ORANGE & VANILLA CAKE

ORANGE & VANILLA CAKE
BY DONNA HAYS

4 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup self-raising flour
150g butter, melted
1 cup almond meal (ground almonds)

sticky orange topping
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup water
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
2 orages, very thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 160°C.
To make the topping, place the sugar, water and vanilla bean in a 2.5 litre capacity (10 cup) 20cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the orange and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until the orange is soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Place eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk for 8 – 10 minutes or until the mixture is thick, pale and tripled in volume. Sift the flour over the egg mixture and fold through. Fold through the butter and almond meal. Pour the mixture over the orange and bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Turn out onto a platter to serve.