This Italian Pistachio Snack Cake, made with actual real pistachios and flavored with almond extract and orange zest has a tender, moist crumb and rich nutty flavor. It's made in the food processor and is truly the perfect treat for any occasion.
If you have made my Pistachio Muffin recipe, you know about my love of pistachio baked goods. And specifically, recipes that use actual real pistachios (and real everything else). This Italian Pistachio Cake (otherwise known as Torta di Pistacchio) uses simple ingredients (and a simple preparation all done in the food processor). It results in a snack cake rich in pistachio flavor, with a moist texture, that is simply adorned with a sugared orange pistachio topping.
Similar to my Apple Cider Donut Cake, this simple Italian-inspired treat is meant to be served at any occasion from a quick breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or even a sweet treat to end a meal.
So let's get to making it! You can jump around the article using the menu below or just head right to the bottom for the complete recipe.
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Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The recipe card lists the full recipe with quantities below this text. If substitutions are available for this recipe, they'll be listed here. If you don't see a substitution you are looking for, please leave a comment below.
- raw unsalted shelled pistachios (see more on this below)
- sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- light olive oil (or another neutral oil such as avocado oil–using a more flavorful olive oil can distract too much from the pistachio flavor, though it certainly is possible to use here)
- eggs
- granulated sugar
- orange zest (this enhances the pistachio and gives it classic Italian flavor)
- almond extract (this is the flavor we typically associate with pistachio)
- baking powder
- all-purpose flour (swap this with whole wheat pastry flour for a more wholesome cake)
- unsalted butter (this is spread on top of the cake after it is baked to give something for the topping to stick to)
- coarse kosher salt (this recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's Kosher salt or fine salt decrease by about half for volume)
- cooking spray (such as avocado oil spray)
What Type of Pistachios to Use
This recipe calls for shelled unsalted raw pistachios. I recognize that these can be difficult to find, and expensive when compared to the typical roasted and salted variety found in most grocery stores. Purchasing them online is probably the easiest and least expensive method to procuring them. Here is the pistachio brand I often buy (and these are the pistachios I grab in store at Whole Foods).
If you do use roasted or salted the flavor and color will likely differ from the intended, and it might be more salty with a muted flavor and darker color.
Step-By-Step Recipe Overview
This is a quick visual overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. If you are looking for the full recipe, keep scrolling!
Step 1: Grind pistachios, sugar, and orange zest in a food processor.
Step 2: Set aside 2 tablespoons of the mixture for later.
Step 3: Add in the wet ingredients and the leavener and pulse to combine.
Step 4: Add the flour and pulse a few times.
Step 5: Stop pulsing as soon as the flour is combined.
Step 6: Prepare a square baking dish with parchment paper, then pour in the batter.
How to Tell When It's Done Baking
Bake the cake on the middle rack in the preheated oven. There are several ways to tell that the cake is done:
- The cake is has decidedly changed color from pale green to light golden brown, with a matte appearance, and has risen evenly. It will also have started to shrink away from the sides of the pan.
- An internal temperature taken with an instant-read thermometer in the center of the cake is above 200ºF.
- A cake tester/toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Finally, my favorite way: If you listen to the cake very closely, you will hear one of two things. The first is very rapidly bubbling noises. This indicates that the cake still needs to bake, and the noise you hear is water evaporation or boiling. If you don't hear anything or just a few slow bubble noises, that likely means the cake is done!
A common mistake many bakers make is opening the oven too early and often to "check" on the cake. This cake, made partially with nuts, can be delicate, and opening the oven can cause it to collapse slightly in the center (due to the decreased amount of gluten in the cake). Don't open the oven door until at least 30 minutes into baking to check on it.
Once the cake is finished baking, let it cool for 5 minutes before moving on to the final step.
The Finishing Touch
As many Italian cakes are, this is meant to be simple. During testing I tried it with a frosting and a glaze and they all felt like too much. Instead I decided to simply adorn the baked cake with some of the same ingredients used in the batter: pistachios, sugar and orange.
Brush butter on the warm cake.
Sprinkle with set-aside orange sugared pistachios.
However, if you wanted to frost it, go for it! A lovely cream cheese or mascarpone frosting would be a good choice. Or a simple powdered sugar glaze flavored with almond or orange would be nice too.
Storing It
As this is an oil-based cake, it will get moister as the days go by. It will be lovely the day it is made, but even better the second or third day. Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-4 days. It will also freeze wonderfully, wrapped tightly, for about a month. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
More Baking Recipes
Making the recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can!
PrintFull Recipe
Italian Pistachio Snack Cake
- Prep Time: 00:10
- Cook Time: 00:25
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This Italian Pistachio Snack Cake, made with actual real pistachios and flavored with almond extract and orange has a tender, moist crumb and rich nutty flavor. It's made in the food processor and is truly the perfect treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray (such as avocado oil spray)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (160 grams) raw unsalted shelled pistachios
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- Zest from ½ an orange (about 1 teaspoon grated zest)
- ½ cup avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1-½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1-¼ cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray or butter a 9-inch square baking dish and line it with a piece of parchment paper long enough to hang over the sides.
- Add the pistachios, sugar, and orange zest to the bowl of a food processor. Process until the pistachios are finely ground. Do not overblend and turn it into pistachio butter. Scoop out two tablespoons of the pistachio sugar mix and set aside.
- Add the oil, eggs, sour cream, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the food processor with the remaining pistachio sugar mixture and process until combined.
- Add in the flour and pulse until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the cake is puffed, light golden brown, and baked through the middle, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.
- Spread the butter on top of the cake and brush it around with a pastry brush as it melts.
- Sprinkle the reserved pistachio sugar mixture liberally over the buttered surface.
- Use the parchment sling to remove the cake from the pan and let it cool directly on the rack.
- Allow the cake to cool slightly before cutting it into squares. Serve.
Notes
Weighing your flour is the most accurate way to measure. If you aren’t going to weigh it, make sure to spoon it into the cup and then level it off. If you scoop the flour out with the measuring cup and then level, it could change the outcome of the final product.
The total sugar can be lowered slightly to ¾ cup. It will be less sweet, lighter in color, and a little less moist, but with a more pronounced pistachio flavor.
A common mistake many bakers make is opening the oven too early and often to "check" on the cake. This cake, made partially with nuts, can be delicate, and opening the oven can cause it to collapse slightly in the center (due to the decreased amount of gluten in the cake). Don't open the oven door until at least 25 minutes into baking.
Pat Dirks
Pies are always > cake, but this was very good! I've had good luck with the baking times for the recipes on the related Everyday Pie site, but I had to bake this cake for quite a bit longer than the recipe called for (was still gooey after 25 minutes and I ended up having to bake it for over 40 minutes).
Kelli Avila
I love your love for pies. And so happy you made this recipe! I have been making it for weeks on end and my family and I still love it. Appreciate the feedback. I went back and checked my notes and it looks like I made an error during the editing process and I've updated the baking time. And then I went back and baked it again this morning just to double check. I have the timing listed at 30-35 minutes (mine was done at 33 minutes), but of course oven temps and other situations can change baking times so I'm glad you went with your gut and baked it until it was baked through.
Pat Dirks
Thanks Kelli!
Bianca
I made this last night and it is delicious. Dense but cakey. SO easy to make. It took 38 minutes to bake.