One of the most beautiful Middle-Eastern inspired cakes you will ever taste, this gluten-free number draws its flavour and moisture from a whole orange simmered in spices, peel and all, while the roasted pistachios provide a delicious earthy undertone and a glorious crumb. Fresh figs and ginger syrup bring everything together in the most moreish combination.
This recipe has been adapted from Claudia Roden’s Orange and Almond Cake, while the citrus ginger syrup element was inspired by Gourmet Traveller’s Mandarin and Ginger Syrup Cake. Both are divine recipes and well worth baking themselves.
And if you don’t have time for simmering oranges and baking a cake? Just whip up a little batch of this delectable ginger syrup and drizzle generously over a bowl of fresh figs for an amazing sweet snack.
Spiced Orange Pistachio Cake + Fresh Figs & Ginger Syrup (gf)
Makes one 18cm (7”) cake and serves 6 people
Ingredients
Spiced Orange Pistachio Cake
- 1 large orange, washed, unpeeled
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3–4 cardamom pods, split
- 3–4 cloves
- 2–3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 65g shelled pistachios, unsalted
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
- 65g almond meal
- ¾ tsp baking powder
Ginger Syrup
- 110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
- ¼ cup sieved orange juice (approx. ½ large orange)
- ¼ cup water
- 2–3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut julienne
To Serve
- 4–5 fresh figs, washed and sliced
- Handful slivered almonds and sliced pistachios
Instructions
Spiced Orange Pistachio Cake
- Place orange, cinnamon, cardamom pods and cloves in a pot. Cover with water and simmer for 1½ hrs until softened.
- Drain and discard spices. Allow orange to cool, then cut into pieces and remove seeds. Process with grated ginger to a puree.
- Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced) and grease or line one 18cm (7”) cake tin with greaseproof paper.
- Roast pistachios on a tray in the oven for 5-7 minutes until very fragrant. Allow to cool then process finely to a meal. Mix with almond meal and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Beat eggs and sugar in a free-standing mixer on medium-high speed with paddle attachment until thick and pale (approx. 4-5 minutes).
- Alternate adding spoonfuls of dry ingredients and orange ginger puree to egg mixture on low-medium speed until well combined. Ensure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula to ensure ingredients are well mixed.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted withdraws clean.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to completely.
Ginger Syrup
- Place sugar, juice and water in a small saucepan on medium heat and stir to dissolve sugar.
- Add julienne ginger strips then simmer for 15-20 minutes until mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Assembly
- Place cake on serving dish and decorate with fresh fig slices, nuts and drizzle with ginger syrup.
Enjoy!
Notes
- Baking time for the cake will vary depending on the moisture content of the orange used.
- This cake is best served within 24 hours of baking. Keep chilled to ensure the cake’s integrity doesn’t deteriorate quickly with the high moisture content, but allow to come to room temperature for serving.
Credits and Sources
Recipe adapted from from Claudia Roden’s Orange and Almond Cake and Gourmet Traveller’s Mandarin and Ginger Syrup Cake
Scalloped cake stand from Anna Wallace Ceramics
Dessert plates from Kinfolk and Co
Hi. This looks delicious. Can it be frozen?
Hi Julie, thanks for your query. I haven’t tried freezing this one before, and with the high fruit and moisture content, I’m not sure if it will freeze as well as some of the more robust cakes on my website. If you are attempting to cut down preparation time on the day, you could simmer the oranges the day before and leave the purée in the fridge for use the next day. If your goal in freezing is a concern with what to do with leftovers – rest assured, if a few friends are around – there won’t be any! Hope that helps and happy baking. Salma
Another looks-good, tastes-awesome cake. Loved making it and sharing it with friends. Everyone was taking pictures and enjoyed it even more. Never knew pistachio flour can be used in the cake. Thank you for another recipe that is now making me famous among my friends. BTW, decided to make your gorgeous-looking Persian Love cake for a friend’s 25th anniversary. Will review that soon :-).
★★★★★
Hi Krishna,
Thanks for not only baking another one of my recipes, but also taking the time out to rate and review it, and leave such lovely feedback. It is an absolute pleasure to hear how much you and your friends are enjoying my recipes, and I love that you are getting the star baker reputation amongst them! Baking is such a therapeutic activity, and even all the more special when shared with those you love. And yes, the pistachio flavour is amazing isn’t it! I often use that technique (roasting the nuts then processing them into a nut meal) when I want a pronounced nutty flavour, and you can use it for almost any nut really. I’ll often substitute 1/4-1/3 of a recipe’s plain flour content for the same weight of nuts for that deliciously roasted nutty flavour, it is a very handy technique you can apply to most cake recipes. I look forward to hearing your Persian love cake review and happy anniversary to your friend! And as always, happy baking!
Kind regards,
Salma