Chocolate and Orange Cake

This recipe is from Fresh & Healthy: 100 Fabulous Heart-Healthy Recipes by Sally James.

3 eggs

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup cooked, mashed baking apple (or apple puree)

1 Tbsp grated orange zest

1 cup self-rising flour

1/2 cup almond meal (ground almonds)

1/2 cup cocoa

1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk

powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray a 9-inch round cake pan.

Beat eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Gradually add oil while beating, followed by the apple and grated orange zest.

Sift together flour, almond meal, and cocoa, and lightly fold half throughout the batter. Stir in buttermilk, and then fold in remaining flour mixture until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Before serving, dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Note: 1/2 cup of sugar was not sweet enough for us, so next time I will definitely add more (3/4 to 1 cup). Other than that, we loved it; the cake tasted good, it had good texture, was soft and moist and had nice aroma.