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Epicurious

Pistachio Cake

Image may contain Cutlery Fork Home Decor Bowl and Pottery
Photo by Chelsea Kyle

This moist, nutty cake soaked in syrup is a modern pastry. Make it at least two hours before you are ready to serve it so that the syrup has time to soak in. You can buy unsalted, shelled pistachios in Middle Eastern and Asian stores.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

For the Syrup

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons rose water
5 eggs, separated
1 cup superfine sugar
1 1/2 cups pistachios, ground finely
1/3 cup pistachios, chopped very coarsely
To serve: 3/4 cup clotted or heavy cream (optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the syrup first. Bring the sugar, water, and lemon juice to the boil and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, then stir in the rose water. Let the syrup cool, then chill it in the refrigerator.

    Step 2

    Beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a pale cream, then add the ground pistachios and mix very well. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them in gently. Pour into a greased and floured nonstick cake tin 9 to 10 inches in diameter and sprinkle the coarsely chopped pistachios on top. Bake in an oven preheated to 350°F for about 45 minutes.

    Step 3

    Turn the cake out into a deep serving dish. Make little holes over the top with a fork and pour over the syrup. The holes will let it soak in quickly.

    Step 4

    Serve, if you like, with clotted or heavy cream.

From Arabesque: A Taste Of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon by Claudia Roden. Copyright (c) 2006 by Claudia Roden. Published by Knopf. Claudia Roden was born and raised in Cairo. She completed her formal education in Paris and then moved to London to study art. She travels extensively as a food writer. Her previous books include the James Beard Award-winning Book of Jewish Food, as well as Coffee: A Connoisseur's Companion, The Good Food of Italy—Region by Region, Everything Tastes Better Outdoors, and Mediterranean Cookery, which was published in conjunction with her BBC television series on the Mediterranean. In 1989 she won the two most prestigious food prizes in Italy, the Premio Orio Vergani and the Premio Maria Luigia, Duchessa di Parma, for her London Sunday Times Magazine series The Taste of Italy. She has won six Glenfiddich prizes, including 1992 Food Writer of the Year for articles in the Daily Telegraph and The Observer magazine, and the Glenfiddich Trophy awarded "in celebration of a unique contribution to the food that we eat in Britain today." In 1999 she won a Versailles Award in France, and Prince Claus of the Netherlands presented her with the Prince Claus Award "in recognition of exceptional initiatives and achievements in the field of culture." She lives in London.
TagsCakeDessertMiddle EasternPistachioNutGluten FreeDairy FreeBakingCookbooks
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