Between exacting methods and complicated construction, baking a cake can be a daunting affair. A loaf cake, however, pairs the polish of a more elegant confection with the ease of a quick bread.

Rose’s Bakery in Paris, run by British ex-pat Rose Carrarini, has elevated the style to an art form, producing tempting loaf cakes in all manner of flavors. The most appealing to us might be a green-tinged, nut-topped pistachio cake.

For our version, we paired toasted pistachios with cardamom and grated orange zest, giving the loaf a distinctly Middle Eastern flavor. Combining ground nuts with rich Greek-style yogurt, olive oil and plenty of eggs ensured a moist, appealingly coarse crumb. A bit more of that yogurt blended with powdered sugar made for a simple glaze to highlight the cake’s sweetness.