Oh My Goodness! Rose Bakery Pistachio Cake

My newest cookbook was worth it's weight in gold, because I found my new favorite cake.

If you are a buttercream girl (or boy), a chocolate layer cake lover, or just an overly sweet cake person, then this may not be for you.

But if you love nuts, dense tortes, moist crumb cakes, and did I mention loving nuts? Then this is the cake for you. I think I may love this better than carrot cake!

I am in love.

Rose Bakery is an English bakery located in Paris. They have 2 shops and there are always crowds outside waiting in line for their tarts, salads and cakes. The French think it's overrated, and feel it's for New Yorkers and Londoners, blah blah blah.

Their book Breakfast Lunch Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery is lovely and I can't wait to dig in to more of their recipes.



This was very simple to make and has a gorgeous aroma.

Since I am unfamiliar w/ rose water, I read somewhere to substitute vanilla in the recipe, because rose water is a love or hate thing.
Also, the original recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter (which I just don't like to do), so I cut the butter to 1 1/2 sticks, and it was moist as can be.

Rose Bakery Pistachio Cake:

1 cup of ground almonds
1 cup of ground pistachios
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks butter), softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
zest of a whole lemon
1 tsp rose water (or 1/2 tsp vanilla)
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup flour
pinch of salt

Icing: (optional)
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp milk
handful of chopped pistachios

You can make this cake in a loaf pan or 9" springform.

Grind your nuts in a food processor or coffee grinder.



Butter the pan you are using (I lined the bottom of my pan with parchment paper also for guaranteed lift out).

I rarely follow the rules of mixing the eggs separately and adding later, I do it all together, always with fine results.

Mix the ground nuts together with the flour, baking powder and salt.

I used one bowl (make life easier) and added the eggs, butter and sugar and lemon zest to the flour mixture. The batter came together easily and smoothly.

With a rubber spatula, spoon the batter into the pan and bake 40 minutes in a 350F oven.

Note: The top of my cake started to get too brown, so I covered the top with foil the last 10 minutes of baking.

Mix the icing with a fork and pour over while the cake is still warm. Sprinkle chopped pistachios on top to stick to the icing.



Leave the cake in the springform mold or loaf pan until totally cooled. I kept my cake in the cold garage for a few hours until the icing hardened.

This cake stayed moist and fresh for 4 days, covered.



Loved.