This Persian Cardamom Pistachio Rollet brings together the warm, floral sweetness of cardamom and the nuttiness of pistachios. The tender, light cake is paired with structured mascarpone whipped cream that brings a rich creaminess that complements the airy, melt-in-your-mouth sponge perfectly. Together, the cake and cream create a whimsical, delicate treat with just the right amount of richness.
🌟 The Structure and Taste of this Rollet
Traditional rollet is made with rose water which is not a part of this recipe. The prominent flavors in this rollet are the two classic Persian flavors of cardamom and pistachio. Cardamom is warm and slightly sweet, which pairs well with the fatty nuttiness of pistachios. The mascarpone whipped cream brings a mild tang and quiet sweetness. It has just the right amount of ground cardamom to bring out a subtle, aromatic flavor. I top the rollet with more piped cream and sometimes a crumbling of chopped roasted pistachios for visual appeal and a little extra nutty crunch.
Now, there are two key components to a rollet: the cake and the whipped cream. The cake itself is a light, airy cake with a melt-in-your-mouth quality. It feels delicate and whimsical—perfect to serve at a high tea or with your Persian tea—but is slightly less fragile than a traditional Swiss roll. While the sponge and whipped cream are both incredibly fluffy, I find there is such a thing as too much fluff overall. I prefer the whipped cream to have more thickness and structure to contrast with the sponge, which is where the mascarpone shines.
I’m using mascarpone whipped cream as the filling to perfectly balance the firm creaminess of mascarpone and the light, fluffy consistency of classic whipped cream. The mascarpone gives the cream structure, while the heavy cream adds the cloud-like fluffiness you expect in a Swiss roll whipped cream filling. It also carries the cardamom flavor far better than regular whipped cream.
🧾 Important Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🍳 How to Make this Recipe
Mixing and Baking the Cake
✅ Pro Tip ✅
The homemade pistachio flour needs to be really fine, like almond flour. This gives a smooth texture to the cake. Too many chunks of pistachio will show in the batter and taste unappealing, like soft chunks after baking.
Making the Whipped Cream and Assembling
👩🍳 Troubleshooting an Underbaked or Overbaked Cake
If the cake is overbaked, it will be dry, which will likely lead to cracks when you roll the cake. If it’s underbaked, the cake will likely stick to the parchment paper, making small chunks peel off when you remove the parchment.
If this does happen, not to worry. We can work some magic with that mascarpone whipped cream and hide a multitude of sins.
🏆 5 Tips for The Best Results
- Avoid cake over-browning: Use a double pan setup to keep the cake from browning too much. This ensures the cake stays light and pliable for rolling.
- Settle the cake batter: After pouring the batter into the pan, firmly tap the pan on the counter a few times. This removes air bubbles and creates an even surface.
- Make sure the pistachios are finely ground. Grind your pistachios until they are as fine as almond flour. Any coarseness will result in noticeable chunks in the batter, so take your time to achieve a smooth, consistent texture.
- Aim for a thinner cake: Bake a thinner cake for easier rolling. This will help you achieve the classic rolled shape without cracking. This recipe uses a 9″x13″ (23x33cm) quarter sheet pan. Do not use a smaller pan. If using a slightly larger pan, you will need to adjust the baking time.
- Shape the cake before filling: Pre-roll the cake while it’s just above room temperature to set its shape. Immediately unroll, add the whipped cream filling, and re-roll for a perfect finish.
Cardamom Pistachio Rollet
Print Recipe SaveIngredients
Pistachio Cake
- 2 eggs
- 3 egg whites 90 grams
- 80 grams unsalted pistachios
- 90 grams granulated sugar divided, 25 + 65
- 15 grams unsalted butter melted
- 22 grams all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons
Cardamom Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1.5 tsp ground cardamom
- 6 tbsp powdered sugar 45 grams
Instructions
- Food process the pistachios until they become fine flour. You can process them until even finer than in the photo above and up to when they start clumping into a paste. I process them for about 1 minute. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 220°C, 425°F.
- To the finely ground pistachios, add 2 eggs, 65 grams of sugar, and 22 grams of all-purpose flour. Stir to mix, then mix with a hand mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes until it is pale green.
- Next, beat 90 grams of egg whites until fluffy. Add 25 grams of sugar a little at a time and beat to stiff peaks.
- Gently fold the egg whites into the pistachio mixture. Then, add the 15 grams of melted butter.
- Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper, one stacked on top of the other. This helps prevent too much browning in your cake.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes. The time will vary slightly based on your oven, so keep your eyes on it.
- Once cooked, set aside the cake aside to cool. When ready to remove it, run a knife along the edge of the baking sheet to gently release the cake. Flip it onto parchment paper, and discard the top layer of baking parchment.
- While the cake is cooling, it’s time to make your whipped cream by combining the mascarpone, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and ground cardamom. Whip until the mixture reaches stiff peaks.
- Preroll the cake when it is cool enough to touch but still at room temperature. Take your time with this to avoid the cake breaking or cracking. Once rolled, immediately unroll and frost.
- Spread an even layer of whipped cream over the cake (unrolled) using about 2/3 of the whipped cream. Reserve 1/3 for the next step. Roll the cake up, wrap it tightly in parchment paper, and refrigerate for one hour.
- Once an hour has passed, cut off the ends of the rollet using a serrated knife for a neat finish. Then, pipe or spread the reserved whipped cream on top and cover it with crushed pistachios.