Pistachio Cake From Scratch
It took a lot of trial and error to get the flavor of this pistachio cake just right. Since I didn’t want to use pudding mix or emulsions (which can be expensive, hard to find, and inconsistent), it was important for me to create an authentic flavor in a simple, attainable way. The solution? Brown butter! Just like in my butter pecan cake, brown butter adds a nutty, well rounded, deep flavor to this cake. When paired with the bright flavor of almond extract and plenty of chopped pistachios, we truly perfectly nail the pistachio flavor. It’s incredible!
Why you’ll love my recipe:
Uses the reverse creaming method, which yields a plush crumb AND avoids the risk of over-mixing the cake. This cake truly melts in your mouth! Made entirely from scratch with no artificial flavors, emulsions, or boxed mixes of any kind. Pairs well with many frostings (suggestions below!), but I especially love it with my swiss meringue buttercream.
This is nothing like those bright green, pudding-filled pistachio cake you’ve made in the past–it’s remarkably better!
What You Need
My pistachio cake recipe uses mostly basic ingredients, but there are a few wildcards. You will need:
Buttermilk. Buttermilk is key for flavor, tenderness, and moisture in this pistachio cake recipe. Yours should be at room temperature when you add it for easy combining (and on that note, you should be using room temperature eggs too!). Brown butter. If you haven’t made brown butter before, don’t panic! I go over this in my video below and also have an entire post on how to brown butter if you need even more pointers. Make sure your butter cools down completely before adding it to the recipe; it doesn’t have to be solidified, but it shouldn’t be at all warm. Almond extract. While we are using a small amount of vanilla extract, we will add even more almond extract to really bring out the pistachio flavor. Pistachios. Use salted, dry roasted pistachios and finely chop them (I like to use a mini food processor for this). If you can’t find salted pistachios, use unsalted pistachios and increase the salt in the recipe to 1 teaspoon. Food coloring. Food coloring is obviously optional, but if you want your pistachio cake to have a greenish hue, you will need to add it. I talk more about the brand and colors I like to use in the recipe notes below.
SAM’S TIP: Do NOT over-bake this cake! While the crumb is soft and tender, the crumb will appear a bit more crumbly due to the finely chopped pistachios (just like my butter pecan cake). If baked properly, it won’t be; however, if the cake is over-baked, it will actually be dry. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Pistachio Cake
SAM’S TIP: Most ovens bake unevenly, so test each cake individually if you are baking all three at the same time. If you can only fit two layers on the center rack of your oven at the same time, just let the one sit on the counter while the others bake. I seriously LOVE this pistachio cake recipe, and I’m so excited to hear how you like it! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
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