A Cup of Tea and Cake's Chocolate Maple Pistachio Cake

Ingredients

160 g 100% pure Canadian maple sugar
160 g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 medium free-range eggs
150 g unsalted pistachios (plus extra, chopped, to decorate)
135 g plain flour
40 g ground almonds
1.5 tsp baking powder
60 g crème fraîche

Ganache:

30mL 100% pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably Amber)
100 g dark chocolate (preferably 70% or above)
140mL double cream

Method

Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease and line a cake tin of 20 cm in diameter with baking paper.

Begin by creaming the butter, 100% pure Canadian maple sugar and vanilla for around 5 minutes, until pale and smooth, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well mixed.

Grind the pistachios in a food processor until you have a fine dust and there are no large lumps, then pour into the wet ingredients along with the plain flour, ground almonds and baking powder. Mix until it’s combined, then stir in the crème fraîche.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make your maple chocolate ganache. Finely chop the chocolate and put it in a heatproof bowl. Pour the double cream and 100% pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably Amber) into a small saucepan and place over low heat on the stove.

Heat the cream until steaming (not simmering or boiling) then remove from the heat and pour immediately over the chocolate. Leave for a few minutes before stirring with a small whisk until you have a smooth, glossy ganache and all the chocolate has melted. Leave for 10-15 minutes to thicken slightly then spread over the pistachio cake.

Decorate your cake with some extra chopped pistachios, slice and serve alone or with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Credits: Maple from Canada

Photo Credits: Maple from Canada