French pistachio cake is a European style dessert with an incredibly moist light texture and a fragrant vanilla pistachio flavor.
This French pistachio cake is a revelation! I’m super excited to share it with you. It’s a simple but distinctive dessert, which is exactly the kind of recipe I love to feature here. The texture is so light and fluffy ~ you’ll feel it the minute your fork hits the cake. This is so good I’m already planning variations. It’s definitely a new star in my cake collection.
The recipe is lightly adapted from Gateau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes. And because it’s a French recipe it’s a little different from most US cakes, but maybe not in the way you thought. Not all French baking is fancy and elaborate ~ the flip side of elaborate French baking is straightforward preparation methods, natural flavors, and a rustic presentation. This one layer pistachio cake is a perfect example of that minimal baking style.
But don’t let the simplicity fool you, this is one of the best cakes I’ve ever made.
French pistachio cake ingredients
Notice there is no butter or oil in this cake, the richness comes from heavy cream. You’re going to love the effect that has on this cake!
- pistachios
- raw pistachios are called for, but they can be hard to find. I’ve used roasted pistachios with success.
- sugar
- eggs
- flour
- cream
- baking powder and salt
- vanilla bean paste
- you’ve heard me sing the praises of this before, it’s the perfect compromise between (overpriced) vanilla beans and extract. Nielsen-Massey is the brand I use and prefer.
the pan
For this cake I use a 9″ springform pan. This is important for two reasons:
- The pan has extra high sides to hold the batter for this tall cake. Do not try to use a regular 9″ cake pan, it will not have enough volume to hold this cake.
- The springform pan allows you to release the cake without having to flip it out for slicing and serving.
an unusual prep method for pistachio cake
- Chop your pistachios. I do this in my food processor, pulsing until they are evenly ground but not reduced to a meal.
- Whip the cream to firm peaks.
- Whisk eggs, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy (I do this in my stand mixer.)
- Fold in the dry ingredients, then the nuts.
- Gently fold the cream into the batter until there are no streaks left. Do this gently but thoroughly so you don’t deflate the air you’ve whipped into the cream.
- Turn into a prepared springform pan and bake.
The result is a tall cake with an even rise and a unique fluffy texture!
Serving your pistachio cake
This cake slices beautifully, and makes an elegant presentation whether you’re serving it in the morning for breakfast or brunch, at tea time, or after dinner. All it needs is a dusting of powdered sugar to brighten the top. I scatter a few more chopped pistachios over the surface. The author says:
Don’t even think of serving this with more cream ~ it would be too much. A fork is all that’s needed.
This type of single layer coffeecake/tea cake is a specialty of mine here in the Great Island kitchen. Here are just a few more examples to try:
- Authentic Irish Apple Cake
- Butter Pecan Peach Cake
- Swedish Visiting Cake
- Mixed Berry Cake
- Easy Rhubarb Cake
- Raspberry Coffee Cake
- Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Cake
- Almond Fig Cake
- Cardamom Crumb Cake
- Blackberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake
See all my cake recipes here
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French Pistachio Cake
Equipment
- 9" springform pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shelled pistachios, plus extra for topping, raw is preferred but you can use roasted.
- 2 cups heavy cream, cold
- 1 1/2 cups (minus one tablespoon) all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla paste
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour your 9" springform pan.
- Finely chop your pistachios. I do this in my food processor, pulsing until they are finely ground but not reduced to a meal. Set aside.
- Whip the cold cream until it forms firm peaks. Refrigerate.
- Whisk together your flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Whisk eggs, sugar, and vanilla until really light and fluffy (I do this in my stand mixer.) Fold in the flour mixture, and the pistachios.
- Gently fold the cream into the batter until there are no streaks left. Do this gently but thoroughly so you don't deflate the air you've whipped into the cream. Turn into your prepared pan and spread out evenly.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until puffed and golden on top. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out without wet batter on it ~ but moist crumbs are fine. FYI my cake took closer to 60 minutes but your oven may bake differently.
- Let the cake cool for ten minutes, then release from the pan. Transfer to a cake stand or serving plate and dust with powdered sugar. Top with more crushed pistachios.
- The cake is wonderful warm or at room temperature. Store on the counter under a cake dome or loosely tented with foil. It will keep for several days.
I made this yesterday to take to a girls night at my neighbors. It was met with raves. I asked for honesty and everyone agreed while it was moist and delicious, no one could taste the pistachio. I followed the directions exactly, including using raw pistachios. If it weren’t for the ones sprinkled on top, no one would have known it was pistachio. I didn’t see any mentions of this in the comments here. Am I the only one? What could cause this? Can I add more pistachios or is there a pistachio extract that can be used?
Hi Peg ~ pistachio is definitely a subtle flavor, and contributes color and texture in this cake. There is pistachio extract and flavoring, but they’re specialty items and not usually found in regular grcoery stores. You can find them in gourment stores and online. I haven’t used them so I can’t recommend a specific brand, but Olive Nation, Lorr Ann, and Vanilla Bean Kings are all good bets. One other thought is to add 1/2 tsp of almond extract in addition to the vanilla in this recipe, that will enhance the nutty pistachio flavor.