Beautiful but easy to make, this Paleo Pistachio Cake with Rose and Cardamom is completely Sugar Free.  Perfumed with a touch of rose water and spiced with cardamom, this cake showcases a symphony of warm, comforting flavors.

This Paleo Pistachio Cake with Rose and Cardamom is a gorgeous cake full of layers of complementary flavors, but it’s super easy to make and keep fresh until serving.  Making it in a Bundt cake pan not only makes it look fancy but also increases the surface area of the cake, resulting in a perfect proportion of golden crust on the outside and tender crumb on the inside. 

This cake is inspired by the Persian cookies Nan-e Nokhodchi which are made with confectioner’s sugar and chickpea or rice flour.  Their crumbly texture due to the confectioner’s sugar is tricky to duplicate without using any sugar, but the real appeal of these tiny cookies is the combination of pistachios, cardamom, and rose water.  That’s what I have replicated here but in cake form.

It's a very nutty cake with almond flour as the base and both ground pistachios and sliced almonds stirred into the batter.  As a result, the cake is very filling – which is great for a party or picnic or morning coffee when you need to feed a small crowd. 

Keep the decorations simple.  Just a sprinkling of chopped pistachios tells everyone that this is a pistachio cake, and if you can, scatter a few pink rose petals around for beauty and contrasting color and also to get people thinking about the scent of roses.  I’m all for using fresh flowers as decoration when the opportunity is right.  Alternatively, you could simply put a vase of pink flowers next to the cake platter to a similar effect.  That way, you get to enjoy the flowers longer, or, if you’re at an event, people can take a flower home to enjoy as a reminder of the wonderful time (and delicious cake!) that they had with you.

Why You’ll LOVE this Recipe:

• Paleo and Gluten Free
• Completely Sugar Free
• Low in Cholesterol
• High in Fiber and Healthy Fats
• Delicious and tender crumb
• Easy and quick to make
• One bowl recipe

Ingredients for Paleo Sugar Free Pistachio Cake with Rose and Cardamom:

• almond flour
• baking powder           
• salt
• cardamom
• pistachios
• sliced almonds
• eggs
• Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
• liquid stevia
• rose water
• Lactose-Free plain yogurt

Notes on Ingredients:

Eggs – There are a lot of eggs in this recipe, but the cake doesn’t taste “eggy.”  The eggs provide leavening and structure to the cake as well as a certain springiness.  With the large amount of eggs plus the almond flour, this cake is a protein powerhouse which means that it will fill you up faster and keep you going longer.

Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks – I used to make this cake with coconut oil to make it officially “Paleo,” but I swapped out the coconut oil for Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks for a few reasons.  First of all, Earth Balance is lower in cholesterol, and my husband and I are in the stage of life where we are concerned about that.  Secondly, the coconut oil makes the cake just a touch greasier.  The flavor is fine, if you prefer to use coconut oil, but I find that the Earth Balance produces a lighter, fluffier texture.

Liquid stevia – This is the only sweetener in the recipe.  I always bake with liquid stevia, because it’s much less bitter than the powdered kind.

Rose water – You can find this online here or in a Middle Eastern grocery store.  My regular supermarket has it in the Middle Eastern aisle, too.  Rose water gives off a beautiful and subtle flowery fragrance that complements the earthiness of all the nuts.  Pistachio and rose water especially is a very classic combination.

How to Make Paleo Pistachio Cake with Rose and Cardamom From Scratch

Aside from the grinding of the pistachio nuts, this is a very simple cake to make even with all of its complex flavors.

Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease a Bundt cake pan with Spectrum Organic All-Vegetable Shortening.

In a food processor, grind the pistachios until chopped finely but not completely a powder.  Set aside 1 Tablespoon of ground pistachios to use as decoration later.

Make the Cake Batter

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom.

Add the pistachios and sliced almonds.  Mix until combined.

Melt the Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks.  Add the melted Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, eggs, liquid stevia, rose water and yogurt to the dry ingredients.  Stir until there are no more lumps.

Bake the Cake

Pour the cake batter into the Bundt cake pan.  Bake for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Invert cake onto a cooling rack.  Sprinkle the reserved 1 Tablespoon of ground pistachios on top.  Slice and serve.