Pistachio Cake with Orange Blossom Syrup

This is a case of "the chicken or the egg". I made a cake, then I invited some friends over to help us eat it. Sometimes it happens the other way around, where I invite friends over then start baking a cake. Which ever way it happens, it's a rare thing if someone comes to our home and doesn't get cake shoved in their face. (A recent exception was when my darling uncle and aunt visited from England and I didn't have any cake to offer them. They arrived the day we got back from China and I wasn't capable of forming a sentence, never-mind baking a cake. Oh, the shame of not having cake to eat with them... I'm still having nightmares about it.)

NOTE: The original recipe suggested covering the cake with foil about 30 minutes into the baking. I did, and found that the foil stuck to the top of the cake and peeled a little of the top crust off when I removed it. Next time I will do away with that step and so haven't written it into the recipe below, as I don't think it's required. (My cake didn't brown too much). The sticking and peeling didn't make any difference to the taste of the cake, it just meant it wasn't quite as petty as it could have been, but we all have days like that.



Pistachio Cake with Orange Blossom Syrup
From Bill Granger's Simply Bill

For the Cake:
140g pistachios
6 eggs, separated
225g caster sugar
3/4 cup plain Greek yoghurt
1/2 cup canola oil
150g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt

For the Syrup:
225g caster sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water

To Serve:
Greek yoghurt
Orange segments

Make the Cake:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. and spray a 26 cm springform tin with cooking oil, flour it and line the base with baking paper.

Process the pistachios until finely ground, then set aside.

Beat the egg yolks with half of the sugar until pale and thick. Fold in the yoghurt and oil, then sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt over the mixture and fold through with the pistachios.

Beat the egg whites until soft, fluffy peaks form, then gradually add the remaining sugar and beat until firm peaks form. Fold half the egg white mixture into the pistachio mixture, the fold in the other half. Pour into a tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until springy in the centre and a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin.

Make the Syrup:
Put the sugar, juice, and water into a saucepan over a low heat and stir constantly until dissolved. Increase the heat and boil for 10 minutes, then allow to cool slightly before adding the orange blossom water.

Remove cake from the tin, and spoon the syrup over it while it is still warm. Serve with orange segments and Greek yoghurt.