Cake for Breakfast? Yes Please!

Some mornings call for porridge, others for toast. But every now and then you wake up and think… cake. And not just any cake, but a moist, zesty, sunshine-on-a-plate cake that smells like summer in the Mediterranean.

The village we go back to every summer has a bakery on the seafront. If you get there early enough, when the beach is still mostly empty and the sea is still and glassy, you can get one of the first huge slabs of orange cake fresh from the oven. The bakers will ask if you would like a spoonful of homemade marmalade or a drizzle of orange blossom honey over the top. I always choose the honey.

This orange and almond cake is my way of bringing a slice of that holiday feeling home. It is soft and fragrant from whole boiled oranges, with a dense almond crumb that soaks up the honey like a sponge. Serve it warm and suddenly breakfast feels like a slow morning in Greece.

Orange and Almond Cake with Orange Blossom Honey Drizzle

Ingredients

• 2 whole oranges

• 6 large eggs

• 250g caster sugar

• 250g ground almonds

• 1 tablespoon baking powder (use gluten free if needed)

• Butter for greasing (or olive oil for a fruity totally fat-free twist)

• Orange Blossom Honey for drizzling (available for pre-order now)

  
  

Method

1. Place the whole oranges (skin and all) in a large saucepan, cover with water, and boil gently for 2 hours. Top up the water if needed.

2. Drain and allow the oranges to cool slightly, then cut into quarters and remove any seeds.

3. Blitz the oranges in a food processor until smooth.

4. Preheat your oven to 180°C (170°C fan) and grease a 23cm springform cake tin with butter or olive oil.

5. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then stir in the orange purée, sugar, ground almonds, and baking powder until well combined.

6. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and bake for about 50 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

7. Allow to cool slightly before slicing. Plate up and drizzle your slice with a teaspoon of Orange Blossom Honey.

   
   

Why the drizzle matters

By adding the honey after baking, you keep all the delicate floral notes that can be lost in the oven’s heat. The warm cake helps the honey sink in just enough to create that irresistible sticky top layer.

Pre-order your jar today and be ready for the ultimate breakfast treat, because life is too short not to have cake in the morning.