This gluten-free syrup cake is made with seeds and nuts and is bursting with tangy mandarin flavour.

Recipe: Julie Legg

INGREDIENTS

6 mandarins
1 cup white sugar
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla paste
½ cup whole almonds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup pine nuts
1 tsp baking powder

Syrup:
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup water
1 mandarin

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a spring-form cake tin with baking paper to cover bottom and about 5cm up sides of tin.

Wash mandarins, quarter, and remove seeds. Put mandarins, skin and all, into a blender and purée. Transfer to large bowl, add sugar and mix well. Add eggs and vanilla paste, stir to combine.

In a food processor, whiz almonds, pumpkin seeds and pine nuts until powdery. Measure to ensure combined weight is 200g. Add extra ground nuts/seeds to make up amount if necessary. Fold through the wet mixture, along with sifted baking powder. The mix will be runny but don’t be concerned.

Pour into lined baking tin and bake for 60 minutes. Check top doesn’t over-brown; cover with tin foil if necessary. Check with a skewer to ensure cooked through before removing from oven. Leave to cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

To make syrup, add sugar and water to a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Peel mandarin and cut thin strips from half the rind (discard remaining rind). Add to syrup. Segment the fruit and add to syrup. Gently simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes until syrup begins to thicken.

Remove from heat and pour over cake. Garnish with edible flowers and serve.

Serves 8

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Read more stories like these in our latest special edition, Sustainability Through the Seasons.