Orange and prune cake

Ingredients

1 orange
1 cup prunes or dates
5 cardamom pods
125g butter
3/4 cup castor sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup almond meal
1¼ cups SR flour
½ tsp bi-carb soda
2 tbsp sugar extra
¼ cup water

Method

Set the oven to 160ºc fan or 180ºc normal oven
Grease and line 20cm(ish) deep cake tin

Candied orange (you can skip this step)

1. Take the zest off the orange in long ribbons; make sure not to dig into the white pith
2. Blanch the zest in clean boiling water for 1-2 minutes, until the water goes almost blue
3. Drain and drop into an ice bath or very cold water to stop the cooking
4. In the same pan, add the water and the extra sugar and simmer until the sugar has dissolved
5. Drop in the blanched orange peel and simmer for 3-5 minutes
6. Set aside until the cake is cooked

For the cake

1. Peel the orange and blitz in a food processor
2. Chop the prunes or dates and put in a saucepan, add the cardamom and cover with the pureed orange
3. Heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the prunes break down
4. Remove from the heat, take out the cardamom and add the bi-carb soda - stirring so it fluffs up
5. Set aside to cool
6. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla with electric beater until smooth and lighter in colour
7. Add eggs 1 at a time and beat well
8. Mix in almond meal and cooled orange mixture until just combined
9. Scrape out the edges of the bowl then mix in sifted flour
10. Poor into prepared pan and cook for 50 minutes
11. Warm the orange syrup so it thins out again and tip over hot cake