Why you’ll love this pistachio cake
Just like my Lucky Charms cookies, this St. Patrick’s Day cake isn’t remotely Irish, but it’s a vibrant green and that’s pretty cool with me. And, green cake beats green beer any day.
This pistachio cake is naturally colored with matcha tea powder, and it gives the cake a beautiful green hue and contributes a subtle earthy flavor to the cake that enhances the nuttiness of the ground pistachios.
The white chocolate frosting is rich and silky, and it pairs so well with the light green cake layers. It’s an impressive dessert that’s way more approachable than it looks.
This cake would be a great dessert for a more authentic main course like Irish beef stew or dairy free shepherd’s pie, but it would be great with the classic Irish-American baked corned beef.
More St. Patrick’s Day desserts: Irish potato candy / Lucky charms cookies / Guinness cake
Ingredient notes:
- Dairy free butter – I typically use Earth Balance dairy free buttery sticks. Any brand of dairy free butter should work. If you aren’t dairy free, you can substitute regular butter.
- Coconut yogurt – Any brand of unsweetened, plain coconut yogurt will work. If you can’t do coconut, another dairy free alternative such as almond or soy will work. Just make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Matcha powder – This is a finely ground tea powder, and you can typically find it in the coffee/tea aisle of your grocery. You can also find it online. Culinary grade matcha is more affordable than ceremonial matcha and it’s really all you need for recipe.
- White chocolate chips – Make sure you’re using dairy free white chocolate. I normally buy Enjoy Life mini chips, but you can use any brand that’s available to you.
- Unsweetened dairy free milk – Any type of dairy free milk will work as long it’s unsweetened and plain. We typically use oat or flax milk, but sine this already has nuts in it, there’s no need for us to avoid almond milk either.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Melissa’s tips + tricks:
- Say no to nut butter. Be careful not to over process the pistachios or you’ll end up with pistachio butter. Pulse them in the food processor until you get a fine crumb, then stop. If it starts clumping, you’re going to get nut butter.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Make sure your dairy free butter, eggs, coconut yogurt and milk are all at room temperature before you start. This helps everything cream together smoothly and gives your cake a better texture.
- Cool completely before frosting. If the cake is even slightly warm, the frosting will melt and slide off. Be patient and wait until the cake layers are fully cooled.
- Melt white chocolate carefully. Use 30-second microwave intervals, really stirring between each one to allow the residual heat to continue melting the chocolate. Chocolate will seize if it gets too hot and there’s no going back.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make this without matcha?
You can, but you’ll lose the green color and some of the subtle earthy flavor. If you skip the matcha, the cake will still taste like pistachio — it just won’t be green. You could add a small amount of green food coloring if you want to keep the color.
Can I make this as a sheet cake instead of a layer cake?
Yes. Pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan and bake at 350˚F, checking for doneness around 30–35 minutes. An inserted toothpick should come out clean.
Can I freeze this cake?
Yes! Freeze the unfrosted cake layers, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then frost before serving. I don’t recommend freezing the frosted finished cake.
More cake recipes you’ll love: peanut butter and jelly cake / chai spice cake / lemon poppy seed bundt cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup shelled pistachios - ground into a meal, 100g
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour - 180g
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoon matcha powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 12 tablespoons dairy free butter - 1 1/2 sticks, 170g
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsweetened dairy free milk
- 1/2 cup unsweetened, plain coconut yogurt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract - optional
- 7 ounces white chocolate chips
- 1 cup dairy free butter - or vegetable shortening
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened dairy free milk
- 3 – 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Mise en place. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and set aside. Then, measure out all of your ingredients before you begin.
- Grind the pistachios. Add shelled pistachios to a food processor and pulse until they become a fine meal, similar to almond flour. Being careful not to blend for too long to prevent the pistachios from turning to nut butter.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk the ground pistachios, flour, baking powder, matcha powder, and salt together until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the dairy free butter, vegetable shortening, and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the eggs, one and a time, followed by the milk, yogurt, and extracts. Mix until combined.
- Combine wet and dry. Add the flour mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, beating on low until fully combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. The color should turn nice and green when the wet ingredients mix with the matcha.
- Bake the cake layers. Divide the batter evenly between your prepared pans. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the tops spring back when gently pressed. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool to room temperature before frosting.
- Melt the white chocolate. Add white chocolate chips to a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for two 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth. If needed, continue to heat for 10 second intervals, until the chocolate is melted.
- Make the frosting. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the shortening or dairy free butter with salt, vanilla extract, and dairy free milk until combined. Add the melted chocolate and about 1 cup of powdered sugar, making until incorporated. Continue adding powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Frost cake as desired.
