MEDITERRANEAN ORANGE CAKE WITH CARDAMOM CRÈME ANGLAISE

SERVES 8–10

This is wonderfully simple. To simplify it further, you could skip the crème anglaise and serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

180 g (6 oz/1¾ cup) almond meal

65 g (2¼ oz) fresh breadcrumbs (from day-old bread)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

150 g (5½ oz/²/₃ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

4 eggs, organic, if possible

160 ml (5¼ fl oz) vegetable oil

CARDAMOM CRÈME ANGLAISE

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) milk

1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthways and seeds scraped

3 cardamom pods, bruised

5 egg yolks

70 g (2½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/Gas 3). Lightly grease a 22 cm (8½ inch) round cake tin and line the base and side with a double thickness of baking paper extending 2 cm (¾ inch) above the top of the tin.

Put the almond meal, breadcrumbs, baking powder and orange zest in a bowl and mix to combine. In another bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs using electric beaters until thick and pale. Gradually add the oil and beat until well combined. Use a large metal spoon to gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Allow to stand in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, for the anglaise, heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat with the vanilla bean and seeds and the cardamom pods until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and discard the vanilla bean. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolk and sugar and continue to whisk until combined. While whisking, pour the warm milk over the egg mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir over a very low heat until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Do not boil. Strain into a bowl to remove the cardamom pods and cool over a bowl of ice.

Serve slices of warm orange cake with a good drizzle of the anglaise.