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+ servings
5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Pistachio Cake

This Pistachio Cake is a single-layer cake that is moist, tender, and full of nutty flavor. Made with ground pistachios and simple pantry ingredients, this eggless and dairy-free cake comes together easily. It’s finished with a decadent chocolate ganache, making it a perfect balance of rich and light flavors. 
Author: Saloni Mehta
Yield: 10 servings
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Rest Time: 3 hours
Total: 4 hours
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Equipment

  • 8-inch Springform (20cm)

Ingredients

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients

  • 110 g Dark Chocolate*
  • 120 ml Whipping Cream*
  • ½ tbsp Glucose Syrup or maple syrup, corn syrup, golden syrup

Pistachio Cake Ingredients

  • 240 ml Milk*
  • 2 tsp White Vinegar* or lemon juice
  • 150 g Cane Sugar* or castor sugar
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 75 ml Vegetable Oil or any neutral oil
  • 190 All-Purpose Flour
  • 10 g Cornstarch
  • 190 g Whole Pistachios without shells or store-bought pistachio flour in same quantity
  • 2 tbsp Cane sugar* or castor sugar, if using whole pistachios
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • ¼ tsp Baking Soda
  • ¼ tsp Salt

Instructions

Chocolate Ganache Instructions

  • In a bowl combine all the ingredients: chocolate, cream and glucose syrup. Place it in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir until smooth, give it another 30 seconds or longer if needed. Alternatively, you can place the bowl over a double boiler to melt all the ingredients.
  • Stir vigorously to create a smooth and glossy texture without any lumps of chocolate. -Cover with a plastic wrap touching the surface of the ganache and let it set to a spreadable texture at a cool room temperature for 3-4 hours. I usually keep it in the pantry or you can keep it in the fridge in the summer months.

Pistachio Cake Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F or 175C.
  • Grease and line an 8-inch (20cm) springform cake with baking paper.
  • Start by making pistachio flour first. Combine whole pistachio kernels with 2 tablespoons of sugar in a food processor until you get an almond flour-like consistency. Skip this step if using store-bought pistachio flour.
  • In a bowl combine milk and vinegar. Let it sit for 5 min until it is slightly curdled then add sugar, vanilla extract, and oil. Mix with a hand whisk until sugar is dissolved.
  • Add all-purpose flour, cornstarch, pistachio flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix the dry ingredients with the liquid ingredients. Pour the batter into the cake tin.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes until firm to touch. Remove the cake from the oven and let the cake cool. Place the cake on a serving dish or a cake stand.
  • Add the prepared chocolate ganache to the cooled pistachio cake and spread it evenly with an offset spatula. Decorate with pistachio flour. You can store the cake in an airtight container for up to 7 days in the fridge or 3 days at room temperature.

Notes

  • Cup vs weighing scale: The US customary cup measurement serves as a rough estimate, as it can have uncertainties, so for precise results, it's recommended to weigh your ingredients using a digital scale in grams.
  • Before you start to make any recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the process will go smoothly and easily.
  • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with for accuracy.
  • Milk: You can use any dairy-free unsweetened milk (like almond, soy, oat) or dairy-based whole milk
  • Butter: Dairy-free salted butter sticks or any salted butter of your choice
  • Lemon Juice: You can substitute with Apple Cider Vinegar / White Vinegar and vice versa.
  • Whipping Cream: Use Dairy-free unsweetened whipping cream for vegan and dairy-free or any full-fat whipping cream of choice)
  • Sugar: Cane sugar can be substituted with granulated sugar or castor sugar. Ensure the sugar is vegan-friendly (some sugars are processed with bone char) or use coconut sugar or organic cane sugar
  • Dark Chocolate: Use dark or semi-sweet baking chocolate chips / 60% or higher couverture chocolate / good quality 60% or higher chocolate bar. To make vegan, use dark chocolate or any dairy-free chocolate brand (make sure it doesn't contain milk solids or butter) but cocoa butter is totally fine.