Nut Cake with Orange Salad

Joel made this fantastic cake, a variation on a cake in the A16 cookbook (we are going to have to eat there when we are in San Francisco in May) 1 1/3 cups unsalted pecans 1 1/3 cups blanched whole almonds 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar 3 lemons 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3 eggs 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon "00" flour or all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt ORANGE SALAD 3 mandarin oranges 2 Valencia, navel, or blood oranges 1/4 cup orange marmalade 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I prefer Brown Cow Non-Fat Vanilla Yogurt) Preparation To make the cake, preheat the oven to 300°F. Butter a 4-by-8-inch loaf pan. Then, using a sifter or a fine-mesh strainer, dust it with flour, tapping out the excess. In a food process, combine the pistachios and almonds and pulse until finely ground. Set aside. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Grate the zest from the lemons directly into the bowl. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Mix in the vanilla just until incorporated. On low speed, gradually add the nuts and mix just until incorporated. Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stir in the flour and salt and mix just until incorporated. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, run a paring knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake sides, invert the cake onto a plate, and lift off the pan. At this point, the cake can be served warm or allowed to cool completely before being sliced and reheated. To make the orange salad, cut a slice off the top and bottom of 1 orange, stand the orange upright, and cut downward to remove the rind and pith in thick strips. Cut the orange crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, capturing any juice. Repeat with all of the remaining oranges. Set the oranges slices aside until needed. Gently heat the marmalade in a pot over low heat for about 3 minutes, or until syrupy. Add any captured orange juice along with the lemon juice to the marmalade. Remove the pot from the heat and add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to think the marmalade to the consistency of a vinaigrette. Let cool. To serve, preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the cake into generous slices and place on a baking sheet. Bake the slices, turning them over once, for about 5 minutes, or until warm and slightly toasted on both sides. Place 4 or 5 orange slices on each plate and drizzle generously with the marmalade syrup. Place the warm pieces of cake next to the orange slices and top with a dollop of yogurt. Serve immediately.