Pistachio & Cardamom Cake with Pomegranate Cream

Yesterday, we made a delicious cake featuring the pomegranate! Melis from @thisismothertongue and I came together to talk about our recent articles while also making a Turkish-inspired pistachio & cardamom cake with pomegranate cream! If you did not get the chance to watch us, I have attached the video below as well as the recipe. This cake is surprisingly simple and definitely a showstopper. I adapted the recipe from Pip & Little Blue to make it more of my own but the original recipe does not use flour, which is a nice alternative to those of you avoiding gluten. Stay tuned for the last edition of our collaboration where we talk about the role of the olive in Turkish art and gastronomy!

For the Cake:

• 50 g unsalted butter

• 5 eggs

• 250 g sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 75 g plain flour

• 1 tsp pinch of salt

• 1½ tsp ground cardamom

• 1½ tsp baking powder

• Zest of 1/2 lemon

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 170 g shelled pistachios, ground or finely chopped

For the Cream:

• Juice of a handful of pomegranate seeds (1-2 tbsp)

• 150 ml double cream

• Zest and juice of ½ lemon

For Decoration/Assembly:

• Seeds of ½ pomegranate

• 30 g shelled (salted) pistachios, roughly chopped

Equipment:

• Whisk/electric mixer

• 2 Large Mixing Bowl

• Spatula

• Parchment paper

• Chef’s Knife

• Saucepan

• Kitchen Scale

• 8 inch round cake pan

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C/175 C fan-forced. Line a 20 cm round tin baking parchment, grease the sides to prevent sticking.

2. Melt butter in the microwave/saucepan. Set aside to cool.

3. In a bowl mix 170 g ground pistachios, 75 g flour, 1½ tsp cardamom, 1½ tsp baking powder, pinch salt, and 1/2 lemon zest.

4. In a large bowl, whisk 250g sugar, 5 eggs, 50g melted butter, 1/2 lemon juice, and 1 tsp vanilla until pale and light. Using an electric mixer is helpful to achieve a fluffier cake.

5. Gradually fold the dry mixture (pistachio + flour) into the wet mixture (egg + sugar) gently so as not to take the air out of the batter.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Tip: if the cake is browning too quickly on top, pop some foil on top.

7. Remove the seeds from half a pomegranate. Crush a handful of the seeds to extract at least a couple tablespoons of juice.

8. Whisk the cream until thick and stir in the pomegranate juice, lemon zest, and juice.

9. Spread onto the cooled cake and decorate with a handful of pomegranate seeds and the remaining 30 g pistachios.