Makes 1 cake, serves 8
INGREDIENTS:
250g unsalted butter
250g caster sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
250g ground almonds
130g coarse polenta
Zest of 4 oranges
1 tbsp orange blossom water
2 tsp baking powder
For the orange, honey and cardamom syrup
the seeds 6 cardamom pods, crushed
Juice of 4 oranges
50ml orange blossom water
100g honey
To serve
Crème fraiche
Zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp pistachio nuts, finely chopped
METHOD:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan) and grease a 20cm springform tin and line with greaseproof paper.
- Place the butter and sugar in a mixer and beat together until fluffy and light. Then one by one crack in the eggs and the vanilla essence. Next tip in the polenta, ground almonds, orange zest, orange blossom water and baking powder, and beat slowly until the mixture is combined.
- Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 minutes, or until the surface is light brown. Remove from the tun
- Remove the tin from the oven, leave to cool for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a plate.
- Next make the syrup while the cake is cooling. Place a saucepan over a medium heat and add all the ingredients for the syrup. Stir well, and simmer over a medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, or until reduced and thickened slightly. Set aside to cool.
- Prick the cake all over with a skewer, and use a pastry brush to brush the honey syrup over the cake.
- Serve with a spoon of crème fraiche, a zest of orange and a sprinkle of finely chopped pistachios.
