the perfect remedy

When the whole household looks doomed to spend the weekend overcome by sniffles, sneezes and coughs there really is only one perfect remedy....
to get baking - Pistachio, Banana and Cardamom cake baking.

Then find a sunny spot to scrape the bowl......

and let your creativeness shine by adding a little (or a lot) of orange icing.......

then eat said cake in the garden with pots of lotus tea of course.

Pistachio Banana Cardamom Cake

2 cups plain flour
3/4 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
3 mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 180° C.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Place sugars and butter in another large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, sour cream, and cardamom and beat until blended. Add flour mixture then beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in the pistachios. Spoon batter into a greased and lined tin. Bake at 180° for about 1 hour or until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Ice with orange icing.

To make the orange icing combine icing sugar (approx3/4 to 1 cup), freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest (about a tablespoon)with a whisk. Adjust your ingredients until you achieve your required consistency. A good hint is to add your orange juice slowly so as not to make your icing too runny....if this happens simply add more icing sugar.....and round you go! Enjoy!