Pistachio Nut Layer Cake Recipes

PISTACHIO LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment; butter parchment and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated, scraping down bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with milk in two batches.
• Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Smooth tops with an offset spatula. Bake until tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto a wire rack, remove parchment, reinvert, and let cool completely. With a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes so they're level.
• Stir together pastry cream and 1/3 cup buttercream. Spread pastry-cream mixture over one cake layer and top with second cake layer, cut-side down. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Spread about 1 cup of buttercream in a thin layer on top of sides of cake (to prevent crumbs from pulling through final layer of frosting; it's okay if crumb coating is uneven, as it will be covered up later). Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Frost cake with remaining buttercream and refrigerate until icing is firm, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
• Use a 2-inch round biscuit cutter to mark an overlapping circle pattern around top edge of cake. Place royal icing in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (such as Ateco #2). Pipe overlapping circles, using markings as a guide. Use a small damp brush to correct any wobbly piping. Cake can be stored in refrigerator up to 1 day; bring to room temperature 1 hour before serving.

PISTACHIO NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans.
• Mix milk, almond extract, salt, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl.
• Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in pistachio nuts. Add flour to the creamed butter mixture alternately with the milk mixture, stirring batter well after each addition.
• Mix vinegar and baking soda together in a small bowl. Fold into the batter. Divide batter between the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Spread white frosting between cake layers. Stack layers; frost top and sides of cake.

PISTACHIO NUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Pulse pistachios in a food processor until finely ground.
• Sift flour into a bowl. Combine milk, almond extract, salt, and vanilla extract in a second bowl. Combine vinegar and baking soda in a third bowl.
• Cream sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Mix in pistachios. Add flour, alternating with the milk mixture, beating batter briefly after each addition. Gently fold vinegar mixture in to the batter; do not stir at this point. Pour batter into two 8-inch round cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool, about 30 minutes, before frosting with your choice of frosting.

PISTACHIO CAKE WITH WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 10-in. fluted tube pan. , In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients; beat on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium 2 minutes. Fold in walnuts. Transfer to prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, combine pudding mix and milk; beat on low speed 1 minute. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cake. Refrigerate leftovers.

SEMOLINA PISTACHIO LAYER CAKE (BOHSALINI)

Steps:

• Mix the melted butter and semolina in a medium bowl, and set aside at room temperature for at least 6 hours or as long as overnight.
• Pour the milk into a large pot and bring it to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. When the milk rises to the top of the pot, stir in the lemon juice and remove the pot from the heat. Set it aside to cool until the milk separates, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Pour the milk through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, stirring to release the whey. Discard the whey. Transfer the curds in the strainer to a large bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons rose water and the orange-blossom water with a wooden spoon. The kashta should look like small-curd cottage cheese. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (Kashta will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.)
• Combine the sugar, pistachios, and remaining 1 tablespoon rose water in a food processor and pulse until the mixture has the consistency of coarse sand. Add the pistachio mixture to the flour mixture, and using your hands, mix them together, breaking up the lumps until the mixture feels like damp sand.
• Line a 9-inch springform cake pan with wax paper, using two pieces crossing at right angles and allowing lengths of paper to hang over the sides of the pan. Spoon half of the semolina mixture into the pan and smooth it out to the edges with the back of the spoon. Follow with all of the kashta, spreading it over the semolina in an even layer. Spoon the remaining semolina mixture on top and spread it out in an even layer. Fold the overhanging wax paper over the top, and press to smooth the semolina. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Pour the olive oil into a skillet that is large enough to accommodate the nuts in a single layer. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the nuts, reduce the heat to low, and stir actively until they begin to darken slightly, about 1 minute (see Tips, below). Remove the pan from the heat, and use a slotted spoon to transfer the nuts to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. (Alternatively, dump the nuts into a medium-mesh sieve set over a container to catch the cooking oil.) Let them cool completely. (Fried nuts can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 3 months.)
• One hour before serving, remove the cake from the refrigerator, invert it onto a serving plate, and release it from the pan. Sprinkle the powdered sugar on top: Hold a fine-mesh sieve over the cake, pour the powdered sugar into it, and gently tap the rim to release the sugar. Garnish with the nuts, and serve in wedges.

PISTACHIO PETIT-FOUR CAKE

Steps:

• MAKE THE CAKE:.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Butter three 8-inch round cake pans; line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.
• Spread out the pistachios in a baking pan and toast in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes, or until lightly colored.
• Transfer to a dish and let cool completely; finely chop the pistachios and set 1/4 cup aside for decoration.
• Put the remaining 1/2 cup pistachios in a food processor.
• Add the sugar and pulse just enough to grind them finely.
• Pour into a large mixing bowl and add the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Blend with the mixer on low for 30 seconds; add the butter, milk, and vanilla and, with the mixer on low, beat until completely incorporated.
• Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the beaten eggs in 2 or 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well and mixing only long enough to blend after each addition.
• Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Allow the layers to cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
• Turn out onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely.
• MAKE THE MARZIPAN:.
• Crumble the almond paste into a large mixing bowl.
• Use an electric mixer on low speed to soften the almond paste.
• Add the confectioners' sugar and corn syrup and beat until smooth.
• Wrap well in plastic so it doesn't dry out, and allow to rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before rolling out.
• MAKE THE DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE:.
• Chop the chocolate coarsely and put it in a heatproof bowl.
• Bring the cream to a bare simmer & pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Whisk until smooth and use the glaze soon after making so that it doesn't set.
• ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:.
• Roll out a third of the marzipan on a work surface dusted with a little confectioners' sugar to about 1/8-inch thickness.
• Set one of the cake pans upside down on the marzipan and trim around it with a small knife to make an 8-inch round.
• Repeat two more times with the remaining marzipan.
• Save all your scraps to make roses for decoration, if you like.
• Place one cake layer on a cake board, flat side up.
• Spread 1/4 cup of the preserves evenly over the top, leaving a 1/4-inch margin all around.
• Place one marzipan round on top of the preserves and spread 1/3 cup of the Dark Ganache Glaze over the marzipan so that it completely covers the surface.
• Repeat with the second cake layer, adding more preserves, another round of marzipan, and more ganache glaze.
• Top the cake with the third layer.
• Spread the last of the apricot preserves over the top of the cake and cover it with the last round of marzipan.
• Place the cake on a wire cooling rack that is nesting in a baking pan.
• Pour the remaining ganache glaze over the cake, in several additions, spreading to coat the top and sides.
• Allow the ganache to set.
• Garnish the cake with the reserved chopped toasted pistachio nuts and a single marzipan rose or several smaller roses.
• TO MAKE THE MARZIPAN ROSES:.
• First, tint the marzipan, if desired, by kneading in a tiny amount of paste food coloring, dabbing just a small bit onto the marzipan with the tip of a toothpick.
• Flatten the tinted marzipan into a disk and roll out on a work surface dusted with confectioners' sugar or between 2 sheets of waxed paper to a sheet 1/8 inch thick.
• With a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 8 or 9 circles.
• Cover all the marzipan you are not using immediately with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out.
• Roll one piece of marzipan into a ball the size of a marble and pinch with your fingers to shape into a cone about 1 to 1 1/4 inches high, tapering to a fine point at the top.
• Take another round of marzipan and wrap it like a petal around the cone, pinching it at the bottom to adhere and at the top to thin and ruffle slightly like a flower.
• Repeat with the remaining petals overlapping slightly as you work your way around. If necessary, use a little water to help glue the marzipan in place.
• *Some Prep Tips:.
• The cake itself was baked a few days in advance, flash-froze them, wrapped each layer in three sheets of plastic wrap, and decorated it, still frozen. This made them very easy to maneuver, and saved us from the chaos that would be baking and decorating in one session. Wrapped well, you can freeze cakes for up to a month and nobody would ever know upon tasting the final product.

PISTACHIO NUT SWIRL CAKE OR COFFEECAKE

Steps:

• FILLING:.
• Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nuts together and set aside.
• CAKE:.
• Mix the cake mix, pudding, eggs, sour cream, oil, food coloring, and almond together.
• Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes; scrape and beat another minute.
• Grease and flour a 10" tube pan.
• Pour 1/3 of the batter in the pan.
• Sprinkle with 1/2 of the sugar mixture and then put another layer of batter, and another layer of sugar.
• Top with batter.
• Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or till done.