Cakes aren't really my thing but I am hoping that the River Cafe pistachio cake may help me have at least a small chance of success.
As I write this my two cakes are in the oven. In 25 minutes time I will at least know if I have something that vaguely resembles a cake and isn't just going to get laughed out of court!
stop press: the unveiling of the cake recorded above! scores yet to come
Ingredients
250g unsalted butter, softened (plus extra for greasing)
250g caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 lemon, zest finely grated, fruit reserved for another use
2 vanilla pods, seeds scraped, pods also reserved for another use
100g blanched & peeled almonds
120g blanched, shelled and peeled pistachios
40g unbleached all-purpose flour
For the topping
1 lemon
100g blanched, shelled and peeled pistachios
60g caster sugar
Notes: All the nuts should be weighted after they’ve been peeled. Also, the original recipe called for a 30x9x8cm loaf tin, which I didn’t have, so I adjusted the oven temperature and cooking time to fit my 26x12x8cm tin. If you have one of the long, narrow tins, just bake it for 45-60 minutes at 150°C the entire time.
method
Preheat the oven to 130°C. Line a loaf tin with parchment paper, and grease very well with butter. (The edges of the cake get rather crispy-crunchy – and delicious – but it also means they stick like a mofo so don’t skimp on the butter here.) Set aside.
Grind both types of nuts together in a food processor – they should be a fairly fine meal, but stop before it starts to get wet and clump together; set aside.
Cream the softened butter with the caster sugar until light and fluffy in your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, then beat in the lemon zest and vanilla seeds. Fold in the nuts, and sift in the flour. Fold until just combined.
Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes, then turn the oven temperature up to 150°C, and bake for another 30-45 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in its tin, on a wire rack, then invert onto a cutting board or serving plate.
For the topping, finely grate the lemon zest and set aside. Roughly chop the pistachios (you want them still in big chunky pieces). Squeeze the juice through a strainer into a saucepan, and add the sugar. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce until thick and syrupy. Remove from heat, stir in the zest and pistachios, then pour over the cake.
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