Pistachio and Cardamom Cake

We shared this recipe on our social media pages as a great choice for Father’s Day, but let’s be honest, everybody loves cake all year round! This is a step away from your average Victoria Sponge and will introduce you to a yummy new flavour combination.

It’s moist and fragrant and all the ingredients can be bought from FoodLoose (see FL noted in the ingredients list) except the eggs. Using sunflower oil instead of butter allows the flavour of the pistachios to shine through. Don’t forget to come and buy them from us today!

Ingredients:

200g pistachio kernels (FL)
250ml sunflower oil (FL)
250g caster sugar (FL)
5 cardamom pods, seeds ground (FL)
100g self raising flour (or plain flour with 1.5 tsp baking powder) (FL)
Pinch of salt (FL)
4 large eggs

Instructions:

Oven 175C/Gas 4
Prepare 230cm springform tin

Blitz pistachios in a food processor until finely ground. Reserve 2 tsp for garnish, then add flour and salt and blitz again briefly to mix. Beat the oil, caster sugar, cardamom and eggs together to create a batter. Add the pistachio mix and fold lightly into the batter until well mixed.

Pour into the tin and cook for 30 minutes or until the cake shrinks from the sides and a skewer comes out clean. Cover the top with paper if it shows signs of catching. Cool in the tin.

This is lovely as it is but you can make it more festive with a lemony glacé icing and sprinkled pistachio crumbs or push the boat out (as shown) with a white chocolate icing – melt 100g white chocolate buttons slowly in a bowl over boiling water and mix gradually with 100g sieved icing sugar mixed very runny with VERY HOT water and some ground cardamom and pour this over, allowing it to drip down the sides.

You would need to double this quantity to make enough to cover a big cake and have some left for decorating.

Happy baking!

Adapted from a recipe in the Guardian by Ruby Tandoh.