Little Pistachio Cakes Recipes

REAL PISTACHIO CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
• Blend pistachios with 1/2 cup sugar in a blender until finely ground.
• Sift all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Beat 1 cup sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat one egg at a time into the creamy butter mixture, thoroughly integrating each egg before adding the next.
• Stir milk and vanilla extract together in a separate bowl.
• Alternately stir flour mixture and milk mixture in small amounts into the butter mixture beginning and ending with the flour mixture; stir just until it comes together into a batter. Fold the ground pistachios into the batter. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups to about 2/3 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

PISTACHIO CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour three 9-inch cake pans.
• Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until ground up into very fine crumbs. See photo above for a visual. You'll have about 1 and 1/2 cups of crumbs. (If you have more than that, set aside for garnish.)
• Pour 1 and 1/2 cups of pistachio crumbs in a large bowl. Whisk in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, pour in the milk (and the green food coloring, if using) and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
• Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 21-23 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
• Prepare the cream cheese frosting (see note below).
• Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and evenly cover the top with more frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the frosting all over the top and sides. (I used a bench scraper to smooth out the sides.) Decorate with garnishes, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 30-45 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake keep its shape when cutting.
• Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

LITTLE PISTACHIO CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease a 12-hole silicone muffin or friand mould, then dust with a little flour, and tip out the excess (a metal tray will work too, but line with muffin cases, as the mixture may stick). Put the pistachios in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped but not greasy. Add the remaining cake ingredients and blend again into a creamy mixture. Use 2 spoons to fill each hole of your tray 2/3 full, place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 15 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the mould for 10 mins, then run a knife around the edge of each cake and turn out onto a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, make the icing. Using an electric hand whisk, blend 3 tbsp of the cream cheese with the butter until smooth, then add the remaining cream cheese and icing sugar. Whizz again until creamy, transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle, and chill until ready to use.
• When the cakes are cool, pipe spikes of icing on top of each one, then sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Can be made ahead - store the un-iced cakes in a sealed container for up to 3 days and chill the icing for 2 days.