Claudia Rodens recipe for orange and almond cake

Observer Food Monthly's 20 best recipesFoodA delicious treat with Mediterranean/Middle Eastern originsThe 20 best recipes by Claudia Roden – in fullThe recipe for this Sephardi Passover cake was given to me in 1960 by a woman of my parents’ age who had moved from Aleppo to Egypt, but the cake is neither Syrian nor Egyptian. I have traced its passage from Andalucia, through Portugal and Livorno in Italy, to Aleppo where families of Iberian origin were seen as “grandees” (signorim) in the Jewish community.Serves 12oranges 2 largeeggs 6ground almonds 250gcaster sugar 250gbaking powder 1 tspbutter and flour for the cake tinWash and boil the oranges unpeeled, in a little water for 1½ to 2 hours until they are very soft. Let them cool, then cut them open and remove the pips. Turn the oranges into a puree in a food processor.Beat the eggs in a large bowl.

Add all the other ingredients, mix thoroughly and pour into a buttered and floured cake tin, preferably non-stick with a removable base. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (170C fan/gas mark 5) for about 1 hour. If it is still very wet, leave it in the oven for a little longer. Cool in the tin before turning out.

This is a very moist cake that may serve as a dessert.From A New Book of Middle Eastern Food (Penguin, £25). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.comncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaJ6fpLFwfo9raWirlaV8c4KOnKOarZSerm6%2Bzp2cp2WimrCqvMRmnaiqXaS%2ForrGnmSappRirq25zqebZpuRoLI%3D