I’m feeling all sorts of inspired by spring at the moment. The longer days, the flush of beautifully colored flowers appearing in the garden, the birds happily chirping from their perches in the trees around the house…it’s making me feel really, really hopeful. And that optimism is showing through in my images lately, too, I think. They’ve taken a turn for the brighter these past few weeks, and I can’t say I mind it! And this orange blossom cake is definitely solid evidence of that.
It’s nice to have that feeling of lightness and color and joy in the food that I’m making and the images I’m shooting, especially after the long, dark winter we had. And Jeremy and I also got our first COVID vaccine, so I’m feeling especially happy and hopeful about that, too. It feels like a really big weight has been lifted, one of stress and anxiety and fear, and one that I didn’t realize I was carrying around until it was gone. I’m also extremely grateful and both my parents and Jeremy’s parents are fully vaccinated, too, which definitely helped relieve a lot of that anxiety, as well!
Oh! And the 26th of last month was my 34th birthday, and hopefully the last birthday I have to have on zoom 😬 And to celebrate, I made myself this cake a few days beforehand. Some might find it weird to make your own birthday cake, but I like it because that way I get to put precisely what I want inside of it, no matter how weird or strange others might find the flavor. And this flavor combination was definitely not something you’d come across at a local bakery. Instead, it’s inspired by the flavors of a land very far away, and that land is Greece.
Greek cooking tends to use floral flavors in desserts much more liberally than in the western world, it’s pretty normal to come across rose or orange blossom-flavored sweets. And one of the flavors that pairs best with them is pistachios and honey. So, I combined them all in this very delicious honey and orange blossom cake with pistachio buttercream. The cake has orange blossom water and honey in the batter, and *also* in a syrup that’s poured over the baked cake and allowed to absorb into it. Then you just make some pistachio butter by pureeing shelled pistachios in a food processor, and make a buttercream with it. Slather that all over the cake, and you’ve got yourself a prettttttty nice dessert situation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and that it brings some of the brightness of spring into your kitchen + home.
Honey Orange Blossom Cake with Pistachio Buttercream
Ingredients
Honey Orange Blossom Cake
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 cups buttermilk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons orange blossom water
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
Honey Orange Blossom Syrup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water (I used Nielsen Massey brand)
Pistachio Buttercream
- 1 cup shelled pistachios
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios for garnish
Instructions
Honey Orange Blossom Syrup
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In a small saucepan, bring the honey, sugar, and water to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool until warm, then stir in orange blossom water. You can use more or less of the orange blossom water in the recipe depending on the strength of the brand you have. I used Nielsen Massey brand, but the flavor concentration can vary depending on the brand you have, so giving the syrup a taste and adjusting to your personal flavor preference is a good idea.
Honey Orange Blossom Cake
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease (3) 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, mix together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, cardamom, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.
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In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar at medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, waiting until the egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next one. Add the honey and mix to combine.
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With the mixer running at low speed, alternate between adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk in 4 increments until combined. Stir in the vanilla extract, orange blossom water, and orange zest. Evenly distribute the batter between the cake pans and place them in the oven. Bake until golden around edges, lightly golden on top, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
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Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then poke top the top of each cake 1 dozen times with a fork pour, and drizzle the syrup evenly over the three cakes. Allow the cakes to cool to room temperature and absorb the syrup, then flip them out onto a wire rack and allow them to continue to cool while you prepare the buttercream.
Pistachio Buttercream + Assembly
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Place the shelled pistachios in a food processor and blend until creamy and smooth (like a thick peanut butter in texture), about 1 minute. Set the pistachio butter aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until utter until pale and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the pistachio butter and beat until incorporated. Then add the powdered sugar and beat at low speed until combined, then add the milk and salt and raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 to 4 minutes.
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To assemble: layer and frost the cake with the pistachio buttercream. To create the round icing decorations around the top edge of the cake, use a pastry bag with a large round tip and follow the icing method in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl24VWJZFMI
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Sprinkle the finely chopped pistachios around the lowest inch of the icing around the bottom edge of the cake. Sprinkle any excess chopped pistachios on top, and serve.
You had me at Pistachio buttercream!! Belated happy birthday Eva. I also make my own birthday cake every year and it’s my gift to myself. I challenge myself with something new every year and it’s such a beautiful way to spend the day.
Thank you Cindy! And so glad you’re on the DIY homemade birthday cake train, too! It really is so nice having a new and special cake every year, made exactly how you like it 😀
hi there….your recipes and pictures are amaxing. i need to mentioned that im learning cooked and heated honey is changing the nature of honey and make it even poisonous! i know many old baked recipes have honey which now im going to omit! do u have any thought on that or substutute! thank u.
Hi Eli! Great question! It seems like the idea that heated honey is toxic is based in the ayurvedic community, but not backed up by any scientific studies or evidence. As someone of Greek descent, I can tell you that Greeks have been cooking with honey for thousands of years, and still have some of the highest longevity rates in the entire world, so I think it is totally safe and okay 🙂 But if you want, you could try to swap it for maple syrup or agave syrup, but I just don’t know how that will affect the texture of the cake, since those are both more “watery” than honey and have a higher moisture content, so it would probably mean a possible longer baking time until the cake is cooked through in the middle. And of course it will affect the flavor of the cake too, but both maple and agave are tasty so that should still be fine 🙂
This sounds amazing. I’m looking forward to making this one day. I cannot eat pistachios, I am sensitive to nuts. Do you have another unique frosting that would complement the flavors in this cake? Honestly, I’m not even big into frosting! Maybe I’ll just omit it.
Great question! If you’re not that into frosting as a whole, maybe a light glaze would be better? You could do a plain vanilla glaze between each cake layer and then on top of the cake. Or if you want something with a bit more kick to it, there’s this pomegranate glaze from the archives that could be nice. It’s meant for a single cake layer, though, so you might want to double the glaze recipe to have enough for the layered cake 🙂 https://adventuresincooking.com/olive-oil-tangerine-bundt-cake-with-pomegranate-glaze/
Hi Eva,
Happy Birthday. Your cake is so beautiful and after looking over your recipe, it looks and tastes in my mind like a special and spectacular recipe. I will be trying it soon. So happy that you all are vaccinated. Rob and I are also so relieved. Spring is on its way here in PA. All the best to you and Jeremy!
Thanks so much Christine! And so glad you and Rob are, as well <3 Enjoy the beautiful spring in PA, and soak up all those lovely daffodils + tulips popping up to say hello! Sending hugs xoxoxo
Que estos 34 años, te lleven a disfrutar, a descubrir, y a seguir creando PUBLICACIONES TAN BELLAS.
tedeternura.com
I love your recipes and photography. I look forward to your posts and love following your adventures. This is a random question. Did you post a recipe or website you use to make sauerkraut? I went to the site once and now can’t find it.
AWESOME POST!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING…
Today’s best finding item. I must try the recipe in the upcoming weekend. Thanks a lot, Eva. Another unavoidable fact is- your photographs are just outstanding.
Creative flavor combo & lovely cake. How did you create the honeycombs on top of the cake? What are they made out of?
This cake absolutely blew me away. My honey said it was the best cake he’s ever eaten, and his 10 y/o (who is a picky eater but has a sophisticated palette) loved it, too. While eating our first bites, we agreed that this is wedding cake material. The orange blossom water amounts were subtle, the cake was moist, it sliced beautifully, and the cardamon was the perfect spice pairing with orange zest and vanilla. I used half of the syrup the recipe yielded, and the frosting recipe didn’t yield enough to pipe the dollops on top (which I much prefer to recipes that yield too much frosting). Gorgeous cake, Eva. Thank you so much.
I made the the Pistachio cake for my friend’s 50th and everybody love it
I add blackberries in the layers goes well with the orange blossom syrup
Awwwww YAY!!! That makes me so happy to hear Erika! And WOW the blackberries sound like a fantastic addition, great call! <3
It’s good to have a recipe. Just get to work
What type of flour is used? I saw in your Baking tips if you don’t note otherwise you use King Arthur Bread Flour, so would that be what’s used here instead of cake flour or AP?
This cake is AMAZING!!! I made it for my friend’s birthday and everyone at the party thought it was the best cake they ever had. It was moist, not too sweet and incredibly flavorful. I will definitely make this again and look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Hello! I’m planning on making this cake next week for my father’s birthday, can’t wait! Was just wondering if for the actual cake, do you recommend salted or unsalted butter. Thank you!
Hi Nina! I would recommend unsalted butter for the cake, thanks for checking! And happy birthday to your dad!!!
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!
Just writing to mention that your recipe is eerily similar to Aleksandra Crapanzan’s Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes. See also: https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/orange-blossom-honey-cake/
Cheeky username! It’s interesting because that book was published in September 2022, and I published this recipe in April 2021, so whatever you’re attempting to infer is likely the other way around, if anything. Also, I read through the recipe and the ingredients are actually quite different from mine, so I think you’re chasing unicorns. 🙂
I am making these for a birthday party tomorrow. Could I make the cakes ahead and add the syrup but not frost until the morning or would it be best to do it all at once and assemble? Also, I am making these eggless, subbing with Seltzer water. Any thoughts on if it will hold up without eggs?
You could definitely make the cakes ahead and add the syrup to them and then keep them in an airtight container until the next day to frost them. Eggs are a binding agent in baking, so the cake will likely be more crumbly without it. They also add protein and fats to it, so the cake may come out a bit more dry. You could do a flax egg replacement which I’ve done before in other recipes that call for eggs, and it does work well keeping the baked goods nice and bound together. Here’s a link to a recipe for a flax egg, it’s super simple just flax meal and water mixed together! https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/
Hi there! I waited too long to buy my ingredients, and now can only find rose water. Do you think that flavor change would still be yummy? Any changes you’d recommend, or 1-1? Thanks so much!
Hi Annie! Rose water will work just fine, you can do a 1-1 substitution for it and it should still work great!
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