Directions

Cake

1Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease an 8 inch round cake tin.

2Sift the flour, baking powder, cardamom* and salt into a large bowl and combine well with a hand-held whisk. *Take 2 whole cardamom seeds and grind in a coffee grinder. The taste will really pop in the cake. Otherwise, feel free to use ground cardamom.

3Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until well combined, scraping down the side of the bowl from time to time. Add the vanilla and beat until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and milk alternately and beat until well combined.

4Place the egg whites in another clean bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the egg whites in the batter to loosen, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Be gentle and patient in this process as you want to keep as much air in the batter as possible to keep the cake light.

5Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake stand in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Buttercream

1Beat all ingredients together for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add blood orange zest to your liking.

Blood Oranges

1You can leave on the peel, (as I did) and just cut into 3/4 - 1-inch thick slices. Or, peel the oranges, being careful to remove all of the white pith with the remains of the peel. Cut the oranges crosswise into 3/4 -1-inch-thick-slices

2Layer the orange slices in a baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, oil, and 1/4 cup of zest, reserving any remaining zest for another use. Whisk in the orange blossom water. Pour the honey mixture evenly over the oranges.

3Roast the oranges for 45 minutes, until caramelized. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with lavender.

Assembly

1Optional - Brush the cake layer with simple syrup. This helps add moistness, but also makes it slightly sweeter.

2Start with piping cream cheese frosting around the outside layer leaving about a 1/4" border. Next, in a circular fashion, lay down the blood orange slices. Top with pistachio. Repeat.

3Top Layer: Finish with honey roasted blood oranges and top with pistachio.