Eggless, Gluten free, Blood Orange Cake

Ingredients-

• 1 cup idli rawa (cream of parboiled rice)
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk. I used 1 percent milk. Almond/coconut milk can be used too.
• ½ cup applesauce
• 1 blood orange, sliced thin
• 3/8 cup granulated sugar for a moderately sweet cake
• A pinch of salt
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla or orange essence
• 1/2 teaspoon green cardamom powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon apricot preserves, thinned by warming

To make the Eggless, Gluten Free Blood Orange Cake-

1. In a bowl, combine the idli rawa, milk and applesauce. Set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, line a spring form pan with parchment paper. Spritzing the pan with melted butter or oil helps keep the parchment in place. Spritz top of parchment the same way.
3. Arrange the blood orange slices on the parchment paper.
4. To the combined rawa mixture, add the sugar, salt, essence, cardamom powder. Mix well to dissolve the sugar.
5. Add the baking soda, mix well and pour batter in the spring form pan on top of the blood oranges.
6. Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Remove cake from pan and invert on to a plate. Remove the spring form pan base and parchment paper from cake.
8. Brush the top with the thinned apricot preserves, slice and serve!