High Altitude Lemon Pistachio Tea Cake
Moist and dense lemon pistachio tea cake baked in a loaf pan, drizzled with lemon icing and sprinkled with chopped salted pistachios and edible dried rose petals.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
Cake
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk (or sour cream, kefir or plain Greek yogurt)
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ⅓ cup salted shelled pistachios, finely chopped
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp salted shelled pistachios, finely chopped
- 2 tsp edible dried rose petals, optional
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a 9x5 inch bread loaf pan with a parchment paper "sling" and lightly spray the paper and ends of the pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, measure the sugar, then grate the lemon zest over the sugar. Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar until moist and fragrant.
- Add the butter, and beat on medium speed for about 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl down occasionally, until very light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating each for 30 seconds before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Scrape the bowl down and beat again for 30 seconds.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chopped pistachios. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 15 seconds.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for about 35-40 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then use the paper to lift the cake out of the pan. Let the cake cool on the cooling rack for 45 minutes before icing.
Icing
- In a bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and drizzly. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake.
- Before the icing sets, sprinkle the top of the cake with the chopped pistachios and dried rose petals.
- Wait until the icing sets, then slice the cake warm, or at room temperature.
Notes
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
The un-iced cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 3-6 months.
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/