Pistachio Pound Cake With Strawberries In Lavender Sugar Food

PISTACHIO POUND CAKE WITH VANILLA LAVENDER STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Hull, wash, and halve the strawberries. Mix together the sugar, lavender, and vanilla beans from their pod. Toss the strawberries in the sugar and set aside in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
• Add the pistachios to the food processor and blend until it resembles flour. Be careful to not over blend or else it will turn into butter!
• Mix together the pistachio flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating very well between each addition - at least another minute. Beat in both extracts.
• Alternate between adding the flour and the milk into the butter mixture. Begin and end with the flour which should be added in three additions, while the milk should be added in two additions.
• Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45 - 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan before taking out and putting on a wire rack to cool completely.
• To serve: cut a thick slice of the pistachio pound cake, then top with the strawberries and top with the whipped cream.

PISTACHIO POUND CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES IN LAVENDER SUGAR

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven, preheat to 325ºF (165ºC/Gas Mark 3). Grease and flour a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan.
• To make the cake: Grind the pistachios in a food processor just until they resemble flour. Be careful to not grind them into pistachio butter, though that would be delicious. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until combined.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium high speed until smooth, then, with the mixer still running, slowly stream in the sugar. Cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Occasionally stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the batter in three additions, mixing until just combined. Finish mixing the batter by hand with a rubber spatula. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then remove the cake to a rack to cool completely.
• To make the strawberries: Combine the sugar, lavender, and vanilla seeds in a mortar and grind with a pestle until the lavender is broken up into fine bits and the sugar is fragrant. Alternately, this can be done in a food processor. Hull and slice the strawberries in half if they are small, in quarters if they are larger; combine the sliced strawberries and sugar in a bowl and stir gently. Let the berries macerate for at least 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.
• To serve: Slice the cooled cake into thick pieces and top each slice with a generous spoonful of berries and their juices. Top with whipped cream. Extra cake keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for three days.

PISTACHIO POUND CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES IN LAVENDER SUGAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• For the cake: Grind the pistachios in a food processor just until they resemble flour (be careful not to over grind or else you'll need up with nut butter). Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the food processor and pulse until combined.
• In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium high speed until smooth. With the mixer still running, slowly stream in the sugar. Cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy, about five minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for thirty seconds after each addition. Occasionally stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extract (if using).
• With the mixer on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the batter in three additions, mixing until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out of the center clean, 45 to 55 minutes (mine actually took closer to an hour and 10 minutes). Remove cake from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• For the strawberries: Combine the sugar, lavender, and vanilla beans in a mortar and grind with a pestle until the lavender is broken up into fit bits and sugar is fragnant. Hull and slice strawberries in half and combine in a small bowl with the sugar. Let berries sit in sugar for at least 15 minutes to release their juices.
• To serve: slice the cooled cake into thick pieces and top each slice with a generous spoonful of berries and their juices. Top with whip cream and devour.

AVOCADO PISTACHIO POUND CAKE WITH LEMON GLAZE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and line the bottom and long sides with parchment paper, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a mixing bowl. Add the ground pistachios and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the sugar and eggs together on medium speed until the eggs loosen, then slowly stream in the oil until it emulsifies. Continue to beat until the mixture is very light in color and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the avocado, sour cream and zest and beat just until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Incorporate the flour mixture in three additions, mixing on low speed after each addition just until no bits of dry flour remain.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and lightly rap the pan on the counter to dislodge any air pockets in the batter. Bake for about 1 hour, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Allow the cake to cool completely in its pan.
• While the cake cools, make the glaze: Sift the confectioners' sugar into a small mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest, ground pistachios and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and mix until the thickness of the glaze is similar to runny honey. If you want a thinner consistency, add additional lemon juice or water 1 teaspoon at a time and whisk until combined.
• Set a wire rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet and turn the cake out onto the rack. Pour the glaze over the top. Decorate the cake with candied lemon zest, edible flowers and toasted pistachios, if desired. Let the glaze set on the cake for 20 minutes before cutting. This cake keeps well in a sealed container at room temperature for 1 week.

PISTACHIO POUNDCAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Prepare the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-x-5-x-3-inch loaf pan.
• Grind the pistachios in a food processor just until they resemble coarse meal. Be careful to not grind them into pistachio butter. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and pulse until combined.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, then, with the mixer still running, slowly stream in the sugar. Cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Occasionally stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.
• With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture, then the milk, and finally the remaining flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Finish mixing the batter by hand with a rubber spatula. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then remove the cake to a rack to cool completely.
• Prepare the strawberries: Combine sugar, lavender and vanilla seeds in a mortar and grind with a pestle until the lavender is broken up into fine bits and the sugar is fragrant.
• Hull the strawberries and slice in half if they are small, or in quarters if they are larger. Combine the sliced berries and sugar mixture in a bowl and stir gently. Let macerate for at least 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.
• To serve, slice the cooled cake into thick pieces and top each slice with a generous spoonful of berries and their juices. Top with whipped cream. Extra cake keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.