Mandarin cake

Last week, a farmer from Stanthorpe (about 3 hours south west of Brisbane) was driving around our suburb selling his fruit from the back of his truck.  We bought a generous sized box for $25, filled with apples, oranges and mandarins. We gave plenty away to friends, ate some, will use some apples when I make Polish cabbage on the weekend, and I have baked a mandarin cake this week.   I love this recipe as unlike similar cakes made with oranges, you don't have to boil them for hours.  You just throw them into a processor and blitz!

Here is the recipe;  I have this typed up in an old folder-  I have no idea where I got it from except I have a crazy idea I was watching a tv cooking show years ago and wrote it down.  So apologies to whoever invented this recipe!

Mandarin cake:

Ingredients:

4 mandarins  cut into quarters

5 eggs

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup almond meal

1/3 cup rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

Method:

Throw the fruit into a processor and blitz till they break down into a pulp.   

Beat the eggs and sugar together for about 5 minutes

Scatter the dry ingredients over the egg and sugar mixture

Then add the fruit pulp and mix gently but well. You don't want to destroy all the lovely air you have beaten into it. 

Grease and line the base of a springform tin and bake in a 180C oven for 40 minutes or till a skewer comes out clean. 

While the cake is baking, make a syrup to go over it. 

You will need another 4 mandarins to make up 1 cup of juice, and 1/2 cup sugar. 

Place the juice and sugar into a small saucepan, and bring gently to a boil, then simmer it for 5 minutes. 

Pour your warm syrup over the still warm cake and let it soak in.   This makes a delicious and moist cake, best eaten with a spoon.