Pistachio, vanilla and lemon cake
Panela is simply the juice from sugarcane, dried and then ground to a coarse powder. It has become more readily available recently, even in supermarkets. If you can't find it then just use caster sugar.
Ingredients
175g shelled pistachios, fresh if available
25g shelled pistachios for decoration
5 large eggs, separated
35g caster sugar
35g panela organic sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
grated rind of 1 lemon
2 tbsp grappa (or other spirit or liqueur)
1 tsp vanilla essence
100g apricot jam
Method
Place the 175 grams of shelled pistachios in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Beat the yolks with the two sugars until pale and creamy. Mix in ground pistachios, lemon juice and rind, grappa and vanilla. Beat egg whites until shiny with soft peaks and fold gently, but thoroughly, into the mixture. Butter a round 20-centimetre cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper. Pour mixture into tin and bake in a preheated 200C oven for 25 minutes. The cake is ready when the top is firm rather than wobbly. Remove to a cake rack and allow to cool before removing from the tin. Heat the apricot jam gently in a small saucepan until melted. Using a pastry brush, paint the liquid jam onto the surface until glossy Scatter the remaining pistachios on top. Serve with coffee or tea.
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