Soft and moist sponge cake is smothered in a 3-milk mixture that is flavoured with pistachio cream, then topped with delicate whipped cream.
Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Do not grease the sides. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and ground cardamom. Set aside.
Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs. Place the yolks in a large bowl and the whites in a large metal bowl. Set aside the yolks for now.
Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium for 1-2 minutes. Add about 2 tbsp of the granulated sugar and continue to beat for a few more minutes, until medium-stiff peaks are achieved. You should be able to hold the bowl upside down without any of the whites dropping out. Set this aside.
Add the remaining sugar to the bowl of yolks and beat until pale and creamy, which takes a couple minutes.
Add the milk and food colouring (optional) to the yolks and beat until combined.
Add in half of the flour mixture and beat to combine. Add in the other half of the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
To the batter, add in 1/3 of the beaten egg whites and fold in very gently with a spatula. Add in another 1/3 of the whites and fold in. Add in the last 1/3 of egg whites and fold in gently once again, until just combined. This part is important: you want to be very gentle and do not overmix because the cake will not be fluffy and it will deflate.
Gently pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick. Stick the toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done.
Once finished, place the pan on a baking rack and allow the cake to cool.
While the cake is cooling, make the milk mixture. Combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, whole milk, pistachio cream, and ground cardamom, and whisk until everything is thoroughly combined. You can taste the mixture at this point. If the pistachio taste isn't strong enough for you, add another tbsp of pistachio cream and whisk once more. Set aside until cake it cool.
Once cake is cool, you can use a fork or skewer to poke multiple holes over the entire top of the the cake. Just do not poke all the way down to the bottom. The cake should not be removed from the pan.
Slowly pour the milk mixture all over the top of the cake, ensuring you pour over the edges as well. It will take some time for the cake to fully absorb the milk.
Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The milk should be fully absorbed by now, but it is okay to have a small amount of milk not absorbed.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the whipping cream and icing sugar. Beat together using a hand or stand mixer until you get medium to stiff peaks.
Spread the whipped cream onto the cake any way that you'd like. Garnish with finely chopped pistachios, edible rose petals, and pistachio cream, if desired.
This cake should be kept in the fridge and served cold. Enjoy!