Raspberry, Pistachio And Chocolate Cake

I am completely addicted to baking so I hope you are ready for another cake!

This is another simple but delicious cake that I often bake at work. The original recipe I found in one of my many Vogue Entertaining Cookbooks asks for pear but I have taken the liberty to replace it with raspberries as berries do  have a more popular appeal.

You may dust the cake with icing sugar but you will be surprised how a little decorating work can transform an otherwise ordinary looking cake.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, happy cooking and baking!

makes 1 loaf
preheat oven to 180 C (conventional) 150 C (fan force)
a lined 22 cm x 11.5 cm loaf tin
you'll need;
225 g of plain flour
1.5 tsp of baking powder
225 g of caster sugar
a pinch of salt
225 g of unsalted butter, soften
4 eggs
300g of dark chocolate buttons, roughly chopped
1.5 cups of frozen raspberries
1 cup of pistachio nuts
zest of 2 oranges

for the decoration;
2 cups of icing sugar mixture
2 tbs of orange juice
1/4 cups of pistachio, chopped

Put flour, baking powder, caster sugar, salt, soften butter and eggs in the bowl of a mixer and process until just combined. (~ 1 minute, do not over-process)

Fold in the chocolate, raspberries, pistachio nuts and orange zest until evenly distributed.

Transfer the mixture into a lined loaf tin and bake in the oven for about 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre withdraws clean. Allow to cool in the tin before turning out to a wire rack to cool.

Prepare the icing by mixing the icing sugar mixture with orange juice until sugar dissolved and it is spreadable. Spread the icing over the cooled cake.

Sprinkle with chopped pistachio nuts and allow the icing to set before serving.