Pistachio and Cardamom. Is there anything better? I don’t think so. This cake is amazingly fluffy and light, and tastes just like natural and delicious pistachios! It uses real, unchanged pistachios and pistachio extract to provide an amazing flavor. The cardamom is light but comes through and compliments the pistachio perfectly. This cake is topped with a thin layer of the best cream cheese frosting and fresh fruit and flowers.
When Should I Make This Cake?
Though this cake could be eaten literally whenever you feel like it, I think it makes the most sense in the springtime. The gentle but delicious flavor of the pistachio makes a light green color that just suits spring the best. However, there are no flavors that are strictly spring. I eat pistachios year round! I like to top this cake with fresh flowers and berries which are just more of a spring thing but you could top them with lots of other things or just the icing.
What’s in This Cake?
Pistachios: In order to get a natural flavor for this cake I use 2 cups of raw pistachios without shells. You might be thinking that this would make the cake crunchy and unpleasant, but actually when you grind pistachios they become soft and fine. This way you still get the flavor and color the natural way.
Cake Flour: I use cake flour in this cake to make it light and fluffy. The nuts could weigh down the cake slightly so the cake flour helps with that.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda: This helps the cake rise in the oven.
Salt: Adds flavor
Cardamom: Gives the cake an amazing flavor!
Butter: Makes for a buttery cake with a great flavor. It also helps give it a slight crumb. But make sure it is at room temperature.
Sugar: Used to sweeten this cake.
Egg Whites: Make sure you are only using the whites and not the yolks. The fat in the yolks will weigh down the crumb, resulting in a dense cake.
Sour Cream: Makes the cake super moist.
Vanilla & Pistachio Extracts: These add flavor. Vanilla extract is used in basically every baked confection. I use pistachio extract to provide a little bit more pistachio flavor but only a little so it doesn’t taste fake.
Buttermilk: Makes the cake deliciously moist and gives it a light buttery flavor.
Simplify: How to make Pistachio Cardamom Cake.
Step one: Pulse the pistachios into a fine crumb.
Step two: Mix the dry ingredients & pistachio dust.
Step three: Beat butter and sugar together.
Step four: Beat in egg whites.
Step five: Beat in sour cream and both extracts.
Step six: Add dry ingredients.
Step seven: Add buttermilk.
Step eight: Bake for 21 min.
Step nine: Make frosting and let cakes cool.
Step ten: Ice and decorate.
Step eleven: Enjoy!
How to Make a Pistachio Cake Taste Real
This cake is made so that when you take that first bite your first thought is: This is a Pistachio Cardamom Cake! I want you to know what it is, but I also want it to taste REAL. So how do I do this? Well, the answer is just use real ingredients. You have to use real pistachios and lots of them. This way, you can taste it and know that it is right. But here’s the problem. When you use this many nuts it adds a lot more dryness to the cake. This is why we’re using all of the moisture tricks we have. That means we have to use sour cream, milk, egg whites, and the right amount of butter. Thankfully, all of this moisture and the pistachios even out well. I also like to add 1/4 tsp of pistachio extract. This gives the cake an even stronger pistachio taste, but it still tastes real.
The Best Frosting For this Cake
In my opinion, cream cheese frosting pairs well with this cake. I love how the tangy-ness of the frosting mixes with the sweet flavor of the cake itself. However, you could use vanilla buttercream, strawberry buttercream, lemon cream cheese frosting, or lemon buttercream. Any flavor you think would pair well with this cake would work! As for the decoration, I use fresh flowers, pistachios, and berries. You could pipe rosettes or swirls on the cake, but I prefer to keep it simple. But be careful that the flowers you add are ok to eat and are washed.
This cake is delicious, but the best thing about it is its simplicity. Its really simple. Seriously. Grind pistachios, dry ingredients, wet ingredients, combine, bake, assemble. Not too hard. And it has an amazing light and fluffy texture. And have I mentioned it tastes amazing?
Pistachio Cardamom Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour three round nine inch cake pans.
- Pulse the pistachios in a food processor into very fine crumbs. You should have around 1 1/2 cups. If you have more, save for a topping later.
- Pour 1 1/2 cups of pistachio crumbs into a large bowl. Whisk in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt.
- Using a mixer (handheld or stand) fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment. Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla extract, and pistachio extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer on low speed slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until just incorporated. Add the milk, still on low speed until just combined. The batter will be creamy and a little thick.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 21-23 minutes or until baked through. The cake is done when it bounces back after being tapped, and is pulling away from the sides of the pan. Let the cakes completely cool in the pans.
- Using a mixer (handheld or stand) fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on high speed until creamy. Add 3 cups of confectioners sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low for thirty seconds and switch to high, beating for 2 more minutes. If it is too thin add some more sugar.
- Cut off the top of the cake to create an even surface (optional). Put a large dollop of frosting on one layer of cake and spread it evenly add another cake layer on top and repeat with final layers. Add a thin layer of frosting to the sides, its OK if there is cake showing. Use a flat surface (I use a bench scraper) to smooth out the edges. Top the cake with extra pistachios, fresh fruit, berries, and flowers.
- Enjoy!
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