Cardamom / pistachio Sponge cakes

[SillyMoomin]

I’m looking for a really good foolproof cardamom or pistachio cake recipe please!

Something ideally I can split in half and add a good dollop of Whipped cream to in the middle!

Anyone who has any good recipes, please let me know!

[Idododoidadada]

Hanging around for the recipes because I now want pistachio cake.

[SillyMoomin]

[FL59]

Me too! One of my favourites!

[Thesoundofnohandsclapping]

Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries has a recipe for lemon iced pistachio and almond cake that looks (there's a picture in the book) and sounds delicious. It's not a light sponge, but should be lovely with a bit of whipped cream.

The recipe flavourings are rosewater and orange, but I don't see why you couldn't leave those out and add cardamom, which would be gorgeous.

250 g butter
250 g sugar
3 eggs
100 g each shelled pistachios and ground almonds
60 g plain flour
1 teaspoon rosewater
one orange

Cream the butter and sugar until very light, then add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Blitz the pistachios to a powder then fold them and the ground almonds into the butter and sugar mix.

Grate the zest and squeeze the juice of the orange into the mix and rosewater if using (or the cardamom), then fold in the flour.

Spoon the mixture into a baking parchment lined 22 cm tin and smooth the top. Bake at 160C for 50 minutes, covering the top with foil for the last ten minutes. A cake tester should come out clean, with no wet mixture sticking to it.

Leave the cake in the tin until thoroughly cooled then turn it out. If you'd like you can add a drizzle icing made with 100 g icing sugar and the juice of two lemons.

I haven't made this (no pistachios, no oranges, no flour) but it's on my list when I do get supplies in. The aroma of pistachios and cardomon would be enticing.

[Magissa]

There are two lovely Nigella cakes, one is Pear, Pistachio and rosewater, the other Apricot, almond and cardamom. I have made both and they are easy and delicious. Maybe as they are similar you could merge them. Pear, Pistachio and cardamom! Or Apricot and pistachio.

[Elouera]

I love coffee, cardamom and walnuts cake. You don't NEED to do the caramelised walnuts in this cake, and there are simpler recipes without the almond meal, but there is one:

www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/f/fiona_cairns_coffeecardamomwalnutcake.html

[pandoschmando]

My friend made a delicious Persian Love cake www.recipetineats.com/persian-love-cake/

[TheScoresOnTheDoors]

www.telegraph.co.uk/recipes/0/persian-rose-pistachio-love-cake-recipe/

I've made that one and it went down really well. You could probably substitute some of the ground almonds for ground pistachios, but I made pistachio ice cream to serve with it. I didn't expect to like it (it was a request!) because I normally don't like rosewater but I actually thought it tasted great in this context.

[SillyMoomin]

Oh perfect!!, thank you very much everyone, these look fab

now just got to find some sodding flour

[YounghillKang]

Try looking up recipes for Ottolenghi's pistachio cakes. There's one with lemon and polenta, and another with rosewater and semolina. I've never made them but had them at Ottolenghi's in the past, and they're delicious.

[Oddgirlout]

My ds12 has just today made one for my birthday tomorrow. I will let you know how it is, it looks amazing though! Has a lime drizzle on the top too. YUM!

[SillyMoomin]

Ooooh thanks Oddgirl, if it’s good can you ask him to share the recipe?

Drooling over Ottolengi’s but I don’t think my expertise is that high!

[Oddgirlout]

It's from a book he for for his birthday. Jamie Oliver food tube: the cake book by cupcake Jemma. Don't really understand what Jamie has to do.with it but he loves cooking from it and he has been really successful with everything so far! Maybe Google? Sounds like it was online first!

[DustyDoorframes]

The DC and I made this one the other day, it was yummy!
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jun/11/readers-recipe-swap-cardamom-dale-berning-sawa?fbclid=IwAR3JIXJtAy9nZw7qRrdD3E0E2cWuOS8FZ0zAg6xW49qsuiqpFVNXQK86qbM

[SillyMoomin]

Oh and happy birthday for tomorrow Oddgirl!

[Oddgirlout]

Ooh thank you very much!

[SillyMoomin]

Just wanted to let anyone know if anyone cared , I ended up making the Ottolenghi one suggested up thread

Ottolenghi cake

Was very nervous at the quantity of Rosewater being poured into the syrup!, over a bottle worth!, so I did cut that in halve which I think was the right decision to stop it turning into Cake De Essence De Toilet Duck.

But the cake itself was amazing!!! Highly recommend