Happy Friday folks, hope everyone is enjoying the summer!
Summer is short in Richmond. If you don’t take advantage of this great weather, you’ll blink and soon it will be fall. So, I am making the most of summer with fun outdoor activities such as hiking, BBQ, gardening, camping, road trips and spending less time on computer. You also know that my in laws are staying with us and then we have a friend’s family visiting us from India as a result, there just wasn’t time to update my blog and visit other blogs. This week I managed to find time to share this fruit flan that I made for my husband’s birthday last Friday. I know how much he loves cake with fruits and berries and this one is loaded with it.
The recipe is not like a Spanish or Mexican flan which is normally made with whole eggs and milk custard with a caramel coating. This is basically a plain cake soaked in orange syrup. Filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit and berries, nothing beats this stunner flan for the dessert table! The cake is baked in a special fluted flan pan that has an indented central area, which acts as a shallow bowl for fruits/berries (or anything you desire) and a light pastry or whipped cream. However, if you don’t have a flan pan or prefer not to buy, you can use a 10″ spring form pan and won’t be disappointed. After the cake is baked, cut and scrape out a slight depression about 1″ deep in the center top of the cake and fill as directed in the recipe.
This cake has been one of my ‘go to’ summer dessert to bring to parties. Firstly, because the cake itself is very beautiful and delicious yet so light and easy to prepare. Secondly, I’m not a good cake decorator, being able to pile different colors and shapes of fruit make a cake look pretty without much effort. Thirdly, I am not a big frosting fan neither do my husband, but mildly sweetened whipped cream is a delightful combination with fresh fruits and a cake soaked in orange syrup.
Hope you’ll enjoy this fruit flan as much as we do!
Before I come to the recipe I just quickly have to say that Simpleglutenfreekitchen turned 3 on 12th of July. I am truly thankful to my readers, to my fellow bloggers and to my friends who drop by on a regular basis to leave comments. I can not stress enough how much appreciative I am for the support and interaction. Love you all!
This cake is perfect for summer as it is light and refreshing and full of fruity goodness.
Ingredients
- 60 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- 50 g sugar
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 163.5 g (1 1/2 cup) almond meal
- 31 g (1/4 cup) sorghum flour
- 75g (1/2 cup) sweet rice flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter
- 150 g (3/4 cup) sugar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 250 ml whipping cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5-6 cups assorted fruit such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, apricots, plums, grapes, cherries, mangoes
Instructions
- To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 11" nonstick flan pan with nonstick spray.
- Whisk almond meal, sorghum, sweet rice flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or by hand, beat the butter on medium high speed until creamy.
- Add the sugar and continue to beat until very light and fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla and the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack, poke holes in the cake with a bamboo skewer.
- Brush half of the syrup over the cake.
- Cool the cake for 20 minutes.
- Unmold onto a serving platter. Poke the top with a skewer and brush with the remaining syrup. Cool completely.
- While the cake is baking, make the syrup by heating sugar, zest and orange juice in a small saucepan.
- Bring it to a simmer. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, then set aside.
- For the topping place your mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes.
- Add whipping cream, sugar and vanilla to the bowl and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute. Refrigerate until you need it.
- Sort, clean and slice the fruit, if necessary.
- Spread the whipped cream evenly on top of the cake, filling the recessed area.
- Arrange the fruit on top according to your personal taste. If you're going to be serving the cake the next day, leave the fruit and cream off the cake and decorate it before serving.
Malti Sharma
Wow! that’s such a beautiful and delightful flan to make during summer with all the fresh fruits!
Congrats on your 3rd blogiversary!
Charlotte Moore
How many eggs???
Balvinder
4 eggs, just updated!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
That’s very beautiful! Happy Blogiversary!
Sridevi Ravi
Congratulations! This is a lovely flan with all the colourful fruits adorning it. Looks beautiful!
Jennifer Eloff
How beautiful and what pretty flowers too! Happy 3rd Blogiversary!
Harvinder
The flan looks beautiful Balvinder…am sure tastes great too!!!
Congratulations on your 3rd blogiversary…:-)
Monica
Happy 3rd blogiversary! : ) I was wondering what this was when I first glimpsed it. I love that it’s a fruit flan. It looks complicated but I can see it’s surprisingly do-able! I love the sound of the moist orange-flavored cake with the fresh fruit topping and whipped cream. Beautiful yet practical (as in, delicious).
anne
Bal , Happy 3rd !!!! Looking forward to more delightful and informative posts ahead 😀 Your beautiful fruit flan looks really good , a great summer dessert , light yet filling .
Carol
Happy “Blogiversary”! The flan looks fabulous. 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your summer, and thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
Choc Chip Uru
Happy blogiversary my friend! A perfect recipe for a fruity dessert 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Kitchen Belleicious
happy 3rd Blog A! What a great way to celebrate with this beautiful flan. it looks refreshing and sweet and just simply delicious. Congrats on 3 great years and here is to many many more!
easyfoodsmith
Many congrats to you my dear on reaching this milestone. The flan is wonderful choice for celebrating the occasion and also it is a beautiful ode to the bounty of summer fruits.
Shubha
Such a beautifully presented Flan.. love it… !!
cheri
Beautiful cake, looks so light and delicious! Happy Anniversary!!
Dahn@savorthebest
This looks so delicious and I love the presentation. It is perfect for a party!!
Pattie
Happy Blogiversary! This dessert has my mouth watering, it looks so beautiful. I have been craving fruit desserts, and I think I need to make this one.