Almond, pistachio and orange blossom cake

A beautiful recipe using Moroccan ingredients that keeps for days and is perfect for teatime

By Blanche Vaughan | March 18, 2020 | Category

Image: Olivia Haug

Yield – 6

Cooking time – 60 mins

Preparation time – 15 mins

Ingredients

80g fine semolina flour

100g ground almonds

100g ground pistachios

1tsp baking powder

200g softened unsalted butter

200g caster sugar

Zest of 1/2 orange

2tbsp orange blossom water

6 cardamon pods, green husks removed and seeds crushed to a powder

4 eggs (approx. 250g)

For the glaze

1tsp finely grated orange zest

50g caster sugar

6tbsp lemon juice

3tbsp pistachios, roughly chopped

4tbsp pomegranate seeds

2tbsp rose petals

 

Method

Heat the oven to 160°C/fan oven 140°/mark 3 and line a 20cm round cake tin. Mix together the semolina flour, ground almonds and pistachios and baking powder, and add 1/4tspseasalt.

In another bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Add the zest, orange blossom water, cardamom and the eggs, one by one, then fold in the dry ingredients.

Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes. Test by inserting a skewer into the middle - it should come out clean. Cool slightly before turning the cake out of the tin.

To make the glaze, put the zest, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and heat to dissolve. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios and pomegranate seeds over the surface of the cake and pour the glaze on top. Scatter with the rose petals.

This recipe was originally published on House & Garden UK

Feature Image: Olivia Haug