pistachio & orange cakes

adding ground pistachios into cake batter like you would almond flour gives the cake a wayyyy more interesting flavour and provides a subtle green hue. I just buy pistachios and blend them myself in a small food processer until they become a breadcrumb-like consistency. I’m sure you could buy ground pistachios somewhere.

this cake has a delicate texture that comes from having equal parts flour to nut flour. it’s not light and fluffy like your traditional vanilla, these cakes are dainty, and the flavour profile reflects the texture.

cakes

70g butter, softened

70g sugar

70g self-raising flour

35g almond flour

35g ground pistachios

1 egg

2tsp orange zest

pinch of salt

whipped ganache

recipe from matt adlard 

380g heavy cream

3g powdered gelatin

18g cold water

130g white chocolate

cakes

preheat the oven to 350F. grease 4, 3inch ring moulds or a 6inch cake tin. 

beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl using a wooden spoon until pale and fluffy. 

add in the rest of the ingredients, mix everything until a cohesive batter forms.

divide the batter evenly between the moulds, filling them halfway, smooth off the tops. bake for 15-25 minutes. after 15 minutes insert a toothpick or small knife into the centre of the cake if it comes out clean then the cakes are done.

let the cakes cool completely.

whipped ganache

in a small pan stir together the gelatin and cold water, set aside for 5-10 minutes, then on low heat dissolve the gelatin (don’t let it boil). place the cream in a different saucepan and bring to a boil, stir the gelatin into the cream.

place the white chocolate in a tall jug, pour the hot cream over, blend using a stick blender or stir together with a spoon until all the chocolate has melted.

cover with cling film, chill in the fridge overnight. 

once chilled, transfer the ganache to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip until medium peaks. 

transfer the whipped ganache to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip of your choosing (if you wanted to do the rose design like mine, I have a video over on my Instagram), you could also just use a small spoon to create a textured pattern, get creative:)