Winter Fruit Salad with Spiced Almond Cake

Winter Fruit Salad

• 4 large oranges
• Pomegranate
• 250g fresh cranberries
• Cinnamon stick
• 500ml cranberry juice
• 200g sugar

1. Gently heat the cranberry juice, sugar and cinnamon stick until the sugar dissolves. Add the cranberries and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until the berries are tender. Allow to cool
2. Peel the oranges, remove all the white pith and slice thickly; place in a bowl with the pomegranate seeds
3. Add the cranberries and some of the juice, but retain about 300ml with the cinnamon stick and set aside
4. Allow to infuse for at least an hour before serving.

Spiced Almond Cake

• 70g polenta
• 300g sugar
• 225g ground almonds
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 200ml light vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil – organic or cold pressed)
• 5 eggs
• 5 cloves
• 2 star anise

1. Line a baking tin, 30 x 20cm, with baking parchment and pre-heat the oven to 180ºC (gas mark 4)
2. Mix the polenta, ground almonds, sugar and baking powder; stir in the oil and beaten eggs. Pour into the tin and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cake is set
3. Leave to cool in the tin, cut into squares and transfer to a serving dish
4. Add the cloves and star anise to the cranberry juice and cinnamon stick (retained from cooking the cranberries). Heat gently and reduced to about 150ml
5. Allow to cool slightly and then pour over the almond cake.
6. If you can, leave for a while to let the flavours infuse before serving with the fruit salad

Note
You can replace the cranberry juice with orange juice.
Inspired by a recipe from Denis Cotter