Flourless Orange Cake with Caramelized Orange Nut Topping

This cake is nuts—literally!

Ingredients

• 2 oranges, washed
• 1½ cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 2½ cups almond or hazelnut meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Topping

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 ounces water
• 2 cardamom seeds, optional
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 2 oranges, peeled and finely sliced (reserve juices)
• 2 ounces pistachios
• 2 ounces pecans (can substitute pine nuts or macadamias)
• ½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons Crème Fraiche, to serve

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add oranges and simmer for 2 hours.  Remove oranges, allow to cool. Cut oranges into chunks, removing seeds, and place in a blender. Puree, including skin, until smooth.  This can be done a day ahead of time if desired.
2. Preheat oven to 320°F.  Grease a springform 8–9-inch cake tin and line base with baking paper.
3. Beat eggs and sugar until pale golden and creamy.  Fold ¼ of the egg and sugar mixture into the orange purée. With a spatula, fold in combined almond meal and baking powder gently (do not deflate) to combine. Next, add half of the remaining egg mixture until mostly combined and then fold in the remaining.
4. Spoon into prepared tin and bake in center of oven for 1¼ hours or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack, then run a knife around the edge before turning out of pan. Cool completely and store in a sealed container for up to a week.
6. To make topping, place sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to come to a simmer, then add cardamom seeds and cook until syrup is golden. Add oranges with any juice and cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Bake nuts in a 350°F oven for 6-7 minutes until golden.  Place oranges in a bowl with any syrup and gently stir in the nuts. 
8. To serve, place a slice of cake on plates, top with caramelized orange nut mixture, orange zest and a spoon of Crème Fraiche.