Lemon, cardamom and pistachio cake
Ever since I tried my first-ever lemon cake in France (many years ago), I fell in love with it. It was that moment when you can say that it was love at first sight and bite in this case. Beautifully glazed, it stood in the window of a boulangerie in Paris (yet, I can not recall the name of that place), available in pieces or whole. I bought a slice and bit into it just outside and ate it all. Moist, light, with character, it put a spell over me. I have tried many lemon cakes while traveling the world and in France. From dense and buttery to lighter, yet, I must admit that this is my favourite - light and with cardamom.
135 g 35% creme fraiche
zest of 2 lemons, finely grated
3 eggs, room temperature
200 g light brown sugar
10 cardamom pods, seeds crushed
pinch of salt
235 g all-purpose wheat flour
6 g baking powder
70 g butter, melted
50 g non-salted pistachios, chopped
50 g candied lemon zest or orange zest, cut into pieces (optional)
syrup:
105 ml fresh orange juice
40 ml lemon juice
50 g light brown sugar
pinch of sea salt
a few orange zest slices
20 g butter, small pieces
Heat the oven to 200°. Line a pan (about 20/23x12 cm) with baking paper.
Place cream, zest, eggs, sugar, cardamom and salt in a bowl. Whisk with a hand whisk until smooth (1 minute). Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix flour and baking powder.
When the eggs have been mixed, add the flour mixture and mix in. Add butter and mix in again. Add pistachios and candied peel and mix until incorporated, no longer.
Pour all into a pan. Place butter pieces in the middle all along the length of the pan. Place in the oven one level lower than the middle. Lower the temperature to 170°. Bake for around 50-55 minutes or until golden and the skewer inserted comes out clean. Sometimes it takes up to 1 h 10 minutes.
Make the syrup. In a pot, add all the ingredients and boil on medium heat letting the sugar melt. Then raise the heat to almost highest and boil until the syrup reduces by 1/3. Remove and let cool.
Take the cake out and immediately pour on the syrup, which I do one tablespoon at a time. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then lift out slowly with the baking paper and place on a cooling rack. Serve warm or room temp.
