Pistachio Cake
- 1½ cups sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons rose water
- 5 eggs, separated
- 1 cup superfine sugar
- 1½ cups pistachios, ground finely
- 1/3 cup pistachios, chopped very coarsely
- To serve: ¾ cup clotted or heavy cream (optional)
Instructions:
This moist, nutty cake soaked in syrup is a modern pastry.
- Make the syrup first. Bring the sugar, water, and lemon juice to the boil and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, then stir in the rose water. Let the syrup cool, then chill it in the refrigerator.
- Beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a pale cream, then add the ground pistachios and mix very well. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them in gently. Pour into a greased and floured nonstick cake tin 9 to 10 inches in diameter and sprinkle the coarsely chopped pistachios on top. Bake in an oven preheated to 350°F for about 45 minutes.
- Turn the cake out into a deep serving dish. Make little holes over the top with a fork and pour over the syrup. The holes will let it soak in quickly.
- Serve, if you like, with clotted or heavy cream.