The mesmerising green color from the pistachios in this cake is beautifully contrasted with the gentle pink from the rose water. The zesty lime adds a unique flavour to the subtle rose water and the robust pistachio powder, making it exceptionally moist.
I love using spices and herbs in sweet treats. The addition of the aromatic cardamom gives this cake its character, and the rose water adds a whole new layer of flavour, making you feel as if you’re in a flower garden somewhere having a little tea party.
In every recipe there are a variety of substitutes that you can use for specific allergies. This cake is gluten free, however you could just as well use half pistachio powder and half plain flour – or even semolina. The substitutions are endless. You don’t even need to use pistachios; you could use pecans, almonds or even a mix of nuts. Replace the butter with vegetable oil and the yoghurt with almond milk and vinegar and you’ve got yourself a dairy-free green beauty.
The idea here is for you to get yourself into the kitchen, roll up those sleeves and get your hands dirty. There is no better joy than the joy of a home-baked cake. Enjoy the recipe and share it with your family and friends.
Serves: 6 hungry people
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 150g butter
- 155g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 330g pistachio powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 heaped tbsp ground cardamom
- 4 drops rose water
- 125mL plain yoghurt
Syrup:
- 3 limes, juiced
- 90g caster sugar
- 80mL water
- 3 drops rose water
Icing:
- 50g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 drop rose water
Rose petal crisps (optional):
- 1 rose (petals), washed and dried
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 egg white, beaten with a fork
Garnish:
- 1 handful pistachios, chopped
Method:
For the rose petal crisps:
- Separate, wash and towel-dry the rose petals. Using a brush, lightly brush each petal with beaten egg white and sprinkle over caster sugar. Set aside. Continue this process for all the rose petals and leave to dry at room temperature in a dry place overnight for the best results.
For the cake, syrup and icing:
- Cream the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer, stand mixer or wooden spoon until creamy and pale. Add one egg at a time and beat between each interval.
- Add the pistachio powder, baking powder, cardamom, rose water and yoghurt. Mix at low speed until just combined.
- Pour into a cake tin and bake at 160°C for 30–35 min, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- For the syrup, mix the lime juice, sugar, plain water and rose water in a saucepan, bring to the boil and let simmer for 10 min, or until thick. Set aside to cool.
- For the icing, mix the icing sugar, lime juice and rose water with a spoon until it forms a dripping consistency.
Assembling the cake:
- Poke holes into the warm cake with a toothpick and pour over the cooled syrup. Let sit for 30 min before taking the cake out of its tin.
- Drizzle over the icing and let it fall naturally over the cake.
- Top with the rose petal crisps and pistachios.
- Serve with a cup of cardamom tea.
