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 pistachio 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 pistachio cake 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. 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!
Today’s recipe makes enough cream cheese frosting to decorate this cake in the “naked” style. If you’d prefer more frosting on the sides of your cake, use the ingredient amounts for the cream cheese frosting from my favorite carrot cake recipe.
More Baking Recipes You Will Love!
PrintPistachio 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 “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
- 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*
- cream cheese frosting
- optional: 1 tiny drop green food coloring*
- optional: garnishes such as berries and leftover pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-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. You’ll have about 1 and 1/2 cups of crumbs. (If you have more than that, set aside for garnish.)
- Pour 1 and 1/2 cups of pistachio crumbs in a large bowl. 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 up the 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 up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, 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.
- Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 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: Prepare the cream cheese frosting (see note below).
- Assemble and decorate: Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and evenly cover the top with more frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the frosting all over the top and sides. (I used a bench scraper to smooth out the sides.) Decorate with garnishes, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 30-45 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake keep 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 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 | 9-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 food coloring to help brighten the green color. This is completely optional!
- Frosting: My recipe for cream cheese frosting will be enough to decorate your cake like I did in these photos. Minimal on the edges with more frosting inside and on top of the cake. Do you want more frosting? If so, make the amount of cream cheese frosting included in my carrot cake recipe.
- 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 room temperature ingredients.
- Bundt Pan: This cake batter will fit in a 10-12 cup Bundt pan, but I’m unsure of the exact bake time. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
- Here are my pistachio cupcakes!
Hi Sally,
I’m really keen to make this cake for a coeliac friend ( gluten free), what do you recommend as a substitute for the cake flour? can i use almond meal instead?
thank you
Hi Penny, we haven’t tested a gluten-free version of this recipe, so we’re unsure of the results using almond meal. We would recommend against it, as the baking properties are very different than cake flour and we’d expect the texture to be much different. What might be a better choice is a 1:1 all-purpose gluten free flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. Again, we haven’t tested it ourselves but many readers have used it successfully in other recipes. If you decide to do any experimenting, we’d love to know how it goes!
Really nice cake.
Delicious.
I wander if it could be done with any other nuts like peacan nuts or almonds?
Hi Barbara, we haven’t tried it ourselves, but we can’t see why not. So glad you enjoyed this cake!
This cake is absolutely delicious. I used the cream cheese frosting, but with much less cream cheese. I made for a friend’s birthday, and all of us love it! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
HI SALLY
Again thank you so much for your recipes and tips. I made the Pistacchio cake, It’s just awesome. Since I was looking for an almond cake, I replaced the pistacchio by almond. It was delicious too. However do you think I can ground 1/2 cup from the 1 1/2 nut to white almond powder or decreasing 1/3 cup flour to replace by 1/3 cup white almond powder. That’s if I make an almond cake.
I am disappointed with the cream cheese frosting. Always running.
Hi Patricia, Are you asking if you can replace 1/3 cup of cake flour with almond flour? If so, we don’t recommend it. But you can replace the ground pistachio with ground almonds. Cream cheese frosting is going to be softer than a traditional buttercream. But make sure you are using the full fat brick style cream cheese and not the type that is sold in a tub (cream cheese spread). You can add more confectioners’ sugar to your frosting to thicken it up.
Hi Sally, love your recipes! With this pistachio cake recipe would it be possible to half the recipe and bake it all in one 8” pan?
Hi Misha, that would be too much batter for one 8 inch pan. Cutting the recipe to 1/3 would be better!
Hi sally, I came across your recipe in search of a cake to bake for my sister’s gender reveal party, and im so excited to make it!
I was wondering if you can impart some wisdom on how to incorporate rose water into this recipe. As middle easterners, we often use pistachios in our desserts in combination with rose water and this clotted cream called Ashtah. I’m trying to recreate those flavors in a cake and have been unsuccessful in finding this concept online.
Any advice on how to do this?? Should I put the rose water in the frosting or the batter? Or both?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Paula! We don’t have much experience baking with rose water so can’t offer much advice. Perhaps the frosting would be a great spot to try it out? Let us know what you try!
Hi what can I use to replace the egg whites and how much of the replacement. Thanks
Hi Reshma, the egg whites are key to this cake’s fluffy texture. We haven’t tested any substitutes, but let us know if you do.
Hi Sally! I’ve tried this recipe previously and my family loved it! However I can’t remember if using egg yolks in the batter made much of a difference. I was wondering if it would. Thanks, love your recipes!
Hi Sally! I love pistachios & saved this recipe several months back! I want to make it, but wanted to 1st ask about the use of all purpose flour VS cake flour. I do not care to bake with cake flour, but rather prefer spoon/leveled/ sifted all purpose. Will that work for this recipe? And, what kind of conversion would it be? Thanks! Sheila
Hi Sheila, When a recipe calls for cake flour, it’s best to use cake flour. In a pinch, however, you can make your own cake flour substitute.
made this cake 2x in 3weeks. everyone loved it especially my mother in law who is very picky with cakes. thank you, Sally!
Hi Sally
I made this cake for my partners 40th and he/we absolutely loved it, the flavour was amazingly! My son is wanting a ‘bake off’ this weekend and I’d love to make this again but as cupcakes, would this work just the same? I also wanted to cut down the quantity of mixture this time as we will be baking 3 different cakes between us. Does it work to simply half all of the ingredients? Many thanks
Hi Nicci, you can use this recipe for about two dozen cupcakes, baking for about 19-22 minutes at the same oven temperature. Or, for a smaller yield, use our pistachio cupcakes recipe instead — same great taste and texture!
Hi Sally (and fellow bakers)!
I’ve used this recipe five or six times and each time the batter splits… I’ve searched through previous comments to see if others have also had this problem and it seems not..
I’m a professional chef and I’m positive that I’ve used correct technique in every step every time I’ve made it: room temperature ingredients, incorporating ingredients slooooowly; I’ve followed your recipe to the T, and other times I’ve deviated during the final step and added the dry mix and the milk in alternating batches to the butter mixture; I’ve tried adding a bit of extra cake flour at the end to see if that helps the fat and liquid come more together.. The results are always the same: a broken batter.
The splitting problem starts already around the time I add the sour cream to the butter/sugar/egg whites mixture. Eventually adding the dry mixture helps, but then the milk goes in and it splits all over again, despite the room temp ingredients and doing everything correctly.. And I know you can bake off a broken cake batter, but it tends to result in a weirdly-textured and dry cake, such a pity!
Any idea as to why I continue to have this problem with this recipe? My boyfriend (also a chef) suggested that perhaps the fat content of the grinded pistachios is an invisible factor? Maybe the pistachio nuts we get here in Holland are fattier than yours in the U.S.? (Grasping at straws). (Everything else I use is full-fat: Butter is 82%, sour cream is 10%, milk is 3.5%).
I’d love to solve this problem not only out of my professional curiosity but also because I’m pretty sure if I could get this right it would be my favorite cake!!!
Sarah
Hi Sarah! I’ve had your question in the back of my mind for a couple weeks because I’ve truly been trying to understand what the issue could be here. The fat content in the pistachios could be the culprit– but, like you, I do feel like that’s a stretch. What type of butter are you using? I know some European style butters have a higher fat content. (Butter where I live is usually around 80%.) Obviously the brands available to you depend on your region, but that could very well likely be the problem too. I usually use Land O Lakes. Also, regarding the butter, I wonder if it’s too warm? I know you said it’s room temperature but perhaps starting with slightly cooler butter could help too. One last resort– try reducing down to 4 egg whites. Maybe there is just too much liquid and I’ve successfully made similar cake batter with 4 egg whites instead of 5.
After reading some comments from bakers they had quite a lot of pistachios left over after measuring the 1 1/2 cup of chopped pistachios, I was wondering, could it be that you simply put too much pistachios in the batter? In the Netherlands you tipicly weigh the ingredients, but if you chop up 260 grams of pistachios, afterwards you still have 260 grams, and perhaps the 1 1/2 cup of finely chopped pistachios weighs closer to 150 grams? Sally, would it be possible to include the weight of the chopped pistachios you add to the batter as well?
I’m from the Netherlands as well and I’m going to bake this cake today, but I think I’ll probably use a little less pistachios
This was so delicious! Thank you for a recipe that’s a keeper. Yum yum!
I didn’t have cream cheese so made an orange icing with candied orange slices to decorate. I wouldn’t recommend it as the orange flavour was too strong and detracted from the pistachio.
Also mine wasn’t as green as yours. Next time I’ll add more green food colouring or try to take the brown husk off the pistachios.
any chance this could be made with Olive oil in place of some/all of the butter?
Hi Allison, we don’t recommend oil. You’ll need butter for creaming with the sugar. Let us know if you give it a try!
Usually when cakes contain only egg whites, they are beaten until soft peaks form and then folded into the batter. Is it not the case for this cake?
Hi Toni! Yes, that is often the case, but not for this recipe! It’s perfectly soft and fluffy without beating the whites. Enjoy!
Hi can I use liquid egg whites from a carton ? If so how do I determine how much? Or do I have to use eggs
Hi Michael, You can use carton egg whites if needed. The carton should give instructions for replacement quantities.
I have been bringing desserts to various parties for a good 15 years now. A couple months ago I stumbled upon this recipe and have made it 4 times already. Multiple people, including my “not-really-a sweets-guy” brother proclaimed this was their favorite dessert they ever had! Thanks so much for this recipe, I love making it!
I have veganized it before with the following swaps:
Tofutti cream cheese for the cream cheese frosting
Tofutti sour cream
Earth Balance or Miyokos vegan butter
5T aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) whipped to replace eggwhites
I wanted to make a hazelnut cake for our 10th wedding anniversary and tried this recipe with substituted roasted and skinned hazelnuts instead of the pistachios. It turned out perfectly and so yummy!! I used the nutella frosting recipe in between the layers and on top. Just perfect for my nutella loving husband! Thank you!
That cake sounds divine, Carrie! Thank you so much for sharing your experience, we’re thrilled it was a hit. Happy anniversary!
Dear Sally, all your recipes are absolutely amazing! I love pistachio cake but am a little daunted by the prospect of making a layered cake. Is it possible to bake this cake as just a uniform, single-layered one? Hope to hear back from you soon!
Sure can! To bake in a 9×13 pan: Simply pour the batter into a greased and lightly floured 9×13 pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Hope you love this cake, Gayathiri!
Hello! If using salted pistachios, should I omit or reduce the 1 tsp of salt called for in the recipe? Thank you!
Hi Michele, no need to lessen the salt if using salted pistachios. We love making the cake with salted pistachios– it adds extra flavor!
Sally,
I need to make a chocolate wedding cake (2 three layer tiers) with vanilla buttercream frosting. I have trialed the cake several times (I am not a real baker) and the bride has approved it. I am working on finishing touches with semi-nude frosting. However, I have to transport the cake about 175 miles and be there the day BEFORE the wedding. My question is: Should I make the frosted cake two days before wedding and freeze the individual tiers then day before assemble the cake and touch up at destination? It is a small wedding.
Hi Melinda, we don’t typically recommend freezing decorated cakes, because the frosting could become quite drippy during the thawing process. If you can make the cakes and store them in the refrigerator (tightly covered for 1-2 days) and transport them as you suggested, that might be your best bet. The more assembling and finishing touches that you can save for the arrival, the better!
Hi Sally can I replace pistachio with almonds in this recipe to get a almond cake
Hi Sucheta, ground almonds will be very similar to the finely ground pistachios we use in this recipe, so should be a fine substitute (though we haven’t tested it so can’t say for sure). Use the same amount. The flavor will go wonderfully with the almond extract. Would love to hear how it goes!
It’s tasty but I’ve tried making this 4 times and every time the sponge breaks when i try and move it. I really want to make it into a 3 layer. Any advice? Thanks!
I made this cake today. I’ve been searching for a pistachio cake recipe ever since I had this absolutely divine pistachio loaf at a bakery once- years ago. I’m so glad I stumbled across this one.
My notes: I did not have everything @ room temperature in time, so I poured warm water into 3 bowls and set the milk (in a Pyrex measuring cup), sour cream, and all 5 eggs in for 10 minutes. It worked out beautifully. While they were coming to room temp, I blitzed the pistachios and weighed out the dry ingredients. Highly recommend all of y’all to do that, too; room temp really makes a huge difference!
I put in gel green food coloring. It came out a lovely mint-green color, and once I turned it upside down, I got this gorgeous sticky browned top, which was what I was going for, actually. I’ve been making your white cake for years now, and so a lot of this recipe felt familiar to me.
Final note: I had wayyyy too much pistachio. I weighed out 260 grams of shelled pistachio, blitzed it, and had almost twice as much. (I saved the extra and combined it with almond flour, which I plan to use to make another of these babies! We’ll see how it goes.) For everyone else, I would recommend being conservative in your amount of pistachio, maybe 200 g instead?
Hi Sally. I’ve made this cake already. The flavor was spot on. I didn’t have any problems with the batter or the bake. When I made it I used 3 6in pans and made a SMBC frosting instead of the cream cheese frosting. This time around I plan to use 9in pans and still make the SMBC frosting. Can you please tell me how many cups I should make in order to crumb coat, frost a final time but to also use as a dam/filling? I plan to put a layer of pistachio butter on one layer then cherry jam on the 2nd layer, hence the extra frosting needed for the dam. When I make cakes I like to put a thin layer of the frosting over any filling I’m using. Again, the reason why I need to know how many cups you think I’ll need. The only decorations I plan to put on the cake will be 8 swirls that I plan to put fresh cherries on top of. I know this is a lot of information but I wanted to give you as much as I could so you could give me an accurate amount or close to regarding the frosting. Thanks. Hope to hear from you as soon as possible….
Hi Tammie, Our recipe for Swiss Meringue Buttercream yields about 5 cups of frosting, which is enough to fill and frost a three layer 9-inch cake with just enough frosting. To be sure you have enough you can make this recipe once, and then make a half batch separately and combine them. See the recipe notes under the frosting recipe about cutting the recipe in half. Enjoy!
Made this cake today. It was absolutely delicious. The only problem was that is was too crumbly. Any Idea why this would happen? Also, i substituted the sour cream with thick yogurt.
Thanks
Hi Navneet, if your cake was overly dry and crumbly, it’s possible it was simply over baked. A bit less time in the oven should help for next time. Also, be sure that you’re spooning and leveling your flour, as too much dry ingredient in the cake can also contribute to drying it out. This post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes might be of interest to you as well. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
Oh Sally, this is absolutely divine! I only had two pans so baked it longer. I did reduce the sugar and subbed some almond flour (needed to reserve some pistachios for decorating), but otherwise followed the recipe to a T. I whipped some ganache (semi-sweet and dark) and filled and frosted the cake, with a thin layer of unwhipped ganache over the top with drips along the side. Decorated with crushed pistachios and it looked gorgeous, and tasted wonderful! Thank you so much for another winner!
Hi – I gave it a try and the cake is very moist. I used one cup of regular sugar and 3/4 cup (packed) of brown sugar. It’s a wonderful recipe! Very versatile. I used 8 inch pans and will be filling it with layers of ricotta cream to attend an Italian themed dinner. Another time I will try your delicious looking frosting. I use many of ySally’s recipes. You are all very gifted. Thank you so much!
Hi Sally! I will make this recipe for my birthday next week, I love love love pistachios and i was wondering…
The pistachio flavor is strong in this cake? Where I live pistachios are very expensive and I would like to use them in a cake where their flavor would not be lost… i hope you can help me, thanks a lot, this recipe looks amazing
Hi Gabriel! Since we’re not using any artificial pistachio flavoring, the pistachio flavor isn’t overpowering but it certainly is there and noticeable. You’ll taste light pistachio plus delicious almond, butter, and vanilla flavors. We’d highly recommend it if you are a big fan of pistachios — let us know if you give it a try!
Hi Sally,
do you think this would work with dark chocolate filling and fresh strawberries?
Love your recipes, thank you very much.
Jarka
Hi Jarka, absolutely — this pistachio cake would be delicious with a dark chocolate ganache filling and strawberries. Let us know if you try it!