This easy Pistachio Cake recipe from scratch requires just a few minutes of hands-on preparation time and 10 ingredients. Made from scratch with freshly ground pistachios, without artificial colors or cake mix. By the way, have you tried my pistachio cookies yet?
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Photo instructions
Place pistachios in a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Transfer the ground pistachios to a bowl and mix together with flour, baking powder, and salt.
Mix butter and sugar until fluffy, pale, and creamy — about 2 minutes.
Add one egg at a time and mix until combined before you add the next egg.
Add sour cream and vanilla and stir to combine.
Alternately add dry ingredients and milk. Start and end with dry ingredients.
The batter is very thin.
Transfer to a parchment paper layered 9" baking pan. Bake for 25-28 minutes until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Notes on frosting
I usually serve this cake with an orange-pistachio syrup that I drizzle over just before serving (you can find the recipe in the recipe card at the end of this post). Keep the syrup in a saucepan and reheat when needed.
When I'm in the mood for chocolate, I like to serve this cake with a few dollops of chocolate cream cheese frosting on top. I use the frosting from my Banana Chocolate Cake and only make half of the recipe.
Expert tips for success
- Take care that you don't grind the pistachios for too long. Otherwise, you will end up with a paste.
- You can also use an 8" (20cm) pan; you will need to adjust the baking time to about 10 minutes longer.
- I recommend making the cake a day before serving. The flavor develops overnight, making it a delicious make-ahead cake.
Which pistachios did you use for the cake?
I use green peeled pistachio kernels grade A from Iran. They have a dark green color because they are harvested before they are fully ripened and therefore don't turn yellow. That's why my cake is so intensely green in color without using food coloring.
The color, appearance, and taste of this cake will depend greatly on the type of pistachio you use. Pistachios can vary in taste, color, and size. Depending on where you live, you will have just a few different types of pistachios available, or maybe only one. I'm currently living in the UK and have pistachios available from Iran and the US.
Storage
Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. I recommend adding toppings just before serving.
Freezing instructions
Let the cake cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in freezer bags. It freezes well for up to 1 month. To thaw, unwrap, and let sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Then drizzle the syrup on top as desired.
More easy cake recipes to try
If you love easy cake recipes, then you've come to the right place. I'm sure you will love these recipes as well!
- Raspberry Cake
- Applesauce Cake
- Pumpkin Cake
- Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake
- Banoffee Cake
- Texas Sheet Cake
- Air Fryer Vanilla Cake
Recipe
Pistachio Cake Recipe From Scratch (with ground pistachios)
Ingredients
- 1 cup pistachios, shelled, unsalted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 vanilla beans* (or 2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- ½ cup milk
OPTIONAL: orange pistachio syrup
- ⅓ cup pistachios, roasted, shelled, salted
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large orange - zest and juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line the bottom and the sides of a 9" (23cm) springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place pistachios in a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Don't grind too long. Otherwise, it turns into a paste. Transfer to a bowl and add flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with a stand or handheld mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until creamy for about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 egg at the time and mix until incorporated. Add sour cream and vanilla* and stir to combine. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir just until combined.
- Transfer to the prepared baking pan and bake for about 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely.
- Orange pistachio syrup (OPTIONAL): In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, cook pistachios, sugar, orange juice, and orange zest until sugar is completely dissolved and syrup coats the back of a spoon, about 3-4 minutes.
- Pour syrup over cooled cake slices just before serving. Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days. Reheat leftover syrup to liquefy again, if necessary.
Notes
Video
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Marina
I made this cake and it was perfect!!! Delicious, airy and the right amount of sweetness. I didn’t make the orange syrup, I did a chocolate ganache drizzle and chopped salted pistachios instead. Worked really well. Gonna try to turn this into a layer cake.
Maura
Should I use raw pistachios or roasted for the cake?
Thanks in advance!
Sabine
The recipe works with both. Just make sure they are not salted. I hope that helps!
Karen Banks
I just made this Cake and added Raspberries after pouring in half the batter and then finished filling it to go in the oven to bake. What a wonderful cake as is even without any topping. Thank you. It is now earned a spot in my rolodex <3 🙂
Princia
What a brilliant find! The cake was moist and flavourful with a beautiful pistachio green colour. Followed the recipe as is except for substituting the butter with oil and sour cream with yoghurt and finished with a chocolate ganache on top instead. Definitely making this cake again.
Parisa
Thank you for this lovely recipe. My family thoroughly enjoyed it! I did have a few moments of panic while making it, however. Just as I was about to add the vanilla, I realized that I had doubled some ingredients but hadn’t doubled others. This is because when I clicked the “2x” button to double the recipe, the metric units in parentheses did not double but the US measurements did. After some scrambling, things turned out fine in the end 🙂
Lamiya
Can I use oil instead of butter?
Sabine
Yes, that is possible. The texture will be slightly moister and denser though.
Dan
Hi there if I use oil is the amount the same as butter, thanks.
Sabine
Yes, use 1/2 cup (120ml) of oil instead.
Ang
I really want to make this cake but I was wondering if there's an alternative to sour cream, I.e. Greek Yogurt?
Sabine
Yes, you can substitute with Greek yogurt 1:1.
Juli
I made this cake for my daughter’s 38th birthday because her favorite cake is pistachio. Your instructions were easy to follow and the cake baked beautifully
Feather
Hi I was wondering if I can replace sour cream with yogurt because it’s so hard to find sour cream in my country🥲
Sabine
Hi, Yes, that is absolutely possible. Replace 1:1.
Tamara
Love this cake. I used rose water instead of orange for the glaze and added dried roses for decoration. I also ran out of milk and used oat milk and it didn’t change the delicious taste of the cake.