Pistachio Easter Cake

Ingredients

Directions

1. 1

   Peel the pistachios and put them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Pour onto a sieve, drain well and remove the brown skin. Grind 200 g pistachios. Cut 8 of the remaining pistachios into quarters and chop the rest finely. Separate the eggs, beat the egg whites and 5 tablespoons of cold water with the whisk of the hand mixer until stiff and finally add the sugar. Add the egg yolks one after the other while continuing to beat. Mix flour, starch and baking powder, sieve onto the egg foam and carefully fold in together with the ground pistachios. Pour the sponge mixture into a springform pan (26 cm Ø) lined with baking paper at the bottom and smooth it down.

2. 2

   Bake in a preheated oven (electric: 175 °C/ gas: level 2) for approx. 35 minutes. Let the sponge cake cool down. Drain the apricots on a sieve. Sift icing sugar and knead with marzipan. Colour approx. 70 g marzipan orange with red and yellow food colouring. Form 16 small carrots from this and press grooves into them with a knife. Put 2 pistachio quarters into each carrot as leaves. Roll out the remaining marzipan on a work surface dusted with icing sugar to a circle of approx. 25 cm Ø. Remove the sponge cake from the mould and cut it three times crosswise. Place a cake ring around the bottom cake layer and cover with apricots. Whip 350 g whipped cream, 2 packets of vanilla sugar and cream firming agent until stiff. Stir in the egg liqueur at the end. Spread a good half of the cream on the apricots and cover with the second sponge cake base. Heat the jelly and spread half of the jelly on the sponge cake. Place the marzipan plate on top and spread the rest of the jelly on top. Cover with third sponge cake base.

3. 3

   Remove the sponge cake from the mould and cut it three times crosswise. Place a cake ring around the bottom cake layer and cover with apricots. Whip 350 g whipped cream, 2 packets of vanilla sugar and cream firming agent until stiff. Stir in the egg liqueur at the end. Spread a good half of the cream on the apricots and cover with the second sponge cake base. Heat the jelly and spread half of the jelly on the sponge cake. Place the marzipan plate on top and spread the rest of the jelly on top. Cover with third sponge cake base. Spread the rest of the whipped cream on top and cover with the last cake base. Put the cake in a cool place for about 1 hour. Whip 500 g cream and remaining vanilla sugar until stiff. Remove the cake from the cake ring and spread 3/4 of the cream all around. Put the rest of the cream into a piping bag with a large star-shaped spout. Sprinkle cake with chopped pistachios and decorate with 8 thick cream tuffs. Place 2 small carrots on each tuff. Results in about 16 pieces

4. 4

   Spread the rest of the whipped cream on top and cover with the last cake base. Put the cake in a cool place for about 1 hour. Whip 500 g cream and remaining vanilla sugar until stiff. Remove the cake from the cake ring and spread 3/4 of the cream all around. Put the rest of the cream into a piping bag with a large star-shaped spout. Sprinkle cake with chopped pistachios and decorate with 8 thick cream tuffs. Place 2 small carrots on each tuff. Results in about 16 pieces