Recipe #1 Pistachio, Vanilla, Rose cake

Hi!

Sid and I had a fleeting tradition of nightly ice cream sundaes. This lasted for a solid two weeks until I listened to a podcast about diabetes (thanks ologies for saving our lives).

But it's hard to watch a movie or show without something to munch on or throw at the TV.

So we decided to make one (hopefully) excellent savory or sweet dish to enjoy while we binge.

Our inspiration comes from this super easy Kris Jenner lemon cake. But because we're both spending our quarantine time with family, we wanted to use some typical desi flavors our parents could enjoy. We decided on a pistachio cake with rose icing.

The Review:

Ekta:

This cake is the perfect thing to bring to a dinner party with lots of uncles and aunties. 10/10 for looks and easiness. People were also super impressed with the rose icing BUT it's soo sweet... After the third or fourth bite, I found myself craving something sour. Before I served it to my friends , I layered in some plum slices which I think made it way better. If I make this again, I'll probably swap out the rose icing with drizzle of white chocolate and raspberry sauce.

Sidra:

I loved that this cake looks so fancy, but was incredibly easy to make (only 20 minutes of actual prep!) I thought the pistachio was a bit too subtle, and this tasted too much like a boxed cake (i.e. straight sugar). I'll be making this again, but I would cut the sugar in the glaze, or add some fruit to cut the sweetness.

Ingredients:

Cake

1 Package of white cake mix

1 Package of Pistachio Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 pinch of salt (optional)

1 tsp of cardamom (optional)

1 tbsp of vanilla extract (optional)

Glaze

1-2 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp rose water

1 tbsp rose extract (optional)

Recipe (20 minutes prep, 75 minutes cook time):

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease and flour a bundt pan. Make sure to grease the pan well so that the cake doesn't get stuck. I used a pastry brush to get in between the ridges of the bundt pan, and then used ~1/4 cup of flour on the bottom.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, vegetable oil, eggs, milk, and any optional ingredients. Mix until everything is combined (~2 min)

Pour the mix into the bundt pan and place on the middle rack of the over. Bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes. While the cake is cooling, begin preparing your glaze.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the milk, rose water, and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Whisk the ingredients together until combined. If you want a thicker glaze, slowly add more powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.

Flip the pan onto a cooling rack or plate. If your cake doesn't immediately come out, don't panic! Gently tap on the outside of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the cake and then flip. (If you over-floured the pan and there's extra flour on top of the case, use a pastry brush and gently brush any excess flour off).

Drizzle the glaze over the cake. I used a measuring cup to control the drizzle and create an even pattern.

Add some chopped pistachio on top for a garnish, and enjoy!