Warm orange cake with hazelnuts

A delicious cake for Winter time, easy to make and with a great orangy flavour! Normally it is served warm (along with some vanilla ice cream if you want) which makes it so luscious... It can be served, though, cold as well and if you accompany it with some glazed orange slices it will be even better

Recipe of Fotis Chryssanthidis,

a prominent young Head Confectioner

"BHMAgourmet" magazine of "TO BHMA" newspaper (2010)

Ingredients (for 10-12 portions):
650gr. oranges, unwaxed (no pips and washed well)
200gr. of unsalted butter, melted
300gr. of icing sugar
3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
100gr. of hazelnuts, finely ground
200gr. of all-purpose flour
20gr. of baking powder

Method:
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Brush with some butter and lightly flour a springform cake tin of 24cm diameter.

In a large pot, with plenty of water in, boil the oranges on medium heat with the skin on until they are really tender. Drain in a colander and when they are cold transfer, in batches, into a blender and whiz until they are completely mashed.

Transfer the purée in a large bowl and add the butter, the sugar, the eggs, the hazelnuts and, in the end, the flour and the baking powder. Stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon until they are blended well.

Empty the orange mixture into the cake tin and smooth the surface with a spatula. Put in the oven and bake for about 1 hour, checking if it is ready by doing the trick with the toothpick.

Take out of the oven and after 5 minutes turn the cake onto a serving dish. Serve while it is still warm as it is or along with some vanilla ice cream.