Blood Orange, Pistachio and Almond Cake
This cake is inspired by my recent visit to Sicily, where I visited La Deliziosa’s orange field not far from Mount Etna. This region is also home to the amazing Bronte pistachios, so this cake felt like a wonderful pairing of ingredients.
Blood Orange, Pistachio and Almond Cake
I like to finely grind a 50:50 mix of pistachios and almonds to add to the cake. Use pre-ground almonds as an alternative.
Serves 10
Ingredients
125g caster sugar
100g butter
3 medium eggs, separated
2 blood oranges, zest and juice removed
75g self raising flour
125g ground almonds and pistachios
1 teaspoon baking powder
To serve
A dusting of icing sugar
Greek yoghurt, crème fraîche or softly whipped cream
Segmented blood oranges
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Line a 20cm round springform tin with non-stick baking paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together. Add the egg yolks and orange zest and beat these in. Next, add the flour, almonds and baking powder. Stir well and add the orange juice.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the cake batter. Pour the mixture into the tin, level off and bake for 35-45 minutes until browned, risen and firm.
Dust with icing sugar and serve with orange segments and your choice of yoghurt, crème fraîche or softly whipped cream. The cake will keep for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container.
With my thanks to I Love Fruit and Veg from Europe for organising and hosting this visit, which I attended as their guest.
