We celebrated Valentine's Day at our home with my mom, my two brothers and their lovely wives, and our oldest child. A standing rib roast was the star of the meal accompanied by oven roasted Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, spinach salad, and fruit. As much as a chocolate dessert screams "Valentine's Day!", I did not want to go that route. I wanted something not too sweet, but something that carried its own wow factor.
Hello, pistachio cake.
The mainstays of this cake are ground pistachios and almond meal. Fresh orange juice, orange zest, and rosewater add a valentine-y fragrance. A thin layer of tangy orange-lemon glaze tops it all off.
And everyone was nutty about this dessert!
Lemon-Frosted Pistachio Cake
Cake Ingredients:
8 oz. butter
1 c. plus 1 T. superfine sugar
3 large eggs
1 c. finely ground pistachios
1 c. almond meal
Juice and finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 t. rosewater
1/2 c. plus 1 T. all purpose flour
For the icing:
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. orange juice
1-2 Lemon and orange zest
Preheat the oven to 350.
Butter the bottom of an 8-inch nonstick cake pan and line with parchment paper. Butter the top of the parchment paper.
Cream the butter and superfine sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, the add the ground pistachios and almond meal. Add the orange juice, orange zest and rosewater. Mix well. With the mixer on low, add the flour just until blended in.
Pour the mixture into the cake pan and bake until the top is firm and a light golden brown, about 40 minutes. Lightly cover the top of the cake with foil and continue baking for 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry. Allow the cake to cool for several minutes and then carefully remove from pan and cool on a rack.
When the cake is cool, make the icing. Mix the powdered sugar, juices and zest together in a small bowl and then pour over cake. Let the icing set for 30 minutes before serving.
From the New York Times magazine, March 5, 2006
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