Sponsored: Elderflower, pistachio and lime cake
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
Sponsored: Elderflower, pistachio and lime cake
Citrus and elderflower are a match made in heaven in this irresistibly moist, summery cake
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Head of Food. She loves the precision and creativity of baking, turning fridge odds-and-ends into a weeknight pasta, and is always bookmarking new restaurants to try. She's happiest hosting friends around a table overflowing with food (and insisting everyone has seconds) or planning holidays around what to eat.
Ingredients
- 160g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
- 80g pistachios, plus 15g extra to serve
- 180g caster sugar
- zest of 2 limes, juice of 1
- 4 medium eggs
- 170g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 130g ricotta
- 2 tbsp Belvoir Farm Elderflower Cordial
For the icing
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- 100g icing sugar
- 100g full-fat soft cheese, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp Belvoir Farm Elderflower Cordial
Step by step
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Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Butter a 20cm loose-based cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Whizz the pistachios to a fine crumb in a food processor.
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Beat the butter, sugar and lime zest in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the flour, ground pistachios, baking powder and salt. Fold in the ricotta until just combined – a few small lumps are fine. Spoon into the prepared tin, level the top and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
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Combine the lime juice and the 2 tablespoons of elderflower cordial in a bowl. Prick the sponge all over and generously brush over the syrup while the cake is still warm – it will seem like a lot of syrup but continue to brush until you have used it all. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack.
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For the icing, put the butter in a large bowl. Sift in the icing sugar and add a pinch of salt. Beat with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat briefly until combined, then beat in the elderflower cordial. Spoon and swirl over the cooled sponge. Finely chop the extra pistachios and sprinkle over the top to serve.
