Recipe for the spiced carrot, pistachio and almond cake with rosewater cream

Recipe from Sabrina Ghayour’s Persiana

Ingredients

• 3 large free-range eggs

• 200g caster sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 200g ground almonds

• 100g desiccated coconut

• 2 heaped tsp ground cinnamon

• 150g unsalted butter, melted

• 2 large carrots, coarsely grated

• 100g shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

• icing sugar for dusting

For the rosewater cream

• 300ml double cream

• 2-3 tbsp rosewater

• 3-4 tbsp icing sugar

• pistachio nuts a few, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 160 ° C/fan 140 ° C/gas mark 3.

2. Line a 23cm springform cake tin with enough nonstick baking paper to cover the base and sides. The oils from the nuts and butter in the batter prevent the cake from sticking.

3. Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl.

4. Add the ground almonds, coconut and cinnamon and stir, then add the butter and mix the ingredients thoroughly.

5. 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 at 40 minutes to ensure it is cooking evenly. Once cooked, allow to cool in the tin, overnight if possible: the cake is moister once cooled and tastes better as a result.

6. To make the rosewater cream, whip the double cream with the rosewater and icing sugar, either by hand or with an electric hand whisk, until the cream is thick and unctuous.

7. Dollop a generous spoonful on the side of a slice of the cake and dust the cake and cream lightly with icing sugar.

8. Top with chopped pistachios.

9. Covered with clingfilm and find it can be kept like this for up to a week.

Carrot cake with rose cream - a short story