Pistachio Cake

Ingredients:

300g sugar

180g butter

65g oil

4 eggs

Rind of 1 lemon

Dry ingredients:

265g flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of bicarb

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Wet ingredients:

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

100g ground pistachio nuts (reserve about 1 tablespoon of this for decoration)

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 170c.

2. Cream butter and sugar for a couple of minutes and then add oil and continue whisking till light and fluffy.

3. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in lemon rind.

4. Add pistachio nuts.

5. Sift in dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk/vanilla. Fold lightly.

6. Pour into lined 23cm cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes to an hour.

7. My tip if you like lemon:

Use juice of 1 lemon and 1/2 cup sugar and bring to boil and then simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes. Prick cake and pour lemon syrup over cake about 10 minutes after it has come out of oven.

Serving suggestion: once cooled, top with whipped cream (sprinkle some of the reserved chopped pistachios around the edge and dried rose petals in the middle)