This is what happens when you go to Berkeley Bowl and you get hypnotized by their bulk nuts section – you end up with waaaaay too many pistachios. It’s almost as if those sky high plastic containers of nuts with the easy pull down levers that allow for an avalanche of product to cascade into your bag is purposefully set just above reach so gravity can work its magic. And it’s not like you can shove the nuts back up in there…

I made this pistachio cardamom pound cake for Christmas brunch and it was delicious. Definitely a sweet treat, but in lieu of making pancakes or French toast à la minute, I wanted something pretty, nicely sugary and also something I could make a day or two beforehand.

At Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, poundcake is one of the first recipes you learn. The chefs always call it le gâteau pour le week-end pique-nique. Or: the cake for the weekend picnic. Why? Because it travels well (and keeps for days) and it can sit in a basket not get spoiled.

This is not a traditional pound cake recipe in the sense that it does use leavening, but I think it’s a great basic recipe to start with and make your own and it doesn’t require separating eggs and whipping up whites (although you can still do that and you will get an even lighter crumb).

The rose glaze is just a pretty touch at the end and the segmented Winter Citrus soaked in an orange blossom simple syrup adds a nice counterpoint.

Go get nutty….

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Cardamom Pistachio Poundcake and Rose Glaze with Orange Blossom Winter Citrus

Ingredients

  • 2 cups SALTED butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 8 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup ground pistachios (use a food processor to grind unsalted pistachios to a meal)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cardamom (I think I used more, but you can start here and taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or almond extract
  • A tiny bit of green food color if desired.
  • Rose Glaze:
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted to remove any lumps
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon rose water
  • 1 tabespoon Meyer lemon juice
  • For Decorating:
  • Dried Rose Petals
  • Orange Blossom Winter Citrus
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons orange blossom water
  • Segmented Winter citrus: Ruby Red grapefruit, Cara Cara blood oranges, Navel oranges
  • Pomegranate seeds & mint for garnish

For the Pistachio Pound Cake:

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two  9" x 5" loaf pans. In the bowl of a Standing Mixer, beat the butter until very light in color with the paddle attachement. Beat in the sugar gradually and then the eggs, one by one. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and beat until the mixture is very light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground pistachios, cardamom and salt. And in another small bowl, whisk together the milk and vanilla extract.

Alternate with adding the wet and dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg mixture, starting and ending with the flour with the Kitchen Aid on low. Mix on low after each addition to fully incorporate. 

Pour the batter into the greased pans filling 2/3rd's full. Smooth the tops lightly with a spatula. 

Bake the pound cakes for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the cake appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with foil for the remainder of baking.

When it is done baking, remove the cake from the oven, and loosen its edges. Wait 5 minutes, then carefully turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. If desired, the pound cakes can be stored for up to two days before serving (yay! Do ahead!) just wrap in plastic and glaze before serving. 

Rose Glaze:

Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. If the glaze is too runny you can add a little more sifted powdered sugar. It is my experience that organic powdered sugar gives a slightly yellowish tinge, so just be aware of this, it's no big deal, but the color is a little different. Also, you can sub milk for water if you want a glaze that is opaque. 

Winter Citrus:

In a small sauce pot over medium heat whisk the sugar and water together. Bring to a simmer and cook for two minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool. Add orange blossom water once cooled. 

Segment citrus into a bowl and make sure to remove pitch and seeds. Pour cooled simple syrup over – enough to coat lightly – the juice of the citrus will mix with the simple syrup. Cover and chill, can be made the day before. Before serving garnish with pomegranate seeds and mint leaves.