Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325F (not 350F *ahem*). Butter a 9-x-5 loaf pan.
2. Toast the pistachios in a skillet on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until they’re slightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool completely. 
3. In the bowl of your food processor (without the blade), rub the orange zest into the sugar so that it forms a wet sand-like texture. Add the salt, and set up the blade. 
4. Add the cooled pistachios and pulse until the pistachios, sugar, and salt are powdery, like dry sand (stop before you make a paste). 
5. Add the butter and mix until the texture is creamy and smooth-ish — it will clump at first, then loosen. (Smitten Kitchen said to look for a frosting-like texture, but my processor could not get it that smooth. The recipe works either way.)
6. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Then add the milk and mix, then the baking powder and the extracts, and mix again until everything is well combined, scraping the bowl down well. Add the flour and pulse until it’s just mixed. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
7. Bake for 65-75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
8. Serve the cake with a cup of tea and (very optional) dollops of barely sweetened cream.