Mediterranean Orange Cake - by request

Mediterranean Orange Cake

A moist gluten free cake.  And really really easy to make.

Orange Slush - depending on the size of the oranges you use, this will probably make too much but it freezes really well so you can quickly defrost to whip up another cake when you want to.
4 oranges, cut in half
* Put the oranges in a pot, cover in water and simmer uncover for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the water has evaporated down to a couple of cm.
* Puree contents of the pot in a food processor.  Measure out 375g, freeze the rest

The Cake
8 eggs
310g ground almonds
310 g caster sugar
375g orange slush
3 t baking powder

* Line bottom and sides of a cake tin with baking paper.  Preheat oven to 170 C
* Mix eggs and sugar together until combined (don't beat to add air)
* Stir in orange slush
* Add BP and ground almonds.  Stir until mixed thoroughly
*Pour into cake tin, cook approx 80mins
* Cool in tin, cooling overnight in tin is fine

Finishing touches
Not long before serving:
Toast some flaked almonds until light brown
Heat 2T of apricot jam with 1T water - mix thoroughly

Using a pastry brush, brush on the apricot glaze on sides and top
Sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds (either all the top or put a small bowl in the middle of the top to form a template so they can only stick to an inch wide outside ring on the top of the cake.

Cupcake Decorating

The theme for meeting number two was Cupcake Decorating and we all dragged some extra bodies along to join us to grow the club to a comfy number.  Everyone had to bring a dozen un-iced cupcakes and a little something else that contributed to the effort on the evening.  We had some photographical inspiration to help us try some different techniques and ideas (thank you google images!), we whipped up a couple of large batches of buttercream and set to.

Here is a sample of some of the photo's from the evening of the lovely cupcakes we produced

We had a huge amount of fun, learnt a few tips along the way and, as a bonus, had very happy children the next day as they got to take the coolest cupcakes for their school lunches.

August meeting: decorating biscuit shapes with royal icing.

Photo's and info from the inaugral meeting

Better late than never!  Though I had better post these before I post them from the second meeting.

First - the recipe of the very yummy chocolate orange petit fours.  A very true orange flavour coming through on them which we all loved.  We are assured that it is easy to make...

Chocolate Orange Petits Fours

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
2 tbsps cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp salt
7 ozs bittersweet chocolate (unsweetened finely chopped)
1/4 cup unsalted butter (cut into pieces)
2 eggs
2 tsps orange zest (finely grated fresh)
1/2 cup heavy cream (chilled)
1 tsp sugar
4 orange segments (navel, membranes discarded from each and fruit cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
2 round (special equipment: 2 12 inch long sheets of parchment paper; a 1 1/2 inch, fluted cookie cutter)

Method
Whisk together flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl.
Melt chocolate and butter in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove bowl from heat and stir in eggs, zest, and flour mixture until just combined. (Dough will be soft.)
[At this point I added probably about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of flour as the dough was waaay too soft and would have gone everywhere!]
Roll out dough between parchment sheets into an 8-inch round (1/2 inch thick). Transfer round (still in parchment) to a large baking sheet and chill until firm, at least 1 hour, or freeze at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Remove top sheet of parchment paper and replace it loosely. Flip over paper-enclosed round and discard paper now on top. Cut out about 20 cookies with cookie cutter and arrange about 1 inch apart on a buttered large baking sheet. Reroll scraps between parchment sheets and cut out 12 more cookies (chill or freeze dough as needed if it becomes too soft to handle).
Bake cookies in middle of oven until matte (dough will start out shiny and turn dull), about 10 minutes, then transfer with a spatula to a rack to cool completely. (Cookies will have a fudgy consistency.)
Beat cream and sugar with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Top each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon cream and a piece of orange.

Other photo's from the evening: