Some flavour combinations are just magical. Pistachio, apricot and rosewater are a perfect example of when flavours, balanced correctly, work harmoniously together. In this cake, you can taste each of these ingredients yet they do not overpower one another. This cake may be fragrant but it is subtle and just so beautiful to eat.

Ground pistachios and puréed dried apricots (that have been simmered in water to soften) are what make this cake so tender and moist whilst still adding texture. The grinding and pureeing is all done in a food processor so it is very easy and takes no time at all. You then add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor, give it a whiz and then you are ready to bake!

The flavour of rosewater is imparted in three stages. First, you add a touch of rosewater to the batter. You then pour a sticky rosewater syrup onto the hot cake once it is out of the oven and allow to absorb. This adds even further moisture and flavour to the cake. Finally, a rosewater glaze is drizzled over the top of the cake once it has cooled. I know what you must be thinking…isn’t the rosewater overpowering? Trust me, it isn’t! By adding small amounts in layers the flavour is balanced and not too over the top.

To serve, I like to garnish it with chopped pistachios and dried edible rose petals. This cake really is a showstopper and is perfect for a special occasion or when you just want to make a truly stunning cake! 

Why you will love this Pistachio and Rosewater Cake

• It is quick and easy to make: This is another one of those cakes that requires minimal effort but looks like you have spent AGES preparing it. As I have already mentioned, all the hard work is done in a food processor making it very simple and speedy to make.
• You can make it in advance: This cake is perfect if you need to bake in advance. In fact, I actually think this cake tastes better after a couple of days as the flavours seem to enhance with time. Rest assured, this cake will be as tender and moist on day five as it was on the day it was baked!
• It is perfect for any occasion: You can enjoy this cake any time of day (trust me, I have!) – it is equally perfect with a cuppa for morning or afternoon tea as it is as an impressive dessert after a dinner.

What you will need

Equipment

• A food processor and a 20cm springform cake tin.

Ingredients

• Dried apricots: I like to use the soft dried apricots as their flavour is more mellow and they are easier to puree before adding to the batter.
• Shelled pistachios: When ground into a meal and added to a batter, the pistachios impart the most beautiful flavour as well as providing moisture and texture to the cake.
• Plain (all-purpose) flour: This cake has equal parts ground pistachios and plain (all-purpose) flour.
• Baking powder: This leavening agent prevents the cake from being too dense and heavy by giving it some lift!
• Caster sugar: You don’t need much sugar in this recipe as you have the natural sweetness from the apricots and we can’t forget about the rosewater glaze AND rosewater icing!
• Rosewater: Use this beautifully aromatic floral water sparingly – use too much and it can overpower the rest of the flavours. A dash of rosewater goes a long way and creates the most fragrant cake. You can buy rosewater from middle eastern and speciality supermarkets.
• Ground cardamon: This is another stunning flavour profile that works beautifully with pistachios, apricots and rosewater. You should be able to find ground cardamon in the spices section of most supermarkets.
• Eggs: They should be at room temperature before you begin.
• Rice Bran Oil (or other flavourless oil): Oil is used in place of butter in this recipe.
• Icing (confectioners) sugar & Milk: These ingredients are used in the rosewater glaze.
• Extra pistachios and dried edible rose petals: I like to garnish the cake with these before serving.

How to make this Pistachio and Rosewater Cake

1. Simmer the dried apricots and water in a saucepan until the apricots are soft. Puree apricots in a food processor until smooth.
2. In the food processor, blitz pistachios until they become a fine meal. Add apricots, flour, baking powder, ground cardamon, caster sugar, eggs and oil. Process until smooth.
3. Add rosewater and pulse to combine.
4. Pour into prepared tin and bake.
5. Make rosewater syrup. Pour over hot cake.
6. Make rosewater glaze. Drizzle over cooled cake. Garnish with chopped pistachios and dried edible rose petals.
7. Enjoy!

If you love this recipe, try these…

• Coconut & Almond Cake
• Amazing Chai Spiced Banana Bread
• Lemon Bundt Cake

Pistachio and Rosewater Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Victoria
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40-45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
• Yield: 12
• Category: Cakes

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

This stunning cake is made with freshly ground pistachios, pureed dried apricots and fragrant rosewater. It is incredibly easy to make as almost all the work is done in a food processor!

---

Ingredients

Cake

• 100g soft dried apricots
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup shelled pistachios
• 3/4 cup (110g) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
• 3/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 teaspoon rosewater
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup rice bran oil (or any other flavourless oil)

Rosewater Syrup

• 1/2 cup (115g) caster (superfine) sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon rosewater, or to taste

Rosewater Glaze

• 3/4 cup (95g) icing (confectioners) sugar, sifted
• 1 – 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon rosewater, or to taste

To Garnish (optional)

• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped
• Dried edible rose petals

---

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C conventional or 160C fan-forced. Grease and line a 20cm springform cake tin with baking (greaseproof) paper.
2. In a small saucepan, simmer dried apricots and the water until the apricots are soft and plump. Be careful not to allow all the water to evaporate as the apricots can burn (add a little more water if need be). Set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a food processor, blitz the pistachios until they form a meal (similar to the consistency of almond meal). Add the apricots, flour, baking powder, ground cardamon, sugar, eggs and oil. Process until you get a smooth batter. Add the rosewater and pulse until just combined. 
4. Pour batter into prepared tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when tested.
5. At the 30 minute mark of baking, make the rosewater syrup by combining all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until it becomes syrupy. 
6. As soon as the cake is out of the oven (while it is still in the cake tin), use a toothpick or skewer to pierce holes in the top of the cake. Carefully pour the hot rosewater syrup over the hot cake a little at a time – wait for the cake to absorb the syrup before adding more. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack.
7. Meanwhile, make the rosewater glaze by combining the icing sugar, rosewater and milk until you get a smooth, pouring consistency.
8. When the cake is cool, turn the cake out onto serving plate. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake and garnish with extra chopped pistachios and edible dried rose petals, if using.

---

Notes

1. Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
2. If you prefer, you can skip the glaze altogether and simply dust the cooled cake with icing sugar. It won’t have quite the effect of a drippy glaze but it will still be beautiful to eat.

Keywords: Pistachios, cake, rosewater, apricots

The post Pistachio and Rosewater Cake appeared first on Marble & Whisk.

I realise ice cream isn’t normally associated with Christmas. However if you live in the southern hemisphere where Christmas is in Summer, it can get hot – very HOT. This is why this festive ice cream is such a winner – it is both a cool treat AND full of festive cheer! That’s not to say it can’t be enjoyed in cooler weather – I assure you it goes beautifully with a steamed Christmas pudding.

This is by no means a traditional ice cream recipe – you do not need to make a crème anglaise and it does not need churning. To make the ice cream itself, you only need TWO ingredients – yes, you heard me correctly – thickened cream and sweetened condensed milk. You simply whisk the two together until you get an almost ethereal whipped cream before folding through fruit mince and crumbled gingerbread biscuits. You then pop it in the freezer until frozen – that’s it!

Why you will LOVE this Festive Ice Cream

• It is SO simple to make: With minimal ingredients, this ice cream takes no time at all to whip up (quite literally). You will need a stand mixer or electric beaters to get the lightest ice cream.
• It is the perfect way to use up Christmas leftovers: I always find myself with leftover fruit mince and ridiculous amounts of gingerbread (usually the remnants of the gingerbread house we make every year). I couldn’t think of a better way to use these leftovers than to repurpose them in another dessert!
• You can easily adapt the recipe: If you didn’t have any fruit mince or gingerbread, you could use a whole range of other ‘festive’ mix-ins. Leftover Christmas cake or fruit mince tarts crumbled into pieces work beautifully as do crumbled shortbread biscuits with the addition of some mixed spice and ground ginger.

What you will need

Equipment

• You will need:
  • a stand mixer or electric beaters; and
  • a 1 litre freezer proof container (a 1 litre loaf tin is perfect).

Ingredients

• Thickened Cream (Pouring/Whipping Cream): The cream is whipped until it is light and fluffy. You will need full fat cream that contains a minimum of 35% milk fat. It is best used cold and straight from the fridge.
• Sweetened condensed milk: This is the star ingredient – in addition to providing all the sweetness to the ice cream, when whipped together with the cream it becomes light and luscious.
• Fruit mince: You can use homemade or a good quality store-bought fruit mince.
• Gingerbread biscuits: Homemade or store-bought gingerbread biscuits work perfectly. You can either crumble the biscuits by hand or use a knife to chop them into pieces. You could also substitute crumbled gingerbread loaf.

How to make this Festive Ice Cream

1. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
2. Add the sweetened condensed milk to the cream and continue whipping until light and creamy.
3. Fold through the fruit mince and crumbled gingerbread through the cream mixture.
4. Chill or freeze and then enjoy!

Festive Ice Cream

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Victoria
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: N/A
• Total Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes (including chilling)
• Category: Desserts

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

This easy, no churn ice cream is perfect for your next Christmas celebration. Smooth, creamy and perfectly spiced with ribbons of fruit mince and crumbled gingerbread, this festive ice-cream is a wonderful way to end a Christmas meal. It is also a fantastic way to use up any Christmas dessert leftovers!  

---

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250ml) thickened cream (pouring/whipping cream) (minimum 35% milk fat), cold
• 200g (half a tin) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup homemade or good-quality store-bought fruit mince
• 3/4 cup crumbled gingerbread biscuits

---

Instructions

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl if using electric beaters), add the cream and whisk until soft peaks form (approximately 2 to 3 minutes).
2. Add the sweetened condensed milk to the cream and continue whisking until the mixture becomes light and creamy (approximately 1 minute).
3. Using a spatula, fold through the fruit mince and crumbled gingerbread biscuits.
4. Pour into a 1 litre capacity freezer proof container and cover will a lid or clingfilm.
5. Freeze for 4 hours or until the mixture is frozen.
6. Take the ice cream out of the freezer 10 minutes before serving to allow it to softens slightly. Scoop into serving bowls or glasses and enjoy!

---

Notes

1. Storage: Store the ice cream in the freezer for up to two months.

Keywords: Ice cream, Christmas, No churn, gingerbread, fruit mince

The post Festive Ice Cream appeared first on Marble & Whisk.