Pistachio, apricot and orange blossom cake
From Egg - the very best recipes inspired by the simple egg by Blanche Vaughan (Weidenfeld & Nicolson; hardback at £22, eBook £12.99). Photograph by Paul Winch-Furness.
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Ingredients
6-8
Here the flavours of pistachio, apricot and orange blossom are inspired by sweet Arabic dishes. The ground nuts give the cake a dense, moist texture; it also helps it keep for longer.
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3 and line a 900g loaf tin or 23cm round springform or loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment.
Step 2
Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric stand mixer or handheld whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the orange zest and orange blossom water and mix well. Add the eggs one a time, mixing well after each addition, until completely incorporated. Add the ground nuts, flour, baking powder and salt and fold together with a metal spoon or spatula until you have a smooth batter. Finally, fold in the chopped apricots.
Step 3
Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
Step 4
Test to see if the cake is done by inserting a skewer into the middle; it should come out clean.
Step 5
Allow to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out.
Step 6
While the cake is cooling, make the topping. Put the sugar in a small pan with the lemon zest and juice and bring to the boil. Add the chopped pistachios and stir well. Immediately pour over the top of the cake. Let it cool a little before cutting and serving.
