Foodie News
Bon Appétit falls in love with a Houston "dream dessert"
Raymond Vandergaag's pistachio pound cake at The Tasting Room
Chef Raymond VandergaagChefRayV/Twitter
When it comes to dessert, the Bon Appétit staff has seen — and eaten — it all.
So when associate photo editor Susan Getzendanner describes the pistachio pound cake from The Tasting Room in CityCentre as her "dream dessert," that's a pretty big compliment.
Getzendanner also includes the recipe from Tasting Room chef Raymond Vandergaag, which includes orange and lime zests, plus whipped cream and truffled honey, which Getzendanner describes as "an unnecessary but welcome gilding of the lily."
Try the cake at The Tasting Room or bake it yourself with the recipe below:
Ingredients:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups all-purpose flour plus more
1½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
1 cup shelled, unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped, divided
Arrange a rack in the middle of oven; preheat to 325 degrees. Coat a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Dust pan with flour, tap out excess.
Whisk two cups flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, two to three minutes. Add sugar; beat until well incorporated, one to two minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions. Add juices and zests, beat until well combined (mixture will look curdled), two to three minutes. Add dry ingredients; reduce speed to low and beat just until blended. Fold in ¾ cup pistachios. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup pistachios over.
Bake cake, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about one and one half hours. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely in pan. Run a sharp knife around sides to loosen; unmold cake. Can be made one day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
