Lavender-Scented Pistachio Pound Cake with Lemon Cardamom Glaze

Lavender-Scented Pistachio Pound Cake with Lemon Cardamom Glazeby Gary Gee
adapted from “Cold Oven Pound Cake” from The Glory of Southern Cooking by James Villas

Serves 10-12

For the cake:

1 cup whole milk

8 cardamom pods, crushed, seeds retained

3 cups sugar

¼ cup Sciabica’s Lavender Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ cup Sciabica’s Manzanillo Variety Fall Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 stick butter, softened

5 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup chopped, shelled pistachios

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

For the glaze:

½ cup sugar

¼ fresh lemon juice

4 cardamom pods, crushed, seeds retained

In a small saucepan, heat milk and cardamom over low heat. Heat until barely simmering, about 5 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat and let steep for ten minutes. Strain out solids, and set milk aside to cool.

Grease a 10-inch tube pan with butter and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, oils, and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended. Add flour and milk alternately, beating until batter is smooth. Add pistachios, extracts and lemon juice and mix until smooth and well blended.

Pour batter into prepared pan and place in center of oven. Heat oven to 325°F and bake until knife blade inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 ½ hours. Turn the cake out onto a rack and cool completely.

While cake is cooling, make the glaze by heating sugar, lemon juice, and cardamom in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir to dissolve sugar. With a wooden skewer, poke holes in top and sides of cake. Spoon glaze over cake.