Cake of the Day: Pistachio and Pomegranate Cake from ‘Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook’
Every day, Yahoo Food features delectable cakes. They taste good, they look good, and they’re made by good people — talented bakers from around the world. Today, Rachel Khoo shares a stunning jeweled dessert just in time for Thanksgiving from her cookbook, Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook.
Pistachio and Pomegranate Cake. (Photo: David Loftus)
Pistachio and Pomegranate Cake
Serves 8 to 10
Turkish pastries, such as the intensely sweet and extremely sticky baklava, were nothing new to me; however, the pomegranate juice stands that cropped up on Istanbul’s street corners were a delightful discovery. The dark red juice makes for a refreshing drink, and although it’s a nightmare if you get it on your clothes, it’s perfect for coloring icing the natural way.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 50 minutes
For the cake
1 cup shelled pistachios
¾ cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup sunflower oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups natural yogurt
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ pomegranate
For the yogurt icing
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 ½ tablespoons natural yogurt
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan.
Using a food processor, grind the pistachios to a fine powder. Combine the granulated sugar and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix for 2 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Gradually add the eggs and vanilla. Fold in the yogurt. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground pistachios. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, then release the sides of the pan and invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool, lifting away the bottom of the pan.
When the cake is cool, hold the pomegranate skin-side up in a bowl with your fingers spread out. Hit the outside of the skin with a wooden spoon. The seeds and juice will fall through the gaps between your fingers into the bowl.
To make the yogurt icing: Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl, then add the yogurt and mix well to get a thick pouring consistency.
Pour the icing on top of the cooled cake, gently guiding it down the sides. Once the icing has stopped dripping, take the pomegranate juice and dot several drops along the top of the cake. Drag a skewer or toothpick in a figure-eight pattern through the drips of pomegranate, swirling it all around the cake.
Stick the pomegranate seeds to the side of the cake when the icing has stopped dripping. (If it’s difficult to make them stick, chill the cake for 10 minutes in the refrigerator first.) Slice and serve.
Reprinted with Permission from Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook by Rachel Khoo (Chronicle Books).
More stunning cakes for the Thanksgiving table:
Red Velvet Cheesecake from ‘The Up South Cookbook’
Toffee Apple Cake from ‘Lovely Layer Cakes’
