Pistachio Rose Lemon Cake

Anne Wightman, a member of the training team for NMS Docent Training made this multiple flavoured, grainy and of course aesthetically so pleasing cake during one of the early days of our training. She has gladly shared her recipe here. Her original recipe did not have rose flavor but I added it into the syrup because pistachios and rose somehow just go together.

​Ingredients (for a 21cm high cake)
75gm unsalted butter, softened
75ml canola oil
175gm shelled pistachios
50gm unsweetened desiccated coconut
125 gm plain flour
2 tsps baking powder
​A pinch of salt
4 medium eggs, room tempertaure
200gm castor sugar
​Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (keep the lemon for juice)
​3 rounded tbsps of sour cream

​Ingredients (for the syrup)
​Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
3tbsps caster sugar
200ml cold water
​1 tsp rose essence

​Ingredients for decoration
​1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
​1/2 cup dried rose petals

Method
​1) First line a 21cm round springfoam baking tin with baking paper. Butter the sides.  Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. 

2) Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat and add in the canola oil. Mix, remove from heat and leave to cool slightly. 

3) Place the pitschios into a food processor and whizz until they are finely chopped. Add the coconut, flour, baking powder, and salt and process for another 10seconds just to combine.

4) Beat the eggs and sugar using an elctric mixer until they are thick and pale.

5) Gently fold in the lemon zest and the pistachio flour mixture.

6) Add in the cooled butter and oil mix and three tbsps of sour cream.  

7) Pour it into the prepared baking tin. Bake for 40-50mins in the middle shelf of the oven till a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave it to cool.

8) In the meantime, prepare the syrup. Put all the ingredients into a small pot and boil until its thick and reduced by half. 

9) Run a knife around the cake to release the sides from the tin. Remove from tin and place on a cake holder. Using a skewer, make holes all over the top of the cake for the syrup to flow in.

10) Drizzle the syrup all over the cake.

11) Get the decoration ingredients ready. 

12) First sprinkle the desiccated coconut over and then top with rose petals and chopped pistachios.

13) Enjoy your hard work ! Bite into a delicious Pistachio Rose Lemon Cake with your favourite cuppa.