Lime Yoghurt Cake with Rosewater and Pistachios
Recipe by Rachel Allen from Rachel Allen Bake!
This extraordinary cake can be scattered with rose petals to make it even more special. It’s extremely feminine and is therefore perfect for Mothering Sunday or for sharing with girlfriends for a birthday or hen night. It’s very moist so keeps extremely well in the fridge for a few days.
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 225g (8oz) self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 75g (3oz) ground almonds
- 100g (3 ½ oz) caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 generous tbsp or 50g (2oz) runny honey
- 250ml (9fl oz) natural yoghurt, unsweetened
- 150ml (1/4 pint) sunflower oil
- Finely grated zest of 1 lime
For the syrup
- 150ml (1/4 pint) water
- 100g (3 1/2 oz) caster sugar
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1–2 tbsp rosewater
For decorating
- Rose petals (optional)
- 50g (2oz) unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF), Gas mark 4. Line the base and sides of the cake tin (22cm (8 ½ in) diameter spring-form/loose-bottomed tin) with greaseproof paper.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add ground almonds and caster sugar and mix.
- Mix the eggs, honey, yoghurt, sunflower oil and lime zest together well in a medium-sized bowl. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and slowly pour in the wet ingredients, bringing them together with a whisk until they are just combined. Add some chopped pistachios to the mixture if you wish, or retain for decorating.) Pour this mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes.
- While the cake is cooling, make the syrup. In a small saucepan, boil the water and sugar for about 5 minutes until it is reduced by half. Add the lime juice and boil for a further 2 minutes, then cool and add the rosewater according to your taste.
- With a fine skewer, make holes on top of the warm cake and, with a tablespoon, spoon the syrup all over the top. Scatter the pistachios over, if you wish, and leave to settle for 1 hour. Decorate with rose petals, if using. Serve with cream, natural yoghurt, sliced mangos or berries.
