150g pistachios ( de-shelled weight about 300g shelled )
Wild Bramble Blackberry & Cassis Butter Icing:
200g full fat cream cheese
120g blackberries ( washed and dried )
2 tbsp cassis ( optional )
Preheat the oven to 180? fan. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
De-shell the pistachio nuts and blitz to a fine crumb.
Cream the butter and the sugar for 5 minutes until soft, pale and velvety.
Add in the vanilla essence, almond essence, egg whites, sour cream and a drop of green food colouring. Beat for a minute until all combined.
Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda together and sieve. Then stir in the pistachio crumb.
Pour into the lined tin and bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown and springy to touch.
When baked allow to cool in the tin and then transfer to a serving platter.
To make the icing, blitz the blackberries until it forms a puree. Pass through a sieve to remove the seeds and set aside the juice.
Beat the butter until whipped and smooth. Beat in the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the vanilla. Gradually add in the icing sugar and beat until it forms a thick, piping consistency. Pour the icing into the piping bag. Allow to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
To decorate, pipe long lines or swirls of icing over the top of the cake. Garnish with fresh blackberries, blueberries, pistachios and some rosemary sprigs.
