If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Usually we’d agree.
For example, there’s not a lot wrong with a classic lemon drizzle cake, right?
But that doesn’t mean you can throw in some pistachios and cardamom – a winning flavour combo – to take things up a notch.
This drizzle cake is pretty spectacular.
It’s moist but not crumbly. It’s nutty but also deliciously sweet.
It’s the real deal!
Here’s what you need to know:
- There are a few ways to avoid the cake dipping in the middle when it bakes. The first is to avoid over mixing the batter; this creates air pockets which mean the cake will cook unevenly. You also want to avoid sudden changes in temperature, so avoid opening the oven door quickly when you remove the cake. Finally, we cook our cake on the middle shelf in the oven to make sure the temperature is even throughout.
- We tested this recipe using soya milk, which has a slight sweetness and really complements the flavour of the cake. Oat milk would also work well.
Enjoy!
Roxy & Ben
Pistachio & Cardamom Lemon Drizzle Cake 🍰 We’re planting a tree in the Amazon for every pre-order of our new cookbook ONE POT VEGAN! Order yours today 👉 sovegan.co/onepv
Posted by So Vegan on Wednesday, 24 June 2020
Pistachio & Cardamom Lemon Drizzle Cake
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Ingredients
200g / 7oz plain flour- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp bicarbonate soda (or baking soda)
- 220g / 7.7oz caster sugar
- 8 cardamom pods
- 80g / 2.8oz peeled pistachios, plus extra for decoration
- 3 lemons
- 80ml / 2.7fl.oz vegetable oil
- 200ml / 6.8fl.oz plant-based milk
- 130g / 4.6oz (approx 1 cup) icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 356°F fan and line a loaf tin on all sides with baking paper. Add the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and 150g / 5.3oz of caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and stir.
- Next, either grind the pistachios in a pestle and mortar until fine or add them to a food processor and process until a crumb like consistency forms. Then add the cardamom pods to a pestle and mortar, grind gently, remove and discard the shells, and continue to grind the seeds. Add both the pistachio and cardamom seeds to the mixing bowl and give everything a stir.
- Next add the zest and juice of 1 lemon, the oil and plant-based milk to the bowl and stir gently until fully combined. It’s important you avoid over mixing or air pockets will form in the batter. Pour the cake batter into the lined loaf tin and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Once the cake is ready, use the toothpick to prick holes in the top of the cake. Then combine the juice of 1 lemon with the remaining 70g / 2.5oz of caster sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the sugar syrup all over the cake, making sure it goes into the pricked holes. Now leave the cake to cool for 30 minutes, then remove from the tin and leave to cool fully.
- To finish, stir the icing sugar with 2 tbsp of juice from the remaining lemon until you have a thick but runny consistency. Note you may need to tweak the amounts of lemon juice and icing sugar to get the perfect consistency. Once the cake has cooled, pour the icing all over so that it runs down the sides. Roughly chop some additional pistachios and sprinkle all over the top.