the long-awaited pistachio cake recipe

though still sans pictures, unfortunately.  at least i have internet access again.

from arabesque: a taste of morocco, turkey, and lebanon by claudia roden.

for the syrup:

• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 3/4 c water
• 1 T lemon juice
• 2 T rosewater (i used orange blossom water)

for the cake:

• 5 eggs, separated
• 1 c superfine sugar (i used regular sugar that i put in a food processor for a while)
• 1 1/2 c pistachios, ground finely
• 1/3 c pistachios, chopped very coarsely

to serve: 3/4 c clotted or heavy cream (optional).  (i used qishta, a canned cream found in middle eastern grocery stores.)   Serves 10-12.

make the syrup first.  bring the sugar, water, and lemon juice to a boil and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, then stir in the rosewater.  (to be honest, i put everything in at the same time and it was fine, but maybe it’s better not doing that?  i don’t know, i thought it was tasty.)  let the syrup cool, then chill it in the refrigerator.

beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a pale cream, then add the ground pistachios and mix very well.  beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them in gently  pour into a greased and floured nonstick cake tin 9 to 10 inches in diameter (i just used a glass 9×9) and sprinkle the coarsely chopped pistachios on top.  bake in an oven preheated to 350 for about 45 minutes.

turn the cake out into a deep serving dish.  (i left it in the pan.  it looked pretty and i had minimal interest in washing another dish.)  make little holes over the top with a fork and pour over the syrup.  the holes will let it soak in quickly, though still let it sit and saturate for at least 2 hours.

serve, if you like, with clotted or heavy cream (or qishta!).