Lemon Pistachio Cake
This perfect lemon pistachio cake is extra soft and moist, flavored with finely ground pistachios and lemon zest, soaked with sweet, lemon infused pistachio milk and frosted with delectable lemon pistachio cheese frosting. It’s so incredibly soft, packed full of zesty lemon and nutty pistachio flavor, with the most irresistible texture from the milk soak, almost like a tres leches, but not quite as wet. It’s the perfect cake to bake this spring!
What makes lemon pistachio cake so good?
Perfectly soft and fluffy lemon pistachio cake– This cake is incredibly soft and flavored with finely ground pistachios and lemon zest to give it the best rich while light and bright flavor. The buttermilk works together in the cake batter with the creamed butter and well mixed eggs to give the cake the most fluffy and lush texture.
Pistachio milk soak- we’ll be mixing pistachio milk together with sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and lemon zest. The zest is left to soak in the milk, then removed, infusing it with a bright lemon flavor. After the cake bakes, it will get poked with small holes, and this delicious mixture will get poured over the cake, allowing it to soak up all that lemony pistachio goodness!
Lemon pistachio cream cheese frosting- We’ll be grinding pistachios into a smooth paste (almost nut butter consistency) then mixing this into the cream cheese frosting, along with some lemon zest. A thick layer of frosting is smoothed on the cake after baking. Swirl lemon curd into the frosting for a finishing lemony touch!
For the full recipe, including measurements, step by step instructions, and bake time, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is just a brief overview!
Tips for baking a soft lemon pistachio cake
Room Temperature Ingredients- You’ll have the best textured cake if you use room temperature ingredients instead of cold. Cold wet ingredients, like eggs and buttermilk, can cause the cake to bake with more of gummy consistency, and we don’t want that. We want a moist and fluffy cake!
Mixing the Batter- You’ll want to cream the butter and sugar together until pale in color and fluffy, and the eggs should be mixed in until smooth. It’s okay at this point to mix a lot, as we’re adding air into the eggs, helping to give the batter a “lift”. However, mix the dry ingredients on low speed just until they are blended into the wet ingredients to avoid an overly dense cake.
Measuring Your Flour Properly- If you learn anything from making this recipe, please let it be this: measure your flour (and all other ingredients) with a digital kitchen scale. Please don’t bring me to tears; don’t scoop your measuring cup into your flour. This will always lead to inaccurate flour measurements and therefore, a wonky bake.
Baking Pan- I recommend using a light colored metal baking pan. This will help to ensure that the cake gets baked evenly. A glass or dark colored baking pan can cause baking variations, like the cake baking too quickly, being over-baked in some areas, while underbaked in others.
Lemon Pistachio Cake FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, for three days. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before enjoying for the best texture!
I really recommend using pistachios and grinding them in a food processor as opposed to using pistachio butter, as it usually has added ingredients that could negatively affect the cake and frosting consistency.
I used Elmhurst pistachio milk, but if you’re unable to find that brand or another, you can substitute it for any kind of milk really!
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make it but mixing 1 cup (240 ml) of whole milk with 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar.
Yes! You will end up with about 24 cupcakes. Keep the baking temperature the same, and bake for around 17-19 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the centers.
I have been on my own gluten free journey lately and have found that most of my recipes turn out great GF- Hooray! There is a caveat though, I can only say the recipe will come out good with Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour. This is not sponsored, but my true opinion. This is the only gluten free flour I use as it bakes most similarly to regular, all-purpose flour.
Other Recipes to Try
If you make this cake please leave a star review! Also, tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ and TikTok @inbloombakery so I can see your creation! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!
Lemon Pistachio Cake
Ingredients
For the Lemon Pistachio Cake
- 1 cup (140 g) pistachios (deshelled)
- 2 1/4 cups (281 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated white sugar
- 3 tbsp (30 g) lemon zest (about 3 large lemons)
- 10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
For the Lemon Pistachio Milk Soak
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) pistachio milk
- 1/2 cup (150 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 tbsp (5 g) lemon zest (about 1/2 a large lemon)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
For the Lemon Pistachio Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup (70 g) pistachios (deshelled)
- 1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, cold
- 2 cups (260 g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tbsp (5 g) lemon zest (about 1/2 a large lemon)
- lemon curd, for swirling into the frosting (optional)
Instructions
For the Lemon Pistachio Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×9 inch light metal baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
- Add the pistachios to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Set aside for later use.1 cup (140 g) pistachios (deshelled)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then set aside the flour mixture.2 1/4 cups (281 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl. Rub the lemon zest and sugar together with your fingertips to extract the most lemon flavor from the zest.1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated white sugar, 3 tbsp (30 g) lemon zest (about 3 large lemons)
- Add in the softened butter. Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together with an electric mixer on high speed for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, softened
- Then add in the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale in color and smooth, about 1 minute.3 eggs, at room temperature, 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla
- Add the buttermilk and the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing on low speed until the cake batter is combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- Fold in the ground pistachios.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake the cake for 38-42 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then pull up on the parchment paper to release it from the pan. Let the cake continue cooling on the cooling rack until completely cooled.
For the Lemon Pistachio Milk Soak
- In a small bowl mix the pistachio milk, sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest and vanilla together.1/2 cup (120 ml) pistachio milk, 1/2 cup (150 g) sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 tbsp (5 g) lemon zest (about 1/2 a large lemon), 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes. Then, pass it through a sieve to remove the zest, transferring it to a liquid measuring cup, or something you can easily pour from, while you do so.
For the Lemon Pistachio Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the pistachios to a food processor and pulse until very finely ground into a smooth paste, almost like a nut butter consistency.1/2 cup (70 g) pistachios (deshelled)
- Add the butter to a large mixing bowl and mix on high speed with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, softened
- Then add in the cream cheese and mix on high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, cold
- Add in the ground pistachio paste and lemon zest. Mix on medium high until combined.1/2 tbsp (5 g) lemon zest (about 1/2 a large lemon)
- Sift in the powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until combined, then on high speed for 1 minute until fluffy again.2 cups (260 g) powdered sugar
Assembling the Cake
- When the cake is completely cooled, cut a very thin layer off the top of the cake off using a sharp knife. This will make it easier for the pistachio milk to absorb into the cake. Transfer it to a serving plate. Poke holes on the top of the cake using a wooden stick or the handle of a wooden spoon.(I used the handle of a honey dipper for smaller holes.)
- Slowly pour the pistachio milk mixture on top of the cake. It is thin so it should absorb into the cake and the poked holes easily, but do be patient as it does.
- Frost the top of the cake with a thick layer of lemon pistachio cream cheese frosting using an offset spatula. Swirl lemon curd into the frosting using the back of a spoon.lemon curd, for swirling into the frosting (optional)
- Then cut into 16 slices and serve!
I did this cake and it was amazing! The texture and taste is perfect! Also, I only did half of the icing and it was more than enough! Can’t imagine doing it all ? anyways all was super good so thank you for this recipe!!
Excellent! Soft and moist, as promised. The lemon is a bit subtle but it’s there. It also isn’t super sweet; usually I would want more sugar but I was very pleased. I did veganize it but no one would know the difference, I’m sure. Highly recommended!
Made for a Easter party and it was a big hit! I added some finely chopped pistachios to the top and it looked beautiful. I used all the frosting and I’m glad I did, that was my favorite part! Would 100% make this cake again.
Hi we’re can I get pistachio milk from
Unfortunately, my cake was completely undercooked in the middle ? but the sides were totally salvageable and delicious.
If you have an oven that gets really hot like mine, use your soaked cake strips and bake at 325 for 50-55mins. I’m on my second attempted cake now lol it’s in the oven and looks like the cake is cooking evenly now.
What a delightful slice of creativity! ? The way you combined the zesty lemon and nutty pistachio — it’s like a tropical vacation in cake form. I love the “milk soak” idea — brilliant and indulgent without going overboard. This recipe not only sounds delicious, but your instructions make it totally approachable for us amateur bakers too. Thank you for sharing such a bright and cheerful dessert — I’m definitely baking this soon!
What style of pistachios did you use? Raw? Roasted? Salted? Would you use the same style for all elements? I’m so excited to try this recipe but currently only have roasted, salted pistachios!
Hello,
Where does one find pistachio milk?
Thanks
I made this yesterday for the spring equinox! Turned out perfect even though I was second guessing myself the entire time. I made half of the frosting as my family doesn’t like a heavily frosted cake but I would make the full batch if making it for a party! Every recipe I have tried of yours has been a hit. Thank you!
This cake is delicious! I have two sons who do not like nuts in their cake – but both raved about this. I am going to save this recipe and make muffins from the batter next. Great directions, perfect results!
Yay, wonderful! Thanks Kim!
Subbing the cream cheese w Mascarpone; can’t abide cream cheese frostings. I have some lemon pastry cream leftover from another recipe; I’ll add that along w some lemon curd to the frosting.
Yum! Happy baking!