An absolutely stunning pistachio cake with a tender crumb and delicious flavor. It’s layered with a whipped vanilla bean white chocolate ganache, and covered in a pistachio cream cheese frosting. As tasty as it is beautiful!
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The Perfect Pistachio Cake
This cake can only be described as perfect. Truly, if you love pistachio flavored baked goods, you have to try this cake. The cake itself includes crushed pistachios and is impossibly tender. The cake is layered with a vanilla been white chocolate whipped ganache that is silky smooth and studded to vanilla bean caviar, and is then covered in a pistachio flavored cream cheese frosting. Just…wow! Read on to learn all about this gorgeous cake.
Components of This Cake
Pistachio Cake: A classic butter cake with crushed pistachios folded right into the batter. Both almond extract and vanilla extract are used, but you could easily splurge on pistachio extract if you’re wanting to up the pistachio flavor even further.
Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Whipped Ganache: This silky smooth stunning ganache is outrageously good, and although it takes a little more forethought, if really pretty simple to prepare! You only need white chocolate, heavy cream, and vanilla beans!
Pistachio Cream Cheese Frosting: As if cream cheese frosting couldn’t get any better – try adding pistachio cream to it! Creamy, tangy, smooth, and addictive.
Ingredients for This Cake
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Whole milk
- Greek yogurt
- Almond extract
- Vanilla extract
- Crushed pistachios
- White chocolate
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla beans
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Pistachio cream
How To Assemble This Cake
- Once cake layers have cooled and all components have been prepared, place one of the cake layers on a cake board or cake stand for serving.
- Evenly spread the ganache over the top, noting that you might have some leftover from this recipe. Top with other cake layer.
- Spread cakes with cream cheese frosting, and top with crushed pistachios and garnish with flowers if you’re so inclined! Enjoy!
Other Pistachio Treats To Try
- Pistachio Breakfast Buns
- High Protein Pistachio Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Cardamom And Pistachio Cheesecake Squares
- White Chocolate Pistachio Crispy Treats
- Pistachio & Carrot Cupcakes
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Pistachio Cake with White Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
For the pistachio cake:
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup full fat greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup crushed pistachios (pulverize pistachio nuts in a food processor to a fine mixture)
For the vanilla bean white chocolate whipped ganache:
- 200 grams white chocolate
- 290 ml heavy cream, divided
- 1 vanilla bean pod
For the pistachio cream cheese frosting:
- 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp pistachio cream (add more if you like, but I wanted the color of frosting to not be too muddy) – see note for link to purchase
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- **Note that the vanilla bean white chocolate whipped ganache requires at least 3 hours of refrigeration time. Plan ahead!
For the pistachio cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans, adding a parchment round to prevent sticking even further. Set aside as you prepare the cake batter.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, and greek yogurt, mixing until just combined.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together. Add half to the liquid mixture, and mix until just combined. Add half the milk, mixing again. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and milk. Fold in pistachios.
- Bake cakes for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then run a butter knife around the perimeter of the cake pans. Invert cakes on to a cooling rack and allow to completely cool until you're ready to assemble.
For the vanilla bean white chocolate whipped ganache:
- Add 100 ml heavy cream to a small saucepan, adding a split vanilla bean pod. Bring to a light simmer, and remove from heat. Allow the cream to infuse for about 30 minutes.
- Add white chocolate to a glass bowl and melt using a double boiler or microwave (just make sure you don't overheat if using the microwave which will cause it to seize).
- Remove the vanilla bean from the cream, and emulsify into the white chocolate. Once combined, add remaining 190 ml of the heavy cream (make sure it's cold).
- Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hors, preferably overnight.
- Remove from refrigerator and whisk using a hand mixer until volume increases and ganache is stable. Set aside until ready to use.
For the pistachio cream cheese frosting:
- Combine cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer). Whip until completely combined, and light and fluffy. Add 1 cup of powder sugar, mix slowly until completely combined. Add 1 more cup of sugar, mixing utility combined. Add the pistachio cream, vanilla, almond, and salt. Mix once again Add remaining powdered sugar, missing completely to combine.
To assemble:
- Once cake layers have cooled and all components have been prepared, place one of the cake layers on a cake board or cake stand for serving. Evenly spread the ganache over the top, noting that you might have some leftover from this recipe (great with graham crackers!). Top with other cake layer.
- Spread cakes with cream cheese frosting. Top with crushed pistachios and garnish with flowers if you're so inclined! Enjoy!
What are high altitude adjustments?
Hi Susanna! I can’t say I’m well-versed in high altitude baking! I did look up what these adjustments might be, and a great place to start would be to increase the oven temperature by 15-25 degrees Fahrenheit, and reduce the baking time by 5-8 minutes per 30 minutes of the original recipe’s baking time. I hope this helps!
My aunt made this recipe for our family’s Easter and it was the best cake I’ve ever had (not even joking). I will absolutely be making this in the future.
This comment made my whole day! 🙂 So thrilled to hear it was a hit – I actually also made the cupcake version and my family was so pleased!