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Pistachio Rose Water Cake

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A fragrant, tender loaf-style cake that balances the nuttiness of pistachios with the floral notes of rose water, finished with a light rose glaze and a sprinkle of chopped pistachios and dried rose petals.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (90 g) ground unsalted pistachios
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • ½ tsp ground cardamom (optional but recommended)
  • ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup (120 ml) plain yogurt or sour cream
  • ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
  • 2 Tbsp rose water
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (30 g) chopped pistachios, for topping
  • 1 Tbsp dried culinary rose petals, lightly crushed, for garnish (optional)
  • Rose Syrup: ¼ cup (60 ml) water + 2 Tbsp sugar + 1 Tbsp rose water
  • Rose Glaze: 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar + 1–2 Tbsp milk + 1 tsp rose water + 1–2 drops pink food coloring (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease and parchment-line an 8-inch (20 cm) round or loaf pan.
  2. Whisk flour, ground pistachios, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom; set aside.
  3. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping bowl as needed.
  4. Mix in yogurt, milk, rose water, and vanilla; batter may look curdled—this is fine.
  5. Fold dry ingredients into wet just until no dry streaks remain.
  6. Transfer batter to pan; level. Bake 35–40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean and the top springs back.
  7. Meanwhile, simmer water and sugar for the syrup until dissolved; remove from heat, stir in rose water, and cool.
  8. While cake is hot, poke holes with a skewer and slowly brush or spoon over all the rose syrup. Let cake cool 15 minutes in pan, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
  9. For the glaze, whisk powdered sugar with milk and rose water until thick-pouring; tint pink if desired. Drizzle over cooled cake.
  10. Finish with chopped pistachios and rose petals. Slice and serve.

Notes

  • Grind pistachios in short pulses with a spoonful of flour to prevent oily clumping.
  • Cardamom enhances both pistachio and rose; omit if you prefer a purer floral profile.
  • The cake keeps well, covered, at room temperature for 3 days or refrigerated for up to a week.
  • Swap yogurt for full-fat Greek yogurt or buttermilk; adjust milk to keep total liquid similar.

Nutrition

Keywords: pistachio rose water cake, Persian love cake, floral dessert, cardamom cake, tea-time treat

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