Finally - a pistachio cake recipe that actually tastes like pistachios!
This soft, fluffy pistachio layer cake is made with real pistachio paste and chopped pistachios for a deep, nutty flavour in every bite. No artificial flavouring, no pudding mix - just pure pistachio goodness.
Pistachio Cake Recipe Snapshot
What it is: Pistachio cake that actually tastes like pistachio, made with pistachio paste to pack in the nutty flavor.
Why you'll love it: Made with real pistachios - no pudding mix or artificial flavoring.
How to make it: Beat butter, sugar, and pistachio paste together until fluffy, then mix in wet ingredients, followed by dry. Fold in chopped pistachios and bake.
Reader Review:
I've made this cake 4 times and now it's my specialty that my friends and fam ask me to make for them!! Someone even made it for my wedding!! It's always so moist, my fave recipe by far.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Harper
This pistachio cake is one of the oldest recipes on my blog - and still one of my favourites.
I've loved pistachio desserts long before they had their moment, but when I first went looking for a pistachio cake recipe… I was not impressed. So many of them use pistachio pudding mix (hard pass) or rely on loads of almond extract, which just turns the whole thing into almond cake pretending to be pistachio.
So I developed my own - properly. I use pistachio paste to load the batter with real pistachio flavour without messing up the texture (it's my go-to in pretty much all of my pistachio recipes), and then add chopped pistachios for even more flavour and texture.
EDIT: This recipe was originally developed in 2020, but I have made it many times over the years and have since made a few tweaks to improve the recipe (2026). If you were a fan of the old version, just let me know, and I can send it to you.
Jump to:
Ingredients
This pistachio cake is made from scratch, without any pudding mix or artificial flavors. The ingredients are fairly simple, but there are a few important things to pay attention to.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter and make sure it is room temperature.
- Sugar - Granulated sugar (Caster sugar in the UK).
- Pistachio Paste - You can easily make homemade pistachio paste, or you can buy it online. Note: If you are buying it, make sure you get pistachio paste or pistachio butter, and NOT pistachio cream - see below.
- Flour - All-purpose flour (Plain flour) gives the best structure. I have tested multiple times with cake flour, and it does work, but it can be a bit too soft.
- Eggs - Use large eggs in the US or medium eggs in the UK (our eggs are bigger).
- Sour Cream - This gives the pistachio cake a gorgeously soft, fluffy texture. Can be substituted with Greek yoghurt.
- Milk - Whole milk is best to carry the flavor and give moisture.
- Almond Extract - Pistachios don't have a naturally strong flavor, but almond extract kind of pulls it out and gives it a twirl around to show it off. The key is for the almond to complement the pistachio, rather than overpower it.
- Vanilla - Use a high-quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Pistachios - Use unsalted pistachios, raw or roasted are both fine. If you are making your own pistachio paste, you'll need a lot more.
Make sure your butter, eggs, milk, and sour cream are all room temperature before beginning.
See the recipe card below for the full recipe with measurements in both cups and grams (though I always recommend weighing with a kitchen scale).
Pistachio Paste vs Pistachio Cream
This is the most important thing to get right in this recipe - pistachio paste and pistachio cream are two completely different ingredients!
✔️ Pistachio paste (or pistachio butter)
- Made from 100% pistachios
- Unsweetened
- Strong, natural pistachio flavor.
❌ Pistachio cream
- Sweetened spread (like Nutella)
- Contains added sugar, milk, and flavorings
- Makes a great topping, but not suitable for baking.
I can't believe how many baking blogs don't know the difference, especially with the Dubai chocolate craze happening recently.
How to Make Pistachio Cake
This is a super easy cake to make and uses a classic creaming method, but with the pistachio paste added as well.
Make Pistachio Paste
Make the pistachio paste first so it can cool before using. You can also make it in advance and store it in the fridge for 4 weeks.
See my complete guide on how to make pistachio paste.
Alternatively, you can just buy it online and skip this step.
Creaming Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C (160° fan) and grease two 8-inch cake pans. I also like to line the bottom with parchment paper circles.
Cream the butter, sugar, and pistachio paste together until light and fluffy.
Add Eggs
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients, then add half of them to the cake batter and mix it in on low speed.
Wet + Dry Ingredients
Pour in the wet ingredients, including sour cream, milk, and both extracts, and mix slowly until completely incorporated.
Then stir in the remaining flour - be careful not to overmix.
Add Pistachios
Add the chopped pistachios to the bowl and fold them in.
There's no need to toast them first; they will soften in the oven to give just a tiny bit of bite.
Bake
Divide the pistachio mixture between the two prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Baking time will vary, so definitely check your cake.
Fill and Frost
Let the cake cool completely in the pan before removing.
Fill and frost with pistachio buttercream, and decorate with chopped pistachios.
How to Make Pistachio Buttercream
The beauty of using pistachio paste is that it can easily be added to any frosting recipe and immediately tastes incredible.
To do this, just mix in a few tablespoons of pistachio paste right at the end of making your frosting recipe. You can also add a pinch of salt and a few drops of almond extract - but be careful not to go overboard, as the almond can overpower the natural nutty flavors.
This cake pairs beautifully with Italian meringue buttercream - it's light, silky, and not overly sweet, which lets the pistachio flavour shine.
But I have also tested this cake many times with these other frosting recipes, all of which take on the nutty flavor really well:
- Italian meringue buttercream - my go-to for making pistachio frosting.
- Swiss meringue buttercream - slightly less sweet with a wonderful mouth-feel.
- French buttercream - for a rich and luxurious option made with egg yolks instead of egg whites (I use this on my pistachio dacquoise cake).
- Russian buttercream - a quick and easy buttercream that still has the silky texture of meringue frostings.
Variations
- Add fruit or jam - Pistachio pairs so beautifully with many fruits, especially berries. Try adding a raspberry jam or fruit puree between the cake layers.
- Whipped Cream - For a lighter option, replace the buttercream with chantilly cream - you could add some pistachio paste or almond extract into that too.
- Pistachio Cream Topping - Though we can't use it inside the cake batter itself, pistachio cream makes a really delicious topping or filling. Try spreading it on top of the cake or in between one of the layers.
- Lemon Pistachio Cake - For a citrusy twist, add some lemon zest to the cake batter and/or frosting.
- Pistachio Cupcakes - This recipe can be made as cupcakes as well. See my pistachio cupcake recipe for details on bake time.
- Green Cake - If you'd like to make your pistachio cake a bright green color, you can add a few drops of green food coloring (gel). It's fun for a theme like St. Patrick's Day or to make the cake pop. Though I think the natural color is super pretty!
Storage
Store your homemade pistachio cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
FAQ
If you have a question about this recipe that isn't answered here, please write it in the comment section, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
No, you definitely don't have to make your own pistachio paste - you can buy it pre-made. Just make sure you get pistachio paste or pistachio butter, not pistachio cream. The ingredients should be 100% pistachios.
Yes, pistachio paste and pistachio butter are two names for the same thing. They are both made with 100% pistachios (and sometimes a little oil). Not to be confused with pistachio cream, which is sweeter and has other ingredients added.
Pistachio paste is made with 100% pistachios, whereas pistachio cream has lots of other ingredients added to make it a sweet spread or filling.
Yes, you can use salted or unsalted pistachios to make this pistachio cake. You won't really taste the flavor of the salt too much - but it's all down to personal preference.
Yes, it can! In fact, I actually have a whole post dedicated to Pistachio Cupcakes.
You can also use this recipe in a bundt cake pan to make a pistachio bundt cake, just make sure you grease your bundt pan VERY thoroughly as this is a very soft cake.
Pistachio is such a versatile flavor because it can be light and fresh or rich and decadent, depending on what you pair it with. For crisp flavors, pair with fresh raspberry or lemon. For something more indulgent, pistachio goes beautifully with dark chocolate and creamy flavors like custard.
Show Me Your Bakes!
If you make this recipe, please tag @bonni_bakery on Instagram or send me a photo - I love seeing all your creations.
Want your bake featured on the blog? You can also upload a photo here.
More Pistachio Desserts
I mentioned I am a little obsessed with pistachios. If you are a pistachio lover too, I have a lot more delicious pistachio recipes you should try!
Recipe
Pistachio Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 227 g (1 cup) Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 360 g (1¾ cups) Granulated Sugar (Caster sugar)
- 375 g (3 cups) All-purpose Flour (Plain Flour)
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 3 Large Eggs room temperature
- 80 g (⅓ cup) Sour Cream room temperature
- 240 ml (1 cup) Whole Milk room temperature
- 80 g (5 tablespoon) Pistachio Paste homemade or store-bought
- ½ teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 100 g (⅔ cup) Pistachios roughly chopped
- 1 batch Frosting of choice I use Italian buttercream
- 40 g (3 tablespoon) Pistachio Paste
Equipment
Instructions
- If making your own pistachio paste, make it ahead of time so it has a chance to cool. You can also make it up to 4 weeks in advance and store in the fridge. Alternatively, you can find pistachio paste online if you'd rather not make it at home.
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C (160°C fan-assisted) and grease two 8-inch cake pans. I also like to add parchment paper circles on the bottom to avoid sticking.
- Cream the butter, sugar, and pistachio paste together until light and fluffy.227 g (1 cup) Unsalted Butter, 360 g (1¾ cups) Granulated Sugar, 80 g (5 tablespoon) Pistachio Paste
- Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated.3 Large Eggs
- Sift the dry ingredients together, then add half of the mixture to the cake batter. and mix in slowly.375 g (3 cups) All-purpose Flour, 2 tsp Baking powder, ½ tsp (½ teaspoon) Baking soda, 1 tsp Salt
- Add the wet ingredients, then mix until completely incorporated.80 g (⅓ cup) Sour Cream, 240 ml (1 cup) Whole Milk, ½ tsp Almond Extract, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Stir in the other half of the dry ingredients until there are no more lumps - but be careful not to overmix.
- Fold the chopped pistachios into the batter.100 g (⅔ cup) Pistachios
- Divide the cake batter between the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool completely before removing from the cake pans.
- Once cooled, fill and decorate the cake with the frosting of your choice. You can turn most recipes into a pistachio frosting by adding a few tablespoons of pistachio paste right at the end. My favorite frostings to use on this cake are:- Italian Meringue Buttercream- Swiss Meringue Buttercream- French Buttercream- Russian Buttercream1 batch Frosting of choice, 40 g (3 tablespoon) Pistachio Paste
Kristi
Do not waste your time and money on this cake!! As a previous poster said, it is very dense and extremely dry. I made it for my son’s birthday and it is going in the trash. I have baked all of my life ; this cake wins the worse cake ever award.
Harper
omg this is crazy because ive made this cake 4 times and now it’s my specialty that my friends and fam ask me to make for them!! someone even made it for my wedding!! it’s always so moist, my fave recipe by far
k
As a seasoned baker of over 15 years, I felt confident trying a new recipe for my partner's birthday cake. This recipe has a fatal flaw, as I followed it exactly and it came out raw and flat and dense. There is clearly an error with the leavening, and I would caution others to choose a different recipe. I'm genuinely not here to hurt anyone's feelings but just to save people's effort and pistachios- this is the first cake my whole life I've had to throw away.
Jules
Hi K, I'm so sorry to hear you had trouble with this recipe - there's nothing worse than a bake that doesn't turn out right! I can confidently say there is not an issue with the recipe itself as I make this all the time - it's a family favourite! It's also the most popular recipe on this blog so I know other people have had success with it too. I'm happy to help troubleshoot to figure out what went wrong? Do you mind me asking if you measured your ingredients using a scale or using cup measures? A lot of the time when recipes go wrong this is the biggest cause of issues.
Jules
Andrea Thurman
Delicious and perfect! As stated, the cake was very soft and beautifully textured. The frosting worked out great! I wished that I’d made a little more as it barely covered and filled the four layer cake. I’d make this again for sure.
Jamie
Hmm. Cake texture 5 stars. Cake “pistachio” flavor ZERO stars. The two Tablespoons of almond extract overwhelmed EVERYTHING. If I were to make this again I would use 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, use 1/2 cup pistachio paste. I made my own frosting which saved this “trial” cake. I actually made cupcakes (fill cups no more than 3/4 full). Being able to load them with frosting saved them from being ALMOND cupcakes. Everyone LOVED the texture, just not the almond.
Simone
Do you think I could substitute all purpose gluten free flour in this recipe?
Dee
Oh my goodness, this was the most amazing and delicious cake! A lot more work with a hand blender- can’t imagine if I had to do it TRULY by hand - really the frosting part- but you really can’t have the cake without the frosting. Well maybe, but NO. Don’t think it. It’s all or nothing ;). My hand blender’s whisk attachment snapped at the very end of my mixing the frosting (which I thankfully did AFTER the cake was in the oven) and splattered pistachio meringue buttercream all over me and my kitchen. Sadly, not a single person was witness to the hilarity on Thanksgiving Eve 2022, though I can and do tell the tale.
My grandchildren ‘dance’ holidays even more than others, since their parents are not together. This last Thanksgiving, I asked my grandchildren (as I ask everyone every year) if they had any specific requests for the Thanksgiving meal. I told them it could be a food for the meal or a dessert or something we should do that I could make happen. My granddaughter immediately asked for pistachio cake, because her Grams made it and she loved it. That is why I made it. She helped me select the recipe- THIS recipe- to follow.
When she saw the cake she was clearly excited and couldn’t wait to try it, when she tasted it??, her eyes lit up! Her mouth was full, but she said “this is amazing”. (Can you picture it??!)
I have requested from Santa a stand mixer which I have never owned. Whether my wish is granted or not- I will make this cake again. Perhaps as a cupcake. Maybe more green next time (I did not have gel food coloring and thus did not get a green cake). Happy to share my photos if you’d like.
Happy Happy. Merry Merry. Thank you Thank you. Xoxoxo
Dee
I made my own pistachio paste. Everything was scratch.
Joellen
What delightful and hilarious holiday memories. Worth the work, all of it!
Thanks for sharing your cake story.
Do you have a stand mixer now?
I recon my grandmother was so strong even into her 80's, because she whipped everything by hand whisk and hand mixer.
I made this cake yesterday for a friend's bday. Wow! Its amazing!
I made the pistachio butter that didn't quite become butter in the blender, but had all the incredible flavor just the same.
Thanks Jules for the warning in the middle of the frosting. I truly did think I had ruined it, but I pressed on to the most delightful frosting I've ever tasted.
This Cake is beyond Beautiful and Delighful.
Jules, thank you so much for the recipe and careful directions.
Njb
Can you make this a day ahead ? If so does it need to be refrigerated?
Anita Smith
My daughter made this cake for my birthday today- it was a labor of love! This cake is sooo good. I’m a pistachio lover, so you really delivered a delight for me this year. Worth the effort.
We made our own pistachio paste., and did not add food coloring.
Anita Smith
We made it a day ahead and kept it covered in the garage overnight - it is cooler out there here in Va this time of year, and we did not have fridge space due to Thanksgiving.
Jamillah
Love this recipe!! Just double checking...2tbsp of almond extract and not 2 teaspoons?
Jules
Thanks Jamillah!
Yes 2 tablespoons is correct. It does depend on what kind of almond extract you are using though! If you are using standard almond extract then you want 2 tablespoons. I often use an almond emulsion which is a bit stronger - in this case I would only use about 1 teaspoon. If in doubt, just add a little at a time and taste test until it has the flavor you want. Happy baking! 🙂
Louise Ste Claire
I made my own pistachio paste, which produced a very light, flavorful result. This is truly one of the most delicious cakes I have ever made.
Jules
Yay I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you for trying the recipe and for letting me know you loved it! 😀
Yuvi
Hi, I was thinking of making it in 6 inch cake pans. How would that change the baking instructions? I am guessing it will take less time to bake?
Thanks!
Jules
Hi Yuvi,
The recipe doesn't need to change - will you be putting it into three 6 inch pans? Or two? If it is only two then you may not need all the batter to fill your cake pans. The bake time will likely be less, I would just keep an eye on them and check regularly to see if a skewer is coming out clean to see if they are done! Happy baking!
Autumn
Hi. I made this cake and the Italian buttercream icing for Easter Sunday. It is delicious! Thank you.
I think i might have done something wrong with the cake though. It was rather dense and not light and chiffon-like as it is described. Any ideas why this might be?
Thank you!
jules
Oh I'm so glad you loved the flavour!
Hmm I'm sorry to hear your cake was dense, the only thing I can think of is maybe the batter was mixed too much? That could make it a little dense. Did you add the sour cream? That's what makes this cake super moist and fluffy so with that it should have been a lovely texture. Also did you use cups or grams to measure your ingredients? I always list both as lots of people like to use cups, but I highly recommend using grams as it's far more accurate. If using cups it's very easy to overmeasure and do things like add way too much flour without realizing - which could be another cause for a dense cake.
Elanie
This sounds great! I love pistachios. I am not into baking because I don’t eat much cake a tiny sliver is already sufficing for me. But been saving some cake recipes that I love and this is one of them. And since it made me drooled just by looking at the pictures and reading the entire article convinced me that I should give it my best shot. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I will let you know as soon as I made it.
jules
Haha thank you for your kind words! I hope you love the recipe when you make it!
Gidget
Hi Bonni- can you just make this cake for me and send it? It sounds divine! Just kidding. I love pistachios ummmmmmm
jules
haha I would if I could!! 😀 I love pistachios too!
Jackie
Do you use raw, unsalted or salted pistachios in this recipe?
jules
Hi Jackie! Definitely go for roasted pistachios, but unsalted or salted is down to personal preference. I love some salt in my baking so I used salted, but you really don't get the salt flavour coming through too much. Unsalted will be great too, they really just add texture and extra pistachio flavour. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Paul
Looks like a wonderful recipe! Please verify that the recipe indeed calls for two tablespoons of almond extract. Thank you!
Candy Guo
hi! can i omit the chopped pistachios? will this change the recipe? thanks!
jules
HI Candy,
Yes that won't be a problem at all, you can leave out the chopped pistachios without altering the recipe :). Happy baking!
Melissa
Hi,
Can I use sifted cake flour instead of all purpose flour? This recipe looks wonderful by the way…
jules
Hi Melissa,
Oh thank you so much! Yes you can use cake flour, just be careful not to overmix the batter as it's a very soft cake and cake flour and overmixing will make it even more tender!
I hope you love it! Happy baking!
melissa
Thanks so much! I will let you know how it turns out. Will make it in the coming weeks
jules
Yay, please do! I love hearing people's thoughts on the recipes! 🙂
Michele
Hi there… I made this cake last night and I was super disappointed. Both cakes rose in the oven but then “flopped” into “discs”. There was no way to even slice them in half. The cake was also super dense and “tough”. We didn’t have parchment paper so greased and floured the pans instead. Just wondering if this had something to do with it. The green dye also did not even show up in the cake once it was baked. We would like to attempt the cake recipe again, but just don’t want it to turn out horrible again! Haha
Any thoughts on why the cake flopped and was too “firm”?
Jules
Hi Michele, I'm really sorry to hear that the cake didn't turn out well! That's very strange to hear that it was dense and firm, as this recipe is the softest, fluffiest cake recipe I have on the site - in fact it's often a little too soft!
Using greased and floured pans instead of parchment paper shouldn't make a difference to the recipe so I don't think it's that.
Did you use all the other ingredients as listed? Or did you make any substitutions?
Did you measure your ingredients out in cups or grams? If it was cups it's a lot harder to get an accurate measurement and many people end up measuring wrong and adding way too much flour - which would explain the density.
As for the colour, what kind of food colouring did you use? It really needs to be gel food coloring, all others don't really work well in something that is baked - especially those little liquid ones you buy at the store.
Let me know and I can continue to brainstorm with you!
Jules
Michele
Hi! Thanks for getting back to me!
We used all of the ingredients listed and made no substitutions. We followed the directions to a T. I did use cups for the flour. The food coloring was all natural and was a liquid. It turned out more of a light chartreuse. I’ve used this natural dye numerous times and I’ve always had good results. I cannot have regular dyes in my food unfortunately.
Although the cake flopped and did not turn out pretty like I hoped it would haha it tastes AMAZING. I actually made a strawberry buttercream frosting for it.
Also, does this recipe work for cupcakes?
Thank you!
Jules
I'm glad it tasted good at least! Strawberry buttercream sounds lovely with it!
Hmm it sounds like it was probably the flour then, that would be. my best guess. If you have scales then that can give you a much more accurate measurement - but if not then just make sure you are fluffing up the flour and measuring correctly with the cups (there are a tonne of youtube videos on this).
Yes you can make cupcakes with it! I have a recipe post specifically for the cupcake version. Also it's a newer post so the information is a bit more extensive. You can view the pistachio cupcake post here - https://bonnibakery.com/pistachio-cupcakes-with-pistachio-italian-meringue-buttercream/
I actually chose not to include any color for the cupcakes as I thought the natural color was pretty.
I hope it turns out better for you next time!
Rhonda
Hi I'm not keen on making the butter cream frosting. What else do you think would go well?
Thanks..
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Rhonda,
If it's because you're not keen on the taste of buttercream, you could fill it with chantilly cream instead, maybe with some pistachio pastry cream for extra flavor?
If it's because the Italian meringue buttercream is a bit too involved, you could try my super simple Russian buttercream recipe instead. It only has 2 ingredients, but you can add in some pistachio paste if you like.
I hope this helps!
Jules
Anna
Hi! I’m wondering if I can use pistachio cream instead of butter? I have a jar I need to utilize 🙂
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Anna,
Thank you for your comment. If you're wondering about using the pistachio cream instead of buttercream then that could work, but it would probably be very rich and thick - you could try lightening it a bit by adding it to some whipped cream.
However, if you mean to use the pistachio cream instead of the actual butter in the cake recipe, this unfortunately probably wouldn't work.
Hope this helps!
Jules
RebeccaF
Thank you for this recipe. I'm so excited to try. I saw your comment on Pistachio Paste/butter. Pistachio Paste includes caramelized sugar. Pistachio Butter mostly does not. If it has sugar, it will be just a small amount. Think peanut praline ground and peanut butter. I'm a chocolatier and we use both as I am a pistachio Fanatic. Most chocolatiers talk about true piedmont pistachios. I found a great American producer called Fiddyment Farms. Find both on Amazon or go direct.
YGonz
I totally misread your blog about pistachio paste so at first it was a mess. Once I started over, it was one of the best cakes I've made!! My green gel food coloring did not come out well and I did not want to use too much. Cake was lovely anyway! Wish I could include a picture here. The longest was making the meringue buttercream but so worth the time and effort!!
Rokeia
Hi, can i use oil instead of butter? I’m thinking of 3/4 cup oil instead of 1 cup butter. And can I exchange sour cream with buttermilk? Is it two large eggs the recipe calls for?
jules
Hi Rokeia,
Yes you can sub the butter for oil, and yes 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup butter would be correct. I wouldn't sub the sour cream for buttermilk, but you could sub it for plain or greek yoghurt and it will behave the exact same!. And yes definitely use large eggs if you can. Happy baking!
Caker
We made this cake twice so far and each time it came out so good! We let many people try it and the feedback we got was amazing! This cake is now our absolute favorite! It is truly the best cake we have ever made! Thank you very much for this recipe.
Jules
Wow I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to let me know - you've made my day! 😀
Anita Smith
My daughter made this cake for my birthday today- it was a labor of love! This cake is sooo good. I’m a pistachio lover, so you really delivered a delight for me this year. Worth the effort.
We made our own pistachio paste., and did not add food coloring.