I found this lovely fruit studded Christmas Cake on Elana’s Pantry, one of my favorite websites. I like the way this recipe starts with an orange and a food processor – inspired! Her original recipe contains lots of nuts, but my kids aren’t nut lovers, so I made a few changes because of what was handy in my pantry. Instead of serving it as a round cake, I plopped it into an angel food cake pan (with removable bottom) for the simple reason that the cake pan I wanted was otherwise engaged. Doing so allowed the cake to bake for 5-10 minutes less and was very friendly to slice.

This is a wonderful morning breakfast with a cup of coffee. A slathering of butter doesn’t hurt either. Sugar doesn’t agree with me, so I was quite happy to find this recipe made with agave. Hope you like it! And while you’re at it, give Elana’s website a look – you’ll love it.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Yield: 12 slices
Special equipment: food processor and angel food cake pan
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1 large orange
4 eggs
3/4 c. agave nectar or honey
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 c. blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 c. dried cranberries
1 c. dried dates, finely chopped
3/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. Wash orange and boil it whole for 1 1/2 hours or until soft.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Place quartered orange (skin and all)  in a food processor and blend until smooth.
4. Process in eggs, agave, almond extract, almond flour, salt and baking soda until well blended.
5. Transfer mixture to a bowl and mix in cranberries and dates.
6. Pour mixture into a greased angel food cake pan with removable bottom and bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake. If the top begins to brown before the center is cooked, cover with foil and return to oven.
7. Cool in the pan until room temperature. You can make a simple icing blending orange juice and powdered sugar until your desired consistency and drizzle atop once cake is completely cooled.