Orange blossom, vanilla and pistachio cake

When I was on holidays in the Middle East, I indulged in a lot of pistachio and orange blossom-based desserts, I love pistachios and orange blossom water. Even when I go to my favorite local gelato shop in Lausanne, I most often pick pistachio and orange blossom flavored ice-cream. Since I like cake very much, I went on to look for and adapt a nice recipe cake that included these ingredients.

This cake has refined flavors, is moist like I like them, and quick and easy to make. It's a great cake to have for an afternoon cake or for dessert with friends as it is very nice looking and colorful. If you like dry cakes with which you can choke this cake is not for you. If you however love moist, juicy, sweet cakes, then try it, it's for you !!!

Recipe for a 24 cm-spring form:

200 g flour
100 g peeled and ground almonds
150 g sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2.5 dl plain yoghurt
1.5 dl colza oil
3 eggs
2 vanilla beans (seeds)

Syrup:
2.5 dl water
2.5 dl sugar
2 vanilla beans (pods)
2 tbsp orange blossom water
a handful of pistachios

Mix all dry ingredients (flour, almonds, sugar, baking soda) in a bowl.
In another bowl whisk together yoghurt, oil, eggs and vanilla seeds.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix. Transfer the dough to a greased and floured spring form and bake in the oven 35-40 min.

When the cake is done, prepare the syrup. Place water, sugar and vanilla pods in a saucepan. Heat up to allow the sugar to melt and then bring to a boil and let simmer until the volume has reduced by one third. Take out the vanilla pods, let the syrup cool down a bit and then add the orange blossom water to it. Unmold the cake and poke holes with a toothpick on the surface of the cake. Pour the syrup evenly on the surface of the cake and decorate with some hacked pistachios.