70 minute recipe: spiced orange and almond cake

There’s always room for cake post-workout, so dish up this delicious flour-free offering from Kate Percy and also replenish your glycogen stores…

For those triathletes who like the occasional slice of cake, treat yourself to this light, moist and scrumptiously sticky indulgence after your workout to replenish depleted glycogen stores – or serve up as an aromatic and summery pudding to impress friends and family. Either way, it tastes awesome with a dollop of natural yoghurt.

Flour-free, gluten-free and lactose-free (although not sugar-free, admittedly), this delicious citrus and almond combination is soaked with an orange syrup infused with exotic spices and then topped with toasted almonds. Our top #gofaster tip? Eat with a fork, especially if you have company!

Serves 10

Prep time 10mins

Cooking time 1hr

Equipment required 22cm diameter springform cake tin, two bowls, whisk, citrus zester, spoon and small saucepan

Nutrition (per slice)

›› Energy 339kcal

›› Protein 5.5g

›› Carbohydrate 35g

›› Fat 21.5g

›› Sugars 28g

›› Saturates 2.5g

›› Salt trace

›› Fibre 1.5g

Ingredients

For the cake

– 50g gluten free breadcrumbs

– 200g golden caster sugar

– 100g ground almonds

– 2tsps baking powder

– 150ml sunflower oil

– 4 large free range eggs

– Grated zest of 1 lemon
– Grated zest of 2 oranges

For the syrup

– Juice of 1 lemon

– Juice of 1 orange

– 75g caster sugar

– 3 x whole cloves

– A cinnamon stick

– 3 x star anise

– Toasted flaked almonds to decorate

Method

1. Grease the cake tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper.
2. Pour the breadcrumbs, sugar, almonds and baking powder into a bowl and stir to combine.
3. Break the eggs into another bowl, add the sunflower oil and beat with a whisk until light and fluffy. Stir in the orange and lemon zest and then fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Spoon the mixture into the tin and place in the cold oven.
4. Set the oven at 180°C/gas mark 4 and bake for 1hr or until the cake is golden and firm to the touch.
5. While the cake is cooking, prepare the syrup. Combine the lemon and orange juice with the sugar and spices in a small saucepan. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes until it becomes syrupy. Set aside to cool.
6. When the cake is cooked, remove from the oven but leave it in the tin. Make a few holes in the surface by poling a skewer into the cake and then pour the syrup over the cake. Do this gradually, letting it sink in, and then decorate with toasted flaked almonds, and leave to cool completely.

(Images: Ewelina Karbowiak)

For lots more fuelling advice head to our Nutrition section.