Pistachio Love Cake
A photo of the pistachio love cake
This recipe was in Waitrose weekend magazine from John Whaite and I have made it many many times already this year - the piece of paper is getting messier every time so decided to put it here for me - and to share!
It says:
Serves 8
For the cake:
75g pistachio kernals plus 10g to chop and decorate
175g caster sugar
175g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cardamon
(to make this remove seeds form 18 cardamon pods and blend to a fine powder in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar)
1 orange, scrubbed, zest
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
250g buttermilk (I have used yogurt and creme fraiche too)
2 large free range eggs
125g butter, melted, plus more for greasing the tin
For the syrup:
1 orange , juice
1 lemon, juice
75g caster sugar
1/4 tsp rose water and orange blossom water
For the icing (optional)
100g ready to roll fondant icing cut into 1cm dice
1/8 rose water or to taste
1. Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4, grease and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parcement
2. To make the cake, put the pistachio kernels into a food processor with the caster sugar and blitz to a fine powder - the sugar helps break down the nuts. Then add the flour, baking powder, cardamon, orange zest and salt then blitz again to combine well
3. Add the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter to the for processor and blitz to a smooth even batter. The pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 45 mins or until rose and golden. Check the cake with a skewer I find it sometimes needs a bit longer, until it comes out clean it’s not quite ready. You can cover with foil if needed
4. Meanwhile make the syrup. Put the citrus juices, caster sugar and rose and orange blossom waters into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once boiling remove from the heat. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven leave in the tin and then pierce repeatedly with a metal skewer and then gently pour over the syrup allowing it to soak in, this will take a while
5. Once the cake has cooled to room temperature you can remove from the tin, it will be very moist and set on a wire rack to cool over a tray
6. For doing the icing beat the fondant with 1 tbsp of just boiled water in a bain Marie (a bowl of water over a saucepan of simmering water) once smooth beat in the rose water to taste
7. Pour the runny fondant icing over the cake letting it drip down the sides and scatter the chopped pistachios then allow to set, I also like to add dried rose petals
Enjoy one of my very favorite cakes.