Pistachio & Spinach Cake With Marzipan Topping
Recipe
I don’t post many dessert recipes as I’m not really into sweet things. Therefore, if I do, it must be a recipe that has been tried and tested many times to get my approval (my taste buds’ approval that is!). I’m not much into chocolate (I know!), I truly detest ice-cream and sorbets (shocking!)… BUT I love sponge cakes! Nice & moist in the middle but crunchy at the top. My husband is usually responsible for the desserts department in our house and recently he was asked to make this cake 3 times in a row. Just imagine how much eye-rolling and sighing I received for the constant requests of making the same cake over and over again… God forbid!
Also, don’t you think it’s fun to eat a green cake?? 🙂
Prep time: 20 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients
Cake
- 200g flour, preferably wholemeal
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 75g pistachios, shelled
- A handful of spinach or kale (washed)
- 50g coconut oil
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 100g brown or coconut sugar
- 180g non-dairy milk (preferably almond) + 120g non-dairy milk
For the topping
- 100g pistachios or walnuts
- 100g white sugar (if you have a good blender) or icing sugar
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 2-3 tbsp. water
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 °C. Grease a loaf or cake tin with a little rapeseed or coconut oil.
2. Grind the pistachios into a powder in a blender. Tip into a bowl with flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Put the 120g of milk into the blender with the cider vinegar and mix for 3-4 min until it curdles. Pour over the pistachio flour and stir gently.
4. Add the coconut oil, almond & vanilla extract, spinach or kale, sugar and 180g of milk into the processor and blend until smooth.
5. Add the pistachio mixture into the blender and mix carefully until just combined.
6. Pour mixture into the cake tin and bake for 25-30 min until a toothpick or chopstick comes out clean. Remove from the tin after a few minutes and let it cool on a wire rack.
For the topping
1. Place nuts in a blender (no need to wash it after making the cake) and blend on low power until they are broken up but not too fine. Tip out into a bowl.
2. If not using icing sugar, blend white sugar in processor on high until it becomes a powder. Add almond extract and a little water. Mix. Keep adding a little more water and mixing until a paste is formed.
3. Once the cake is cooled, spread the icing all over it.
4. Sprinkle the nuts on top.
5. Let it set for 10-15 mins before serving. Being non-dairy, the cake will keep in the fridge for a good week… if it lasts that long, that is!