These tender, gluten free orange cakes get topped with a dollop of zesty icing, ruby red pomegranate seeds and crispy almonds.
Serves: 12
INGREDIENTS
150 grams butter at room temperature
175 grams caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
3 large eggs, size 7, lightly beaten
125 grams ground almonds (almond meal)
60 grams brown rice flour
pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground mixed spice
½ cup mashed, very ripe banana
finely grated zest and juice 1 orange
Icing
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
zest of 1 orange
orange juice
⅓ cup toasted flaked almonds
pomegranate seeds, optional
METHOD
Grease a 12-hole, standard muffin tin and line the bases with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.
Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs until very well mixed. Combine the ground almonds, rice flour, salt, baking powder and the mixed spice together.
Add to the butter mixture, along with the banana and the orange zest and juice and gently fold everything together. Divide evenly between the tins and smooth the tops.
Bake for 20–25 minutes or until firm to the touch and the cakes are pulling away from the sides of the tins. Leave in the tins for 20 minutes then run a small palate knife around the inside of the tins and invert onto a cooling rack.
To assemble: Put the icing sugar and zest in a bowl and stir in enough orange juice to make a thick, pourable consistency. Place a teaspoonful on each cake, leave for a couple of minutes then top with almonds and pomegranate seeds. Makes 12.

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