Made from scratch with real pistachio and almond flavors, this rustic-chic layered pistachio cake is full of flavor, and enhanced with silky cream cheese frosting. Garnish with fresh berries, pistachios, and flowers for a truly remarkable dessert thatโs perfect for spring.
The pink flowers pictured on the finished cake are called kalanchoe.
As nut flavors go, pistachio is one of the most subtle. In fact, did you know that pistachio ice cream gets most of its flavor from almond extract? The almond extract works to enhance the pistachio flavor, and Iโm using this concept in todayโs cake. Iโm often asked how to change my pistachio cupcakesย into a layer cake, so this is the perfect opportunity to show off those delicately nutty flavors again.
Tell Me About This Pistachio Cake
- Texture: The combination of real pistachios + almond extract results in a soft, buttery pistachio cake. Cake flour and egg whites keep the texture light and delicate.
- Flavor: This pistachio cake is made without any artificial flavors. The natural flavors of pistachio, almond, butter, and vanilla really shine through in each bite.
- Ease: This pistachio cake with cream cheese frosting is โnearly naked,โ so no expert-level cake decorating skills are required. It looks gorgeous garnished simply with fresh berries, crushed pistachios, and some flowers, if youโre feeling extra springy.
One reader, Kathy, says: โAbsolutely divine!!! Made this for my daughterโs bday and everyone loved it. The ground pistachios gave it a perfect light green tint. The texture was great-light cake with some bite from the pistachios. Not too sweet, either, which I prefer. This is a GREAT RECIPE.โ
The full recipe is below, but first Iโm going to share some of the main things Iโve learned while testing this recipe.
How to Get Real Pistachio Flavor Into Cake
Weโll grind shelled pistachios and then mix the pistachio crumbs into the cake batter for the best quality, real pistachio flavor. I know what youโre thinking: chunks of hard nuts in a cake? Donโt worry! The pistachios are ground into a soft and creamy crumb, which adds pure pistachio flavor without a chunky texture. I recommend using a food processor for this step. Just be careful not to overdo it and make pistachio butter!
The cake batter may resemble spicy brown mustard, but it smells fantastic. The ground pistachios tint the cake a light spring green. I also add a drop of green food coloring to deepen the color, but thatโs completely optional.
Key Ingredients You Need & Why
I used my favorite white cake recipe as a starting point for this cake.
- Pistachios: Instead of using artificial pistachio flavor, grind shelled pistachios to add to the cake batter. I usually use unsalted raw pistachios for this cake recipe, but you can use raw or roasted pistachios, salted or unsalted, whichever you prefer. I recommend buying them already shelled, to save time.
- Almond + vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla and almond extracts for truly outstanding flavor. Almond extract enhances the pistachio flavor, so donโt leave it out.
- Cake flour: Cake flour is almost 30 times finer than all-purpose flour and provides the structure for this pistachio cake. We use slightly less cake flour in this recipe than in a white cake because of the pistachio crumbs, but the result is equally delicate and delicious.
- Egg whites: Using only egg whites ensures a light crumb that isnโt weighed down by the fat in egg yolks. Lighter confections such as marshmallows and angel food cake require only egg whites. Same rule applies here.
What Frosting Goes Well With Pistachio Cake?
I like pairing this sweet and nutty cake with smooth and tangy cream cheese frosting (scaled up to cover the cake!). But thereโs no shortage of delicious options that would complement this cake! You could easily replace the cream cheese frosting with:
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Salted Caramel Frosting
- Strawberry Buttercream
- Lemon Buttercream
- Chocolate Buttercream
You could also use this pistachio cake recipe as the base for my fresh berry cream cake!
Decorating Inspiration
To frost and decorate this pistachio cake, I use a good amount of frosting inside and on top of the cake, and minimal frosting around the sides. This frosting style is called a naked cake, which exposes the gorgeous cake layers and reveals the deliciousness to come!
- For smooth sides, use a bench scraper (you can follow this vanilla naked cake video for a little guidance). I also recommend a cake turntable to make cake decorating even easier. Or simply just swipe the frosting onโthis pistachio cake is so delicious no one will care what it looks like! I have a detailed post on how to assemble and decorate a layer cake, which would also be a helpful guide!
More Baking Recipes You Will Love!
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Pistachio Cake
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Make this pistachio cake with real pistachio and almond extract flavors. This โnaked cakeโ is finished with silky cream cheese frosting. Read the recipe notes before beginning. The pink flowers pictured on the finished cake are called kalanchoe.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups (260g) unsalted pistachios (out of shells)
- 2 and 1/3 cups (275g) cake flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
- optional: 1 tiny drop green food coloring*
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brickย cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, to taste
- optional: garnishes such as berries and leftover pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until ground up into very fine crumbs. See photo above for a visual.ย
- Pour 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) of pistachio crumbs in a large bowl. (Reserve the remaining pistachio crumbs for garnish.) Whisk in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients, then start the mixer on low speed. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the milk (and the green food coloring, if using) and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Divide batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake for 21โ23 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting:ย In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectionersโ sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until completely combined and creamy. Add more confectionersโ sugar if frosting is too thin, a little milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. Frosting should be soft, but not runny.
- Assemble and frost:ย First, using a large serrated knife or cake leveler, layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Place 1 cake layer on your cake turntable, cake stand, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer, more frosting, and then top with the 3rd layer. Spread remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Decorate the sides and top of the cake with the remaining pistachios. Refrigerate cake for at least 30 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
- Cover leftover cakeย tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared, then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let it sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 10 minutes before assembling and frosting. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 2โ3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) |ย Food Processor | 8-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk |ย Cake Turntable |ย Straight Icing Spatula |ย Bench Scraper | Marble Cake Stand or Serving Platter | Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Pistachios: I usually use unsalted raw pistachios. However, the cake is still sweet even if you use salted pistachios. Salted actually adds extra flavor! You can use roasted or raw (not roasted), whichever you prefer.
- Full-Fat Ingredients: Whole milk and full-fat sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt would work instead, though the cake may not be as light. Same goes with a lower-fat milk.
- Food Coloring: While the pistachio crumbs tint the batter light green, I added 1 *very teeny* drop of green gel food coloring to help brighten the green color. This is completely optional!
- Room-Temperature Ingredients: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. For more information, read my post about the importance of roo-temperature ingredients.
- 9-Inch Pans: You can divide this batter between two 9-inch cake pans. The bake time is closer to 30 minutes, same oven temperature. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
- 9×13-inch Pan: This batter fits nicely in a 9×13-inch pan. The bake time is closer to 38 minutes, same oven temperature. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
- Bundt Pan: This cake batter will fit in a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan, but Iโm unsure of the exact bake time. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
- Here are my pistachio cupcakes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Is it ok to use Roasted Salted pistachios or just raw?
Hi Taryn, we typically use unsalted raw pistachios (out of the shell). You can use roasted or unroasted, whichever you prefer. Hope the cake is a hit!
Thank you!!
Hello Iโm planning to bake this cake for the holidays. I notice that it calls for just egg whites no yolks and I wanted to make sure thatโs correct.
Hi Tyran, That is correct. Using only egg whites ensures a light crumb that isnโt weighed down by the fat in egg yolks.
Any recommendations to make a dairy free (and possibly gluten free) version! Wanted to make for a birthday girl with dietary restrictions!
Hi Madison, we have not tested a gluten free and dairy free version of this cake. For dairy, you could try a plant-based butter, plant-based sour cream/yogurt, and a dairy-free milkโbut we’re unsure of the exact results with those swaps. As for the flour, cake flour really is key here, so we fear that a gluten free all-purpose flour blend will be much too heavy. Let us know if you do decide to try anything!
I made this for my birthday cake this year and it was delicious. Subtle and light, the cream cheese frosting paired perfectly with the cake. The next time I make this, Iโd like to try a chocolate frosting or a chocolate ganache drip.
Hello
Does the egg, butter and sour cream mix look rather lumpy or could this mean I have overbeated the mix?
Thanks.
Hi Teresa, were all of your ingredients room temperature? If not, they could become curdled like you mention. Here’s more on the importance of room temperature ingredients.
The batter smelled heavenly but the final product didn’t blow anyone away. It was fun to try and pretty, but I won’t make this again. Also, the frosting recipe can be cut in half if you are doing the rustic look. I have so much leftover frosting (though to be honest I am spreading it on toast as a lazy cinnamon roll)
Thank you, I made the Pistachio cake for my daughterโs birthday. It was a real hit, now I am going to make the no bake cheesecake. I love how you describe everything so clearly
Hi! Can I use cake flour unbleached?
Hi Susan, yes, you can use unbleached cake flour here.
Hi there! Would baking this in two 8โ pans be ok? And if so, would the cook time need to be adjusted? Thanks in advance
Hi Kira! If you have two pans, you can bake thicker layers in two pans, although it will take a few minutes longer to bake through. Or, you can simply leave the leftover cake batter covered lightly at room temperature while your two pans are baking. Wait for those to cool, then use one of the pans to bake the final layer. Happy baking!
Any substitutes for cake flour?
Hi Maori, cake flour is key for this cakeโs soft texture. If you donโt have any, you can use this DIY cake flour substitute.
So I bought all the ingredients to try out the recipe (it’s my first cake actually) but the almond extract. I really can’t find it where I live, not even online. The closest I found was almond essence, the cheap alternative. Should I use that instead or just stick to vanilla only?
Thanks!
Hi Mrsha! The almond extract adds a lot of the flavor in this cake, we wouldn’t leave it out. You can use almond essence instead. Since itโs not quite as concentrated as extract, you may want to use just a bit more.
When you said cake flour. Does that mean all purpose flour or box cake mix flour?
Thanks!
Hi Sharon, all-purpose flour and cake flour are two different types of flour. Cake flour can be found in a box, like Swans Down or Softasilk.
Ok. Thank you. I thought this cake is making from scratch, so I was thinking of all purpose flour. Thank you!
I made this for a friends bday yesterday. We also have a couple people in attendance who have to eat gluten free. I used Reclamation brand gluten free cake flour I found on Amazon.
This was hands down the best cake I’ve ever made. You couldn’t tell it was gluten free. Moist, flavors were beautifully balanced. Not too sweet. Smells amazing when making this one too.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe, that was easy to convert to gluten free.
it looks delicious unfortunately you did not put amounts or measurements for the ingredients. Incomplete recipe.
Hi Gina! Do you see the gray recipe card above? You can jump directly to the recipe by using the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page.
I have some pistachio paste Iโve actually been meaning to use up. Do you think it would be possible to sub this in?
Hi Danielle, We havenโt tested this recipe with pistachio paste/spread. You can try adding about 1/2 cup to the batter and leaving out the ground/chopped pistachios. Let us know if you try it!
Omg
This cake absolutely very very delicious, since the first time I made it for the family , it became our favorite dessert. And not only that
Also I made your strawberry cake recipe and itโs to die for lol
Really really delicious.
Thank you chef sally for those delicious recipes and my next one to make is cake pops .
I made 4 batches of this into a 90th birthday cake, 5kg. It was very well received. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
This cake was outstanding. A new favorite in our family! I cooked some tart plum slices in brown sugar, butter, and lemon juice until it got syrupy and used that for a filling and a little on top over the cream cheese frosting and it was so lovely.
Greetings! Would this cake recipe work just as well with alternatives to granulated sugar, such as agave syrup, coconut sugar, monk fruit sweetener, etc? Same question for the frosting. Thanks in advance!
Hi Catherine! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
Hello Catherine, when I make this cake I always substitute with coconut sugar, Granulated, and brown sugar. I split between the 3 for the same amount weighed out in grams that the recipe here calls for, but split between the three I listed. There’s also been times that I have subed a little more than half coconut sugar and a little less than half brown sugar (brown sugar to give the cake a better taste given coconut sugar will alter the taste slightly) and its always turned out perfect. I also use dairy free butter and oatmilk, it also works great.
Something DIFFERENT to bake!!!
Can I substitute pistachio for unsalted roasted walnuts?
Hi Kassandra, We havenโt tested walnuts instead of pistachios in this cake recipe. We would love to hear how it goes if you give it a try!
Can I substitute the green color with anything else to bring the green color to my cake without affecting the taste?
(something like spinach juice??)
We haven’t tested any food coloring alternatives, but let us know if you do! A little matcha powder could work as well.
Thanks for the quick reply.
I am baking this for my daughterโs bday so not trying to experiment it. I baked it without food color.
I finished up all my vanilla extract in the cake and didnโt realise that it was needed for the frosting as well.
Can I use almond extract in the frosting instead of vanilla extract?
You can leave out the vanilla in the cream cheese frosting if you don’t have any. I fear the almond flavor would be too strong if you added it to the frosting. It will still be flavorful!
I just made this gluten free for my birthday and it was incredible! I substituted the cake flour with gluten free AP flour (King Arthur 1:1) and also replaced 10% of the flour by weight (grams) with cornstarch. I added raspberry to the cream cheese frosting as well. Many compliments and a very pleasant pistachio flavor. I’ve been so impressed with these cake recipes lately I will be trying the chocolate next. Thank you again!
I would love to knowโฆ fresh/prepared raspberry or jam or fresh?
I found this extremely sweet even though I added 1 1/4 c sugar. The pistachio flavor comes through really well. And though fluffy, it was a bit denser than I would have liked but thatโs a personal preference (I normally prefer chiffon cake)