Ingredients
- self-raising flour 200g, sifted
- ground almonds 100g
- caster sugar 150g
- baking powder 1 tsp
- eggs 2 large, beaten with a fork
- Greek yoghurt 250g
- sunflower oil 150ml
- lemon 1, zested
orange syrup
- water 150ml
- caster sugar 175g
- orange 1, juiced and 2 strips of zest
- lemon ½, juiced
- cardamom pods 5, crushed
- orange flower water 1 tbsp, look in the king section of larger supermarkets or buy from Middle Eastern shops
- icing sugar and crème fraîche or Greek yoghurt to serve
Method
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Step 1
To make the syrup, put the water, sugar, rind, citrus juices and cardamom into a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Bring to the boil and simmer for 7 minutes. It will thicken and become syrupy as it cools. Cool then strain and add the orange flower water.
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Step 2
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter or oil a 20cm spring-form tin. Put all the dry ingredients for the cake in a bowl with a good pinch of salt and make a well in the centre. Put all the rest of the ingredients in the well and stir with a wooden spoon, gradually incorporating the wet ingredients. Spoon into the tin and bake for half an hour. A skewer pushed into the middle of the cake should come out clean, if not give it a little longer.
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Step 3
Leave for 10 minutes to cool in the tin, then turn onto a plate. Pierce all over with a skewer and, while the cake is still warm, slowly pour over the syrup. Leave to soak in. Dust with icing sugar just before serving – the sugar just disappears into the syrupy top otherwise – and serve with crème fraîche or yoghurt.
