I’d love to know the brand of pistachio paste you ordered and how this cake turns out with it. I’ve read in several places about different brands (including Melissa Clark recipes in the NYT) and haven’t yet made the plunge to buy one. I also prefer not using food coloring unless absolutely necessary.
1 Like
It’s called " Vincente Delicacies Pistachio Paste."
2 Likes
Thanks!
Wow, this is… really, really good. Even tasting it just an hour after I took it out of the oven, I love it.
Super interested to see how this changes with a day or two, but right now, this is a winner.
9 Likes
A few notes:
- As some of the reviews on King Arthur mentioned, the chocolate chips mostly sunk to the bottom of the cake (which becomes the top after you turn it out.) Some folks said they floured the chips first and that helped. I could try that.
- Another common complaint in the comments was baking time; people said the stated time was too long. I was baking a half-recipe so I wasn’t sure what final baking time would be; I set the timer for 35 minutes, and in fact it was done then. I’ll have to watch the full-sized cake closely as well.
- This is my ideal amount of chocolate: it’s an accent, not the star. I haven’t glazed/ganache’d the cake yet, but I think when I do so to serve it, it will be mostly for presentation.
6 Likes
I’m surprised the cake hasn’t been rebranded a ‘Dubai Chocolate’ cake by King Arthur! All they need to add is kadayif in some form.
1 Like
Re cut up big quiche, that could get really messy. Ideas- How about a Spanish Tortilla (room temp is great- shhh you can just cheat and finish top in oven, but do flip it out to serve) or a frittata? Sweet- Madelines hold up pretty well, lavender short bread cookies. Salmon mousse (especially if buffet style- do not pre-assemble, provide a water cracker type deliver mode). If chicken salad required- waldorf style on endive spears. Would never thought of it, but the soup is kind of cute- cool soups- cucumber dill yogurt or vichyssoise.
If you’re up for experimenting with the chocolate, maybe these dark chocolate sprinkles would resist sinking. I still have a box in my freezer, used a few years ago for making Brazilian Anthill Cake
1 Like
Day 2 report.
I defrosted some ganache, and warmed it to pourable over some very hot water. Then I poured it over the cake and finished with some finely- chopped pistachios.
The pistachio (almond extract) flavor was more pronounced today, as I expected. Cake moisture level and crumb still very good. It’s definitely a cake I can bake at least a full day before. Tomorrow I’ll see if it’s a 2-day before bake 
Mom said she’d be very happy to eat it plain, without the ganache. I’m likely to still use it, albeit less than I would if it were a powdered sugar glaze.
What a delicious cake. So glad I took a chance on it.
13 Likes
It’s very pretty with the ganache and finely chopped pistachios! If you can make it ahead too sounds like a keeper!!
6 Likes
Thanks! I’m going to do some experimenting with ganache technique, but overall, I’m happy with the results I got.
3 Likes
It looks so good!
2 Likes
Another sheet pan quiche. I trust her recipes.
4 Likes
Day 3 report: still delicious.
The event will be on a Sunday; I think I’ll plan to bake this cake on Saturday morning.
9 Likes
The date for the tea has been announced, so I guess it’s really happening
9 Likes
Can’t wait to hear about it, and see the final products!
1 Like
Thanks. I still have quite a few courses/recipes to figure out. I better get cracking.
1 Like
First bake of the View from Great Island lemon brownies. These are a candidate for “little treats” to serve along with the big bundt cakes, which will be the main sweet.
As I noted, I forgot to add the FOUR tbs of lemon juice until after the batter was mixed and poured into the (greased and lined and greased again) 8x8 pan. So I just dribbled it in and mixed gently.
Also I added 1/4 tsp lemon oil, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
They were done in about 22 minutes.
They’re lovely; less messy to cut, serve and eat than lemon bars. Obviously they are more cakey than lemon bars as well. They slice quite nicely (which is a consideration.) I tasted them here on the second day after baking and am confident they could be baked ahead. I would however glaze them the morning of the tea, then prob refrigerate until serving.
That said, my issues are:
-
They are pretty similar to the lemon bundt I’ll be serving. If I was asked to bring a dessert to an event , I wouldn’t hesitate to make these. But for the tea, I’m looking for a bit of variety in the offerings.
-
They are a little one-note.
I think I’ll keep these as a backup; if I don’t find anything I like more, I can fall back to serving these.
14 Likes
(post deleted by author)
1 Like
They look like they’d go great with a mug of tea, but shouldn’t brownies be a little, you know, brown?
2 Likes
