Almond and Orange Cake

This cake is divine. It looks quite dense in the photo, but it was light and buttery with wonderful almond flavours, not too overpowered by the orange flavour. I was a bit dubious of it working at all as the mixture curdled when I added the eggs. When I added the dry ingredients it seemed to come together, but was quite thick. It also seemed to leak a liquid out of the bottom of the tin as it was cooking, which I can only assume was butter. However it did work out, and I didn't wait for it to cool before I tried a piece. It was heavenly. It would work as well as a dessert with the sliced orange segments as suggested in the recipe. I used pistachio nuts in place of the flaked almonds which complimented it beautifully. The recipe is from 'Cooking with the Master Chef" by Michel Roux Jr. 

Ingredients

Serves 10
50g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
225g caster sugar
250g ground almonds
250g unsalted butter, room temperature
1tbsp grated zest of orange
4 free-range eggs
80ml freshly squeezed orange juice
60g brown sugar
1tbsp marmalade
Handful of sliced almonds, toasted

Method
Butter a round cake tin, approximately 20cm wide. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Sift the flour, baking powder and sugar, and add the ground almonds. Whisk the butter with the orange zest until pale, then add the eggs one at a time. Fold in the dry ingredients with a metal spoon. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 45 mins or until cooked.
Meanwhile make a syrup by boiling the orange juice with the brown sugar. Leave to cool. Once the cake is cooked, prick several times with a skewer to the base and pour on the cooled syrup. Leave the cake to cool completely before brushing on a little warmed marmalade and sprinkling it with a few toasted, sliced almonds.
Lovely served with orange segments marinated in a generous splash of whisky and a little demerara sugar.