Plentiful in fragrant pistachios, enhanced with a silky whisper of white chocolate, and topped with an especially rich buttercream, this is decidedly not your every day cake. But occasionally something remarkable is required in the dessert department. Strikingly extravagant in presentation, yet enticingly subtle in its flavors, this pistachio cake is definitely a special occasion type of confection. The buttercream frosting begins with a rather unusual pastry cream, which is delicately flavored with finely ground pistachios. And not to be outdone, the cake layers are similarly enriched. I won't shine you on about any ease of effort here...this cake is labor intensive. (And probably best approached as a two day endeavor, since a few steps involve some necessary waiting around.) That said, if you are in the mood for something sweet and sumptuous, and you have a bit of time for puttering around the kitchen, the payoff is worth it...or so I've been told by many contented cake eaters.
This cake is a fabulous "show-stopper" sort of dessert not only for special occasions, but also for holidays the whole year-round, particularly Easter, Mother's Day, and Christmas.
Ingredients for Pistachio Cake
- unsalted raw pistachio nuts
- good quality white chocolate (Valrhrona is a personal favorite, but the key here is using a brand that relies on cocoa butter instead of additives)
- pure vanilla extract
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- kosher salt
- sugar
- half & half
- unsalted butter
- eggs
- heavy whipping cream
- powdered sugar
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preparing the Pistachio Buttercream Frosting
Begin by making the pistachio pastry cream which will flavor the buttercream frosting. Bring the half & half and pistachios to boil in a small heavy saucepan. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour.
Whisk the sugar, egg yolks, and flour together vigorously in a medium bowl until the color begins to look pale yellow.
Place the saucepan with the half & half mixture back over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Very gradually whisk the hot mixture, nuts and all, into the sugar and yolk mixture.
Return the combined mixture to the same saucepan and place over medium heat. Then whisk constantly until it begins to bubble thickly, about 3 to 5 minutes. (Thickening will occur all of a sudden, so it's best to try and avoid any distractions during this step to avoid burning the pastry cream.)
Remove the saucepan from the heat and mix in the vanilla extract. Let the mixture cool briefly before transferring it to the food processor.
Blend in the food processor until the pistachios are very finely chopped and distributed evenly throughout the pastry cream.
Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic, pressing it directly on the surface of the pastry cream. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
Using an electric mixer, beat the unsalted butter in a large bowl until it appears fluffy.
Add the pastry cream ¼ cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
The buttercream frosting can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, simply cover it and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.
Baking the Pistachio Cake
Preheat oven to 350℉. Butter and flour two 9 inch diameter cake pans.
Roughly chop the white chocolate into small pieces.
Bring the half & half to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, add the white chocolate and vanilla extract, and stir until smooth. Set the white chocolate mixture aside to cool.
Place the pistachios, flour, baking powder, and salt in the food processor. Then process this mixture until the pistachios are very finely ground.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and ¾ cup sugar with the electric mixer until fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Then on low speed, beat in the flour mixture alternately with the white chocolate mixture in two additions each.
Using clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, beating until stiff but not dry.
Fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter in two additions.
Divide the batter between the prepared pans.
Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let the cakes rest for 10 minutes before turning them out onto racks to cool completely.
Assembling and Decorating the Cake
Place the first cake layer on your serving platter of choice. Spread 1 cup of buttercream evenly over the first layer.
Place the second cake layer on top of the first and spread the remaining buttercream evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Chill cake until the buttercream is firm, about 1 hour.
In the meantime, prepare the whipped cream for decorating. Place the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Beat until firm peaks form. Then transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip.
When the buttercream is firm, pipe the whipped cream in side-by-side columns up the sides of the cake, as well as around the edges of the base and the top. Then pipe a border of rosettes around the top edge of the cake at each column and crown with pistachios. Refrigerate the cake until cold, at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared one day ahead.)
Hint: This recipe requires 7 eggs in total. Between the buttercream frosting and the cake itself, you will need all 7 of the yolks, but only 5 of the whites. So when the cake is finished, you should have 2 extra egg whites on hand.
Equipment
A food processor is a real necessity here for purposes of grinding the pistachios to flavor the cake layers and the pastry cream. (My preference is a cuisinart.)
Storage
Pistachio cake can be prepared one day ahead. Keep it refrigerated. If possible, cover it with a cake dome. (Though not strictly necessary.) Let the cake stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving. Any leftovers will keep for at least a couple days.
Top tip
Good quality white chocolate is delicate, not too sweet, and has a smooth, satiny texture. When weighing your options, look for high cocoa butter content. A few of the most reliable brands include Valrhona, Cacao Barry, Green & Black's, and Ghirardelli.
📖 Recipe
Pistachio Cake
Equipment
- food processor
- electric mixer
- 2 round cake pans, 9 inch
- cooling racks
- pastry bag with medium star tip
Ingredients
For the Pistachio Buttercream Frosting
- 1¼ cups half & half
- ¾ cup unsalted raw pistachio nuts
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
For the Pistachio Cake
- ¾ cup half & half
- 3 ounces good quality white chocolate chopped
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted raw pistachio nuts
- 1¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt generous
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 5 large egg whites
For the Decorations
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream chilled
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- small handful unsalted raw pistachio nuts
Instructions
Preparing the Pistachio Buttercream Frosting
- This frosting begins with a pistachio pastry cream. Bring the half & half and pistachios to boil in a small heavy saucepan. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour.
- Whisk the sugar, egg yolks, and flour together vigorously in a medium bowl until the color begins to look pale yellow.
- Place the saucepan with the half & half mixture back over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Very gradually whisk the hot mixture, nuts and all, into the sugar and yolk mixture.
- Return the combined mixture to the same saucepan and place over medium heat. Then whisk constantly until it begins to bubble thickly, about 3 to 5 minutes. (The thickening will happen all of a sudden, so avoid any distractions during this step to avoid burning the pastry cream.)
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and mix in the vanilla extract. Let the mixture cool briefly before transferring it to the food processor and blending until the nuts are very finely chopped and distributed evenly throughout the pastry cream.
- Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic, pressing it directly on the surface of the pastry cream. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the unsalted butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Add the pastry cream ¼ cup at a time, beating well after each addition. (The frosting can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, simply cover it and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.)
Baking the Pistachio Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Butter and flour two 9 inch diameter cake pans.
- Bring the half & half to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, add the white chocolate and vanilla extract, and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Place the pistachios, flour, baking powder, and salt in the food processor. Process until the pistachios are very finely ground.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and ¾ cup sugar with the electric mixer until fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then on low speed, beat in the flour mixture alternately with the white chocolate mixture in two additions each.
- Using clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter in two additions.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let the cakes rest for 10 minutes before turning them out onto racks to cool completely.
Assembling and Decorating the Cake
- Place the first cake layer on your serving platter of choice. Spread 1 cup of buttercream evenly over the first layer. Place the second cake layer on top of the first and spread the remaining buttercream evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Chill cake until the buttercream is firm, about 1 hour.
- In the meantime, prepare the whipped cream for decorating. Place the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Beat until firm peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip.
- When the buttercream is firm, pipe the whipped cream in side-by-side columns up the sides of the cake, as well as around the edges of the base and the top. Then pipe a border of rosettes around the top edge of the cake at each column and crown with pistachios.
- Refrigerate the cake until cold, at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared one day ahead.)
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