Name: Flourless fig leaf and pistachio cake with rose and raspberries
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 250 gm pure icing sugar, sifted; 1½ tbsp lime juice; 2 tsp rosewater; 6 finger limes, pearls removed; Raspberries, slivered pistachios, rose petals and baby mint, to serve; Cake; Softened unsalted butter, for greasing; Rice flour, for dusting; 200 gm caster sugar; 1 small edible fig leaf, fibrous stalk removed; 220 gm roasted pistachios; 100 gm desiccated coconut; 1 tsp ground cardamom; 200 gm unsalted butter, melted and cooled; 5 eggs, lightly beaten; Finely grated zest of 2 limes

This fig leaf and pistachio cake is a beautiful centrepiece, made even more gorgeous when dressed in sweet icing and studded with raspberries. Fig leaf adds floral, citrus and vanilla notes to the Middle Eastern flavours of pistachio, lime and cardamom.

Ingredients

250 gm pure icing sugar, sifted

1½ tbsp lime juice

2 tsp rosewater

6 finger limes, pearls removed

Raspberries, slivered pistachios, rose petals and baby mint, to serve

Cake

Softened unsalted butter, for greasing

Rice flour, for dusting

200 gm caster sugar

1 small edible fig leaf, fibrous stalk removed

220 gm roasted pistachios

100 gm desiccated coconut

1 tsp ground cardamom

200 gm unsalted butter, melted and cooled

5 eggs, lightly beaten

Finely grated zest of 2 limes

Method

For cake, preheat oven to 160°C fan-forced. Grease a 30cm, 1.25-litre ring tin with butter, then dust with rice flour to coat. Combine sugar and fig leaf in a large food processor and process until bright green and finely chopped. Add pistachios and process until finely ground. Add remaining dry ingredients and pulse to combine, then transfer to a large bowl. Whisk butter, eggs and lime zest in a jug, then add to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour batter into tin and bake until golden and a skewer inserted withdraws clean (40-45 minutes). Stand cake for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool.

Whisk icing sugar, lime juice and rosewater in a bowl until smooth. Set aside to thicken (10 minutes). Drizzle icing over cake, top with raspberries, pistachios, rose petals, finger lime pearls and mint; stand to set (15 minutes). Cut slices to serve.

Maxwell Adey Senior Food Editor & Stylist

Maxwell has always been passionate about food. Born into a restaurateur and award-winning produce farming family, he was strongly steered into pursuing a career in advertising after completing his Bachelor of Public Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. After a very short stint, he decided to enrol in Commercial Cookery at TAFE to follow his true passion. Maxwell started out working in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants (Est., Claude’s and Moon Park) which helped further his love of all things culinary and developed his technical ability to cook. Later, he was lured into the magical world of food publishing where he freelanced for ten years for notable Australian commercial and editorial brands. He has also run his own business where he sells his marinated olives, dressings and sauces at food markets and select retailers. He excitingly joins the Gourmet Traveller team to bring his technical and creative expertise in food to the brand.

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Photography by Brett Stevens Photographer

Brett Stevens is an award-winning food, travel and still-life photographer based in Sydney, Australia. His career spans the globe; regularly taking on assignments for esteemed international magazines, advertisers and publishing houses. His signature style bestrides food, lifestyle, architecture, design and travel. Brett is renowned for his ability to create innovative work that combines his technical, considered eye with a playful organic freedom. Inspired by design, architecture and a bold aesthetic, Brett sights the work of Geoffrey Smart, Joel Sternfeld, Gregory Crewdson and Edward Burtynsky as but a few who inspire his ideals of creative expression. Whether it be large-scale studio set-builds, location shoots or concise tabletop environments, Bretts’ passion for photography and distinctive style is reflected in every shot he captures. Brett finds creative freedom and experimentation through his many personal projects, which allows him to maintain a clear headspace through the non-commercial elements of his craft. Invigorated by the current shift traditional advertising, marketing and publishing clients are making into generating multi-faceted digital and print content, Brett is now collaborating with clients on concepts that encompass all media outlets and platforms. Even though he remains a ‘stills’ photographer at heart he is engaging with some of the best editors, sound and post-production teams and has directed motion for a multitude of OLO, EDM and tablet platforms. With an enviable professional career that has encompassed many changes to all facets of the industry, Brett Stevens continues to evolve and embrace new technologies to best serve his clients while creating work that exemplifies his talent and distinct creative style. Some of Brett’s clients include Gourmet Traveller, DMG Fine Wine, Are Media, Dominos, Harvey Norman, Delicious, NLM, Domayne, Vogue Living, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Smeg Appliances, Jones, Condé Nast, Time Inc, Rockpool Group, Food & Wine, Mercedes Benz and Hardie Grant.

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Ingredients

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