Spelt, Almond, Blood Orange and Thyme Loaf Cake

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Author: OcadoLife

Prep time: 1 hr 10 mins

Cook time:

Serves: 6

Blood oranges are jewels of the winter months – they only have a short season, so grab them while you can. Their unique sweet yet tart tanginess sings in baking, which is why we've created this zesty loaf cake with a delicious orange drizzle. The flavour pairs a treat with thyme, which we've used to give our bake a herbal twist.

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

100g coconut oil
90g soft brown sugar
3 eggs
1½ tbsp thyme leaves, stalks discarded
1½ tbsp caster or granulated sugar
100g wholegrain or white spelt flour (we used Sharpham)
100g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
2 blood oranges, zest and juice, plus extra zest to decorate (optional)
100g dairy-free coconut yogurt
70g icing sugar

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Line a loaf tin that’s roughly 21cm x 12cm in size.

Step 2

Whisk the coconut oil and soft brown sugar together until well incorporated, then add the eggs one at a time.

Step 3

Using a pestle and mortar, grind the thyme and caster sugar together until blended – the sugar should turn green. Set aside.

Step 4

Add the flour, ground almonds and baking powder to the egg mixture, stirring. Then add two thirds of the thyme and sugar mixture, the zest and juice of 1 blood orange, and the coconut yogurt. Mix well to combine.

Step 5

Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin, level off the top and cook in the oven for 50 mins. When cooked, leave to cool for 5 mins before removing from the tin.

Step 6

To make the orange icing, mix the zest and enough juice of the remaining orange into the icing sugar to make a paste, and drizzle over the top of the cake once it is fully cooled. Finish by scattering the remaining thyme and sugar mixture over the icing, along with some extra zest if you wish.