This cake is moist, nutty and not too sweet – exactly how I like them! You’ll have to forgive the photos of half eaten cake. My boyfriend and I quite literally couldn’t resist long enough to take a good photo!
This all started when I discovered a very sad looking packet of pistachios at the back of my cupboard whose best by date ended in ‘2025’. And if you know me, you know we don’t waste anything around here! So I shelled the little guys and roasted them (I figured that’s enough to kill any bugs on there?).
Then I crushed them with my trusty pestle and mortar. I’ve been eyeing a Magimix food processor, which has made me question how steadfast I actually am on not neeeeeeding a push present. For now though, the pestle and mortar does the job just fine.
The base of the batter was lemony and coconutty because those flavours just felt right with my pistachio crumbs! As always, I didn’t over-do the sugar, and in fact, supplemented the sugar with maple syrup, because again, it just felt right.
I used olive oil instead of butter because I find those sorts of cakes are reliably more moist, and keep better in the fridge, since they can’t get quite as hard.
As you can see, from the state of my mid-baking kitchen, I am an extremely methodical and organised baker.
In the oven it went, and 20 short minutes later, we had cake. Which, as evidenced by the photos of half eaten cake, we couldn’t wait to dig into.
Pistachio Lemon Coconut Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180℃, conventional bake.
- Toast the pistachios in the oven for 6-8 minutes.
- Using either a food processor or (if like me, you've yet to completely convince yourself that a food processor is indispensable) a pestle and mortar, blitz or crush the pistachios until they have become a fine crumb. Some bigger bits are nice in my opinion!
- In a bowl, rub the sugar and zest of one lemon with your fingers, to infuse the sugar with that zesty goodness.
- Add the eggs to the sugar and zest mixture and beat (or whisk vigorously) until they have turned a little bit fluffy.
- In the biggest bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix in the desiccated coconut.
- In another bowl, mix together the olive oil, juice of one lemon, yoghurt and maple syrup. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix.
- Add the sugar and egg mixture to the batter and mix.
- Add the pistachios to the batter and mix in.
- Pour the batter into an oiled/baking paper lined cake mould and bake for 20 minutes, or until your knife comes out clean.
- Let cool and dust with icing sugar. Now enjoy with a Iittle cup of tea and a book.