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 1/2 an orange (about 1 teaspoon grated zest)
- 1/2 cup avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1-1/4 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.