Orange, Pistachio and Almond Cake

I'm not sure I'm going to get away with describing this beautiful, Greek-inspired cake without using the 'm' word.  In fact I'm not even going to try...there is no getting away from the fact that this luxurious, orange scented cake is so very MOIST!  A rich, moist interior with a crunchy topping of toasty pistachios, such a great combination.
It is more of a torte than a cake really so makes a wonderful dessert served with a blob of cream.

As an aside, I always use my microplane grater for zesting oranges and lemons, it's a great little kitchen tool (I use it for garlic too) and removes the zest in tiny bits.  It's also worth saying that you need to remove the zest before cutting and juicing the orange.

Makes a small cake which will serve 6 people generously

 

Ingredients

2 Large Eggs, separated

150g Caster Sugar, plus a bit more for sprinkling

100g Soft Butter

Zest and Juice of an Orange

150g Ground Almonds
a few handfuls of shelled pistachios

• Preheat the oven to 175C (fan) and fully line a small sandwich tin (approx. 20cm in diameter) with baking/greaseproof paper.
• Put the egg yolks into a mixing bowl then add the caster sugar, butter, zest and juice of the orange.
• Beat these ingredients together then add the ground almonds and mix thoroughly, it will be quite a stiff mixture.
• In a separate bowl, with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until they are white, voluminous and holding their shape.
• Take a large spoonful of the egg whites and mix it into the almond mixture to lighten it slightly.  Then spoon the rest of the egg whites into the mixture and carefully fold it in until thoroughly combined.
• Spoon the mixture into the lined tin, smooth it around then sprinkle the pistachios evenly over the top.  Sprinkle a few pinches of caster sugar over the top then bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes.  When the cake is done it will be a mid to deep golden brown and have a dry, shiny appearance.  I like to sprinkle it again with some caster sugar at this point, it finishes it off perfectly.
• Leave the cake in the tin to cool completely, then be careful when transferring it to a plate or cake stand.  It is has a crumbly, almost fluffy texture which does make it a bit tricky to move without it cracking, it doesn't affect the taste though!
• I serve this with a big dollop of softly whipped cream, delicious.