Recipe: lemon, cardamom, rose, pistachio & almond cake

With a lemon & vanilla icing. A gluten free and dairy free recipe

A golden tender sponge with nutty flavours of almond and pistachio, the whisper of rose and cardamom, and brightness of lemon. A beautiful cake; perfect on an afternoon with a coffee or tea. The first recipe of my venture into the world of gluten free and dairy free baking. I hope you enjoy.

For the cake
ground almonds 215g
pistachios 35g, roasted and roughly chopped
corn starch 25g
baking powder 1 tsp
ground cardamom 1 tsp
sea salt a pinch
eggs 4, large, separated
oil 100g, a flavourless oil like rapeseed
caster sugar 150g
lemon zest from 2 medium-sized lemons
lemon juice 60ml
vanilla extract 1 tsp
rose water 1.5 tsp

For the icing
powdered sugar 85g
lemon juice 15ml
vanilla extract 1/2 tsp

For the cake

Preheat oven to 160C fan. Grease and line an 8” springform pan.

To a medium-sized bowl, add the ground almonds, pistachios, corn starch, baking powder, ground cardamom and salt and whisk to combine.
ground almonds 215g, pistachios 35g, roasted and roughly chopped, corn starch 25g, baking powder 1 tsp, ground cardamom 1 tsp, sea salt a pinch

To a large bowl, add the egg yolks, oil, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and rose water and whisk well. Add the ground almond mixture to the egg yolk mixture and whisk to combine.
eggs 4, large, separated , oil 100g, a flavourless oil like rapeseed , caster sugar 150g, lemon zest from 2 medium-sized lemons, lemon juice 60ml, vanilla extract 1 tsp, rose water 1.5 tsp

To a separate large bowl add the egg whites and whisk to stiff peaks. Add 1/3 of the egg whites to the egg yolk/almond mixture and mix well until combined. Add another 1/3 of the egg whites but this time gently fold them in to combine, then continue with the final 1/3. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, until well risen and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs when inserted into the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove and place on cooling rack to cool completely.

For the icing

To a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla and mix to combine. Spoon the mixture into the centre of the cake and spread it to the edges with the back of a spoon or knife.

The cake keeps well for 3-4 days, stored in a sealed container in the fridge. I recommend allowing to sit at room temperature for 45-60 minutes before eating.