Pistachio Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients

• Carrot Cake
• 150 g pineapple, drained and finely chopped
• 100 g fresh pistachios
• 225 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 250 g light brown sugar
• 100 g white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 300 g all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt
• 480 g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (about 5)
• ground pistachios for decor
• Cream Cheese Meringue Icing
• 4 egg whites, at room temperature
• 225 g sugar
• 337 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
• 340 g cream cheese
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170° C. Butter 2 x 20 cm round cake tins and line the base with parchment paper.
2. Place a fine mesh sieve over a small heat-resistant bowl and set it next to stove. Place the butter in a medium size saucepan and melt over medium high heat until foaming. Add the raw pistachios and cook, stirring often, until the butter starts to smell toasty and begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the butter and nuts through the prepared sieve, using a spatula to get all the brown bits. Set nuts and butter aside separately to cool.
3. Using a standing mixer or a hand-held beater, whisk the eggs and sugar together until thick, pale yellow and slightly increased in volume, 3 to 4 minutes. Decrease the speed of the mixer and add the reserved butter in a steady stream, including any brown bits. Take your time with this step so that the butter is completely mixed in and you have a creamy emulsion. When the butter is all in, add the vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and salt. Coarsely chop the pistachios.
5. Use a large spoon or spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Finally, stir in the carrots, pineapple and pistachios.
6. Divide the batter between the cake tins and smooth the surface with a spatula.
7. Bake the cakes 35 to 45 minutes or until golden, well risen and springy to the touch. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out of the pan. Cool completely, ideally overnight, wrapped in cling film.
8. Swiss Meringue Cream Cheese Buttercream:
9. Put the sugar and the egg whites in a mixing bowl, whisk to combine and place over a pot of just simmering water. Don’t let the bowl touch the water. Once the bowl is in place, remove the pot from heat. Continue to whisk the sugar and eggs continually until the sugar has completely dissolved. If you aren’t sure, just rub a little of the mixture between your finger. If it still feel gritty, continue until it's smooth.
10. Remove the bowl from the pot and using a mixer, whisk the egg whites and sugar until a stiff peaked meringue has formed. This may take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your mixer. Let the meringue cool.
11. Once the meringue is cool, whisk in the softened butter piece by piece, on medium speed. When all the butter has been added, the mixture may look curdle. That’s normal. Continue to beat and the mixture will become smooth. (If nothing is happening and it looks like a mess, stop, put the bowl in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes and then continue whisking.)
12. In a separate bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Scrape it down a few times to make sure there are no lumps and it is thoroughly whipped. Add the meringue to the cream cheese, 1/3 at a time, beating on medium-low. Once all the cream cheese has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is smooth and stiffly whipped.
13. To assemble:
14. Place one of the cakes on a serving plate. Spread a quarter of the icing on it, then top with the 2nd cake. Using a small amount for icing, lightly coat the top and sides in a thin layer. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or in the freezer for 5. Spread the remaining icing all over the top in sides in an even layer. Decorate with ground pistachios and chill in the fridge 30 minutes to set.