Pistachio and Cranberry Frangipane Cake

20cm/8” inch round, deep, loose bottom baking tin, kitchen blender, 2 x mixing bowls and large baking tray

FRANGIPANE CAKE
150g pistachios
150g soft brown sugar
150g unsalted butter
2 eggs
2 tsp orange rind, grated
75g Doves Farm Organic Self Raising Wholemeal Flour
1 tsp Doves Farm Baking Powder
100g fresh cranberries
butter, for greasing tin

ORANGE CREAM – OPTIONAL
150ml double cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbsp orange liqueur

1. Preheat the oven, scatter the pistachios onto a large baking tray and bake for 5 minutes then allow to cool.
2. Rub some butter around the inside of a 20cm/8” inch round, deep, loose bottom baking tin or insert a baking liner.
3. Put the cooled pistachios in a kitchen blender and pulse until they resemble ground almonds, remove three tablespoons to a small bowl.
4. Measure the brown sugar into a mixing bowl then remove three tablespoonfuls to the small bowl of ground pistachios. Chop the butter into cubes in the mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
5. Break one egg into the mixing bowl and beat well. Break the second into the bowl, finely grate in the orange rind and beat together.
6. Add the flour, baking powder and ground pistachios to the bowl, mix to combine then stir in the cranberries.
7. Tip the mixture into the tin, and smooth the top. Stir the bowl of ground pistachios and sugar and sprinkle this over the top.
8. Bake for 50-55 minutes then leave to cool in the tin, then turn out and store in kitchen foil or an airtight tin.
9. For the orange cream, beat together the cream and icing sugar, then beat in the orange liqueur. Serve a spoon of the cream with a slice of cake.