Sicilian Pistachio Cake

Californian Pistachio Cake in this case. Because my pistachios weren’t of the vibrant green Sicilian variety, I decided to approach the cake differently and bake as 2 “ 6” layers and omit the decorative arrangement of nuts on the frosted cake.

The cake was easy to make but did include the extra steps of blanching the pistachios and then chopping them finely. The cake was somewhat dense but moist, and nutty with a hint of almond.

The French buttercream, made with egg yolks and hot sugar syrup had a nice butterscotch flavour from the Lyle’s Golden Syrup and was a good complement to the cake.

I’ve made this cake a few times now as it seems to appeal to fans of both vanilla and chocolate, without actually being either.