It’s citrus season and we are celebrating with this irresistibly delicious lemon pistachio cake! Moist layers of lemon-infused pistachio cakes are layered with a creamy lemon pistachio buttercream frosting.
For added texture and pistachio flavor, the cake is finished with a border of chopped roasted pistachios. Each bite of this cake is packed with the refreshing and nutty flavors of lemon and pistachios!
Why This Cake Recipe is so Good?
- Seriously moist cake packed with the vibrant and nutty flavors of lemons and pistachios
- Creamy buttercream frosting perfectly infused with the flavors of lemons and ground pistachios
- 100% naturally flavored with fresh lemons (both the juice and zest) and pistachios – so there is NO artificial aftertaste
- Incredibly easy cake recipe that is perfect for serving at any special occasion or gathering
How to Make Easy Lemon Pistachio Cake
I am a big believer in baking with all-natural ingredients. To capture the natural flavors of lemons and pistachios inside this cake, I used fresh lemons and actual pistachios! For the perfect balance of lemon and pistachio flavors, I used the juice and zest of fresh lemons and ground pistachios. The outcome was pure deliciousness!!
To make this cake recipe, you will need:
Key Ingredients
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- Pistachio Flour (Ground Pistachios)
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs
- Unsalted Butter
- Sour Cream
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Vanilla Extract
- Lemon Zest
Pro-Tips for Baking with Pistachios
- Avoid Using Artificial Pistachio Flavors – for the most natural pistachio flavor in any bake or dessert, it is best to use actual pistachios instead of artificial flavorings and extracts. Based on how these products are made, it results in an unfavorable artificial aftertaste.
- Purchased Unshelled Pistachios – unshelled pistachios have a more vibrant green color compared to shelled pistachios which tend to have a faded green color. For this reason, I prefer to buy unshelled pistachios and simply remove the shells myself prior to baking with pistachios.
- Toast Those Pistachios – if you are using raw pistachios, it is best to toasted them for the best pistachio flavor. Toasting and/or roasting nuts and seeds helps to release its natural oils and fragrance which in turn will result in a more aromatic bake.
- Grind Whole Pistachios into Flour – using ground pistachio in this cake recipe allowed for each bite to be infused with natural pistachio flavor. To make pistachio flour from scratch, simply ground toasted, shelled pistachios in a food processor or coffee grinder into flour. Yup, it is that easy!! Just make sure to stop grinding the pistachio once you have a fine flour mixture to avoid ending up with pistachio butter.
The Best Lemon Buttercream Frosting with Pistachios
This lemon buttercream recipe is all-natural, getting its lemon flavor from the zest and juice of fresh lemons. The addition of the ground pistachios provides a lovely nutty flavor and pop of color. The balance between the lemon and pistachio flavors in this buttercream is incredibly delicious. You will literally want to eat this frosting by the spoonful.
Here is what you will need to make the recipe:
Key Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter
- Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar
- Ground Pistachios (aka Pistachio Flour)
- Lemon Zest
- Fresh Lemon Juice
To make buttercream frosting, use a hand or stand mixer to cream the butter and lemon zest together until smooth and fluffy in appearance. Next, mix in the powdered sugar and ground pistachios at low speed to incorporate into the creamed lemon butter. Lastly, Mix in the lemon juice a little at a time until you have a thick but spreadable buttercream frosting.
How to Store
Pistachio cake is best eaten the day it is prepared. Leftover cake slices stored in an airtight container will stay fresh for up to 2-3 days in the fridge. For longer storage, stored in the freezer for up to 1-2 months. When ready to serve frozen cake slices, thaw in the fridge overnight to restore soft texture.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- To make pistachio flour from scratch, grind toasted, shelled pistachios in a food processor or coffee grinder into a fine flour. Take care to stop grinding the pistachios once you have a fine flour mixture to avoid ending up with pistachio butter.
- One cup of whole shelled pistachios should give you about 1 to 1 1/4 cups of pistachio flour. Recipe calls for 3/4 cup of pistachio flour. Leftover pistachio flour stored in an airtight container and stored in a cool area should stay fresh for upto 6 months. The vibrant green color may fade overtime.
- Recipe makes a two layer 6 inch cake. I used two 6×2 inch round cake pans. For a larger yield, simply double the recipe for a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake.
- To stack and layer cakes, I use this cake leveler, bench scraper and offset spatula.
- Both the cake and buttercream may be baked in advance and assembled when ready to serve. Baked, cooled cakes tightly wrapped in plastic wrap will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 2-3 days and in the freezer for upto 1-2 months. Buttercream stored in an airtight container will keep fresh for upto one week in the fridge.
Looking for More Scrumptious Eats, Checkout My Other Recipes Below:
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! If you make this lemon pistachio cake, please make sure to let me know by tagging me @nourishedendeavors on Instagram. I love looking at the photos of recipes you all have made, or you can leave a comment and rate the recipe in the comment section down below. Happy baking, friends!
PrintLemon Pistachio Cake
Moist layers of lemon infused pistachio cakes are layered with a creamy lemon pistachio buttercream frosting and finished with a pistachio border for added texture!
- Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8–10 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Lemon Pistachio Cake
- 1 1/2 Cups (195g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup (62g) Pistachio Flour (See Notes)
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 3 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
- 2/3 Cups (134g) Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Cup (113g) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1/2 Cup (113g) Whole Milk Sour Cream, Room Temperature
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) Fresh Lemon Juice
- Zest (1) Large Lemon
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Lemon Pistachio Buttercream
- 2 cups (240g) Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar, Sifted, Plus More as Needed
- 1 Cup (226g) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature, Slightly Firm to Touch
- 1/4 Cup (31g) Pistachio Flour
- 1–2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) Fresh Lemon Juice, Plus More as Needed
- Zest (1) Large Lemon
Assembly
- 1/3 Cup Whole Roasted Shelled Pistachios, Roughly Chopped
Instructions
Lemon Pistachio Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease and line the base of two 6×2 inch round cake pans with circular parchment paper cutouts.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, pistachio flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a separate large mixing bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Use clean hands or a fork to massage/incorporate the zest into the sugar. This helps to release the natural oils from the lemon zest, resulting in a more aromatic, flavorful bake.
- Add the butter into the bowl with the lemon-infused sugar. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the mixture together at medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until thick and fluffy in appearance.
- Mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract into the creamed butter mixture. Next, beat the eggs into the wet batter one at a time stopping to scrape the sides and base of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.
- With the mix set at low speed, mix half of the dry ingredients into the wet batter followed by all of the lemon juice, and ending with the remaining dry ingredients.
- Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and base of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. Resume mixing the batter at medium speed for 1 minute to ensure that you have a smooth cake batter.
- Equally, divide the cake batter between the prepared baking pans and bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the cakes in the baking pans for 10-12 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
Lemon Pistachio Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a hand mixer and large mixing bowl, cream the butter and lemon zest together at medium-high speed until thick and fluffy in appearance, about 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the confectioners’ sugar followed by the pistachio flour until fully incorporated into the creamed butter, about 1-2 minutes.
- Increase the mixer speed back to medium and mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice into the buttercream. If it is too thick, mix in additional lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time until you have a thick but spreadable consistency. I ended up using 4 teaspoons of lemon juice.
- If buttercream consistency is too soft, mix additional confectioners’ sugar into the buttercream 1/4 cup at a time until you have a thick but spreadable consistency.
Assembly
- Level the cooled cake layers with a serrated knife or cake leveler, if needed, for a flat, stackable surface.
- Place the first cake layer faced up on a serving plate or cake stand. Spoon 1/2 cup of the frosting on top of the cake and smooth it out into an even layer using an offset spatula.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the buttercream layer face down and coat the entire cake in a thin layer of buttercream for a crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake to set the crumb coat for 30-60 minutes.
- Apply a thick layer of the remaining buttercream over the entire surface of the cake. Use a bench scraper and offset spatula to smooth out the buttercream.
- For vertical ridge buttercream design, I used this tutorial.
- Make a border on top of the cake with the chopped pistachios before serving.
Notes
- To make pistachio flour from scratch, grind toasted, shelled pistachios in a food processor or coffee grinder into a fine flour. Take care to stop grinding the pistachios once you have a fine flour mixture to avoid ending up with pistachio butter.
- One cup of whole shelled pistachios should give you about 1 to 1 1/4 cups of pistachio flour. Recipe calls for 3/4 cup of pistachio flour. Leftover pistachio flour stored in an airtight container and stored in a cool area should stay fresh for up to 6 months. The vibrant green color may fade over time.
- Recipe makes a two-layer 6-inch cake. I used two 6×2 inch round cake pans. For a larger yield, simply double the recipe for a 3 layer 8 or 9-inch cake.
- Both the cake and buttercream may be baked in advance and assembled when ready to serve. Baked, cooled cakes tightly wrapped in plastic wrap will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 2-3 days and the freezer for up to 1-2 months. Buttercream stored in an airtight container will keep fresh for up to one week in the fridge.
Bob
Beautifully done!
nourished endeavors
Thank you so much!