Orange Cardamon Cake with Grand Marnier Syrup
Orange Cardamom Cake with Grand Marnier Syrup
A new cake tradition is yet to be established so for the Christmas just past, I made a lightly spiced boozy syrup orange cake which was so good I just had to share. The flavour was fresh with a subtle hint of cardamom, but it was the texture that really surprised me. It was light to eat, but the crumb was so fine and dense that it sliced like a dream. Even when a sliver was requested I was able to deliver a neat thin slice without leaving a trail of crumbs. That doesn’t happen often.
This may well be the beginning of a new family Christmas tradition.
Orange Cardamon Cake with Grand Marnier Syrup
180g unsalted butter
1 cup castor sugar
finely grated zest of 1 large orange
4 eggs
1 cup almond meal
1 cup white spelt flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoons bicarbonate soda
2 teaspoons freshly ground cardamom
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoon Grand Marnier
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Butter a 24cm round springform cake tin and line it with baking parchment.
Whisk together the almond meal. spelt flour, spices and rising agents until thoroughly combined.
Cream the butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Fold in the flour mixture then add the orange juice and liqueur.
Pour the batter into the cake tin and smooth the top.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Allow the cake to rest in the tin for 10 mins.
Remove the sides of the cake tin and place the cake still on the base of the tin on a large plate.
Spoon over the syrup.
Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting.
syrup:
1/4 cup castor sugar
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
Combine the orange juice and sugar together in a small pot.
Put the pot over a medium heat and stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved.
Bring the syrup to the boil the remove from the heat.
Stir in the Grand Marnier.
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27 comments on “Orange Cardamon Cake with Grand Marnier Syrup”
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Creative Commons Copyright Licence
Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
I’m craving one right now!
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This sounds and looks so good….
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Thanks. BTW I have loved my visits to India, although so far spotting a tiger has eluded me
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Happy New Year Sandra, your beautiful cake sounds delicious… a perfect cake for the festive season 🙂
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This sounds and looks so good. I am going through an adjustment period of foods causing me problems again, though, so will hold off for a while. Best to you Sandra.
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Happy and healthy 2017 to you Ardys. It’s a never ending cycle of readjustment I find, foods I can eat one day can be troublesome the next. Hope it sorts itself out quickly for you. Have you read “Gut” by Julia Enders? It made a lot of sense with my own situation and reassured me that I was on the right path
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Yes, I find the same Sandra. Have been doing this for over twenty years. No I haven’t read that one, will have a look, thank you. I’m not miserable or anything, just minding what my body is telling me. 😊
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That cake sounds just divine.
Although things are a lot easier for those who have to slave over a hot stove in December, I have to say that I’ve been sorry that some traditions and recipes have been tossed out with baby and the bathwater.
Your comment of ‘brandy plumped dried fruit,’ has me remembering a cake shop in Bentleigh that made its own Christmas cakes and puddings a month earlier and the scent of that baking (and the brandy!) wafting down the street had me floating.
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The smell of warm spices at Christmas are delicious, but for me much more enjoyable to eat in the cold weather. Happy 2017 Mary
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Agree, but my point is, who’s bothering to make those delicious plum puds in winter. After a while, who’s going to remember them? ) Happy 2017 to you too, Sandra. Even this pessimist is hoping for good things.
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I have to admit: it’s been so hard for most of my life to get my head around the idea of Christmas in summer. But we’ve been going south the last few years and I can definitively say that there’s much to recommend! Lovely cake. Happy new year, Sandra!
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Thanks Michelle. My folks clung to English traditions, turkey, steamed pudding and all with no AC. My one northern Christmas was a letdown. I missed the casual outdoor eating and the layback summer ambience. We felt quite isolated indoors. Happy New Year to you too
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I can’t wait to give your cake a try…it sounds perfect for our warm weather Christmas here in Florida. The citrus groves in our town are now being picked so lovely fresh oranges are always available this time of the year.
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I think Florida’s climate is probably a lot like Brisbane’s, so a light and fresh flavoured cake is perfect for this time of the year. I also think this would work really well with lemon and limoncello.
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Sounds amazing !
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Thanks Bea, it’s an excellent cake…
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Oh, lovely, cardamom in a cake. Think I will also give this a whirl for NYE with a gf adjustment. I have been wanting an orange cake recipe that doesn’t boil and then whiz the oranges up, as I am afraid I am not a fan of that particular texture. Good one!
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It’s a really great cake, very moist, very moreish. As I mentioned to Kate I think GF flour and/or polenta would be great subs for the spelt flour. Enjoy…..
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This is a recipe our family can get behind. We all adore orange and cardamom together.
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Yes it’s a classic match, they complement one another perfectly. The first time I tasted them together was in ice cream, I was hooked instantly
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Perfect, all the flavours I love. Must give this a try for NY Eve. I don’t have any Grand Marnier- will Contreau suffice?
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Cointreau is THE perfect substitute, in fact it would probably be better as it’s much more intense. Enjoy….
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Absolutely stunning cake, however, no need to kill one cake off to enjoy another… I’ll have a “hunk” of both thank you! It would seem that both could be accompanied by Andrea’s Eggnog Ice Cream too – http://tenmorebites.com/2016/12/29/eggnog-ice-cream/
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Cake overload? I’ll send my other half over…..
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I really think you’re onto something here with this fabulous alternative to traditional Christmas cake. Just one thing: I think the 1/4 cup fresh orange ‘cake’ should read ‘juice’…?
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Oo thanks, I could do with a human editor that understands context, all fixed. Kate I think GF flour or even polenta would work a treat with this one
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Almond meal, too, but you’re right, polenta would produce a beautiful dense cake and is the perfect colour too!
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