Orange, Almond & Pomegranate Cake

By ltrodrigu

Placing the batter in a cold oven and baking it as the oven heats gives the cake a soft, dense texture. If you want a firmer cake, preheat the oven. Use whole-wheat bread crumbs for added fiber, or plain white for a more delicate texture.

Ingredients

• For the Cake:
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 cup freshly ground almonds or packaged almond meal
• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
• 1 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pan
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 pint whole Greek yogurt
• 1 pomegranate, seeded
• For the Syrup:
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup pure pomegranate juice
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
• 2 tablespoons honey

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from wsj.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs, almonds, sugar and baking powder. Stir in orange zest, oil and eggs until thoroughly combined. Alternatively, pulse in a food processor until combined.

Pour batter into a nonstick or oiled 8- or 9-inch springform cake pan. Set oven to 350 degrees. Bake until a knife inserted into middle of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, Make Syrup:
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, gently simmer all ingredients, stirring, until honey dissolves and syrup reduces to about ½ cup, 5-7 minutes.

Pierce holes in hot baked cake and slowly pour syrup over top, letting it sink into cake. Let cake cool in pan before transferring to a serving plate. In a bowl, whisk honey into yogurt.

To serve, scatter pomegranate seeds over cake. Serve cake slices with a dollop of honey yogurt.