Pistachio Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Layers of deliciously moist and flavorful pistachio cake, filled and frosted with tangy cream cheese buttercream.
Servings 15 slices
Ingredients
Pistachio Cake
- 1 1/2 Cups (190g) unsalted raw or roasted pistachios (de-shelled)
- 1 3/4 Cups (184g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 Cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/3 Cups (267g) granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 Cup (60g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp almond extract
- 3/4 Cup (180ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 Cups (16oz, 452g) full-fat brick-style cream cheese, room temperature NOT the spread
- 8 Cups (960g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 Cup (32g) buttermilk powder or cornstarch* optional, for thickening
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
Garnish
- 1/4 Cup ground pistachios
Instructions
Make the Pistachio Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177ºC. Prepare three 6-inch (15cm) or two 8-inch (20cm) cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting a parchment paper circle to the bottom of the pan.
- Using a food processor, grind the pistachios into fine crumbs (see the photo above for a visual). You’ll still have about 1 and 1/2 cups of crumbs. Place 1 ¼ Cups (160g) of the pistachio crumbs into a medium bowl and set the rest of the crumbs aside in a smaller bowl to use as garnish on the decorated cake.
- In the medium bowl with the pistachio crumbs, add the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high for two minutes until it’s light and creamy. Add the sugar and vegetable oil, then continue to mix on medium-high for another two minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the egg whites one at a time, mixing until well combined. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix for two minutes on high speed. Scrape down the bowl and paddle once more.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the dry ingredients all at once. When they’re just beginning to combine, add the green food coloring (if using) and the whole milk in a slow, steady stream. Continue to mix on low until incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans and bake for 28-32 minutes. They’re done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling.
Make the Cream Cheese Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese on medium-high until light, fluffy, and uniform (no lumps), about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift together the powdered sugar and buttermilk powder or cornstarch (if using).
- Turn the mixer to low speed and add the powdered sugar mixture a few cups at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the vanilla and salt and mix on low for another minute, until fully combined and smooth.
Assembly
- Once the pistachio cakes are completely cooled, level them to your desired height. Add a swipe of cream cheese buttercream onto a cardboard cake circle and place the first cake layer on top. Add a layer of cream cheese buttercream as filling, then repeat the filling and stacking process with the final cake layer. Crumb coat the cake with cream cheese buttercream, then place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the buttercream set firm.
- To create the design pictured, frost a smooth finish on the cake with cream cheese buttercream. While the frosting is still tacky, toss ground pistachios at the cake and/or press them in until they stick in random formations. Finish by frosting swirls on top of the cake with the remaining cream cheese frosting and sprinkling with more ground pistachios.
Notes
*Homemade cake flour: To make your own cake flour, spoon and level one cup of all-purpose flour and remove 2 Tbsp. Add 2 Tbsp of cornstarch. Repeat per the amount of cake flour you need, then sift the flour and cornstarch mixture 4 times (don’t skip that step!). After sifting, spoon and level to re-measure the amount of cake flour you need. Keep in mind that if you do use the homemade version, the gram measurement will weigh more (207g instead of 184g) since all-purpose flour is heavier than cake flour.
Green food coloring: I used AmeriColor Leaf Green for the color here, but any green food coloring will work.
Make Ahead Tips:
- The pistachio cake layers can be baked ahead and stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively you can store the cakes in the freezer for up to two months.
- The cream cheese buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix in your stand mixer to bring it back to smooth buttercream consistency.