CAKE
250g/1 cup butter
250g/1¼ cups caster/superfine sugar
3 eggs
100g/¾ cup shelled and peeled pistachio nuts
100g/1 cup ground almonds
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1tsp rosewater
60g/scant ½ cup plain/all-purpose flour
ICING
80g/⅓ cup butter
250g/1¾ cups icing/confectioner’s sugar
1tbsp lemon juice
Rose petals and chopped pistachio nuts, to decorate
EQUIPMENT
20cm/8in loose-bottomed cake tin/pan
Food processor
On visiting Istanbul one rainy weekend, I set out to find the start of the Orient Express train line. I was on the hunt for the exact spot where Hercule Poirot stood, trying to charm his way onto an already packed train. When I found it, I could see him standing there, a set of matching luggage piled neatly next to him, hat perched jauntily on his head.* A journey on the famous train itself is little more than a pipe dream, but I did manage to wander the markets in Istanbul, collecting ingredients for a cake I can imagine my favourite Orient Express passenger nibbling away at.
Serves 10
1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/350F/gas 4 and grease and line the base of the cake tin with parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Blitz the pistachio nuts in a food processor until finely ground, then fold into the batter along with the almonds.
3. Add the orange zest to the batter, then the orange juice along with the rosewater. Finally, fold in the flour.
4. Spoon the mixture into the tin, and place in the oven for 50 minutes. Cover the top of the tin with foil for the last 10 minutes if it’s browning too quickly. Check the cake is cooked by placing a skewer into the centre – it should come out clean.
5. While the cake is cooling, beat the butter and icing sugar together until thick and creamy. Add the lemon juice. Spread the icing over the top of the cooled cake, and scrape it down the sides a little. Decorate with the rose petals and chopped pistachio nuts.
* I realized, years later, I was standing in the wrong station. Of course.