• If you’re craving something light yet sweet and earthy, pine nut cake with blood orange syrup is for you. The delicate pine nuts are really brought to life by zingy, zesty orange syrup.  

    Pine nut cake with blood orange syrup

    Serves: 10 – 12
    Cooking Time: 2 hours

    Ingredients

    • Blood orange syrup

    • 4 blood oranges (or any oranges if not in season)
    • 110g (½ cup) castor sugar
    • 500ml (2 cups) water
    • Pastry

    • 225g (1½ cups) cake flour, sifted
    • 5ml (1 tsp) baking powder
    • 100g butter, cold and chopped
    • 55g (¼ cup) castor sugar
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) lemon rind, finely grated
    • 60ml (¼ cup) cold water
    • Pine nut filling

    • 120g (1½ cups) pine nuts, plus extra for decorating
    • 165g (¾ cup) castor sugar
    • 150g butter, softened
    • 2 large eggs
    • icing sugar, for dustin

    Instructions

    1

    To make the orange syrup, peel and slice the oranges, reserving the peel from 1 orange. Arrange the slices in a single layer in a non-metallic baking dish. Place the sugar, water and reserved peel in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat, bring to the boil and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Discard the peel, pour the hot syrup over the orange slices and allow to cool completely.

    2

    To make the pastry, place the flour, baking powder, butter, sugar and lemon rind in the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the water and process until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 1 – 2 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

    3

    To make the filling, place the nuts and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the butter and eggs and process until smooth. Set aside.

    4

    Preheat the oven to 180ºC and grease a 22cm springform tart tin. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and push into the tin, allowing it to hang over the sides. Spoon in the pine nut mixture, fold over the pastry, trim and sprinkle with the extra pine nuts.

    5

    Bake for 25 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and bake until golden, about a further 35 minutes.

    6

    Remove from the oven and dust lightly with the icing sugar before serving.

    Notes

    To drink: F&HE recommends Krone Borealis Cuvée Brut.