This dreamy Nici Wickes recipe shows you can enjoy a delicious cake without the sugar hangover.
Let 2021 be the year that you give away the emptiness of sugary, fluffy cakes that rise to great heights but are only good eaten fresh and, really, lack any substance at all.
Instead, with this recipe, let me show you the heart and soul of what a truly great cake is. It even gets better with age (in other words, it’s a keeper) and has what I call “cake integrity”. Oh, and it’s super yum too and you won’t get a sugar hangover from eating more than you meant to!
Ingredients
170g honey, warmed
150g unsalted butter, melted
4 medium eggs
4 heaped tablespoons finely ground pistachios
2 tablespoons almond flour
1⁄4 cup plain flour (can be gluten-free)
Topping
150g mascarpone
1 tablespoon coconut sugar or maple syrup
1 cup quartered strawberries
1⁄4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
Icing sugar to dust (optional – don’t add to keep recipe sugar free)
Method
1. Heat the oven to 160°C fan-bake, and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.
2. Warm the honey and butter until the butter is melted.
3. With a beater, whisk the eggs until pale and creamy. (My mother, a fantastic baker, has taught me to be patient with this stage – it can take 7-10 minutes.) With the whisk still running, drizzle in the honey/ butter mix and whisk for a minute more. Fold in the pistachios, almond flour and plain flour.
4. Gently scrape the batter into a prepared tin and bake for 35 minutes or until a small knife inserted comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool.
5. To serve, whip the mascarpone with the coconut sugar (or maple syrup) until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the centre of cake and spread it out, leaving it clear of the edges. Pile the strawberries on top, scatter with the pistachios, and serve.
