Pistachio Cake

This delicious and beautiful pistachio cake recipe is made with 100% REAL pistachios! No pistachio pudding or artificial flavors. A soft and tender white cake base allows the color and flavor of the pistachios to really shine while also making the cake super tender and soft!

all natural pistachio cake

After playing around with different cake batters for this recipe, white cake was the clear winner to pair with pistachios! a) because white cake is about as plain a colored cake you can make, so you get a beautifully light green tint to the cake without the need for any dyes or colorings. And b) white cake has a milder and lighter flavor, so the pistachio taste doesn't get hidden under anything!

White cake uses just egg whites to achieve a whiter finish to the cake - but aside from its appearance, the egg whites also make the cake extra soft and airy because there's no additional weight from the fat in the yolks. The fluffy texture of the cake paired with little crunchy bites of pistachio is just absolutely dreamy! The nice thing about the pistachios is that you can also customize the texture - grinding them a little extra for less crunch or leaving the pieces a bit larger for more.

how to make pistachio cake

1. Grind pistachios. Pour shelled pistachios into your food processor, and pulse on and off until fully ground up. Take care not to let the food processor run for too long or you'll end up with pistachio butter! Delicious, but not exactly what we're going for here...
2. Combine dry ingredients. That includes your ground up pistachios. Mix together and set aside.

3. Cream together butter, oil, and sugar.
4. Whisk in egg whites.
5. Whisk vanilla and sour cream into the egg white mix. If you want a more vibrant green tint to your cake, you can add a few small drops of food coloring at this point. I personally didn't add any coloring, so you can kind of see what the natural cake color looks like in my photos.

6. Alternate whisking in dry ingredients and milk. Mix in about half of the dry mixture followed by all of the milk. Finish off by mixing in the remaining dry ingredients until just combined.

7. Pour the batter into cake pans & bake!
8. Cool the cakes completely before decorating. Cool the cakes for about 10 to 15 minutes in the pans then turn them onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely to room temperature before frosting.

9. Make your favorite frosting. You can use any frosting you like for this cake (I go over a few different options below). I personally used a full batch of my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting recipe!
10. Layer & decorate! I decorated my cake with some chopped pistachios and blackberries for added freshness.

grinding pistachios for cake

Like I mentioned above, you can kind of customize the amount of texture in the cake based on how much or how little you grind up the pistachios. You can leave the pistachio pieces a bit larger or a bit finer to suit your taste - or even do a mix of a few larger and a few smaller chunks.

But do keep in mind that there is such thing as too finely ground! If the nuts are ground for too long, they can turn into pistachio butter. When grinding the pistachios, make sure you're pulsing your food processor on and off (so the food processor don't over heat and cause the pistachios to liquefy). Stop the food processor as soon as the pistachios are finely ground to avoid going over.

best frostings to pair with this cake

I like to go with a simple vanilla buttercream frosting to pair with this cake so the pistachios can really shine. Ermine frosting and classic cream cheese frosting also pair BEAUTIFULLY with the pistachio flavor.

If you want some chocolate-pistachio action going on, chocolate buttercream or chocolate cream cheese frosting are also some delicious options! I think strawberry cream cheese frosting and strawberry ermine frosting would also go so well with the pistachio flavor for some pop of color and freshness.

FAQs

Can I make this cake gluten free?
Yes! I've tested a GF version of this cake and it's just as deliciously soft and moist! To make this cake gluten free, substitute the 3 cups of all purpose flour for 2 & ½ cups (325g) 1:1 gluten free flour blend + ⅓ cup (40g) cornstarch. Make sure your gluten free flour includes xanthan gum in the list of ingredients - I personally use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gf flour blend. I also recommend measuring gf flour using a scale if you can because it's denser than all-purpose flour and is much easier to accidentally overmeasure.

How do I color my cake?
The pistachios will give the cake a very light earthy green tint to the cake. I personally love it, but if you'd like a slightly more vibrant shade of green, feel free to add a few drops of your favorite green food coloring. I recommend using powder or gel food coloring (as opposed to liquid) so it doesn't water down your cake batter. Add it in along with the sour cream and vanilla.

Can I use all butter or all oil in the cake batter?
This cake batter is designed to be made using a combination of butter and oil. Using all oil could make the cake overly soft while using all butter creates a drier cake. I don't recommend swapping one for the other in this case.

Can I leave out the pistachios?
Yes! You could just use the base cake batter and make a plain white cake if you're not a fan of pistachios or if you have any special dietary needs! You can also swap out the pistachios for any other ground nuts you like. A few delicious options are walnuts, almonds, pecans, or peanuts!

How to store pistachio cake:
Avoid slicing the cake until ready to serve - because air is what ultimately will dry out the cake. Cover your cake with a cake dome, inverted bowl, or plastic wrap, and store in the fridge. This cake will keep for about 1 week in the fridge. It's best served at room temperature, so I recommend setting it out on your counter about 30 minutes before you plan on serving to allow it to warm up slightly.

How to freeze pistachio cake:
You can make the cake layers and freeze them ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers (individually) with plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Keep in the freezer for 2-3 months. You can frost the cake layers while they're still frozen (I find it's easier anyways!) and let the cake defrost (uncovered) after assembly. The layers tend to defrost by the time you're done decorating (unless you work at lightning speed - which most certainly is NOT the case for me lol)!

Check out these other recipes!

• Pistachio Cupcakes
• Lime Cake
• Chocolate Mousse Cake
• Tiramisu Cupcakes
• Chocolate Blackberry Cake

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

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Enjoy!

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