Pistachio Loaf with Rose Icing

I think my love of pistachio is fairly widely know by now. Sometimes people even send me messages or tag me in things on Instagram about pistachio related things or products they think I should know about. I love it. 

I genuinely crave pistachio flavoured things, and this cake is no exception. 

It is a slight adaptation of a loaf cake from my Cosy Winter Bakes eBook, and closely related to this Rose Petal and Pistachio Cake. The recipe in its original form came from Skye McApline, and like any really good recipe, it has lent itself to many adaptations and variations. It’s been the recipe that keeps on giving. 

This version uses a subtly scented rose glaze icing to complement the pistachio cake, and is my new favourite version of this recipe.

Pistachio Loaf with Rose Icing

Ingredients: 

200g unsalted butter, softened

190g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

120g pistachio butter*

60g white chocolate, melted

3 eggs

120g yoghurt

200g self raising flour 

Ingredients for the Icing: 

170g icing mixture

1.5-2 tbsp rosewater

dried edible rose petals, to decorate

slivered or roughly chopped pistachios, to decorate

Method: 

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line a 22 x 10 x 8.5 cm (approx.) loaf tin.

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Mix together the pistachio butter and melted white chocolate, then add to the butter mixture and mix until combined. 

Add in the eggs one at a time, then add the yoghurt and mix until well combined. Add the flour and mix on low speed until combined and the batter is smooth.

Transfer the batter to the prepared cake tin and bake for 50 minutes. Then cover the cake with foil and bake for a further 20-25 minutes, or until the cake is cooked through. 

Allow the cake to cool in its tin for a few minutes, then turn out on a wire rack to cool further.

Once the cake has almost completely cooled down make the icing by, mixing together the icing sugar and 1 tbsp of the rosewater, adding more a little at a time until you have a smooth spreadable icing (it shouldn’t be really runny or it will run off the cake). 

Spread the icing over the cake, allowing it to fall over the sides a little. Sprinkle with some dried edible rose petals and slivered pistachios to decorate. 

*or the same quantity of lightly toasted pistachios blitzed in a food processor until it forms a butter (10-20 minutes). 

Reference: ‘A Table for Friends’ by Skye McAlpine (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020) p.232.

Biscoff & White Chocolate Cookie Slice

I have been thinking a lot lately about the impact of over three months of lockdown, plus restrictions for so long before that with all these ‘unprecedented times’ (or are they just ‘precedented’ times now?) we have been experiencing. 

Some changes have been big, and have taken a lot to adjust to. Others have been smaller and seem to have crept up on me with what feels like little warning. One major change I have noticed since this lockdown began in late June, is that coming up with new recipes has proved more of a challenge. A lot of my inspiration for recipes comes from going to the shops and seeing what is in season and stumbling across a new ingredient I just have to try. In store food shopping these days is few and far between, there is no browsing or looking, its just get in and out as quick as humanly possible. 

Eating out can also prove to be a great inspiration for new recipes too, but that has been almost non-existent for some time now. 

When coming up with new recipes for my blog, technically the possibilities are endless. But somehow that lack of structure means no new ideas come at all, especially when inspiration is few and far between. When I work with clients on recipes they will have their own requirements and ideas on what they want, so there are automatically boundaries around what a new recipe will be. These boundaries help narrow things down and I find it a easy to come up with new ideas. 

The only source of food inspiration now comes from the few special home deliveries I have been able to get, which I spoke about in this recent post. These deliveries prove to be welcome in more ways than one, especially as they provide a tiny element of food inspiration and a window into what might be happening outside my own home. 

This particular slice recipe was inspired by a cookie delivery I got from Butter Boy Bake. I have ordered twice from them now and have really enjoyed them and will definitely miss them if they cease delivering once lockdown ends. 

The combination of cinnamon, white chocolate and biscoff spread forms the basis of Butter Boy’s ‘snickerdoodle’ cookie and the combination got me thinking about how I could made something similar, but even easier. Which then make me think of my Funfetti Cookie Slice and how that could be adapted to incorporating Butter Boy’s ‘snickerdoodle’ cookie flavours. 

I am happy to report that these flavours work so well in a cookie slice and I can now rest easy that even if I never get a delivery from Butter Boy Bake again, or never actually get to visit their store in Manly, I will always be able to recreate at least one of their flavours myself.

I hope you enjoy making this cookie slice as well, it is a lot easier to make than many other baked goods even if you are low on time or motivation, is excellent to snack on and very tasty. 

Biscoff and White Chocolate Cookie Slice 

a.k.a Butter Boy Bake’s Snickerdoodle Cookie but in a Slice

Ingredients:

120g unsalted butter, melted

200g caster sugar 

2 tbsp golden syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

290g self raising flour

2 tsp ground cinnamon

120g Biscoff Spread

120g white chocolate, roughly chopped

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a 30x20cm brownie or Lamington tin with baking paper. 

In a large bowl whisk together the butter, sugar, golden syrup, vanilla and egg.

Then add the flour and cinnamon and mix to combine with a wooden spoon.

Tip the dough into the prepared tray, and spread it out, pushing it into the sides. Dollop the Biscoff spread over the dough and swirl/push in with a knife. Scatter the chopped white chocolate over the dough, pushing them in a little.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. 

Allow to cool completely in the tin. Then remove and cut into slices or chunks of your choice.

Serves 12-15. 

Funfetti Cookie Slice

I’m not usually one for adding food colouring or large amounts of sprinkles to my baked goods, but I think I’m at that point in lockdown where any pop of colour adds a tiny bit of joy to my day. 

As does using up an already opened packet of Jimmies (large sprinkles) and some chocolate no one seemed to be eating. With delivery windows in Sydney few and far between from our major supermarkets at the moment, using up things I already have seemed like a good way to go. So there were a couple of motivations for making this recipe, beyond my usual ‘I’d like something nice to eat but don’t want it to take ages to make’. 

You can leave out the sprinkles if you wish, and use any type of chocolate you want. The sprinkles don’t add any flavour, it’s just for the fun colours. However if you do use some sprinkles, those called Jimmies which are bigger sprinkles than the ones us Aussies are used to buying at supermarket, will work best as their colours won’t bleed through your bake. 

Funfetti Cookie Slice

Ingredients:

120g butter, melted

200g caster sugar 

2 tbsp golden syrup

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 egg

290g self raising flour

3.5 tbsp large sprinkles (aka. Jimmies) 

120g choc chips (white, Caramilk, milk or dark) or roughly chopped chocolate

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a 30 x 20cm brownie or Lamington tin with baking paper. 

In a large bowl whisk together the butter, sugar, golden syrup, vanilla and egg.

Then add the flour and the sprinkles and mix to combine with a wooden spoon.

Tip the dough into the prepared tray, and spread it out, pushing it into the sides. Scatter the chopped chocolate/choc chips over the dough, pushing them in a little.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Allow to cool completely in the tin. The remove and cut into slices or chunks of your choice.

Serves 15. 

Fluffy Bergamot Cake with Buttermilk

This cake came about in the same way many others do in my kitchen. I had certain ingredients to use, and I really just wanted to bake something quick and easy that was also going to be very tasty. 

I have a few homegrown bergamots and some bought ones too at the moment, so I am constantly thinking about how I could use them. I love bergamot season, it is honestly my favourite citrus. I love the floral notes of it, and how it has the ability to lift a dish or a cake to another level flavour wise. 

I also had some Pepe Saya Buttermilk. I made an online order with Pepe Saya, as many other Sydney-siders when Pepe Saya offered 20% off for those of us in lockdown. I really like baking with this buttermilk, but I also like using it as I like having a dedicated milk to use for baking. This way the milk bought for tea and cereal etc won’t get used up as quickly as I’m not using it for baking. Which is helpful particularly as we are still in lockdown, and unnecessary trips to the shops and just well, unnecessary. 

I had planned to use some of the buttermilk for baking, and freeze any leftover for future use. However after making this particular bergamot cake once, I now have so many ideas for using it I’m not sure any will end up frozen. 

The bergamot cake is a little different to the other citrus cakes I usually make as I often make citrus cakes with an oil based recipe that uses yoghurt. I love cakes made this way as they are simple, reliable and tasty. This new Bergamot cake is still those things, however the texture mostly thanks to the buttermilk, its so fluffy it seems like a cake you’ve put a lot more effort into. 

I also think the lightness comes from the fact that I mostly bake with margarine rather than butter. Pretty much all my recipes say to use butter, as I know that’s what most people will use when baking. But I much prefer the lightness that a good margarine can give a cake. Whatever you use, it will still be a good cake and a nice fluffy one if you use buttermilk. 

I used a rectangular cake/slice tin for this cake as baking it in this shape will mean a quicker cook time. But you can of course use a 20cm round tin, however the cook time will be at least double what is stipulated in the recipe. 

Fluffy Bergamot Cake with Buttermilk

Ingredients: 

125g unsalted butter, softened or flavourless margarine*

165g caster sugar

finely grated zest of one bergamot/lemon

2 eggs 

250g self raising flour

125ml buttermilk (e.g. Pepe Saya)

Ingredients for the Icing: 

170g icing mixture

1-2 tbsp fresh bergamot/lemon juice

Method: 

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius, and grease and line a 30x20cm rectangular slice or lamington tin with baking paper. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and zest with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the flour and the buttermilk and slowly mix until combined. If the mixture is a little lump, mix using a whisk.

Tip the mixture into the prepared tray and smooth the top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cake spring backs when touched lightly and a skewer comes out clean. The cake will be lightly golden when done. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing, mix 1 tbsp of the bergamot/lemon juice with the icing mixture in a medium bowl. Continue to add more juice, a little at a time until you have a smooth icing that you can spread over the cake - a slightly thinner consistency is good for this cake as there is more surface area to spread over, if the icing is too thick it might not cover the entire cake!

*if using margarine, use straight from the fridge no need to soften like butter. 

The Ultimate Vanilla Cake

While the word ‘vanilla’ can be used to mean kinda boring, but there is nothing boring about this cake! When I was tasked with the idea of creating the Ultimate Vanilla Cake, I knew I could create something delicious and moorish.

The key is to use good quality vanilla. The variety of vanilla out there is incredible, but getting paste, extract or beans that are good quality is essential for the flavour and end result of your bake.

The brief for this cake was also to tie in with Mother’s Day, and I couldn’t think of any better way to decorate this cake than covering it with beautiful edible flowers for the occasion. I was inspired by this image of a cute little cake decorated with edible flowers for this project, however you could also used dried edible flowers to decorate this cake.

This Ultimate Vanilla Cake was created for Grounded Pleasures, using their excellent vanilla extract and beans. The recipe can be found on their website via the link below.

Grounded Pleasures Ultimate Vanilla Cake

Recipe development projects like this one, are my favourite part of my job. Creating a recipe with businesses products means I get to think of new ideas, be creative and also try new things. I also get to eat the cake after, which is a pretty good job perk if you ask me!

If you have a product you’d love me to create some recipes with, just contact me and we can chat about what your business needs. Recipes for your website or blog are great ways to show your customers how to use your products, and the images are great for social media and other marketing content too!

Click here to find out a little bit more about working with me, and check out the links below to see more of my recipe development work.

Easter Chocolate Cupcakes for Grounded Pleasures

S’mores with Homemade Honey Graham Crackers for Grounded Pleasures

Mocha Sponge Cake for The Healthy Baker

Pistachio and Vanilla Shortbread for Cultivator Magazine

Product Photography for Little Big Dairy Co & Here

Cosy Bakes for Cooler Weather

Here in Sydney, we’re well into Winter now - and a COVID related lockdown - so here are a few cosy things to bake to enjoy the cooler weather, and take advantage of being at home.

. . .

I for one am quite relieved the cooler weather has really begun, I hate the heat, but also find it much more comfortable to cook and bake in the cooler weather. There are many Autumn and Winter inspired things I want to bake, and below is a little list of the recipes I have been enjoying or hope too soon. 

This list is quite quince heavy, as to me, it isn’t Autumn without poaching a few quince! 

1. On the long weekend I used this recipe to poach 2kg of quince, and am hoping to make the quince cake (pictured above) from my free eBook Seasonal Cakes and Bakes ASAP (get your free copy by signing up to my mailing list today!).

2. I saw the talented Tilly of @tillys_table post the recipe for this Blackberry and Almond Afternoon Tea Cake on Instagram a week or so ago, as part her Plain-Cake Appreciation Society (a society I would definitely like a membership with!). I immediately saved Tilly’s post, and hope to make it soon. I also think you could use poached quince instead of blackberries, which I may do since I have so many now!

3. On another quince related note, I made my annual double batch of Sophie Hansen’s Quince Chutney, which I am obsessed with and can’t ever seem to make enough of. The recipe is also in her book ‘A Basket by the Door’ and goes excellently with the pork sausage rolls on the page before hand (p.142). 

4. Since there are still some lovely Australian plums in the shops at the moment, I made Leah Koenig’s Passover Cake which can be found in the Monday Morning Cooking Club’s book ‘Now for Something Sweet’. The recipe asks for pears and pecans, however I used plums and pistachios and it was delicious. And while I did use superfine matzo meal as the recipe says, you can substitute for plain flour and I am told it is an excellent cake made that way too. 

5. For more cosy baking ideas check out my Cosy Winter Bakes eBook - I am going to be revisiting some of the recipes now the weather has cooled down!