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!
More Baking Recipes You Will Love!
- Pistachio Shortbread
- White Cake
- Pistachio Cupcakes
- Lemon Pistachio Loaf
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Coconut Cake
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 “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
I have pistachio extract and wonder if using in place of the vanilla extract but still keeping the almond extract would be doable?
Hi Gail, you can use a touch of pistachio extract if you can find it! I wouldn’t replace all of the vanilla with it, perhaps use only 1 teaspoon. Keep the almond extract in the batter.
I just made this cake and it’s delicious. I’ve never made a pistachio cake before. It’s so moist and tasty. I made a couple of tweaks, though. I substituted the sour cream for plain greek yogurt because I didn’t have any sour cream. I also didn’t have almond extract, so I put cardamon (it goes great with pistachios, yum). After 2 cups of flour I decided the batter was already too thick so I didn’t add the extra ⅓ cup and it came out great like that. I also thought 1 ½ cups of pistachios was too much so I left it at 1 cup. I didn’t do the frosting, so I made a simple syrup instead (the pistachios were salted, so this balanced it out). All in all, great cake! I will be making it again for sure. It’s a pitty I can’t add a picture here.
Hi Sally,
This recipe looks amazing. Planning to bake this weekend. Question my husband is allergic to sour cream, what shall I instead?
Thanks,
Hi Padma, a full-fat plain yogurt/Greek yogurt would work instead of the sour cream.
Hi Sally, I’m an amateur baker who started baking during the lockdown and advancing through your recipes has helped me make my very first layered cake this weekend (something I would have never deemed possible a couple of months ago)! Needless to say the cake was a hit, and friends and family now want to try your recipe too.
The level of detail, and explanation in each of your recipes makes them so easy to follow, and understand why you do what you do. Thank you for sharing your recipes, and teaching me so many of the basics of baking through them. <3
Hello. Made this cake. It was very good however I do have two questions. I got some comments that the cake was too sweet. Can you cut down on the sugar? And the cake was kind of crumbly in texture and broke apart very easily. What would cause this? I did accidentally use 2 sticks of unsalted butter instead of 1.5 sticks. Would that have an effect on the texture like that? Thank you so much and have a great day.
Hi Barbara, it could have been from the extra butter. Also, a cake that turns out a little crumbly could be over-baked. Reducing the bake time by a couple minutes could help for next time too. Reducing the sugar will also affect the texture (as well as decrease sweetness, of course), so I don’t recommend reducing it by much.
Hi Sally! Can this recipe be modified to fit a 6 inch cake instead?
Hi Jenna! The pistachio cupcakes recipe works for a 3 layer 6 inch cake. See my 6 inch cake post for details.
Question – I want to leave the pistachios whole or in pieces, but not grind it to crumbs. I’ve always done this with walnut cakes. I just like it better that way. I love the texture of nut pieces in the cake. Can I keep it that way?
Hi Mira, I’m glad to help. In this case, I recommend using the white cake recipe and adding 1 teaspoon of almond extract (if desired) for a little extra flavor, plus 1 cup of the pistachio pieces.
Great cake…nice pistachio flavor…really liked the almond extract with the pistachio. I made this for my sister’s birthday and was running short on time so I baked it in a bundt pan at 350 degrees. Set the timer for 30 minutes, then another 15 minutes. After testing the second time, I decided to take it out at 50 minutes and it was perfect. The cream cheese frosting was delicious. I have had pistachio cakes before but this one was so much better.
Hi Sally, The cake came out moist and soft. But the cake was bit sweet and icing was even more sweeter. If I reduce the sugar in both icing and cake will it reduce the sweetness? Would that change the consistency of the cake?
Also the flavour was more vanilla and couldn’t sense pistachio. Will pistachio extract instead of the vanilla work?
Hi P Murthi, you can use a touch of pistachio extract if you can find it! I wouldn’t replace all of the vanilla with it, perhaps use only 1 teaspoon. Sugar not only sweetens the cake, but adds volume and tenderness too. Start by reducing only a little. You may enjoy a less sweet Swiss meringue buttercream instead or even whipped cream.
Hi! I’ve made this cake for my birthday tomorrow and I’m really disappointed because the cake didn’t rise and the layers are flat as pancakes! I don’t understand because I followed your recipe exactly. I obviously went wrong somewhere – any ideas what could have gone wrong? Thanks
Hi Rebecca, any particular (even small) changes you made to the recipe? Even the cake pan sizes or bake time? Cakes won’t rise very much if the batter was over-mixed at all, so that could be the culprit. Additionally, your baking powder and baking soda could be losing strength– I find it’s best to replace them every 3 months. You may also find this post helpful, too: How to Prevent a Dry or Dense Cake (assuming yours was on the denser side).
Sally, my wife made this recipe, and it was delicious. Could you change it by beating the 5 egg yokes into the creamed butter mixture, then beat the egg whites into a meringue (adding a bit of reserved sugar) then folding it in and pouring the batter into the cake pans.
I hate not to use the yokes in this recipe, but pistachios are more expensive than eggs, so I’m asking your opinion first.
Thank you,
Willie
Hi Will, I recommend sticking with just the egg whites in this recipe, no yolks. We are adding moisture and fat with the sour cream and whole milk so only using egg whites ensures that the crumb is not weighed down by the additional fat in egg yolks.
Hi Sally! Am I able to bake this in a 9×13 rectangle pan?
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.
I love the taste and texture of this cake. I made for my brother’s birthday and everybody else loved it too. BUT, I wish that the recipe instructed to use parchment paper in the pans because my cakes stuck to the bottom. I ended up assembly the pieces back together, and somehow when we sliced it, it was uniform. Next time I will line my pans though.
Hi Hadley, thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! Next time, feel free to use parchment rounds (spray the pans before and after adding the rounds) or really spray the pans before adding batter.
Hi Sally, may i know if it’s OK to use Greek yoghurt Instead of full fat plain yoghurt? Would it be less airy too as compared to using sour cream? Thanks!
Yes, plain greek yogurt works well in place of the sour cream.
Do you have any suggestions on how to use one of your frosting recipes and make it pistachio flavored?
Nothing that I’ve tested, unfortunately. Let me know if you try anything!
This astonishingly terrific cake is the first I’ve made from scratch, and it turned out wonderfully even using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour (gluten free). Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!!
Dear Sally, would this recipe make a pound cake instead, just dusted with confectioners sugar ? My family is not crazy about icing and always scrape it off. What do you think ??
Rosemary
Hi Rosemary, A pound cake is a different type and texture of cake. Do you mean use this batter to bake in a loaf pan or different shape pan with no icing? If so then yes you can do that! You can use my post on Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions to figure out how much batter you need for different pans.
Sally, do you think this would be good with a lime buttercream frosting? I’m thinking of trying that.
Also, I recently found your blog and it is amazing.
Hi Andrew – so glad you found your way here! I haven’t tried lime buttercream but it sounds delicious! If you wish to try it you can use my Lemon Buttercream recipe but swap limes for lemons. Let me know if you try it!
Hi! I just made this cake, it is awesome! But why is it that the measurements is different? The first bake I follow the grams measurements for flour = 250g, the second bake I follow the cups measurements it turns out to be 300+ grams. Am I wrong?
I made this cake and I LOVE it!!! My husband and son love it so much! It’s so light and tastes fabulous! Thank you for the recipe 🙂 I didn’t have three cake pans of the same size so I did two layers and checked for doneness in terms of timing. It turned out perfect.
I made this cake for our wedding anniversary and it turned out delicious! I only added 1 1/4 cups of sugar but even then it was a little too sweet for my family. We prefer our desserts to be just mildly sweet. Next time i will try just a cup of sugar.
I made whipping cream icing and did not add any sugar to it to balance it out. This cake is luxurious and is a great special occasion bake. Highly recommend!
Hey Sally! I love finding recipes by you, they always come out really well! I usually make this cake in 9 inch tins, but I am considering trying this in 2 6 inch tins today, how would you suggest i adapt the measurements?
Hi Rachel, For help calculating how much batter you will need you can visit my post on Cake Pan Sizes and Conversions.
Or you can use my Pistachio Cupcakes which fit perfectly into three 6-inch cake pans.
Hi Sally – I just made this cake for Mother’s Day. It’s cooling now and I’m ready to make the frosting. Can’t wait to taste it! I was wondering why you call for 2 cups of whole pistachios, but once they’re ground, you only add 1 1/2 cups of the ground of the flour. I have so much ground nuts left over. Seems like a waste of the whole nuts.
I’m looking forward to rating this cake after I’ve had a slice!
Hi Sally.
I would like to half this recipe as it’s a big cake for family of 4. How many egg whites should I use and also can I bake it in 2 8in pans.
Hi Kajal, If you cut the recipe in half you will need to use two and a half eggs. For the half egg simply crack an egg into a separate bowl, mix it, and add half to the batter.
Alternatively you can use my Pistachio Cupcake recipe which works perfectly as a three layer 6 Inch Cake.
Easy to follow and perfect result.
Thank you
Hi, so you said you need 250g of shelled pistachios. So I’m assuming after you take the shell off and grind them, they are going to lose roughly about half the weight?
Hi Kitta, shelled means that the pistachios have been de-shelled. The weight is for the nuts without shells.
Hi, I am so excited to make this for my husband and I’s anniversary! We had a pistachio cake at our wedding! I was hoping to make a two-layer 6″ cake as it is just the two of us. Would you have any recommendations on how to cut the recipe?
thank you!
Happy Anniversary, Mara! You can use my post on Cake Pan Sizes and Conversions to help you figure out how much batter you would need.
Hi Sally! I’m planning on making in this cake for a birthday this weekend (very much looking forward to trying this recipe). I only have 2x 8-inch tins so I was wondering if it’s okay to bake this as a 2-layer or 3-layer 8-inch cake? If so what timings would you recommend? Thank you!
Hi Emily, You can make it as a three layer 8-inch cake. Your layers will be thicker so they may take a minute or two longer in the oven – keep your eye on them! For the third layer you can try keeping the extra batter covered at room temperature while the first two bake.
Hi Sally!! I make this recipe last December, for my daughter birthday. It was amazing, everyone loved…
This pistachio cake recipe is divine! My husband loved the cake 🙂
I made 2 layers (9″ pans) with salted pistachios, however, next time I would do 3 layers per Sally’s recipe. After 3 days of the cake being in the fridge, the cake layers seem dry. I did end up baking the cake longer than Sally mentioned as the center was not set at 21 minutes. Also, beating the sugar and butter with a hand mixer for 3 minutes was not enough as the mixture was not creamy. I probably mixed it closer to 8 minutes – could this have thrown the consistency off?