
• 250 g (3 cups) ground almonds (if the almonds are bleached, the cake comes out melting in your mouth; if unbleached, it is still delicious but with more of a “body”)
• 250 g (1 and 1/4) cups brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Cook the oranges (with their peel on) for 20 minutes in water that covers them. Cool, cut into four, take out the pips and blend very well, either in a food processor or in a blender.

2. Separate the eggs. Beat the whites with 50 g (1/4 cup) of the sugar, until very stiff.

3. Beat (with the same beaters) the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar (200 g/1 cup), until they become light. Add the blended oranges and the almonds. Mix well.

4. Fold in the egg whites and mix gently until you get an even texture.

5. Grease and line the cake tin. Pour the cake into it and bake at 180° C (350° F), for approximately 1 hour. If you see that the top is becoming brown but the body is still really wobbly, cover the top with baking paper and reduce the heat to 160° C (320° F). Bake until the cake is firm. Note that this is a very soft and light cake, so it isn’t possible to put a thin knife into it to check whether it’s ready – the knife will never come out clean. Even when ready, the cake will be moist! I am warning you that determining the baking time requires attention and actual touching!

Jutka says: The cake tastes heavenly served warm or cooled.

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If you like this you might also want to try more recipes from The Living Kitchen blog. Alternatively you can order your own copy of The Living Kitchen.