Orange and Poppyseed Cake

My mum only ever made banana cake so this isn't an old favourite but a new one that we’ve created for our family. I had a fruit and veg box delivered when I was pregnant with Louis. There was an abundance of sweet potatoes and oranges. Harriet isn’t a huge fan of sweet potato, so I thought that this cake would be a good way to use them up.

INGREDIENTS Serves 8 - 10

  • 2 oranges, washed well 

  • 1 cup (160 g) pitted fresh dates

  • 3 eggs

  • 1 cup rice bran, grapeseed oil or light olive oil

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 350 g sweet potato, scrubbed, finely grated

  • 1 large carrot, scrubbed, finely grated 

  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus pinch extra

  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

  • 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour

  • 1 cup wholemeal plain flour 

  • 2 teaspoons bicarb soda

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons honey, preferably raw

METHOD

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line a 22 cm springform cake pan. Coarsely chop 1 orange, peel on, and process in a food processor until very finely chopped. Add the dates and continue to process until very finely chopped. Add the eggs, oil and vanilla extract and pulse until combined. 

  2. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, then stir in the sweet potato and carrot until combined. Fold in the salt, poppy seeds, flours and then bicarb soda until just combined. 

  3. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and evenly smooth over the surface. Place onto the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

  4. Meanwhile, very thinly slice the orange zest from the remaining orange, and juice. Add to a small saucepan with the honey and bring to a simmer. Reduce for 5 minutes or until syrupy. 

  5. Remove the cake from the oven and sit on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and placing on a plate. Using a skewer, make holes all over the surface, not inserting all the way through. Evenly pour over the syrup and allow to cool completely before serving.

NUTRITION

495 calories per serve (9 serves)

Fat: 29.1g | Protein: 8.3g | Carb: 48.2g

Iron: 2.3mg/serve (RDI 8mg-18mg) around 15% RDI

Vit C: 28.7mg/serve (45mg/day) more than 60% RDI 

Fibre: 7.6g/serve (25g-30g/day) more than 30% RDI

1.3 serves wholegrains | 1 serve veg