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Home » Birthday Recipes

Published: Apr 4, 2022 by Mimi · 4 Comments

Pistachio Cake

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

frosted and decorated pistachio cake on serving platter (4)
frosted and decorated pistachio cake on serving platter (4)

I don't know if this is just a me thing or if this is actually a thing for everyone else, but pistachios = Easter in my book. My family makes pistachio cookies every time this year, so I figured a pistachio cake would make the perfect addition to our Easter dessert menu!

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    But this recipe is by no means season specific! It makes a great year round treat, and the pale green color would also look stunning on a Christmas table.

    frosted and decorated pistachio cake on serving platter (2)
    pistachio cake slice in plate (1)

    After playing around with different cake bases 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!

    pistachio cake ingredients

    Pistachio cake ingredients:

    • unsalted pistachios
    • flour
    • baking powder
    • baking soda
    • salt
    • butter
    • oil
    • sugar
    • egg whites
    • vanilla
    • sour cream
    • milk
    • frosting: I like to go with a simple vanilla frosting to pair with this cake to make sure the pistachio flavor is front and center. Buttercream, ermine, and cream cheese frosting all pair BEAUTIFULLY with the pistachio flavor without drowning it out!

    frosted and decorated pistachio cake on serving platter (7)

    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.

    pistachios in bowl overhead image
    pistachio cake dry ingredients in bowl

    3. Cream together butter, oil, and sugar.

    4. Whisk in egg whites.

    pistachio cake butter, oil, and sugar creamed together in bowl
    pistachio cake egg whites whisked into sugar mixture

    5. Whisk vanilla and sour cream into the egg white mix.

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

    If you want a more visible green tint to your cake, you can add a few small drops of food coloring in with the buttermilk. I added one tiny drop of green gel food coloring - if you use liquid food coloring, you'll need to add more to reach your desired color. That's totally optional though.

    pistachio cake sour cream and vanilla added to wet ingredients
    pistachio cake half of dry ingredients whisked into wet ingredients
    pistachio cake milk whisked into batter
    pistachio cake batter in bowl

    7. Pour into cake pans & bake! I find it's best to bake the cakes in 2 batches - because unless you have a GIANT oven, the cake pans won't all fit in the center at once! You can make this recipe in 2 layers with thicker cakes if you prefer - the bake time will be slightly longer.

    The batter can sit out comfortably for about 30 minutes while you make the cakes if you are cooking them in batches.

    8. 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.

    pistachio cake batter in cake pan
    pistachio cake baked in cake pan overhead image
    pistachio cake layers on wire rack

    9. Make your favorite frosting.

    10. Layer & decorate! I used vanilla buttercream frosting with my cake and topped it with some chopped pistachios and blackberries for added freshness!

    If you make any of the frostings I listed above, it'll be enough to frost this as a semi-naked cake - which I think it just gorgeous with this type of cake! You can double any of the recipes if you'd like a full cover of frosting on the outside.

    pistachio cake slice in plate (4)

    How to grind your pistachios:

    There's a bit of a method behind grinding the pistachios that I like to use to get a beautiful mix of flavor, color, and texture! This is the same thing I do when making snowball cookies.

    I like to grind the pistachios roughly, then take out a few larger sized bits and set them aside. Then I continue pulsing on and off until the rest of the pistachios are very finely ground. Doing this will give you 2 different sizes of pistachios - the larger chunks will add a really nice crunch to the cake while the finely ground nuts will help color and flavor the cake.

    frosted and decorated pistachio cake on serving platter (3)
    frosted and decorated pistachio cake on serving platter (6)

    This is totally optional, but I absolutely love the result! You can of course just grind all the nuts in one go and make it all consistently ultra fine. You'll still have some chunks, but not nearly as crunchy.

    One final note you should keep in mind while grinding the pistachios is that there is such thing as too finely ground! If the nuts are pulsed for too long, they can turn into pistachio butter.

    Make sure you're pulsing your food processor on and off (so the nuts don't over heat and liquefy), and stop once they're finely ground (going over will release too much oil).

    pistachio cake slice in plate (3)

    Pistachio cake storage:

    Using oil in this cake batter helps preserve it for slightly longer than an all butter cake! Avoid slicing the cake until ready to serve because air is ultimately what will dry out the cake.

    Cover your cake tightly with a cake keeper or plastic wrap, and store in the fridge. This cake will keep for about 1 week in the fridge.

    You can also make the cake layers and freeze ahead of time. Wrap the cakes (individually) tightly in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

    You can frost the cake layers while they're still frozen (I find it's easier anyways!) and let the cake defrost 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)!

    pistachio cake slice in plate (2)

    Check out these other recipes!

    • Spring Lemon Bundt Cake
    • Chocolate Cake
    • Blackberry Cupcakes
    • Brown Sugar Pound Cake


    sliced frosted and decorated pistachio cake on serving platter (2)

    Pistachio Cake Recipe

    This delicious and beautiful nut cake is made with 100% REAL pistachios! No pistachio pudding or artificial flavors. A soft and tender white cake base is what allows the color and flavor of the pistachios to really shine!
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Bake Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours
    Servings: 12 generous portions

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups (260g) unsalted pistachios, deshelled
    • 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 10 tablespoons (145g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
    • ⅓ cup (80mL) vegetable oil
    • 1 & ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
    • 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
    • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • ¾ cup (180g) sour cream, at room temperature
    • 1 cup (240mL) buttermilk, at room temperature
    • Ermine Frosting, Cream Cheese, Buttercream Frosting, or your choice

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter 3 (9 inch) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Lightly dust the sides with flour to prevent sticking and set aside.
      * Note: If you don't own 3 cake pans, you can bake 2 thicker cakes instead, or bake the cakes in batches. The cake batter can sit out at room temperature for over 30 minutes. Make sure the cake pan is fully cooled and wiped clean before using.
    • Add pistachios to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the processor on and off until the nuts are finely ground. Take care not to over pulse the pistachios or they will release too much oil and turn into butter! (Optional) After pulsing a few times, take out and set aside a few larger pistachio pieces for added texture.
    • In a medium bowl, combine ground pistachios, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine, and set aside.
    • In a large bowl, combine butter, oil, and sugar. Using an electric mixer fitted with the beater attachment or a whisk by hand, cream together until well combined and lightened in color (about 2 minutes on medium speed or 5 minutes by hand).
    • Whisk egg whites into the sugar mixture until broken up and combined. Whisk in vanilla extract and sour cream.
    • Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the egg white mixture. Whisk about half of the dry ingredients, followed by all of your buttermilk (optional - for added color, mix in a few drops of food coloring with the buttermilk). Finish off by whisking in the remaining dry ingredients until just combined. Take care not to over mix!
    • Divide the cake batter evenly between your cake pans. Bake in the center of your preheated 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
    • Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and set aside to cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
    • Make your favorite frosting, and layer and decorate your cakes! I used vanilla buttercream and decorated with blackberries and chopped pistachios. But feel free to get creative!
    Tried this recipe?Tag @eatsdelightfulblog or use #eatsdelightful!

    Enjoy!


    More Birthday Recipes

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    1. Hina rizwan says

      June 19, 2022 at 4:42 am

      If one doesnt have 9inch pan then what's the substitute for it

      Reply
      • Mimi says

        June 19, 2022 at 9:32 pm

        Hey Hina! You can bake this cake in practically any pan you like. Here are a few popular options and their bake times:

        You can use this recipe to make:
        • one (9x13 inch) cake. Bake time will be about 30 to 35 minutes
        • three (8 inch) round or square layers of cake. Bake time will be about 25 to 30 minutes
        • two (8x4 or 8x5 inch) loafs. Bake time will be about 45 to 60 minutes
        • one (10 inch) round Bundt cake. Bake time will also be about 45 to 60 minutes
        • 24 cupcakes. Bake time will be about 15 to 20 minutes

        If you find any of the cakes are browning on the outside but the inside is still raw, loosely cover the cake with aluminum foil to slow the browning and continue baking it on the inside. This usually only happens with loafs and Bundt cakes.

        Reply
    2. Michele Sanders says

      April 17, 2022 at 7:24 pm

      5 stars
      The pistachio cake was out of this world. I made it for Easter and I came home with just a little slice left for me! Everyone loved it.
      So far I love all your recipes!!
      Michele Sanders

      Reply
      • Mimi says

        April 18, 2022 at 2:00 am

        Hey Michele! Happy Easter ❤️🐰 I'm so happy you all enjoyed the cake!! And thank you so much for your sweet review! 😊

        Reply

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