Candied orange:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 green cardamom pods, crushed (can replace with 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom but I think it’s better with whole chunks)
3 oranges, very thinly sliced
Cake:
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (plus 2 tbsp) Condor’s Hope olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cardamom pods (or 1 teaspoon ground) 2 teaspoons orange zest
2 tbsp of orange juice
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup flour
Instructions:
Wash oranges, then cut 3-5 mm slices across. In a saucepan on medium heat, combine 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, and 2 crushed cardamom pods. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium-low. Add the sliced oranges to the saucepan and let them simmer for 15 minutes.
Beat 2 eggs, 2/3 cup of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, until the mixture becomes pale, light, and fluffy. Slowly add the olive oil to the mixture, constantly stirring while adding. Add the vanilla extract, orange zest, orange juice, cardamom, and baking soda to the mixture.
In a separate bowl, whisk the baking powder and flour together. Sift this mixture into the egg mixture, then gently fold the dry ingredients using a spatula.
Brush a 20 cm (8 in) springform pan with oil. You can also use a cake pan lined with parchment paper, but still brush the pan with oil before placing the parchment paper. Arrange the syrupy orange slices on the bottom and sides of the pan, then gently pour the cake batter in the pan over the orange slices.
Bake at 345 F for 30-35. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. I like to drizzle a little extra orange-cardamom syrup and olive oil on top after but this is optional.