One of Roohi’s favourite things to bake when she has guests over, this cake recipe serves 10. It also doesn’t hurt that it looks pretty as a picture on the table!
Ingredients you will need:
- 3 large eggs
- 200g (7oz) caster sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 200g (7oz) ground almonds
- 100g (3 ½ oz) desiccated coconut
- 2 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
- 150g (5 ½ oz) unsalted butter, melted (Roohi used RRO Better Butter)
- 2 large carrots, coarsely grated
- 100g (3 ½ oz) shelled unsalted pistachio nuts, chopped lengthwise
- icing sugar, for dusting !
For the Rosewater Cream
- 300ml (1/2 pint) cream
- 2-3 tbsp rosewater
- 3-4 tbsp icing sugar
- A few chopped pistachio nuts !
Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/gas mark 3. Line a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin with enough nonstick baking paper to cover the base and sides. You won’t need to grease the tin or the paper, as the oils from the nuts and butter in the batter prevent the cake from sticking to the paper.
Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract together in a mixing bowl. Add the ground almonds, coconut and cinnamon and stir, then add the melted butter and give the ingredients a thorough mix. Add the grated carrots and pistachios and mix again until the ingredients are evenly blended, then gently pour or spoon the batter into your prepared cake tin and bake for 1 hour, or until it feels firm to touch and a crust forms on top. Check the cake at 40 minutes to ensure it is cooking evenly. Once cooked, allow to cool in the tin, overnight if you can wait; the cake is much moister once cooled and tastes better as a result.
To make the rosewater cream, whip the cream along with the rosewater and icing sugar, either by hand or using an electric hand whisk, until the cream is thick. Dollop a generous spoonful on the side of a slice of the cake and dust the cake and cream lightly with icing sugar. Top with some chopped pistachios.
