Date Pistachio And Cardamom Cake Food

ALMOND CAKE WITH CARDAMOM AND PISTACHIO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9-inch round or square pan and set aside. Using a stand mixer, whisk egg whites until stiff but not dry, and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar, and whisk to blend. Whisk in almond extract and oil. Add almond flour and cardamom. Gently stir a third of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the rest until just incorporated.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and finish cooling on a rack. To decorate, dust with confectioners' sugar and chopped pistachios.

PISTACHIO AND CARDAMOM CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 24 regular cupcake liners.
• Sift the flour, instant pistachio pudding, baking powder and cardamom into a bowl. Combine the buttermilk, sour cream and oil into another bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter until the mixture is lighter in color and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Add the vanilla, almond and pistachio flavors. Add one egg at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Turn the mixer to the lower speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, alternating between the two, beginning and ending with the flour. Lastly, fold in by hand, the salted chopped pistachios.
• Fill the prepared cupcake liners half full with batter and bake until golden and baked though, 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely.
• For the date and honey filling: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the dates, honey, 1/4 cup water and cardamom together and cook until over medium-low heat until the mixtures becomes thicker, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a dish and cool.
• For the orange cream cheese frosting: Whip the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment at medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the juice, orange extract, vanilla extract, salt and zest and beat until fully incorporated. Then lower the speed and add the powdered sugar incrementally and beat for 3 more minutes. Put the frosting into a pastry bag and cut 1/2 inch off the tip.
• To assemble: Using an apple corer, remove a piece of the cupcake from the center. Fill the cupcake with 1 teaspoon of the date and honey filling. Using a large round tip #809, pipe the orange cream cheese frosting and garnish with the toasted pistachios

PISTACHIO-STUFFED DATES WITH COCONUT

Steps:

• In a food processor, puree pistachios until a thick paste forms, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Spoon mixture into dates. Top with coconut.

YVONNE MAFFEI'S DATES WITH CREAM AND CHOPPED PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Rinse and dry the dates. Make a clean cut along the side of each date to open, and remove the pit.
• Stuff each date with 2 whole almonds and lightly pinch closed. (The recipe can be made up to this point up to 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container.)
• When ready to serve, arrange dates cut sides up on a plate or platter. Drizzle on the crème fraîche, making a dollop on each date. Sprinkle on the citrus zest, then the chopped pistachios. Serve immediately, as finger food or on plates with a small fork and knife.

BLUEBERRY & PISTACHIO CAKE WITH CARDAMOM CREAM

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly grease and line the base of 2 x 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment. Grease the tins again, dust with a little caster sugar and a little flour, then tap out any excess.
• Put the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl and, using an electric whisk, mix briefly to combine. Place the bowl over a pan of steaming water and continue to whisk until the mixture is pale and thick - when the whisk is lifted, the mixture should leave a trail on the surface lasting about 5 secs. Remove the bowl from the pan and continue beating for 2 mins.
• Continue to whisk the mixture while trickling the melted butter around the edge of the bowl. Sift in the flour and ground pistachios, very gently give the mixture 2-3 folds, then add the blueberries and fold again, being careful not to knock out all the air. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25-30 mins, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• To make the filling, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the cardamom, then drizzle in the cream. Continue to beat until light and airy.
• Cool cakes in their tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack. Remove lining paper when completely cooled. Sandwich the cakes together with the cardamom cream, top with some more, then decorate with pistachios and blueberries.

PISTACHIO, YOGHURT AND CARDAMOM CAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F.
• Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin.
• Place pistachios and cardamom in a food processor and pulse until the pistachios are just chopped.
• Add butter, flour and 3/4 cup of the caster sugar and pulse for 20 seconds or until the mixture is crumbly.
• Combine yoghurt and eggs and add to the above, and pulse for 10 seconds or until just combined.
• Spoon into the tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until skewer when inserted comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes and invert cake onto a plate.
• Peel the zest of the lime.
• Place the remaining sugar and 100ml water in a saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved.
• Bring to a boil and add the lime zest and cook for 5 minutes.
• Strain and cool slightly.
• Pierce the cake with a few skewer holes and pour hot syrup on the cake.