Chocolate Orange Celebration Cake – Gluten Free (with Orange Macaron)

• Base-line two 10 inch/25 cm round loose-bottomed non-stick baking tins with baking paper.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4.
• Weigh and mix together the flour, xanthan gum, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and salt. TIP : weigh into an airtight container and shake well to blend. Set aside.
• Weigh or measure the milk into a jug and add the white wine vinegar. Stir thoroughly and leave to stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, until it has a slightly curdled appearance. This will make 'buttermilk'
• Sift the cocoa powder into a small bowl. Add the boiling water a little at a time, gently stirring through until you have a smooth paste. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar using an electric whisk until pale and fluffy.
• Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat with a fork to blend, before gradually adding a little at a time to the butter mixture, beating thoroughly between each addition.
• Add the vanilla extract and cocoa paste and beat again, until smooth and well-blended.
• Gently fold in the ground almonds using a large spoon or spatula.
• Finally add and fold through the dry ingredients and milk mixture, alternating a little dry followed by a little 'buttermilk' (about a third of each at a time). Fold gently to ensure as much air remains as possible and stop when the ingredients are JUST amalgamated to avoid over-mixing.
• Split the mixture between the two prepared cake tins evenly and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon. (you will have a little left for a couple of 'tester' cupcakes should you need them).
• Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes until the tops spring back and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and leave in the tins for about 5 minutes, before carefully turning out on a wire rack to cool (if necessary due to any sticking, run a sharp knife around the edge of each cake before turning out). Leave to cool completely.

• Base-line a 10 inch cake tin with baking paper and pre-heat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4.
• Weigh and thoroughly mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, xanthan gum, salt and almonds (TIP : weigh into a large airtight container and shake vigorously). Set aside.
• Pour the milk and vinegar into a jug and stir so that the liquid becomes clumpy. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, use an electric whisk to cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Gradually add the egg a little at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition until fully amalgamated and smooth.
• Add and beat through the vanilla and orange extracts and the orange zest.
• Add and gently fold in the dry ingredients and the milk mixture, alternating wet with dry about a third at a time, until it has all been added and the batter is smooth, but just incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix.
• Transfer the cake batter to the tin and smooth the surface.
• Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until well risen and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and leave in the tins for about 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Orange Butter Icing

• In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth.
• Gradually add and beat in the icing sugar and orange extract until light and fluffy.
• Add and beat in a little orange juice to loosen to a consistency that is spreadable.

Dark Chocolate Ganache for Covering

• Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat proof bowl.
• In a saucepan, heat the cream until it is just starting to simmer.
• Immediately remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate.
• Push the chocolate down so that it is under the surface of the cream and tilt the bowl back and forth to allow the hot cream to seep into the cracks.
• Cover the bowl with a plate to keep the heat in and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
• Now gently stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the ganache mixture is smooth. If any lumps of chocolate remain, place the bowl over a saucepan with a small amount of simmering water and gently heat and stir until smooth.
• Leave the ganache at room temperature to cool and thicken to spreading consistency.

PREPARATION BEFORE MAKING

To age the egg-whites

• Use a spotlessly clean bowl (wiped with lemon juice to completely degrease) for the egg whites.
• Very carefully crack the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks, being super-careful not to get ANY yolk in with the whites.
• Take the bowl of whites and either loosely cover with a cloth or kitchen towel or with clingfilm that has had a few holes pierced in the top.
• Leave the egg whites at room temperature for a few hours before using.
• Save the yolks to use in another recipe or make an enriched omelette/scrambled egg/frittata.

Equipment preparation

• Prepare 2 or 3 large baking sheets by lining with good quality non-stick baking paper.
• Either trace circles about 3½ cm (1½ inches) in diameter onto the baking paper, with a gap between each (flipping the paper over onto the baking sheet so that the drawn side is underneath), OR use a printed macaron template that can be placed under the baking paper whilst you pipe (remembering to remove before baking).
• Make sure your mixing bowl and balloon whisk head for the egg whites are spotlessly clean and grease-free. I wash mine in very hot water with soap, then allow to air-dry, before wiping again (using clean kitchen paper) with a solution of hot water and lemon juice.
• Prepare a disposable piping bag by either snipping the end to make a hole about 1½ cm in diameter, or by inserting a round nozzle (approx. 1.6 cm).
• Attach a food-bag clip just above the nozzle/end, to prevent the mixture leaking out when you fill the bag.

To make the Macaron Shell batter

• Weigh the ground almonds and icing sugar into a blender and pulse for a few seconds to blend and grind the almonds very slightly finer. Be careful not to over-blend as the almonds will turn to almond butter. Set aside.
• Weigh 110g aged egg whites (that must be room-temperature) into the bowl of the mixer.
• Start to whisk slowly until bubbles start to form and the egg whites become foamy.
• Add the cream of tartar and increase the speed of the mixer to high.
• Little by little, add the granulated sugar, whisking continually until all the sugar is incorporated and dissolved.
• Whisk until the mixture has become thick and glossy with stiff peaks. But be careful not to over-mix as this will make the egg whites dry and brittle.
• Add the almond-icing sugar mixture along with the orange extract and a little food colour and very gently fold into the egg whites using a large spatula-spoon or spatula.
• Continue to gently fold until the dry ingredients are incorporated and until the mixture reaches a ‘molten lava’ consistency (when it leaves a ribbon trail that takes about 20 seconds to sink back into the mix). Be very careful not to over-mix.

Pipe the macaron

• Transfer the mixture to the prepared, clipped piping bag.
• When ready to pipe, remove the clip and pipe straight down at a right angle onto the templated circles, until it almost reaches the border.
• When you have finished, carefully remove any paper templates from underneath the baking paper.
• Take each baking sheet in turn and hold evenly about 12 cm (5 inches) above the work top or a hard kitchen floor. Flat-drop the tray several times, to bang out any air bubbles.
• Leave the trays at room temperature for between 30 minutes and an hour, to allow the batter to dry slightly and until a skin forms. This is super-important. You will know they are done, when you lightly touch the edges and they are no longer sticky.

Bake the macaron

• Preheat the oven to 150 C (130 Fan)/300 F/Gas 2.
• Bake one sheet at a time (adjusting times/temperature from your experience on the first batch).
• Bake times will vary from 11 to 15 minutes for small macaron.
• When done, the macaron should have a dry, slightly shiny top and the shell should be reasonably firm and not wobble when pressed. The bottoms should not be wet.
• Take out of the oven and allow to cool on the trays before carefully lifting off the baking paper.

Make the ganache

• While the macaron are cooling, make the ganache.
• Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat proof bowl.
• Heat the cream in a saucepan until it is just beginning to start to simmer.
• Immediately remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate.
• Push the chocolate down so that it is under the surface of the cream and tilt the bowl back and forth to allow the hot cream to seep into the cracks.
• Cover the bowl with a plate to keep the heat in and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
• Now gently stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the ganache mixture is smooth. If any lumps of chocolate remain, place the bowl over a saucepan with a small amount of simmering water and gently heat and stir until smooth.
• Leave the ganache at room temperature to cool and thicken to soft piping consistency.

Fill the macaron

• While the ganache is cooling, pair up equal-sized macaron shells in a row on the work surface – one top side up and one top side down.
• When the ganache has reached piping consistency, transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1.6 cm nozzle or snip off the end.
• Pipe a good-sized blob of ganache into the centre of each of the flat-facing macaron shells and sandwich with the second shell, gently squeezing together until the filling can be seen at the edge.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use/eat.