CAFÉ ISTANBUL: COFFEE AND PISTACHIO CAKES WITH CLOVE SPIKED ICING, DECORATED WITH ROSE TURKISH DELIGHT, DRIED ROSE PETALS AND A SPRINKLING OF BLACK PEPPER
CAFÉ ISTANBUL: COFFEE AND PISTACHIO CAKES WITH CLOVE SPIKED ICING, DECORATED WITH ROSE TURKISH DELIGHT, DRIED ROSE PETALS AND A SPRINKLING OF BLACK PEPPER
Recipe
To create this recipe concept I took inspiration from the exotic flavours of traditional Turkish dessertssuch as Muhallebi, Baklava and Künefe. The flavours of pistachio, clove and rose pay homage tothese historical desserts, and pair seamlessly with coffee. The cake itself is rich and textural allowingit to stand up next to the vibrant Café Istanbul, while the creamy, sweet icing balances out eachmouthful. A touch of black pepper gently hits the palette at the very end.
MAKES 8 MINICAKES
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CAKE
170g butter, softened
170g soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 free range eggs
120g regular flour
40g ground almonds
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 pinch sea salt
½ cup Nespresso Dharkan extracted as a Ristretto (25ml)
75g pistachios, roughly chopped
FOR THE ICING
150g butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
100g cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cloves
FOR THE DECORATIONS
Handful of pistachios, roughly chopped
4 pieces of rose flavoured Turkish delight, cut into small cubes
Handful of fresh or dried rose petals
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan bake. Grease or line 8 holes of a large muffin tray.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until pale, light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time.
- In two parts, mix in the flour, ground almonds, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Finally add the Nespresso. Stop your electric mixer once all the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix.
- By hand, stir through the pistachios.
- Evenly divide the batter between the 8 muffin holes.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden in colour, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, make the icing. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter by itself until smooth. Add the icing sugar and beat on high until seriously light and fluffy. Gradually add the cream cheese, followed by the vanilla and ground cloves. The icing should be smooth, creamy and thick.
- Once the cakes are completely cool, use a piping bag to swirl some icing on top of each one.
- Decorate each minicake with a scattering of chopped pistachios, cubes of Turkish delight, fresh or dried rose petals and a scant pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve at room temperature. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.