Party Rings

Acrylic on board, 2009

LUCY’S RECIPE PAGE

Murdofleur is one year old this week, so here’s an extra recipe to celebrate a Summer baby. Thanks to Nigel Slater for this fragrant delight.

Pistachio and citrus cake

Ingredients

250g of butter

250g of caster sugar

3 large eggs

100g of shelled pistachio nuts

100g of ground almonds

The zest and juice of an orange

1 tsp of rosewater (optional)

60g of plain flour

For the icing:

100g of icing sugar

2 tbsp of lemon juice

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Preheat the oven to 160° C and line the bottom of a non-stick 22cm cake tin with baking parchment.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, stirring between each egg.

Blitz the pistachios in a food processor to turn them into fine crumbs and then add them, along with the almonds, to the mixture.

Add the zest and the juice of the orange and then stir in the rosewater. Finally, fold in the flour.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 minutes, covering the top lightly with foil for the final ten minutes. Check that the cake is done by inserting a skewer, it should come out quite clean with no wet mixture stuck to it. Leave it to cool in the tin before turning out.

Make the icing by mixing the icing sugar and lemon juice together until smooth, then pour it over the cake. Add a candle for good measure – you never know when a wish might come in handy.