Pistachio Cake
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This moist, delicious Pistachio Cake is made with ground pistachios, and NO pudding mix or artificial flavoring. The tangy cream cheese frosting on top is perfect with the nutty, sweet cake, making it a delicious choice for birthdays, spring gatherings, or any event where you want something a bit different.
Table of Contents
- Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You'll Need
- In Photos: How To Make Pistachio Cake
- More Pistachio Recipes
Pistachios are one of my favorite nuts, and I like to incorporate them into a lot of different dishes that I make. My aim here was to make a pistachio cake with the real flavor of pistachios, not the bright green kind usually made from pudding mix.
Grinding the raw pistachios into the batter gives the cake a genuine nutty taste and a soft green color, without any shortcuts. The tangy cream cheese frosting makes it rich but not excessively sweet, and it looks just as pretty as it tastes.
Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This cake uses real pistachios for real flavor. There's no pudding mix or artificial pistachio flavoring.
- With three tender layers, this cake feels special enough for any occasion, but you don't need expert baking skills to make it.
- The cream cheese frosting is just right. Tangy and rich, it balances the cake's nutty sweetness perfectly.
- The color comes through naturally. A few drops of food coloring are optional, since the ground pistachios already lend a subtle green tint.
Ingredients You'll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you're cooking.
For the Pistachio Cake Layers
- All-purpose flour: The base of the cake.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the batter.
- Ground pistachios: These are the main ingredient. Raw, unsalted pistachios are best so you can control the salt. If you use salted pistachios, reduce or skip the added kosher salt.
- Baking soda: Gives the cake its rise. Make sure it is fresh! If it is that container you've had in the fridge collecting the fridge smells, that's not the one you use for baking.
- Kosher salt: Balances the sweetness.
- Buttermilk: This adds tang and keeps the cake tender. You can use plain, unsweetened yogurt or sour cream instead if you need a substitute.
- Oil: Keeps the cake moist for days.
- Egg whites: Add structure without weighing down the crumb.
- Almond extract: This classic flavor pairs well with pistachio and makes the cake taste even better.
- Green food coloring (optional): Add a few drops if you want to boost the cake's natural green color from the pistachios.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Unsalted butter: The rich base of the frosting.
- Cream cheese: Gives the frosting its tangy, classic flavor. Use it cold, right from the fridge.
- Lemon juice: Adds brightness that balances the sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the flavor. You can use vanilla bean paste if you want little vanilla specks in the frosting.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens the frosting and helps it hold its shape.
- Kosher salt: Balances the sweetness.
In Photos: How To Make Pistachio Cake
Step 1: Preheat & Combine Dry Ingredients
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Spray three 6-inch cake pans with nonstick spray and line them with parchment circles.
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, ground pistachios, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
Step 2: Add Wet Ingredients
Add the wet ingredients. Make a well in the dry mixture, then pour in the buttermilk, oil, egg whites, and almond extract.
Step 3: Whisk
Combine everything by whisking the wet ingredients in the center, then slowly mix in the dry ingredients until the batter is smooth.
If you want a brighter green color, add a few drops of food coloring now.
Step 4: Prep & Add Batter To Pans
Divide the batter evenly among the three pans.
Tap each pan on the counter to get rid of big air bubbles.
Step 5: Bake
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Step 6: Make Frosting
While the cake is baking, make your frosting.
Start the frosting by putting the butter, cream cheese, lemon juice, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat them together on medium-low speed until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar in two parts. Scrape the bowl, mix in half the sugar, then scrape again and add the rest along with the salt.
Whip the frosting on medium-high speed until it's fluffy and stiff. Keep an eye on it! Once it looks stiff, stop mixing and use it right away, because over-whipping can make it runny.
Step 7: Cool, Frost, & Enjoy
Let the cakes cool all the way, then fill and frost them with the cream cheese frosting.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Grind your pistachios finely. A food processor works well here, and a fine grind helps the pistachios distribute evenly through the batter instead of sinking.
- Be careful not to over-whip the frosting. It can go from stiff to runny fast, so stop mixing as soon as it holds its shape.
- If you don't have 6-inch pans, you can use two 8- or 9-inch pans instead. Just watch the bake time, as it might need to be adjusted.
- To store, keep the frosted cake covered in the fridge for up to four days. For the best texture, let slices sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
For the Pistachio Cake Layers
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup pistachios, ground (I used raw, unsalted pistachios. If you are using salted pistachios, you may want to decrease or eliminate the kosher salt.)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk, (plain, unsweetened yogurt or sour cream may be substituted)
- 1 cup oil
- 2 egg whites, large
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- a few drops green food coloring, (optional)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cold (1 block)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
To Make the Pistachio Cake Layers
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, lightly mist three 6-inch diameter cake pans with non-stick spray, and line them with circles cut from parchment.
- Place the flour, sugar, pistachios, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl, and whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the buttermilk, oil, egg whites, and almond extract.
- Starting in the center and working your way outward, whisk the liquid ingredients together, gradually drawing the dry ingredients into the mixture.
- Tint the batter with food coloring (if desired), then divide the batter equally between the 3 prepared pans.
- Rap each cake pan sharply on the counter to eliminate any large air bubbles, then bake the cakes for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean.
- Cool completely, then fill and frost with cream cheese frosting.
To Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place the butter, cream cheese, lemon juice, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl, and beat on medium-low speed until smooth.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, and add about half the powdered sugar.
- Stir in the powdered sugar until combined, then scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl again, and add the remaining powdered sugar and the salt.
