Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Grease a cake tin and line the base with parchment paper.
3. Cut 30g butter/margarine into cubes and put in a small pan and melt it over a low heat. Stir in the juice of 1 orange and 50g of sugar. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 8 minutes until you get a thick but not too sticky syrup. Pour this into the base of the lined tin.
4. Cut the figs into 0.5 cm slices, then line the bottom of the tin with them, covering the syrup. You can add a second layer, if you like, overlapping the first one.
5. Put the pistachios in a food processor and whizz until finely ground. Add the remaining butter (cubed), eggs, sugar and orange juice. You can add the grated zest of 1 orange, if it’s organic. Whizz again for a few seconds, until just combined, then move it to a large bowl. Sieve in the flour, baking powder and bicarb. Gently stir until you get a smooth batter, then tip it into the cake tin, over the figs, spreading it out evenly.
6. Put the tin on a baking tray (the syrup might leak) and bake in the middle of the oven for 45-50 minutes until golden and cooked through (check it with a skewer – insert it into the cake, if it comes out clean, it’s done). Leave it in the tin for 10 minutes to cool, then carefully turn the cake out onto a cooling rack.
7. Peel off the parchment paper and let it cool completely.