Nici Wickes: Strawberry & pistachio cake

Strawberry & pistachio cake
Strawberry and pistachios are great friends and this is a moist and delicious cake, high in protein and therefore quite filling.
Makes 23 cm cake
115g butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
3 eggs, separated
2 tbsps cornflour
175g cups ground almonds
1 cup ricotta
2 tsps vanilla extract
Zest from one lemons
Pinch salt
1 chip strawberries, hulled, halved or quartered
½ cup shelled pistachios, chopped roughly
Fruit puree to serve (optional)
Yoghurt or whipped cream to serve

Preheat oven to 170 C fan bake and line a springfrom cake tin with baking paper.
Cream butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add in egg yolks, one at a time and beat until smooth. Slow the beater and add in cornflour, ground almonds, ricotta, vanilla and lemon zest and mix to a smooth batter.
Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and gently fold into the cake batter until combined. Scrape into prepared tin and smooth the top.
Arrange strawberries on top of batter in whatever pattern you like. Sprinkle over pistachios.
Bake in the centre of oven for 25 minutes then rotate and cook for a further 20 minutes or until skewer comes out with a few crumbs attached.
Serve warm or cooled, drizzled with fruit puree and yoghurt or cream.

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