Nut Cake With Orange Syrup

From one of my son's cookbooks. After reading the recipe, I realised it's just a big macaroon (my new favourite thing) with a yummy orange syrup poured over. What could be nicer?! I'm making this for visitors next week.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

•  butter, melted for brushing
• 200  g  almond meal
• 100  g icing sugar
• 3  egg whites, from large eggs
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 50  g pine nuts, toasted

• Orange Syrup

• 1⁄2 cup  fresh orange juice, strained
• 2 -3  tablespoons  orange-flavored liqueur
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 125  g caster sugar
•  cream, thick, to serve

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 160c. Brush a 20cmx20cm square cake tine with butter, line sides with baking paper.
2. Combine the almond meal and icing sugar in a bowl. In a seperate clean bowl, beat the eggwhites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar beating well, until thick and glossy then beat in the vanilla extract. Using a metal spoon fold in the eggwhite, in two batches, into the almond mixture.
3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle with the pine nuts. Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean but a little tacky.
4. Remove from the oven, then set the tin aside on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out the cake and leave to cool slightly, then invert so the pine nuts are on the top.
5. Meanwhile to make the orange syrup, stir in the orange juice, liqueur water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat unti the sugar diissolves. Simmer gently until the syrup reduces by a quarter. Drizzle half the syrup over the lukewarm cake and serve the cake with the remaining syrup and cream.