Cardamom Rosewater Pistachio Cake. When the flavors of rose water and aromatic cardamom combine it creates magic! And it ignites the festive spirit in us. This cake is inspired by a very popular Bengali/Indian dessert – Rasmalai (Rosomalai/Roshmalai). Traditionally, saffron is used to make Rasmalai, but I wanted to infuse this cake with the delicate hint of rose water.
One month before Durga Pujo.
Cue the anticipation.
Cue the Pujo frenzy.
Running to stores. Running to the tailor. Making lists of gifts. Visiting families to give them their gifts. Making plans of Pandal hopping. Making lists of the eateries we planned to eat at. We would always get a little extra spending money and boy, would we feel rich. A whole twenty rupees to spend on whatever I want. Twenty Rupees went a long way in the 90s. And I would spend the most of it on
The smells and sounds of Sharat (autumn) were enough to put a spring in everyone’s steps. After the hot summer days and humid monsoon months, everyone would look forward to the pleasant autumn months which would bear the promise of cooler mornings, balmy afternoons and the crisp evenings.
Bengalis cannot remain calm when Durga Pujo is just around the corner. Period.
All these are a thing of the past now. We are just about 3 weeks away from Durga Pujo all we have is memories of our childhood and early adulthood doused in nostalgia.
We try to make the most of Pujo while we are here. This year we will be going to Indianapolis. The almost 7 yo and the husband are participating in a dance and a drama respectively. I try to stay behind the scenes for the better part or I am mostly seen running around with my camera.
It is fun but each year I feel that something is missing. So to perk my mood up, I usually go on a dessert making frenzy. This year I am starting with Cardamom Rosewater Pistachio Cake.
- All Purpose Flour – 2 Cups
- Butter – 1 stick or 1/2 Cup softened/at room temperature
- Confectioners Sugar – 2/3 Cup
- Eggs – 2 large, at room temperature
- Baking Powder – 1 tbsp
- Ground Cardamom – 3/4 tsp
- Salt – 1/8 tsp
- Milk – 1/2 Cup + 1 tbsp
- Rose water – 1 tablespoon + 1 tsp (I picked up a bottle from Wholefoods)
- A handful of unsalted pistachios – chopped, for garnishing
- Dried Rose Petals – 2 tbsp for garnishing
Milk-Rose Water Syrup – for brushing the cake + icing
- 6 tbsp milk
- 1 fat pinch of cardamom powder
- Sugar – 1 tbsp
- Rose water – 1 tsp
For the Icing
- Confectioners Sugar – 1/2 Cup (add more confectioners sugar if you want thicker icing)
- Couple of tablespoons of the Milk-Rose Water Syrup (adjust to get your desired level of consistency)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan.
Transfer the batter to the greased bundt pan and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes or till it is baked through. Insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean, your cake is done.
Once the cake has cooled down, brush it with the milk-cardamom-rose water concoction. Let the cake soak in all the fragrant goodness.
In a measuring cup (once, again I find it easier to pour) mix the icing sugar with a tablespoon of the milk-cardamom-rose water concoction. Add more icing sugar if you prefer a thicker glaze. Pour the icing on the cake. Garnish it with the chopped pistachios and dried rose petals.
Serve. Enjoy.
This recipe is a part of the ongoing Kolkata Food Bloggers’ Event which features me. Yay! Do check out the other festive recipes on our page.
Wonderfully written, amazing photos and an awesome recipe. This cake is plain delicious to say the least!
Thank you Progna! :-*
Everything in that cake is delicious! Love all the flavors…
Looks very tempting… can any egg substitute be used in this recipe?
Looks very inviting.. thank-you fr sharing a wonderful recipe with such fab pictures