Pistachio Cake
Ingredients
Pistachios
- 125g/ 4.4oz (just shy 1 cup) pistachio kernels, unsalted
Dry ingredients for batter
- 1 cup plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carb soda)
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
Wet
- 3/4 cup yogurt, plain, full-fat, at room temperature
- 60g/ 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/4 cup plain oil (canola, vegetable, cottonseed etc)
- 3/4 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (50-55g/2oz), at room temperature
Colouring (optional)
- 4 drops green food colouring, optional
Cream cheese whip
- 100g/ 3.5oz cream cheese, at room temperature (block best, tub ok)
- 3/4 cup thickened cream (heavy cream) or whipping cream
- 3 tbsp caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp lemon juice (optional)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- 1
Preparation - Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160° fan-forced). Grease and line a 20 cm / 8" round cake pan with baking paper (parchment paper).
- 2
Pistachio powder - Toast the pistachios in the oven for 12 minutes or until they smell nutty and they are crisp. Fully cool on the tray (~15 minutes).
- 3
Pistachio powder - Measure out 3/4 cup pistachios (save the rest for decorating). Blitz into a powder using pulses, taking care not to turn it into a paste. Some larger pistachio bits are fine, but aim for 98% powder.
- 4
Cake - Put the pistachio powder in a large bowl with the flour. Briefly whisk to combine then use your fingers to rub pistachio powder clumps into a powder.
- 5
Cake - Add the remaining Dry ingredients then whisk to combine.
- 6
Cake - Put all the Wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk until combined.
- 7
Cake - Pour the Wet into the Dry ingredients bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix until the flour is almost mixed in.
- 8
Cake - Add the food colouring. Then finish mixing the batter until mostly lump free (small lumps will dissolve when baked).
- 9
Cake - Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it out (no need to be meticulous, the surface will smooth out in the oven).
- 10
Cake - Bake for 40 minutes, turning the pan at 30 minutes so the surface browns evenly, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out without batter on it.
- 11
Cake - Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. (~1 hour)
- 12
Cake - Chop the reserved pistachios (mix of finely chopped and larger chunks).
- 13
Cake - Spread the cake with the Cream Cheese Whip. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Cut and eat!
- 14
Cream cheese whip - Beat the cream cheese for a good 2 minutes on medium high until it's really light and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Do not shortcut this step, else you may end up with cream cheese lumps!
- 15
Cream cheese whip - Add the remaining ingredients then beat until the cream is softly whipped and spreadable, about 1 minute on medium high.
