Pistachio Lime Cake

This cake is so moist and flavorful. when you bite into it, you get this burst of lemon and lime flavors along with the nutty rich flavor of the pistachios. I love citrus flavored baked goods: lemon, lime, orange.....I can add them to any dessert!!
People may get intimidated by "pistachio Paste".....what is pistachio paste anyway??!!! just like almond paste , pistachio paste is a mixture of ground pistachios and sugar. The sugar is cooked with some water, brought to a quick boil and added to the pistachios. You'll end up with a green paste. In this recipe I added some food coloring to get a more greenish color. This cake can be made with almond paste, therefore, you can add any food coloring to the paste since almond has a neutral color.

Recipe

3 eggs
150 g Granulated sugar
180 g All purpose flour
70g melted butter
100 ml Heavy cream
50g pistachio paste (recipe follow)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tablespoons chopped candied lemons
zest of 2 large limes
1 tablespoon lime syrup

Preparation:

1-Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a 9 by 5 loaf pan.
2- Combine the eggs, sugar, candied lemon and lime zest. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the heavy cream.
3- Sift the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the egg mixture and mix until combined. Add the melted butter.
4- Heat the pistachio paste with the lemon syrup (you might use less or more depend on the paste) until soft (do not overheat). Mix the paste with 1/3 of the batter. Spread half of the white batter, then the pistachio batter then the remaining white batter.Bake for 15 mn then reduce to 350 and bake until golden brown and delicious!

Pistachio Paste

100g finely ground pistachios
50 g granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water
Powdered sugar.

Over medium high heat, bring the sugar and the water to a quick boil. The sugar should be all melted. Meanwhile, put the pistachios in the food processor. Add the hot syrup and process until it forms a paste. If the mixture is too dry add more water a teaspoon at a time. If the mixture seems too liquid add powdered sugar. You should end up with a smooth lightly firm dough. Cover in plastic wrap. It can be kept at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or refrigerated for a longer period.