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 that’s 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 I’m using this concept in today’s cake. I’m often asked how to change my pistachio cupcakes 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 “nearly naked,” so no expert-level cake decorating skills are required. It looks gorgeous garnished simply with fresh berries, crushed pistachios, and some flowers, if you’re feeling extra springy.
One reader, Kathy, says: “Absolutely divine!!! Made this for my daughter’s 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.”
The full recipe is below, but first I’m going to share some of the main things I’ve learned while testing this recipe.
How to Get Real Pistachio Flavor Into Cake
We’ll grind shelled pistachios and then mix the pistachio crumbs into the cake batter for the best quality, real pistachio flavor. I know what you’re thinking: chunks of hard nuts in a cake? Don’t 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 that’s 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 don’t 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 isn’t 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 there’s 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 on—this 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!
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Description
Make this pistachio cake with real pistachio and almond extract flavors. This “naked cake” 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 flour (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 brick 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 350°F (177°C). 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.
- 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 21–23 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: 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 confectioners’ 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 confectioners’ 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: 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 cake 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 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Food Processor | 8-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cake Turntable | Straight Icing Spatula | 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 I’m unsure of the exact bake time. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
- Here are my pistachio cupcakes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi, can i skip the almond extract? We don’t have it here in my town. We only have almond flavour, but i am not sure would it give the same result?
You can skip it, but you will miss a lot of flavor. Feel free to replace with vanilla extract or even lemon extract for something different!
Hi sally! I have made this cake a few times now and it is ALWAYS a big hit. My mom requested it for her birthday next week and I am happy to do so…however, my brother and sister-in-law have been vegan for the last few years and they hardly come to family events now as there is “never anything for them to eat” ♀️
All that said…I would like to try to make this cake edible for everyone. What is your suggestion for making this recipe VEGAN? Can it be done and still maintain its original deliciousness?
Hi Amber! I’m so happy this cake has been a favorite 🙂 I’m not the best one to ask about vegan baking– I have every little experience with substitutions. Sorry! I do have a category of vegan recipes- you can find them here: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/category/vegan/
Hello Sally
I tried this recipe and it came out really nice. I now want to make it as the base layer of a two tier cake in a 12inch pan. I was wondering if I can substitute the 5 egg whites for 3 eggs to give a more substantial cake and less airy cake?
thank you,
Yasmin.
Hi Yasmin! You can certainly try that, yes.
Thank you, Sally. I asked because you had replied to a similar earlier question by saying you prefer the use of egg whites alone. Will let you know how this works.
Hi Sally
Just to let you know that I made this cake for my 25th wedding anniversary. I made it into a two tier cake, with a 10 inch layer at the bottom and a 6inch layer on the top. I used 3 whole eggs instead of 5 whites, and the cake was moist, yet firm enough to stack up. Each batch made a one 10 inch and one 6 inch cake, so made two batches.
The frosting was perfect. Probably the best cream cheese frosting I have ever made.
Thank you for this recipe that was the highlight of our anniversary dinner !!
This is an awesome recipe.. Baked this cake for my daughter’s birthday. Everyone liked the cake and it was super soft ..all of them praised me ..and got lot and lots of applauses… Thank u sally . For the wonderful recipe .. Frosting i made is cream cheese whipped cream frosting …thanks again .. Expecting a few more recipes ..
I had a coworker bring a pistachio cake on one of our office parties and it was delicious. This recipe looks simple enough but can I make this in a cupcake version? If so, what temp and how long to bake them.
Hi Elaine, You can follow the directions for making my pistachio cupcakes here: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/pistachio-cupcakes-with-creamy-strawberry-frosting/
I only have pure pistachio paste. Can I use it instead of ground pistachios? How much should I substitute? Thank you
Hi Eileen! I wish I had an easy answer for you, but I’m not really sure. You can try adding about 1/2 cup to the batter and leaving out the ground/chopped pistachios.
I just discovered your lovely site from Debrajoy at Youtube, and I’m thrilled! Cannot wait to try your recipes. I did want to ask where you found the very pretty cake stand you are using here? Pistachio cake-yum! Love love love how you decorated this cake.
Thanks so much, Carla! It’s from Crate & Barrel. Definitely my favorite cake stand and so beautiful in real life.
Hi Sally looking to try this recipe for a birthday cake. Wanted lemon and pistachio would substituting lemon juice for the almond extract work?
Hi Sharon! The best solution would be to make the pistachio cake as written and frost with this lemon cream cheese buttercream. I wouldn’t leave out the almond extract, but you can try adding lemon zest to the cake batter as well.
Hi Sally,
Baked this cake last night. It turned out delicious but a tad bit sweeter. I used the grams mesasurements as i prefer it that way. Only half he pistachios were needed to make 1 and 1/2 cups of crumbs. Is there any way to increase the pistachios? Can I reduce the flour amount and increase the pistachio crumbs?
It was a super hit and very easy!
Hi Janki! Try using salted pistachios. You can try slightly reducing the flour to make room for more pistachio crumbs, though adding a BIT more pistachio crumbs without changing the flour amount should be fine. Let me know anything you test.
Hi, followed recipe and it turned out great. But the cake was breaking up when removing from the pan. I might have added a extra scope of sour cream. Could it be because of that it was too moist that it breaks? Also, i like firmer cakes, this was very light and fluffy. Would using all purpose flour make it more firm? Also, wonder why use only egg whites instead of whole eggs? Otherwise, the taste was great. Thanks a lot for the recipe.
Hi Sam! It’s a very fluffy cake indeed. Make sure you grease the pan extra well– and line the pans with parchment paper rounds if you want, too! Try using my vanilla cake recipe as the base next time. It’s still soft, but may be closer to the texture you are looking for. Try reducing cake flour to 3 and 1/3 cups and adding 1 cup of pistachio crumbs. Add almond extract too.
Hi Sally, could I bake this in one cake tin (8 inch) and cut in half? How long would I need to bake for and do you think it will change the cake texture?
Hi Linda! Unfortunately, there is just too much batter for one pan. The cake would be so tall and could collapse in the center.
Hi sally l tried this cake yesterday and the outcome was brilliant.i halved the pistachios with roasted almonds and I even roasted the pistachios. Thanks for your receipe it’s great.
Hi sally!
Is there any way to make this cake dairy free?
Maybe toffuti sour cream and almond milk?
-claire
Hi Claire! You can try those substitutions as well as a dairy-free butter alternative (do not use margarine) or even solid coconut oil.
Made this for my husbands birthday, he loves pistachio 🙂
It turned out WONDERFULLY! I didnt have vanilla extract so I just used a little extra almond extract and it was still so delish. We even froze a few pieces and it was still tasty weeks later.
Hi Sally I will be trying out your recipe soon. But I have only found unshelled pistachios that are salted and roasted. No luck yet with unsalted. Would this greatly affect the finished product? I definitely don’t want mess this up.
It really won’t. The cake is sweet regardless if the pistachios are salted or not. In fact, I love making the cake with salted pistachios– it adds extra flavor!
Hi Sally,
Excited to try this cake given all the positive comments! May I know if it is okay to use carton egg whites?
Hi Cassandra! You can use carton egg whites if needed. The carton should give instructions for replacement quantities.
I have tried to replace the 5 large egg whites with 150g of carton egg whites. It is so good!!!!!! The pistacchio is so rich, combined with the rich almond flavour. Oh my. Thank you for the recipe, Sally!
Thank you for this recipe. Pistachio cake has long been a favorite of my husband. This was the best version he has ever enjoyed. Your recipe was concise and easy to follow. The cake flour gave this cake an especially nice texture and delicate appeal. I used your linked frosting recipe, one portion using only the 3 cups of confectioners sugar- ( I will try the 3 1/4 cups next time) and it perfectly covers the layers, top and sides of the cake, even going a heavier layer at the top.
Thank you for this amazing recipe! The cake was moist and soft. The cream cheese icing is a perfect compliment to the nuttiness of the pistachios.
I flavored my icing with rose extract instead of vanilla, omitted the vanilla from the cake batter and added pistachio slivers between the cake layers. The rose added a really nice and exotic flavor.
I decorated the top with more pistachios and edible rose petals. It was fantastic!
can I bake this recipe in a bundt pan?
Hi April! Yes, this cake batter will fit in a Bundt pan, but I’m unsure of the bake time.
Love this cake, a new family favorite. My husband who dislikes cake couldn’t get enough of it!! Making it again this weekend for Mother’s Day.
Hi Sally,
I was wondering if there’s a huge difference in texture if I use pistachio paste? Have you ever tried or any other nutty butter?
I honestly haven’t tried it, but have been curious to use it. Let me know if you test it in this recipe though!
I’m replaced late to this but..I made the cupcake recipe of this and I processed my pistachios a bit too much and basically had butter. I used anyway and honestly they couldn’t have turned out better. I imagine the paste will work great. Beautiful texture and the taste w the blackberry cream cheese icing was simply amazing!
Boy oh boy… made this cake for easter/my birthday and wow !! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! I had been looking forward to making this cake for a couple of months and was afraid I would be disappointed (not because I doubted Sally but because my expectations were so high) but it did not! Everyone raved about it. Followed the instructions exactly, took about 27min in the oven. Cream cheese icing also delicious.
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe! I made this cake for my boyfriends birthday tonight. It was just as beautiful as it was tasty. They loved it with the berries on top. I will definitely be coming back to try more!
Hi Sally
I made this cake today for my daughter-in-law’s birthday. I made a two layer 9 inch cake plus 5 cupcakes. The recipe is very straightforward and turned out beautifully! We have only eaten the cupcakes so far and they are delicious. I did make the cream cheese frosting although I could not get the brick of cream cheese but only soft – it came out more like a whipped topping but still tastes great!
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your wonderful site and recipes. My family and I thank you!
Regards,
Roze
Hi Sally!
I made this cake for a gathering and was so excited about it. But, they didn’t rise! And they threatened to crumbled to pieces as I was wrapping them to rest overnight, so I had to piece them together and hide it with frosting. What did I do wrong?? (They taste amazing, just are a bit flat)
If it didn’t rise, check your leaveners. Are you baking soda and baking powder fresh?
I made this cake for a family gathering and it was a hit! Thank you so much for your recipes. Everything I make from your site always comes out great.
Amazing cake! So delicious and soft, I made it for my daughter’s 13th Birthday and the guests loved it. No trace of it left. Thank you so much for the recipe! Can you please tell me the name of the lovely flowers you used on top, are they edible?
Hi Stepahanie,
I only bake gluten free and have made this cake for my little girl with Celiac disease gluten free by simply swapping out the flour for gluten free flour. I used Steve’s gluten free sake flour but basically you can use any gluten free all purpose flour by replacing two tablespoons of flour with corn starch per cup to make it gluten free cake flour.
The cake itself is decadent and classy but it is supermoist and hard to work with. I didn’t want to wait but it would have helped if I had refiregated the cake layers for a few hours. Someone else also is talking about the cake crumbling apart.
Icing the cake was difficult too because of how delicate the cake was. I used strawberry buttercream recipe from Sally’s website but the overall recipe and cake is amazing.
Thanks Sally.
You can’t mess this up! I generally scale down recipes for a couple of individual servings, since we are only two seniors and don’t require leftover cake. I will shamelessly admit that while preparing my cakes, I kept losing track of whether I had decided on cutting the recipe by 2/3 or 3/4, so I played fast and loose with proportions, as long as it looked and felt right. I also balked at the idea of shelling all those pistachios, so I substituted chopped pecans (mistakenly adding the entire batch into the batter–so much for reading ahead!), and I went totally rogue and added some sugar-free instant pistachio pudding mix to the batter. Baked in greased ramekins for about 25 minutes. They came out gorgeous, and after frosting with a different online recipe (I wanted one that incorporated more of the pistachio pudding mix), I had enough for two nights’ worth of desserts. My husband, with whom I split the first cake on St. Patrick’s Day, absolutely gushed over it, and I had to agree that it was just delicious. This one definitely goes in my keeper file.
Hello! I have two questions (and apologies if they’ve both already been answered, I tried to search through the comments, but there are so many!). The first is that I am hoping to make a smaller (but still 3 layer) cake using the 6-inch pans you posted about once- how would you scale the recipe down?
Second, I wanted to ask if there are any alternatives to breaking down whole nuts in a food processor, as I don’t have one. I do have a fairly strong blender (not a vitamix, but a good regular one!) and wondered if that would work, or if I could just break the nuts down by whacking them with a rolling pin (would the pieces be too big?)
Thank you in advance!! Hoping to make this cake as a spring birthday cake with lemon frosting.
Hi Kate! Glad to help!
1) Use my pistachio cupcakes recipe for a 3 layer 6 inch cake. Cupcake recipes yielding about 12-15 cupcakes translate nicely into 6 inch layer cakes. Follow the bake time and temperature for my 6 inch cake.
2) A blender should work for the nuts. Pistachios are a softer nut, so it should be easy for your blender.