Blood orange, blossom & pomegranate cake

Method

• step 1

  Cover 1 of the whole oranges with water in a saucepan and bring to the boil for a couple of mins. Get rid of the water and start again, this time simmering for 40 mins until the orange is really soft. When cool enough to handle, cut in half and remove all the pips. Can be done 1 day ahead.

• step 2

  Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease a 22cm round cake tin with a knob of the butter. Drizzle the 2 tbsp of honey over the base of the tin, then slice the remaining 2 whole oranges and arrange the slices over the honey.

• step 3

  Put the boiled orange in a food processor and whizz to a purée. Beat the softened butter, 200g of the sugar, the 50g honey, the flour, almonds, baking powder, eggs, 1 tbsp orange blossom water and yogurt until smooth. Stir in the puréed orange and scrape into the tin, being careful not to dislodge the fruit. Bake for 55 mins until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. Cool the cake for 10 mins in the tin, then turn out onto a serving plate.

• step 4

  Tip the blood orange juice, the remaining sugar and 1 tsp orange blossom water into a saucepan. Bubble for 5 mins until the syrup has thickened slightly. Remove the pomegranate seeds and stir them into the syrup while it cools. Enjoy the cake slightly warm or at room temperature, with spoonfuls of thick Greek yogurt and drizzled with syrup.