Lemon-Frosted Pistachio Cake

Spring is what comes to mind when thinking about this cake, as it is citrusy, moist and loaded with two kinds of nuts. Really quite nice actually. The recipe, which is adapted from Nigel Slater's cookbook, "The Kitchen Diaries", originally called for crystallized rose petals and rose water. The cake looks glorious in his photo dressed with the lemon frosting and the bright colors; the pink from the flowers and the green from the pistachio pieces. I did not add the rose petals or rose water, only because I did not have any on hand. I plan on adding both to my must haves in the kitchen list. I do enjoy collecting new foods and spices, to further expand my cooking knowledge. Sometimes it's the littlest dab of this or a touch of that, that completely takes a dish to a new level.

Anyway, if you can, bake this cake soon to help bring in the new season.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound, plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cups shelled pistachio nuts
2/3 cup ground almonds
1 orange (zest ed and juiced)
1 1/4 teaspoons rose water
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
Crystallized rose petals and shelled pistachio nuts, to decorate (optional)

For the icing:

3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 generous tablespoons lemon juice

To prepare:

Preheat oven to 325F. Line the bottom of a non-stick 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar in a food mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, blending between each one.

In food processor add pistachios and pulse until nuts are a fine crumb. Add ground pistachios and almonds to butter mixture. Next add the orange zest and juice, mix. (This is point where Mr. Slater adds the juice of the orange with the rose water, then adds to mix). Then fold in flour.

Spoon dough into baking pan, bake 50 minutes, be prepared to place aluminum foil over the cake the last 10 minutes of baking to keep top from getting to brown.

Let cool in pan. Decorate with icing and let set. Here is where he adds the rose petal and pistachio pieces. (I drizzled icing over the cake when slightly warm and let it soak in). Then sprinkled with a light coating of powdered sugar, pistachios and some zest ed lemon peel. Enjoy!