Pistachio Loaf Cake | Loafing Around on a Family Friday

Yes, YES! It’s that time of the month again. After quite a gap, Family Friday has come and my family came together for a sumptuous lunch catching up from where we left off last time.I love these weekends for far too many reasons. This is the when I get to visit my childhood home and be one, all over again. Umma will be doing all the cooking while I sit in the kitchen, yakking away and being of absolutely no help.
Last winter, Umma gifted me a loaf tin. I vaguely remembered that I had bookmarked a recipe that called for one. When I did find it, I knew it would be a great recipe to try for a Family Friday. This recipe had no chocolate which is the primary reason a few elders refuse to try my baking endeavors. I know that lunch always carries onto tea and this recipe was perfect for the occasion.

A Pistachio Loaf Cake. This recipe is originally from the second book published by the London based, The Hummingbird Bakery. I found two separate posts of food bloggers attempt at the recipe.

This is what my cake looked like straight out of the oven. My loaf tin was slightly smaller than the one specified in the recipe. The sides of the loaf cake weren’t burnt but I would take out the cake a little sooner than I did, when I bake it the next time.

I had a teeny slice from the loaf. It was light and airy, had the delicate taste of butter and a delightful crunch of the pistachios. Now, time for some icing.

I had a ton of fun glazing and photographing the loaf simultaneously, as you can see. Once the icing glaze was finished, I tasted another teeny slice. The glaze, along with ground pistachio crust, imparted the right touch of sweetness.As I had baked the day before. I was slightly apprehensive of how the cake would taste. However, I am pleased to write that the cake retained it’s moisture and melted ever-so-dreamily in my mouth.

Having sliced the loaf for everyone to enjoy, I sat out on the patio with the ladies and watched their tiny tots play. I watched them talking, squabbling and making up, all in a span of 10 minutes. Oblivious to the conversation(s) around me, l I saw and heard laughter. The kind that has you smiling before you realize you are. The kind that makes you want to laugh along. The kind that make you hope that their innocence never changed. The kind that makes you wish to never grow up. I whiled my lazy Friday Afternoon soaking up the sun and grateful for the simple joys of life.

That peeping pink pistachio bit is gorgeous, isn’t it?

This recipe is too easy and I’m sure you’ll have great results, too.

Pistachio Loaf Cake – adapted from Hummingbird Bakery Cake Day Recipes

INGREDIENTS

• 190g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 190g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 190g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 100g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped

For the glaze – optional

• 100g icing sugar

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 170°C then grease a 8.5cm x 17.5cm loaf tin with butter and dust with flour.
• Roughly pound or chop the shelled pistachios.
• Using a hand-held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are properly mixed together.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then add to the creamed mixture in two batches and mix on a low speed until just incorporated.
• Add the milk and vanilla paste.
• Add a handful of the pistachios directly into the batter.
• Pour or spoon the batter into the prepared tin.
• Sprinkle the remaining pistachios directly on top of the cake batter.
• Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the sponge feels firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean, with no uncooked batter sticking to it.
• Allow the loaf to cool a little in the tin, then turn out on a wire rack to cool down fully before adding the glaze.
• Place the icing sugar in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of water and mix together. This will form a fairly runny paste; if the glaze seems too thick, add a little more water to thin it – 1/4 teaspoon at a time.
• Pour the glaze over the cooled loaf.

Happy Baking 🙂

Have a good food day.