Middle Eastern Orange Syrup Cake - Chef Recipe by Jake Hayes

Ingredients

3 oranges
4 eggs
380 g caster sugar
300 g almond meal
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
60 g water

Method

Pre-heat oven to 160 C. Line a 20cm round cake tin with greased baking paper.

Wash oranges and place two whole in a saucepan, cover with water and place onto a high heat. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, or until very tender.

You may need to top up the water occasionally to ensure oranges stay covered.

Place oranges into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Using an electric mixer, whisk together eggs and 300g of sugar until thick and pale. Place oranges into mix along with almond meal and ground cinnamon. Fold together gently using a rubber handled spatula, until incorporated.

Place mixture into lined cake tin, cook in oven for 1 hour, checking with a skewer to ensure it is cooked. The skewer should come out clean, set aside to cool.

For the syrup, zest and juice remaining orange. Place in a saucepan with the remaining 80g of sugar and water onto a low heat, cooking until the sugar dissolves and begins to thicken slightly.

Pour syrup over the cake ensuring it is evenly distributed. Cut into wedges and serv with mascarpone, vanilla gelato or toasted and crushed pistachios.