Rhubarb, orange, pistachio and cardamom cake

Name: Rhubarb, orange, pistachio and cardamom cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 12

Pudding & Cake Serves 12 1h 30 min

Flavoured with delicate orange flower water and cardamon, and studded with tangy rhubarb and pistachios, this is a moist and delectable teatime treat or dessert. The cream cheese icing is a lovely touch, but you could also serve this with a drizzle of double cream or a dollop of crème fraîche instead.

Ingredients

150g light brown sugar
250ml sunflower oil, plus a little extra for greasing
3 eggs
1 tbsp orange flower water (optional)
zest of 1 orange
seeds from 12 cardamom pods
½ tsp ground ginger
300g self raising flour
350g rhubarb, cut into 1cm pieces
80g pistachios, finely chopped, plus extra for the topping (optional)
250g mascarpone or cream cheese
50g icing sugar, sifted
zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

Prep time: 15 min

Cooking time: 1h 15 min

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Grease a 20cm cake tin and line with baking parchment. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, oil and eggs.
Step 2
Stir in the orange flower water, zest, cardamom seeds and ginger. Fold in the flour. Stir in the rhubarb and pistachios.
Step 3
Pour into the tin and even it out. Bake for 1-1¼ hours on the middle shelf, until a skewer comes out clean.
Step 4
Keep an eye on it as it cooks and cover loosely with foil if it's turning too brown. Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.
Step 5
To make the icing, beat together the mascarpone, icing sugar, orange zest and lemon juice. Spread over the top and sides of the cake once it has cooled completely. Sprinkle over some chopped pistachios, if using.