Cardamon and Rosewater Pistachio Bundt Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: Makes 1 cake 1x
Description
This gorgeous cardamon bunt cake cake is not exactly diet food. But then, who wants to be good all the time?
Ingredients
- 125 grams butter at room temperature (unsalted preferably)
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean essence
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups (480 ml) flour (level off with finger)
- 1 generous tbsp baking powder
- 1 level tsp ground cardamon
- A pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
- 2 tbsp rosewater (available at Asian and Middle Eastern grocers)
- 125 grams butter at room temperature
- 3 tbsp honey (I like Blue Gum honey)
- 4 tbsp boiling water
- 100 grams unshelled roasted pistachios
- 50 grams food quality dried rosebuds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and thoroughly grease a Bundt tin (I like to use a soya cooking spray)
- Cream butter with a stand or hand mixer and then gradually add the sugar and vanilla, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add each egg one at a time, beating well after each egg so everything is fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if required.
- Mix the milk and rosewater together.
- Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, cardamon and salt and then add to the mixing bowl in three batches, alternating with the milk mixture. Do not overwork – mix just until everything is combined.
- Spoon into the Bundt tin and even out with a spatula (you can also tap it gently against the kitchen bench top – this will also help to reduce air bubbles).
- Bake for around 40-45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Cool in tin for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Or leave it in the tin to cool completely.
- To make topping, cream butter until light and airy and then add the honey in two batches, beating well after each addition. Add the water one tbsp at a time and continue beating until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Trim Bundt base to level if necessary, ice cake with an offset spatula and then decorate with shelled and chopped pistachios and rosebuds (optional).
- Substitution: you can substitute a regular vanilla buttercream or vanilla icing for the honey butter if preferred.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 340
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
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- Spring Strawberry Cake Roll
- Apfel Kuchen: Traditional German Apple Cake
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find rosewater, and can I substitute it?
The recipe uses 2 tablespoons of rosewater and notes in the ingredients list that it is available at Asian and Middle Eastern grocers. If you can’t find it, the recipe doesn’t suggest a direct substitute for rosewater — but rosewater is what gives this cake its distinctive floral character alongside the cardamom, so skipping it will produce a noticeably different result.
Can I swap the honey butter topping for something simpler?
Yes — the instructions explicitly offer a substitution: a regular vanilla buttercream or vanilla icing can replace the honey butter topping if preferred. The honey butter is made by creaming 125g of butter with 3 tablespoons of honey and 4 tablespoons of boiling water until smooth, then spreading it with an offset spatula before adding the pistachios and optional rosebuds.
Why does the recipe alternate the flour and milk-rosewater mixture when mixing?
Adding the 2 cups of flour in three batches, alternating with the combined ½ cup of milk and 2 tablespoons of rosewater, prevents the batter from becoming overworked and tough. The instructions specifically say to mix just until combined each time and not to overwork the batter — a common guideline for Bundt cakes that rely on a light, tender crumb.
Hi .this looks havenly, but cup size you used…want to make it for my mum birthday
Hi Peta, you can use a regular cake tin :)
Does this recipe have to be baked in a bundt tin or can I use a regular tin
Cardamom
Hi Michele, thanks for the comment. Actually, it can be spelled both ways.