Instructions

Pistachio Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 325 F (165 C)
   
2. Prepare your pan. I used a floured loaf pan with a parchment paper lining.
   
3. In a separate bowl from your mixing bowl, combine your sifted flour, baking powder, and salt
   
4. Next, combine your butter and sugar in your mixing bowl and mix until they are well incorporated and fluffy.
   
5. Add in your eggs, 2 at a time, mixing just until they are incorporated. Don't overmix.
   
6. Next, add in your pistachio extract and coloring.*
   
7. 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.
   
8. Lastly, fill your pan about halfway with the batter, remembering the cake will rise.
   
9. 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.
   
10. 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

1. **Gather your ingredients. Wipe down your mixing bowl and mixing tool with a light coat of vinegar to remove any excess fats or oils.
   
2. 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.
   
3. While the water and sugar are coming to a boil, place your egg whites in the mixing bowl.
   
4. 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).
   
5. 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.
   
6. 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.
   
7. 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.
   
8. 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.
   
9. 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.
   
10. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
    
11. 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.
    
12. 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.