By Joseph Khoudair

Pistachio… this humble and ancient morsel for me has always been synonymous with Middle Eastern cuisine, by virtue of its myriad of uses. It is nestled between two supporting flavours and is the core of my Lemon and Pistachio Almond cake, which remains one of my favourites.

Lemon and Pistachio Almond Cake

 

Serves 8-12

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup castor sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 3 eggs (room temperature)
• 2/3 cup light olive oil
• 1/2 cup full-fat greek yoghurt
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 cup all-purpose baking flour
• 1 1/4 cup freshly ground pistachios
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

• Line an 8 inch springform pan with greased parchment paper and set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, add sugar and lemon zest. Using your hands, rub the zest into the sugar to release a stronger lemon flavour.
• Add all the wet ingredients and beat with electric mixer until well-combined.
• Fold in the flour, pistachios, baking powder soda and salt.
• Pour into pan, level off and sprinkle with flaked almonds.
• Bake in preheated oven at 180^o Celsius for 40-45mins.

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