UPDATED: FEBRUARY 20, 2025
If you’ve ever read a book or watched a movie and thought about how much you’d like the food they were having, this pistachio rosewater cake is for you. Sweet with subtly nuttiness, this cake recipe is my take on the traditional flavor combinations of roses and pistachios. All while serving my need to have the Turkish Delight of my movie-fantasy dreams.
Why Turkish Delight?
I’m sure, like a lot of Americans, my first exposure to Turkish Delight was from the book and movie series The Chronicles of Narnia. I read the book during a summer program I attended when I was around 10 or 11 years old. After we read the book ( and watched the movie) we did research on the history of Turkish Delight! The instructor brought in pre-made Pistachio and Rose Turkish Delight to try while we attempted to make our own. From then on, I tried any and everything pistachio rose flavored I could.
Now, I’m not sure if Edmund and ten-year-old me just had advanced pallets for children, but I was one of very few in the class to like the Turkish Delight. I’ve been eating it ever since, but I wanted to make something everyone around me could also enjoy. When I got into baking, it felt like a natural progression to develop a recipe based on one of my favorite treats. My favorite flavor, and probably one of the most traditional, is rose or rose with pistachios. It’s a beautiful balance between the nuttiness and the sweet floral flavors. So here we are!! As usual, make sure to read through the recipe before attempting!
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The Infamous Pistachio Rose Combination
Pistachio and rose have been combined in recipes longer than most things you can imagine. Recipes with pistachios and roses are abundant and can be found in almost every confection, from cakes and cookies to the Turkish Delight that inspired this cake.
Turkish delight made with rosewater or roses has been historically combined with pistachios. The popular flavor combination is thought to be traced back to 16th Century Ottoman Empire. So you can say that it stands the test of time.
The flavor combination perfectly balances sweet, salty, and floral for a delightful combination that feels like something right out of a fantasy book or movie.
Pistachio Cake Base
The base of this cake is a light and airy pistachio cake that perfectly balances the sweet nature of the cake with the complex and nutty flavor of the pistachios. While it makes for a delightful treat all on its own, it also plays really well here.
Rosewater Swiss Meringue Buttercream
The rosewater Swiss meringue buttercream does take a bit of time and patience, but there is no better option for this cake. The super light and silky texture compliments the light and fluffly pistachio cake perfectly.
A Turkish Delight Inspired Cake
A moist pistachio cake with a sweet and floral rosewater swiss meringue buttercream. Topped with decadent pieces of Turkish Delight and chocolate bark
Ingredients
Pistachio Cake
- 2 1/2 C All-Purpose Flour
- 2 C Granulated Sugar
- 1 C (2 Sticks) Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 4 Large Room Temperature Eggs
- 1 C Milk
- 4 tsp Pistachio Extract
- 1/2 C Chopped Pistachios
- Leaf Green Icing Color (Optional)
Rosewater Italian Meringue Buttercream
- 1 3/4 C Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 C Water
- 8 Large Room Temperature Eggs
- 2 C (4 sticks) Unsalted Butter
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tablespoon Rosewater (Cortas)
- Red( No Taste) Wilton Icing Color
Instructions
Pistachio Cake
- Preheat your oven to 325 F (165 C)
- Prepare your pan. I used a floured loaf pan with a parchment paper lining.
- In a separate bowl from your mixing bowl, combine your sifted flour, baking powder, and salt
- Next, combine your butter and sugar in your mixing bowl and mix until they are well incorporated and fluffy.
- Add in your eggs, 2 at a time, mixing just until they are incorporated. Don't overmix.
- Next, add in your pistachio extract and coloring.*
- Alternate mixing the dry ingredients and milk in 3 to 4 parts. Add in about a fourth of the dry ingredients to begin and then alternate dry ingredients and milk, adding the next ingredient when the last is fully mixed in.
- Lastly, fill your pan about halfway with the batter, remembering the cake will rise.
- Bake for 35-45 mins, checking with a toothpick or dowel to make sure it's cooked all the way through. The crust should have a slightly browned look to it.
- When the cake was cooled and ready to decorate, I cut it in half and layered my buttercream and chopped pistachios in the middle!
Rosewater Meringue
- Gather your ingredients. Wipe down your mixing bowl and mixing tool with a light coat of vinegar to remove any excess fats or oils.
- In a small pot, combine your water and sugar, and grab your thermometer. Over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the water and bring it to a boil.
- While the water and sugar are coming to a boil, place your egg whites in the mixing bowl.
- Next, head back to your sugar mixture/syrup and monitor the temperature. When it reaches 230 F (110 C), start mixing your egg whites at a medium-high speed. Aim for stiff peaks by the time your sugar reaches 240 F (115 C).
- When the syrup finally hits 240 F (115 C), grab the pot off the stove and bring it to your eggs, which should still be mixing.
- Slowly begin to pour the syrup into the egg whites. You want to avoid hitting the side of the bowl, as your syrup will stick to it. You also want a fairly thin stream, which is best achieved by adding more height between the pot and the bowl, but do this carefully as the syrup is hot.
- Once you've poured all of the syrup, turn your mixer to high. Now, you're going to allow the mixture to whip for a while, waiting for it to be both thick and glossy and for the bowl to cool back down completely while mixing the entire time. This is the most important part. You do not want your meringue and butter to have a huge temperature disparity, so you may have to let the bowl cool for a long time. It took mine nearly 15 minutes to feel like it was nearly back to room temperature.
- Next, add in your butter pieces, one at a time. I used my butter knife to grab a piece and drop it between the mixer and the side of the bowl.
- Whip until each piece is completely mixed in before adding the next piece. Do not be alarmed if your mixture beings to deflate. Continue to add the butter slowly and mix. Once you've added in about half of your butter, you should see it begin to come back to life.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Once all the butter has been added, beat for another 5-7 minutes; you're looking for a thick and smooth consistency. This is when you can add in your vanilla and rosewater.
- Lastly, dip a toothpick into your icing coloring and put a tiny bit into the frosting. Mixing and slowly adding tiny bits until you reach the color you'd like.
Notes
*Pro Tip: I dip the tip of a toothpick into the color and then into the batter and mix. It doesn't take much coloring at all, so place it sparingly, adding a little at a time. Remember to take into consideration that the color will get slightly darker when it's cooked when deciding on the color you'd like.
Pro Tip: Wipe the inside of your bowl with vinegar before use to make sure there is no oil or fat residue. Also, make sure the bowl is completely dry.
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Decorative Toppings Pictured
I layered my cake with a layer of buttercream and then chopped pistachio. I also added more buttercream to the top layer. In addition, I placed a few edible decorations to finish it off. I used the decorations listed below, but obviously, this is your time to flex your creativity and decorate it however you want!
You can absolutely make Turkish Delight at home but with the amount of work you’re already doing you can also order it. I chose to top this cake with plain Rose Turkish Delight.
- White Chocolate Bark
- Melted white chocolate or White Candy Melts
- Culinary-grade rose buds
- Chopped and whole pistachios)
- Rose Turkish Delight
- Chopped Pistachios
- Culinary-grade chopped dried rosebuds
As usual, I really hope you enjoy making this recipe and be sure to reach out in the comments to let me know how it goes.
I didn’t get to try Turkish d3light til I was pretty “grown up” and it was alright. Not the feast I’d imagined as a kid
But this cake looks AMAZING!
Thank you !
That’s the impression I’m getting from a few people! I guess I got lucky that it lived up to my expectations. LOL