Pistachio Cake

by Sofi | Broma Bakery

This stunning homemade pistachio cake is naturally flavored and colored with real pistachios. No pudding mix, food dye or artificial flavors. Frosted with a silky white chocolate frosting it’s the prefect layer cake for all occasions!

A Naturally Green Dream: Homemade Pistachio Cake

BEHOLD! The best pistachio cake you’ll ever have. In fact, this pistachio cake is *so* good that I’ve swapped it in for my birthday cake order this year (and I never do that). It’s sweet, slightly salty, nutty, and boy, oh boy, is it MOIST.

Plus, she’s an au naturale beauty that’s actually pistachio-flavored. No boxed pudding mix. No green dye. Just real, freshly ground pistachios, a combination of vanilla and almond extract and the kind of cake that makes people close their eyes at first bite.

Don’t take my word for it. Please make it for yourself.

How to make your pistachio cake green without food coloring?

Many pistachio cake recipes call for boxed pudding mix or green food coloring, but pistachio pudding doesn’t really taste much like pistachios at all. It’s usually quite sweet and slightly almond-y. Now, I’m certainly not knocking that flavor (it’s delicious), but call me crazy, we wanted a cake that tastes like actual pistachios. So, here you are!

But, how do you get the pistachio cake green without any green pudding mix or food dye? The answer might seem self explanatory, but… PISTACHIOS. Raw pistachios (not roasted and salted) tend to have a slightly more saturated, brighter green color than roasted pistachios and will give your cake a perfect pale green hue.

That being said, if you are looking for that bright green color (for St. Patrick’s Day perhaps!), you can absolutely add in green food coloring to give your cake a deeper color!

What do you need to make pistachio cake?

Like most homemade cakes, you’ll need a fair amount of ingredients to make this pistachio cake, but most of them are pantry staples that you probably already have on hand.

• Pistachios
• Flour
• Granulated Sugar
• Eggs
• Butter
• Vegetable Oil
• Milk
• Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream!)
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Almond Extract

Ingredients for the dreamy white chocolate frosrting

But wait. There’s more. Don’t forget about the homemade frosting made with luscious melted white chocoalte to take your cake from tasty to gourmet. *Chef’s kiss*

• Unsalted Butter
• White Chocolate
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Extract

What size cake does this recipe make?

We’ve scaled with recipe to create a three layer 8-inch cake, perfect for birthday, spring parties, or whenever you need to celebrate. Not sure what size bake this cake up as? Here are your options!

• Three 8-inch rounds (as written): This is what you see in the pictures of pistachio cake here. The layers are still substantially sized and the cake has a good height, but by keeping your layers slightly thinner you get a bigger frosting to cake ratio, which always makes me feel like I’m eating a posh slice of cake from a French bakery. A total win in my book.
• Two 9-inch rounds: If you prefer thicker cake layers or only have 9-inch rounds on hand you can also make this cake up in 9-inch cake pans. The layers will be slightly thicker so you’ll need to increase the bake time by five to ten minutes, but it will be just as delicious!
• 9 x 13-inch sheet cake: This recipe would also make a perfect sheet cake with a single layer of frosting on top. I love sheet cake because it’s easy to throw together, easy to share, and super snackable! You can half the frosting recipe for this version!

If you would like to make the original version of this cake with cream cheese frosting, you can find it in the notes below the recipe!

Any other questions about this delicious cake? Ask away in the comments below!

XXX

Pistachio Cake

• Author Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time 45 minutes
• Cook Time 30 minutes
• Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
• Yield 16 servings
• Category dessert
• Method oven
• Cuisine american

Pistachio Cake

This stunning homemade pistachio cake is naturally flavored and colored with real pistachios. No pudding mix, food dye or artificial flavors. Frosted with a silky white chocolate frosting it’s the prefect layer cake for all occasions!

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 26 reviews

• Author Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time 45 minutes
• Cook Time 30 minutes
• Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
• Yield 16 servings
• Category dessert
• Method oven
• Cuisine american

• Author Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time 45 minutes
• Cook Time 30 minutes
• Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
• Yield 16 servings
• Category dessert
• Method oven
• Cuisine american

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Ingredients

Units USM

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups roasted unsalted pistachios
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs + 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup milk (any dairy or non-dairy milk works)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the white chocolate frosting:

• 12 ounces white chocolate, in bar form, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. First, make the cake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a food processor or high powered blender, pulse the pistachios until they form sand-like crumbs. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and oil on low speed until combined so the oil doesn’t fly everywhere. Gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
4. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the granulated sugar and continue to beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is light, fluffy, and turns a pale yellow color, about 2 minutes.
5. Use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the eggs, egg whites, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and milk and mix on medium-high for an additional 30 seconds. At this stage this batter has a tendency to look a little curdled. If this happens, it’s okay! Just keep going.
   Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the flour, ground pistachios, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat on low speed until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
6. Divide the cake batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake until the cakes have risen, the tops spring back to the touch, and a butter knife inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, 22 to 27 minutes.
7. Place the cake pans on a cooling rack and allow them to cool slightly. To remove the cakes from the pans, drag a butter knife around the edges of each cake, then carefully flip each cake out onto a plate, peel away the parchment paper, and re-invert them, right-side up onto a cooling rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
8. Once the cakes have cooled, make the frosting. Place the white chocolate into a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15 second increments, using a silicone spatula to stir between each, until the white chocolate is fully melted. Set aside to cool slightly so it’s warm but not hot to the touch, about 5 minutes.
9. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt on low speed until combined. With the mixer still running, slowly stream in the melted white chocolate. Once incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
10. Place the first layer of cake right side up onto a cake stand or plate. Spread a large dollop of frosting on top, using an offset spatula to spread a thick layer evenly to the edges of the cake. Repeat with the second and third layers of cake and frosting. Use the remaining frosting to frost the sides of the cake. If desired, top with more chopped pistachios. Serve.

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Notes

1. The original recipe for this cake made a 3 layer 6 inch. We recently updated it to make a larger cake based on your feedback, but if you would like to make the original use the recipe below 🙂

for the pistachio cake

• 3/4 cup pistachios, pulsed into fine crumbs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg and 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 6 tablespoons sour cream or greek yogurt
• 6 tablespoons milk

for the cream cheese frosting

• 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 4 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 6-inch cake pans. Set aside.
2. In a food processor pulse the pistachios until they are broken down into fine pieces. It’s okay if it’s not completely powdery, but the pieces should be very small.
3. Combine the pistachios, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and oil and beat until homogenous. Add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy and pale in color. Add the egg and egg white, vanilla extract and almond extract and beat on medium high until light and fluffy and pale in color.
5. Add the sour cream and milk and mix to incorporate slightly. Don’t over mix.
6. Last, fold the dry ingredients into the wet until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes  or until light golden brown and a knife inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool completely.
8. While the cakes are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract, salt, honey, and powdered sugar and whip to combine, about 1 minute more.
9. Place the first cake on a plate, then top with a large dollop of frosting. Layer the second and third layer, frosting in between each layer. Finish by frosting the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting.
10. Sprinkle pistachio pieces along the sides of the cake, pushing it into the frosting gently with your hands. If you’d like, decorate the top of your cake with fresh fruit, more pistachio crumbs or a drizzle of honey. Enjoy!

Equipment

parchment paper

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8-in cake pan

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rubber spatula

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stand mixer

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• Author Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time 45 minutes
• Cook Time 30 minutes
• Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
• Yield 16 servings
• Category dessert
• Method oven
• Cuisine american