Cafe St Honore

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NEIL'S RECIPES: ORANGE AND ALMOND CAKE

"This recipe came to me by way of a Shaun Hill cook book, so thank you Shaun. Ensure you boil the oranges whole and make sure the water is topped up. It’s a simple method after that. I love serving this warm with a peat-smokey Benromach whisky ice cream - rich and decadent."

Makes one cake

Prep time 4 hours 10 minutes, cooking time 1 hour 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 large oranges

6 whole eggs

300g caster sugar

250g ground almonds

1tbsp baking powder

25ml Grand Marnier

50ml water

A small handful of hazelnuts

Another 75g caster sugar

1tsp icing sugar

Candied orange peel to garnish, optional

Ice-cream to serve, optional

METHOD

Line a 10-inch spring-form high-sided cake tin with oil and greaseproof paper.

Boil the oranges whole for 4 hours then halve, remove any pips and blitz to a pulp in a food processor – this will take about 2 to 3 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Make a praline by adding 75g of caster sugar to a pan and melting gently, allowing it to become dark and caramel in colour. This should take 3 to 5 minutes. Then stir in the hazelnuts and pour onto an oiled, clean surface like a non-stick, heat-resistant mat or a marble work surface. Once cooled, blitz in a food processor or crush with a rolling pin.

Use an electric whisk to mix together the eggs, ground almonds, 250g of sugar and the baking powder. Then add 300g of the orange pulp and whisk again.

Pour the mix into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour. It’s cooked when a cocktail stick comes out clean. Allow the cake time to rest in the tin.

Meanwhile, make a syrup by boiling the Grand Mariner with the remaining sugar and water and reduce by half. Prick the top of the cake with a cocktail stick and pour over the syrup using a pastry brush to ensure it fills the holes. Allow to cool.

To serve, place a slice of cake on a plate and dust with icing sugar. Place a large tablespoon of praline next to the cake and top with a scoop of ice-cream. Garnish the ice-cream with a piece of candied orange peel. We serve this in the restaurant with a delicious whisky ice-cream.