Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a springform cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
2. Shell the cardamom pods and grind the seeds.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, orange zest, cinnamon, cardamom seeds and a pinch of salt. In another bowl, whisk the oil with the sugar, then beat in the eggs one by one.
4. Peel and core the apples, then slice them into half-moon shapes. Put aside ⅓ for decoration, roughly chop the rest and add to the wet mixture. Fold in gently the flour mixture.
5. Tip the mixture into the tin, arrange the apples on the top and bake for about 60 minutes.
6. After half an hour check the cake, if it’s too brown, cover the tin with aluminium foil.
7. Also, start making the syrup. Put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil. Whisk for 15 minutes or until you get a shiny, pourable syrup.
8. Check the cake if it’s cooked through by inserting a skewer into the centre - when it comes out clean, it’s done. Then transfer the tin to a wire rack and poke the top with the skewer and drizzle most of the syrup over the cake. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then take the cake out of the tin onto the rack to cool completely.
9. Serve with the remaining syrup poured over the slices.