Orange and poppy seed cake

Method

1. Begin with the orange slices. Cut the top and bottom off the oranges and discard those pieces, then cut the remaining oranges into 1cm slices, removing any pips. Put the slices in a small saucepan and pour over boiling water from the kettle. Boil for 2-3 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water. You can repeat this process twice more to remove all the bitterness from the orange slices completely, or continue if you like (the oranges will have a slight bitterness not unlike marmalade).
2. Pour the sugar in a large saucepan with 400ml water. Bring to a simmer until the sugar has dissolved, then add the orange slices. Gently simmer for 15-30 minutes until the slices are very soft, topping up with hot water from the kettle if the liquid gets low. Leave to cool in the syrup.
3. Put a separate saucepan of boiling water over a high heat and add the whole oranges for the cake. Simmer for 1½-2 hours until very soft. Drain, slice, remove the pips then whizz in a food processor – skin and all – into a smooth paste. Leave to cool.
4. Heat the oven to 150°C fan/gas 3. Lightly grease the cake tin and line with baking paper. Dust lightly with flour.
5. Whisk together the sugar, flour, almonds, poppy seeds, baking powder and a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, combine the orange pulp, eggs and alcohol (if using). Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and combine well.
6. Pour the batter into the lined tin, smooth gently then arrange the orange slices on top, brushing over plenty of the syrup from the pan too. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before releasing the sides and putting on a rack to cool completely.