Turmeric Tea Honey Pistachio Loaf Cake
A Persian honey pistachio loaf cake baked with Twinings Turmeric infused into the milk, soaked with warm cardamom honey and topped with pistachios and rose petals.
Turmeric tea honey pistachio loaf takes a Persian style cake and builds the turmeric in through the milk rather than the water, which is the trick worth knowing. Steep the bags in warm milk off the heat and the colour and warmth carry right through the bake, where they would mostly wash out if you brewed a cup and stirred that in.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Turmeric Tea Honey Pistachio Loaf Cake recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/Biscuits/turmeric tea honey pistachio loaf cake/
Cardamom runs through the crumb, a honey and lemon soak goes over the loaf while it is still warm, then a scatter of crushed pistachios and dried rose on top. It reads as a proper afternoon cake rather than a novelty, and it keeps well wrapped for a few days.
You'll need
- For the turmeric tea infused milk (start 15 min ahead):
- 2 Twinings Turmeric tea bags
- 120ml full fat dairy milk, warmed to 60 degrees
- For the loaf:
- 200g unsalted butter, softened
- 180g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 250g self raising flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- For the warm honey cardamom soak:
- 120g clear honey (acacia or wildflower)
- 20ml fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- For the topping:
- 40g shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried rose petals (a Middle Eastern dry goods shop sells these; a sprinkle of dried lavender works if rose petals are hard to find)
- Tin: 900g (2lb) loaf tin, greased and lined with baking parchment
Method
- Make the turmeric tea infused milk first. Warm 120ml of full fat dairy milk in a small pan to 60 degrees (just hot to the back of a finger, no bubbles). Take off the heat. Drop both Twinings Turmeric bags into the warm milk, cover the pan and infuse off the heat for 10 minutes; the milk will turn a clear deep gold colour and smell distinctly of turmeric.
- Lift the bags out and press them gently against the side of the pan. Discard the bags. The infused milk should be around 100ml after bag absorption; top up with a splash of fresh milk if you have less.
- Heat the oven to 170 degrees fan (190 conventional). Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment.
- Make the loaf. In a large bowl, beat the 200g of softened butter with the 180g of caster sugar for three minutes with a hand mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in the 4 lightly beaten eggs in three additions, beating between each.
- Sift in the 250g of self raising flour, the 1 teaspoon of baking powder, the 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom and the 1/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Beat in the 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. Pour in the cooled 100ml of turmeric tea infused milk. Fold gently with a large metal spoon until everything is just combined; do not over mix.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin and level the top with the back of a spoon. Bake on the middle shelf for 50 to 55 minutes; a skewer pushed into the centre should come out clean. If the top is browning too fast at 35 minutes, lay foil loosely over the tin.
- While the loaf bakes, make the honey cardamom soak. In a small pan, gently warm the 120g of honey with the 20ml of fresh lemon juice and the 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring; the soak should be thin and pourable. Do not boil.
- Take the loaf out of the oven, leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack set over a tray. While the loaf is still warm, poke 8 to 10 holes across the top with a skewer (push the skewer halfway down into the loaf at each hole). Drizzle the warm honey cardamom soak slowly across the top of the loaf, letting it run into the holes; some will run down the sides, which is fine.
- While the soak is still sticky on top, scatter the 40g of coarsely chopped pistachios across the surface and sprinkle the 1 teaspoon of dried rose petals over the pistachios. Press lightly with the flat of a hand so the toppings stick.
- Leave to cool completely on the rack, about 30 minutes. Slice into 10 to 12 slices with a hot dry knife (warm under hot tap water, dry, slice; warm between cuts). Keeps well wrapped in greaseproof paper for three days.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Twinings Turmeric, 20 Tea Bags 40g
Made this? Rate it.
Sign in to rate +5 to 25 reward points · sign-in required
Got something to add? Logged-in customers can submit additions to the Tea Wiki, admin-approved, your name on the byline, plus reward points.
Sign in to contribute
