Triple pistachio cake has an incredible, nutty flavor from ground pistachios in the cake, the pistachio cream frosting, and chopped pistachios on top. It comes together quickly and is so easy to make! (gluten-free and soy-free options)

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 10
  • Category: cake, Dessert
  • Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

To Grind Up

  • 1 slightly heaping cup raw pistachios
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (, see notes for gluten-free)
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch (or tapioca starch)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk (such as oat milk, soy milk, almond milk)
  • 2 teaspoons white or rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons non-dairy yogurt
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla powder)

Pistachio Cream Topping

  • 1/4 cup ground pistachios (from the powdered pistachios above)
  • 3/4 cup coconut cream (or use 1/2 cup coconut cream + 1/4 cup cashews)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla powder, or more to taste)
  • pinch of salt

For Topping

  • 3 tablespoons chopped pistachios

Method

Make the pistachio cake.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Add all of the raw pistachios with the 2 tablespoons of sugar to a small food processor or blender. Process for 15 to 20 seconds, stir to prevent them from turning butter, then continue processing until they are a fine meal. The sugar helps keep the pistachios from becoming buttery. Remove 1/4 cup of the ground pistachio mixture for the pistachio cream.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ground pistachios with the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. In a small bowl, combine non-dairy milk and vinegar. Let it sit for 1 minute to curdle, which makes vegan buttermilk. Add the yogurt, oil, 1/3 cup sugar, and the vanilla extract to the buttermilk bowl. Mix well until the sugar dissolves. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix in. If the batter is too thick, add more non-dairy milk 1 teaspoon at a time, until the batter is flowy but not runny. It should be somewhere between cake and muffin batter. (The thicker batter helps the cake maintain structure despite the weight of the nuts.)
  4. Pour the batter into a greased or lined 8” or 9” cake pan. Bake for 28 to 35 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick at the 28-minute mark. The edges of the cake cook faster due to the nuts, so bake until the center is fully set with no liquid portion. Remove from the oven, and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan, cover with a kitchen towel, and let it cool completely on the counter or in the fridge before frosting.

Meanwhile, make the pistachio cream topping.

  1. Blend the reserved 1/4 cup ground pistachios with coconut cream, lemon zest, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. If using cashews, you may need to add a little coconut milk to help the blender. Taste and adjust the flavor. Add more sugar or vanilla, and blend again until smooth. Once smooth, transfer the cream to a bowl and freeze for at least 1 hour to thicken.

Assemble the pistachio cake.

  1. Pour and spread the pistachio cream over the cooled cake. Top generously with chopped pistachios. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.