Vegan Rose and Pistachio Cake

Moist, sweet, beautiful and also....vegan! We made these cakes for The Dutchy Pot at The 78 Cafe Bar a few weeks ago and they have since appeared on The Guardian website in a blog about the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Britain!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Vanilla Soy Yoghurt
• 1 Cup Soy Milk
• 1/2 Cup Rapeseed Oil
• 1+1/4 Cups Caster Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Rosewater
• 1+ 2/3 Cups Plain Flour
• 3 Tbsp Cornflour
• 3/4 Tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 2 Pinches of Ground Cardamom
• 1/2 Cup Finely ground Pistachio Nuts

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C and line and grease a 8 inch cake tin.

2. Combine the yoghurt, soy milk, oil, sugar and rosewater in a large bowl and mix well with a whisk.

3. Sift in the flour, cornflour, baking powder, cardamom and salt and mix until smooth.

4. Fold in the pistachios.
5. Pour the mixture into your cake tin

6. Bake for 35 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

7. Allow to cool for at least one hour before decorating.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Vegan Margarine
• 3 Cups Icing Sugar 
• 2 Tbsps Rosewater
• A few drops of vanilla essence

Method:

If you have a blender, throw all the ingredients in and blend till smooth, otherwise, beat the margarine with a whisk till smooth and add the icing sugar gradually and rosewater and vanilla last of all.

Use a spatula to spread the frosting over your cake. There should be more than enough to ice one cake - use as much as you want depending on how much you like frosting on your cakes! Finally top with plenty of chopped pistachios and rose petals.