Pistachio, Rose & Cardamom Cake With Raspberry Rose Jam

• Kay

Hey guys!

Hope you’re well and had a nice start to your week?

This weekend, for mother’s day, I combined some of my mum’s favourite flavours to create this little number:

Pistachio And Rose Cake - Kay's Kitchen

Pistachio, rose and cardamom.

Rose And Pistachio Frosting - Kay's Kitchen

I definitely had a mad scramble at Waitrose the night before to grab the cardamom, rose water and rose petals. I never use them in my day to day cooking.

Pistachio, Rose And Cardamom Cake - Kay's Kitchen

So pretty!

Pistachio, Cardamom And Rose Cake - Kay's Kitchen

^ I affectionately renamed it ‘the Shrek cake.’

Pistachio, Rose And Cardamom Cake With Homemade Raspberry Jam - Kay's Kitchen

A moist, pistachio and cardamom flavoured cake, sandwiched together with a homemade raspberry rose jam and rose water infused whipped cream frosting.

Rose, Pistachio And Cardamom Cake - Kay's Kitchen

When I cracked open the cake box, my brother inhaled and with the hugest grin, responded with “it smells like India!”

Slice Of Pistachio, Cardamom And Rose Cake With Homemade Raspberry Jam - Kay's Kitchen

For me, it’s really going back to my roots, nostalgic of summer holidays spent visiting family in India. The flavours evoke memories of exploring the hot, dusty streets on some kind of errand and stopping for a break, slipping into an air-conditioned little cafe to indulge in a kulfi or a falooda.

Slice Of Rose, Pistachio and Cardamom Cake With Homemade Raspberry Rose Jam - Kay's Kitchen

Enjoy,

– Kay

Ingredients

Cake

  • 165g salted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 300g caster sugar
  • 3 medium eggs
  • 200g flour
  • 3/4 tsp cardamom powder
  • 85g ground unsalted pistachios (I bought them whole then whizzed them in my food processor)
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp rose water
  • 1 drop green food colouring
  • 180ml buttermilk

Raspberry rose jam (makes a whole jar of jam, of which you need about half, feel free to reduce the recipe if you don’t want some spare jam for your morning toast!)

  • 250g raspberries
  • 200g jam sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp rose water
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Frosting

Decoration

Instructions

Raspberry rose jam

  1. Add the raspberries to a medium saucepan. Place on a medium heat until the raspberries begin releasing their juices and use the back of a wooden spoon to help break them down.
  2. Once completely squashed, add the remaining ingredients and allow to gently boil for 5 mins. You can test if it’s done by placing a teaspoon of the mixture to a plate then refrigerating for 1min. If it wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it will set perfectly.
  3. Add the jam to a glass jar, seal and place in the fridge to cool completely. If the jar is sterilised, this will keep for a few months.

Cake

  1. Preheat oven to gas mark 5. Grease and line 3 x 7-inch baking tins.
  2. Begin by creaming together the butter and sugar.
  3. One by one, add the eggs, mixing well to combine each time.
  4. Mix together the dry ingredients – flour, cardamom, pistachios and baking soda in a bowl.
  5. Mix together the wet ingredients – buttermilk, green food dye and rose water.
  6. Add a third of the dry ingredients to the butter mix before mixing well to combine.
  7. Add half of the wet ingredients to the butter mix before mixing well to combine.
  8. Repeat until all ingredients are combined.
  9. Split the batter equally into the prepared baking tins and bake for 25mins or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  10. Remove from baking tins and cool on a wire rack.

Frosting

  1. Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and whisk until lightly whipped and just holds.

Assembly

  1. Smear a spoonful of frosting onto a cake board before topping with the first layer of cake.
  2. Top with a couple of tablespoons of jam. Spread evenly.
  3. Add a couple of spoons of frosting before spreading evenly.
  4. Repeat with the second layer of cake.
  5. Top with the final layer of cake and decorate the sides and top with frosting. Use a spatula to spread evenly. I opted for a rustic look with ‘naked sides.’
  6. Use a toothpick to mark out the areas of the cake you want to decorate. Use a nozzle and piping bag to decorate before sprinkling over edible rose petals and crushed pistachios.
  7. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Pistachio, Rose & Cardamom Cake With Homemade Raspberry Rose Jam - Kay's Kitchen.png

60 thoughts on “Pistachio, Rose & Cardamom Cake With Raspberry Rose Jam”

      1. Hi Kay! I made the cake today the taste was lovely but the texture was look like it’s raw. I bake exacly like the recipe said. Is it normal I mean the sponge gonna be be dry ….?

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      2. Hey Monika,

        Ah that’s a shame – sometimes ovens can be a little variable so I wonder if it needed a little longer.

        The best way to check if it’s done is to use a toothpick / cake tester, poke the centre of the cake and see if it comes out clean. If it comes out with batter or crumbs, it needs to be baked out a little more.

        The cake is meant to be moist and cakey but definitely not raw!

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      1. Thanks. I’ve baked this now on 3 occasions and honestly can say it’s one of the best cakes I have had and has been a massive hit with the family. I did use plain flour but I thought I’d double check! Thank you so much for this recipe.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Pingback: 21 Best Summer Raspberry Cake Recipe My Cafe - Home, Family, Style and Art Ideas

  8. What a lovely colour😍. Awesome bake. Hopefully will bake it soon.
    Please let me know i hav rose marmalade and i would like to use it. Is there a way i can use it in this recipe.

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    1. Hey Zainab,

      Thanks for your comment! =]

      I don’t think I’ve tried rose marmalade before! I reckon you could substitute out the raspberry rose jam with your jar though. =]

      Happy baking!

      – Kay

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      2. Hey Kay
        I baked this cake yesterday. It tasted delicious…😋
        I used rose marmalade n rasberry jam combined it n added lemon juice as u mentioned n adjusted according to my taste buds…..
        It was a perfect combination….
        Its a must keep recipe.
        I wish i had baked more.
        Hope to bake it soon….

        Zainab

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Hey Zainab,

        I’m so glad you enjoyed baking & eating my cake recipe so much!! ❤

        Sounds like that rose marmalade & raspberry jam combo was a perfect accompaniment too.

        Hope it's even more delicious the next time around! X

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    1. Hi Stevie,

      I’d recommend using a gluten-free plain flour. If you’re using both almonds and pistachios in the batter, you’ll probably end up with a dense, heavy cake and it’ll might even be quite oily.

      Let me know how you get on!

      Happy baking!

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  11. Cake is in the oven, jam is set nicely. Tomorrow will be the assembling day. Can’t wait, it smells divine. I’ll show off tomorrow for the high tea with friends… Thanks for a nice recipe…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Hi N,

        The recipe calls for baking soda which is the main raising agent. It reacts perfectly with the slight acidity in the buttermilk to form a fluffy cake.

        Happy baking! =]

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  13. Thank you for sharing the recipe. I made it the other day for a party but I reduced the sugar amount by 25%.
    It turned out lovely.
    My husband said it is his new favourite and our friends loved it too.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hey Nikki!

      I’m so glad it worked out so well for you and everyone enjoyed it. ❤ Appreciate you taking the time to let me know too. Happy new year in advance. X

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  14. Hi Kay. Thank you for posting this recipe, I will be trying this for my birthday. Your recipe calls for three 7“ tins but I only have two 10“tins. Apologies for the silly question but will this be OK or will I need to tweak the recipe?

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    1. Hey Shaishta,

      Excited for you to give this a go! Oh,, that’s a good question, and the honest answer is, I don’t know!

      I’ve done a little Googling for you to try and figure the answer out. This site (https://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html) suggests that :
      -1 x 7 inch tin would hold 4 cups of batter.
      – 4 cups of batter x 3 tins = 12 cups of batter in total.
      – A 10 inch tin takes 11 cups of batter so you might not have enough for two tins.

      Based on this, I would suggest of the following options:
      1) Make a single layer and reduce the frosting.
      2) Double the recipe and make two layers.

      Hope that helps & happy birthday in advance!

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  15. Wonderful cake. What a great taste. I agree that the sugar can be reduced. Icing was more than enough. the batter totalled 4 1/2 cups. I really liked using the 7″ cake pan. Would make it again.

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  16. Hey, it’s a wonderful flavor combination. Normally I stick with chocolate cake due to having many picky eaters in my family, but I’m willing to give them a little push and try this lovely flavor this time. Any suggestions for eggless version of this?

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  17. Hi Kay, Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made this cake for our wedding anniversary just a few days ago. This is the best cake I have ever made. Flavour combination is sooo great everyone at home loved it. My husband and I fought for the last piece ha ha! Planning to bake this again tomorrow. Love love love this recipe. Bless you and stay safe.

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    1. Hey Nay,

      Thank you so much for getting in touch to let me know that you and your husband enjoyed it! ❤ Sounds like it really went down a treat!

      Hope it serves you well for years and years to come! =]

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      Reply

  19. Hi, I noted your recipe calls for baking in 3 x 7 inch tins.
    I only have 3 x 6 inch or 3 x 8inch. Which ones in your opinion I should use 6 inch ones or 8 inch ones?
    Thank you, Maria

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Maria,

      Personally, I would go for the 6 inch – 8 inch might make the cake too thin and hard to handle without breaking.

      Just be mindful that you might need to leave the cakes in the oven a little longer to fully cook through – you can test them by poking with a cake tester / toothpick and if it comes out clean, it’s done.

      Happy baking! X

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  20. Hello Kay i intend to make this as a small wedding cake . my practise one hasn’t gone well . They smell great but look greasy and heavy i was unsure what type of flour to use i used plain flower and they are quite thin . As with many others i didnt have 3 7 inch tins so did them in two goes. Have you used any alternative frosting ? im concerned re keeping qualities Thank you !

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    1. Hi Barbara,

      Sorry to hear your trial run didn’t work out for you.

      You’re right to have used plain flour. I’d probably also double-check a few things:
      – Is your baking soda still comfortably within its use-by date? Even a few months before it expires, it starts losing potency.
      – Did you overwork your cake batter? This might lead to some heaviness. At each stage, you want to mix till just combined or you’ll build too much gluten.
      – Were the pistachios ground up fine enough? You want them to be like coarse powder after processing so the batter can support them.

      I’d also consider reducing the pistachio from 85g to 50g to reduce the risk – you’ll still get the lovely flavour running through.

      Re: other frostings, I’ve not tried alternatives with this recipe although I think a white chocolate cream cheese frosting would pair really well!

      Hope that helps!
      – Kay

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      1. Hi Kay
        Thanks for your reply
        The cake wasn’t as bad as I first though and tasted amazing .The bride to be wanted a more pronounced Pistachio flavour I must confess that I missed a stage in writing down the recipe and did not grind the pistachios but chopped them. Would this have increased the flavour?
        Thank you
        Barbara.

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      2. I’m so glad to hear that! I think if you grind them down, it ought to help resolve your issue of it being a little heavy. The flavour should hold because the ratio of pistachio to the other ingredients in the batter will remain the same.

        Hope the wedding cake comes out absolutely perfectly for you!

        – Kay

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    1. Hi Barbara,

      I would personally bake the cakes, cover with clingfilm so that it keeps any moisture out and pop in the freezer.

      I would then take out the frozen layers and frost the cake when you need it. You can frost whilst the layers are still frozen. I actually find the firm layers are easier to work with.

      I think where the frosting has cream/mascarpone, the water content is high so it might not freeze very well and may lead to some issues.

      Once done, pop in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving, that ought to be enough for everything to defrost.

      Happy baking!

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  22. Hi, Summer from America here. Made the cake, lovely although I had to do some conversions lol. My only issue came to the frosting 600 ml double cream made it like soup. Thats over 2 cups. Is our heavy cream not like your double cream? I had to add a ton more icing sugar and all the marscapone. What can I do differently? I love the flavor the marscapone gives but the 600 ml made it soupy for me and I wanna make again. Everything else was great for me.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hey Summer,

      So glad the cake turned out well for you and you enjoyed it!

      Good question – although I have no idea whatt the answer is! Is heavy cream whippable? You’ll want cream that you buy as a liquid and can whisk to thicken and turn into whipped cream. Perhaps it’s labelled as ‘whipping cream’ ? Additionally, double cream has around 48% fat content if that helps you isolate the right type.

      Hope you manage to find something suitable!

      -Kay

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      1. Thanks for your speedy response. Our heavy whipping cream has a much lower fat content, but no worries I’m going to look at a few other recipes to adapt the frosting. The cake was amazing. Everyone loved it so beautiful.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Ah – no wonder! I’d have assumed they’d be the same too…

        Hope version 2 works out perfectly for you – this time both the cake and the frosting! Best of luck,

        – Kay

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    1. Hi Jaintha – sorry for the slow reply! Yes, you can do! I don’t usually use buttercream as it’s too sweet for my taste but you shouldn’t have any issues!

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      1. Thank you Kay. Baked the cake and it was one of the best cakes that i baked.i used whipping cream and instead of the jam i used a sugar syrup and added rose water. Definitely my go to cake and have shared your recipe to my baker friends Thank you for a great recipe.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Ahh, I’m soo happy to hear that it turned out so well for you!! ❤ Thank you for sharing with others too – appreciate it! X

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