Treat your tastebuds with this sweet treat from The Kai Cookbook: A Love Letter to the West of Ireland by Jess Kelly.
“Whenever we make this cake, people pre-order it and it always sells out,” shares Jess. “This gorgeous gateau was the brainchild of Fabian, a super-talented French pastry chef from La Rochelle who worked at Kai. Since the West of Ireland has the highest number of coeliacs per capita in Europe, we always need a kick-ass gluten-free cake on the cake bar, and this is it. This recipe uses pistachio paste, which isn’t the same thing as the pistachio spread that you can find more easily in the shops. You’ll probably have to get the paste from an online catering supply store. It’s a hassle, I know, but it’s worth it. This cake is basically Taylor Swift. Her reputation precedes her.”
Serves 10–12
Ingredients
180g salted butter
60g pistachio paste
350g egg whites (about
10 eggs)
275g icing sugar
70g caster sugar
375g ground almonds
150g rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
For the cream cheese icing:
225g salted butter, softened
225g icing sugar
450g full-fat cream cheese
50g pistachio paste
To decorate:
dried rose petals
finely chopped pistachios
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 165°C. Grease and line 2 x 23cm cake tins with non-stick baking paper.
2. Melt the butter and pistachio paste together, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
3. Whisk the egg whites in a spotlessly clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the icing sugar and caster sugar while still whisking until stiff peaks form.
4. Mix the ground almonds, rice flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl.
5. Using a large metal spoon, fold the melted butter and pistachio paste into the egg whites until just combined, then fold in the ground almond mixture, also until just combined. Divide between the two lined cake tins and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on wire racks before you ice them.
6. Meanwhile, to make the icing, put the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until the butter is soft and has turned a light shade of white, remembering to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often. Add the icing sugar and beat again until well combined, with no sign of any butter or sugar clumps. Add the cream cheese and pistachio paste, then gently beat until combined into a smooth icing.
7. To assemble, put one cake on a plate or cake stand and spread it with a little less than half of the icing. Add the other cake on top, then finish with the rest of the icing on the top and sides. Pipe any remaining icing on top of the cake in a pretty pattern, then scatter over some dried rose petals and finely chopped pistachios to decorate.
Looking for dinner inspiration? For more recipes like this, read here.
