Coffee, Pistachio, and Cardamom Cake
Try this coffee cake with a difference. The warm and herbal cardamom seeds complement fragrant coffee in a perfect combination. Pistachios add a dash of green to the decoration. Split the sponge cake and sandwich with Swiss meringue coffee buttercream. Serve with a frothy cappuccino!
Serves: 8
Cooking Time: Approx 30 mins
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 7 cardamom pods
- 3 tbsps instant espresso coffee powder
- 225g soft unsalted butter
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 75g chopped pistachios (or walnuts)
For the syrup:
- 2-4 tbsps coffee liqueur
- 1 tbsps caster sugar
For the Swiss meringue buttercream (enough to fill and decorate the cake):
- 3 large egg whites
- 250g caster sugar
- 375g unsalted butter, room temperature and diced
- 1 tbsps instant espresso coffee
To decorate the cake:
- 2-4 tbsps coffee liqueur
- 1 tbsps caster sugar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 5.
- Line the base of a non-stick 8 inch cake tin.
- Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and grind to a powder using a pestle and mortar.
- Place the coffee powder in a small cup or jug and add 1 tbsp of boiling water. Mix well and leave to cool.
- Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then gradually add the eggs, beating well between each addition. Then add the coffee and cardamom and beat well to combine.
- Add the flour, baking powder and nuts and carefully fold in using a large metal spoon.
- Spoon the cake mixture into the tin, level with the back of the spoon and bake for 25-30 minutes until the cake is well risen and golden brown.
- Whilst the cake is baking, gently warm the coffee liqueur with the sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Remove the cake from the oven. Whilst still in the tin prick the cake with a skewer and drizzle with the coffee liqueur. Leave to cool in the tin.
- When completely cool, remove from the tin and split horizontally with a bread knife.
- To make the buttercream, place the egg whites and sugar in a large grease free bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water so that the egg whites don’t cook.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk using an electric mixer until the meringue is thick, glossy and cooled to room temperature.
- Once cooled, add the butter a few pieces at a time and beat until the mixture is smooth and silky.
- Mix the coffee powder with ½-1 tbsps boiling water. When cool, add to the buttercream mixture.
Assembling the cake:
- Place the first layer of cake on a serving plate and top with approximately 1/3 buttercream mixture. Top with the next layer of cake.
- Decorate the top with piped buttercream and decorate with chopped pistachios.
Tips:
- To test if the cake is cooked, insert a clean skewer into the centre of the cake and remove it. The cake is ready if the skewer comes out clean.
- Use your favourite buttercream recipe instead of Swiss meringue buttercream or alternatively decorate with fresh cream flavoured with coffee and caster sugar.
- Substitute the pistachios for other nuts of your choice.
