So many of you have asked for the recipe for this super moist gluten-free Mallorcan orange, almond and fig cake which often features on my restaurant menu. It is inspired by the miles and miles of fragrant blossoming orange and almond trees we passed by as we travelled via the extraordinary antique train – El Tren de Sóller – from Palma to the beautiful port of Sóller last spring.

Ingredients

1 large orange, scrubbed and roughly chopped
5 eggs, separated
200g unrefined caster sugar
225g ground almonds
3 fresh figs, cut into quarters
A generous handful of pistachio kernels
Lemon zest for garnishing
Icing sugar for dusting

How I make it

Put the chopped orange pieces into a small saucepan and add 1 tbsp water. Cover and cook gently for 30 minutes or until they are soft and the excess liquid has evaporated. Remember to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t catch.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Using a piece of kitchen roll wipe the inside of a 23cm springform cake tin with olive oil and line with baking parchment. Place the orange pieces, including the peel, into a small food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Set aside to cool.

Put the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk until they form stiff peaks. Gradually whisk in half the caster sugar for one minute.

Using the same whisk, mix the egg yolks with the remaining caster sugar in another bowl for 2–3 minutes until they are pale and quite thick. Whisk in the finely chopped oranges then carefully fold in the ground almonds.

Stir in three spoonfuls of the whisked egg white to loosen the mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whites with a large metal spoon. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and level the top. Carefully arrange the fig quarters over the top, sprinkle with pistachio kernels and bake for around 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before garnishing with lemon zest and dusting with icing sugar. I serve this with authentic Greek yoghurt and fresh berries.