Desserts Recipes - Pistachio Cake Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 8-10   

• 50g/2oz butter (melted, plus extra for greasing)

• 50g/2oz plain flour (sifted, plus extra for dusting)

• 4 eggs

• 100g/4oz caster sugar

• 50g/2oz shelled pistachio nuts (grated)

• 50ml/2fl oz kirsch

• 50g/2oz ground rice (sifted)

• Grated zest of 1/2 lemon

For the pistachio cream:

• 75g/3oz shelled pistachio nuts (blanched)

• 75ml/3fl oz kirsch

• 1 egg, plus

• 2 egg yolks

• 75g/3oz caster sugar

• 1 teaspoon plain flour

• Pinch of salt

• 225ml/8fl oz milk

• 50g/2oz butter

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Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Grease a 23cm/9in cake tin with   butter and dust with flour.

2. Place the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Never letting the mixture become more than warm, whisk over a very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is very thick and light and forms a ribbon.

3. Mix the pistachio nuts with the kirsch and add this paste to the egg mixture with the flour, ground rice and grated lemon zest, working with a wooden spoon until everything is thoroughly blended.

4. Finally stir in the melted butter. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Turn the cake on to a rack to cool.

5. For the cream, pound the pistachio nuts, gradually adding the kirsch. When you obtain a thin paste, transfer it to a bowl.

6. Beat the egg and yolks with the sugar until the mixture whitens, add the flour and salt, whisk for 1 minute more, and add the milk.

7. Heat this custard until it comes to the boil, then pour on to the pistachio paste, stirring until the mixture cools slightly. Stir in 25g/1oz butter.

8. Slice the cake horizontally into 3 layers. Spread each layer with a quarter of the pistachio cream and stack the layers. Spread a thin layer of the cream around the sides.

9. Heat the remaining cream slightly and incorporate the remaining butter.  Decorate the cake with this mixture using a piping bag.