Pistachio and Orange Cake with Sweet Saffron Syrup
This soft, moist and fragrant pistachio and orange cake, scented with rosewater, cardamom and saffron, pays homage to a traditional Persian Love Cake. This naturally gluten-free cake is exceptionally easy to make and is as wonderful eaten with a cup of tea or coffee as it is when served for dessert, ideally with some Greek yoghurt or labneh and some fresh berries.
Serves 8 - 10
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 70g pistachio nuts (or replace with 50g ground almonds and 20g chopped/flaked or slivered almonds)
- 100g ground almonds
- 70g semolina
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder (gluten free, if necessary)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 170g caster sugar
Wet ingredients:
- 170g mild flavoured olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 200g plain Greek yoghurt
- ½ teaspoon rose water
- grated zest of 2 oranges
Syrup:
- 100ml orange juice
- 0.5g/1 teaspoon saffron threads
- 60g caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon rose water
Topping:
- dried rose petals or icing sugar
Instructions
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Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 (fan 160°C) and grease and line a deep 20cm/8in round cake tin. I use a cake tin liner.
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Make the cake: tip 50g pistachios into a food processor and blitz until finely ground, like ground almonds. Be careful not to process too much or the pistachios will turn into pistachio butter.
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Roughly chop the remaining 20g pistachios and set aside.
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Dry ingredients: measure all the dry ingredients, including the 50g ground pistachios, into a mixing bowl large enough to contain all the ingredients. Stir to mix.
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Wet ingredients: next, add the wet ingredients and beat with a balloon whisk until incorporated. It should take only 30 seconds to a minute, but you may need to stop half-way to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
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Zest the oranges directly over the top of the bowl and fold in.
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Bake: pour the cake batter into the lined cake tin, level the surface and sprinkle over the chopped pistachios. Cook in the centre of the preheated oven for 45 – 55 minutes or until cooked. It is cooked when:
- the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains.
- a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin.
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Make the syrup: as the cake is cooking, squeeze the oranges and mix the juice with the saffron strands. Set aside to bloom for 20 minutes.
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After 20 minutes, strain the juice into a small saucepan, pressing on the saffron strands to extract all the flavour. If you have more than 100ml juice, reduce until you have the correct amount. A little less is not a problem.
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Weigh in the sugar and heat over a moderate temperature until the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat and add the rose water.
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Drizzle the hot, cooked cake with the syrup: as soon as the cake comes out of the oven, puncture it all over with a cake tester or skewer. Spoon or brush the syrup over the cake, trying to let the middle absorb it as well as the sides. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 30 minutes and then use the baking parchment to lift the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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To serve: sprinkle with dried rose petals or lightly sieve over some icing sugar. Serve sliced simply with a cup of tea or coffee. It also makes a fabulous dessert with some Greek yoghurt or labneh and fresh berries.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- mini food processor
- chopping board and knife
- mixing bowl and balloon whisk
- small mixing bowl and sieve
- small saucepan
- greased and lined deep sided 20cm/8in round cake tin. I use a cake tin liner.
Where is this recipe from?
This recipe pays homage to Persian Love Cakes but is based on my drizzle cake recipe. I simply made a few adjustments to incorporate the flavours and ingredients of the area. The changes I made include:
- replacing the flour with a mixture of pistachios, almonds and semolina.
- reducing the raising agents to ensure an even rise. The nuts do not have as much structure as flour and therefore fewer agents are needed. Too much and the cake will rise very quickly and then sink.
- replacing the butter with a mild flavoured olive oil, as is more typical of the area.
- introducing the flavours of the region with cardamom, rosewater, oranges, and of course, the saffron in the syrup.