Pistachio Cardamom Pound Cake

Pistachio Cardamom Pound Cake features a classic Middle Eastern flavor pairing of warm cardamom spice and crunchy pistachios — it’s an unusual and delicious cake perfect with coffee or tea.

Reader Rave ~

“I made the Pistachio Pound Cake the other day. I loved it and so did all my friends, who came over to play bridge and eat! We loved the taste of the cardamom. It’s even better the next morning.” ~Mary

My last pistachio cardamom pairing was in a granola, and I’ve been plotting another way to use the two flavors for a while now. Pistachio and cardamom go hand in hand in lots of recipes from India and throughout the Middle East. You’ll find the combination in ice cream, (kulfi) and rice puddings, to cakes, candies and cookies.

I used lots of fresh shelled pistachios in my pound cake, with cardamom in the batter and the glaze. I also added vanilla bean paste to round out the flavors. I keep two jars of the stuff in the cupboard at all times because I’m completely hooked on it. It’s a thick paste made with vanilla beans, and one tablespoon of the paste is equal to a whole vanilla bean. I’ve been so disappointed by those thin, dried out beans that cost $13, that I’ve switched to the paste for most recipes. It gives great flavor, and all the vanilla specks you could want.

It shouldn’t be so hard to find unsalted pistachio nuts, but it can be. Sometimes they’re stored in out of the way spots in stores, so be sure to ask if you can’t locate them. They are freshest in their shells, and it doesn’t take long to shell them because as pistachios ripen their shells pop open naturally.

I love the parrot green color of  these nuts. I include both ground and chopped nuts in this cake. The ground nuts act almost like additional flour, and the chopped nuts add texture. I used a good amount of cardamom both in the cake and in the frosting, and it’s definitely assertive, but not overwhelming. I can’t get enough cardamom. Is everybody with me on this? I love the color, the floral aroma, the mellow complex flavor…I love the ground stuff and the whole pods. Cinnamon can’t even begin to compete.

I did add one drop of green food coloring, but looking back on it, I’m not sure it did anything. I wanted the cake to have a hint of color, and I was worried that the nuts alone wouldn’t do it. The choice is up to you.

more pound cakes to try

• Perfect Buttermilk Pound Cake
• Maple Pecan Pound Cake
• Triple Coconut Pound Cake
• Triple Vanilla Pound Cake
• Chocolate Pound Cake

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3.86 from 117 votes

Pistachio Cardamom Pound Cake

Pistachio Cardamom Pound Cake features a classic Middle Eastern flavor pairing of warm cardamom spice and crunchy pistachios — it's an unusual and delicious cake perfect with coffee or tea.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Yield 10 servings

Author Sue Moran

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ground pistachios, see note
• 1/2 cup chopped unsalted pistachios (plus extra for garnish)
• 1 rounded tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 drop ~ no more! ~ green food coloring
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 stick or 1/2 cup, unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs

glaze

• 2/3 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
• enough heavy cream for thinning

Instructions

• Set oven to 350F
• Mix the first 7 dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Add in the eggs, one at a time, and blend until smooth.
• Mix the buttermilk, food coloring (if using) and vanilla paste together in a bowl or measuring cup.
• Add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet to the butter and sugar. Begin and end with the dry ingredients, beating just until blended with each addition.
• Turn the batter into a buttered and floured 9×5 loaf pan. I like to line it with parchment paper with overhanging edges to make it easier to remove for glazing and slicing.
• Bake for about 55 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick comes out without raw batter clinging to it. The top will be risen and lightly golden.
• Cool for a few minutes in the pan, and then remove to a rack.
• Whisk the glaze ingredients together and spread it over the cake when it is almost completely cool. Dust with crushed pistachio nuts.

Cook’s notes

• For the ground pistachios use a small food processor to grind unsalted nuts into a fine meal.  You can use a knife to chop the nuts for the topping.

The nutritional information for recipes on this site is provided as a courtesy and although theviewfromgreatisland.com tries to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.