Italian Almond Pistachio Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
This cake is one I turn to when I want something that feels special without being fussy. It’s dense but tender, nutty with a subtle lemon brightness, and the cream cheese frosting keeps the finish silky and just sweet enough. I love how the roasted pistachios give an almost toasted, savory counterpoint to the raw almond crumb.
I developed this version to be straightforward for home bakers: minimal steps, no separate nut syrups or glazes, and a single pan. You’ll use ingredients you already know, and the method focuses on gentle mixing so the texture stays moist and not gummy. Follow the steps closely and you’ll have a reliably good loaf-style cake.
There are small choices that make a big difference—softened butter, room-temperature eggs, and letting the cake cool completely before frosting. I’ll walk you through what to shop for, what to watch out for, and how to store the cake so it keeps well for several days.
Ingredients
- 200g butter (82% fat) — softened; creamed with sugar to incorporate air and richness.
- 175g sugar — provides structure and sweetness; helps with browning.
- zest of one lemon — brightens the nut flavors; use thin strips of zest only.
- 4 small eggs — add structure and moisture; room temperature mixes more evenly.
- 80g pistachios, ground, roasted — gives pistachio flavor and texture without large chunks.
- 80g almonds, ground, raw — the almond base; adds body and a tender crumb.
- 80g flour — provides structure; folded in gently to avoid overdeveloping gluten.
- 1 tsp baking soda — leavening to help the cake rise.
- 1 tsp vanilla essence — background flavor to lift the nut notes.
- 50g butter — softened; used in the cream cheese frosting for richness and stability.
- 250g cream cheese — softened; the main body of the frosting for tang and creaminess.
- 70g powdered sugar — sweetens and thins the frosting to a spreadable consistency.
Your Shopping Guide
Buy the freshest nuts you can find. Roasted pistachios give a pronounced, toasty flavor; if they’re pre-roasted and salted, choose unsalted or rinse and dry quickly—salt will change the cake’s balance. Raw almonds ground fine will provide a soft structure; if they’re coarse, pulse them more finely at home.
Butter at 82% fat is typical European-style butter and gives a firmer, richer crumb—stick with that if available. For cream cheese, full-fat blocks will yield the creamiest frosting. Powdered sugar is easier to incorporate without grit; sift it if it’s clumped.
Other small buys: good-quality vanilla essence and a fresh lemon for zest. If you don’t have a food processor for nut grinding, many markets sell ground nuts; check the weight carefully so you use the exact amounts the recipe calls for.
Step-by-Step: Italian Almond Pistachio Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F (no fan). Line a 10 x 22 cm (4 × 8-inch) baking pan with parchment paper.
- Put 200 g butter (softened), 175 g sugar and the zest of one lemon in a mixing bowl. Cream together with an electric mixer or wooden spoon until smooth and slightly paler.
- Add the 4 small eggs one at a time, mixing each egg in fully before adding the next.
- Stir in 1 tsp vanilla essence.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 80 g flour and 1 tsp baking soda.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture along with 80 g ground roasted pistachios and 80 g ground raw almonds. Fold everything together gently with a spatula using wide up-and-down motions until just combined — avoid overmixing.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer the cake (still on the parchment) to a wire cooling rack. Remove the parchment and cool the cake completely on the rack.
- While the cake cools, make the frosting: beat 50 g butter (softened) with 250 g cream cheese and 70 g powdered sugar until smooth and spreadable.
- When the cake is completely cool, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top. Slice and serve.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
This cake balances density and tenderness. It isn’t a light sponge; it’s a sophisticated, rustic loaf with real nut character. The pistachios and almonds build layered flavors—pistachio’s toastiness and almond’s mellow nuttiness. Lemon zest keeps it lively, and the vanilla ties everything together.
The method is forgiving: you don’t need special timing or tempering. It’s a great make-ahead cake for coffee morning, afternoon tea, or a simple dessert that travels well if you wrap it gently.
Allergy-Friendly Substitutes
This recipe centers on nuts, so swapping them changes the character significantly. If tree nuts are a problem, consider omitting the ground pistachios and almonds and increasing the flour by an equal weight (160 g total), but be aware the texture will be different—firmer and less tender. For a dairy-free option, swap the butter and cream cheese for firm plant-based alternatives of matching weights, but expect changes to flavor and mouthfeel.
Always test small batches when using substitutions. Flavor balance, rising behavior, and frosting stability can shift with ingredient swaps.
Recommended Tools
- 10 x 22 cm (4 × 8-inch) baking pan — the cake is sized for this pan; use an equivalent volume if substituting.
- Electric mixer or sturdy wooden spoon — for creaming butter and sugar thoroughly.
- Spatula — for gentle folding of the batter.
- Food processor or grinder — to grind pistachios and almonds fine if not buying pre-ground.
- Wire cooling rack — essential to cool the cake evenly before frosting.
Troubles You Can Avoid
Dense, underbaked center: check the oven temperature with an oven thermometer. The recipe calls for 180°C/356°F (no fan); fan ovens run hotter, so if you must use fan, reduce temperature by 10–15°C and watch the bake time. Also, don’t open the oven in the first 30 minutes—changes in temperature can cause uneven rise.
Dry crumb: avoid overbaking. Start checking at 45 minutes if your oven runs hot. Also, don’t overmix once the flour and ground nuts are in; overworking develops gluten and tightens the crumb.
Runny frosting: the frosting sets up best when both the cream cheese and the extra 50 g butter are properly softened but not melted. If either is too warm, chill the frosting for 10–15 minutes and rewhip briefly before spreading.
Seasonal Ingredient Swaps
Winter: add 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon or a tiny pinch of nutmeg to the batter for warm spice notes. A tablespoon of orange zest in place of lemon zest also gives a cozy citrus twist.
Spring/Summer: omit any extra spice and brighten with an extra teaspoon of lemon zest. Top the frosted cake with halved fresh strawberries or a scatter of finely chopped roasted pistachios for a fresh presentation.
Autumn: fold 1–2 tablespoons of pear purée into the batter (reduce butter by the same weight if needed) for a moist seasonal variation—test a small change at a time.
Method to the Madness
Why cream the butter and sugar? Creaming incorporates tiny air pockets that help the cake lift and keeps the crumb tender. That initial step matters more than it looks because this cake relies on both chemical leavening (baking soda) and beaten butter/eggs to create structure.
Folding technique: use wide, gentle strokes from the edge to the center and rotate the bowl as you go. The goal is to combine without losing the aeration from creaming. With ground nuts, the batter will be thick—resist the urge to overwork it.
Baking time is relatively long for a small pan because the batter is dense. The 50-minute guideline is accurate for an evenly heated oven; the toothpick test remains the best confirmation.
Cooling, Storing & Rewarming
Cool the cake completely before frosting. If you frost a warm cake, the frosting will slide and weep. After cooling, you can frost and serve immediately, or wrap the unfrosted cake tightly in plastic for up to 2 days at room temperature.
Storage tips: once frosted, keep the cake refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Bring slices to room temperature before serving for best flavor and texture—about 30–60 minutes out of the fridge.
Rewarming slices: for a near-fresh feel, warm a slice in a 160°C/320°F oven for 6–8 minutes or microwave for 8–12 seconds per slice (watch carefully to avoid melting the frosting).
FAQ
Q: Can I use pre-ground nuts? A: Yes. Ensure they’re fresh and not oily. Weigh them to match 80 g each for pistachios and almonds.
Q: Can I make this gluten-free? A: Substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for the 80 g flour, but be careful with hydration—GF flours absorb differently. The crumb will change in texture.
Q: My frosting is grainy—why? A: If the powdered sugar wasn’t fine or if it was added too quickly, you may get a slight grain. Rewhip and strain if needed, or sift the powdered sugar before adding.
Q: Can the cake be frozen? A: Yes. Wrap unfrosted, cooled cake tightly in plastic and then foil. Freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature before frosting.
Ready, Set, Cook
Preheat, measure, and line your pan—those quick prep steps keep the process smooth. Follow the Step-by-Step exactly for reliable results: cream, add eggs, fold in the dry ingredients gently, and bake. Make the frosting while the cake cools so you can spread it the moment the cake reaches room temperature.
This cake is a lovely everyday celebratory bake—straightforward, dependable, and full of flavor. Slice thinly with a sharp knife, serve with coffee, and enjoy the layered nutty notes. If you try a seasonal variation, I’d love to hear how it turned out.
Italian Almond Pistachio Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 200 gbutter82% fat
- 175 gsugar
- zest of one lemon
- 4 small eggs
- 80 gpistachiosground roasted
- 80 galmondsground raw
- 80 gflour
- 1 tspbaking soda
- 1 tspvanilla essence
- 50 gbutter
- 250 gcream cheese
- 70 gpowdered sugar
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F (no fan). Line a 10 x 22 cm (4 × 8-inch) baking pan with parchment paper.
- Put 200 g butter (softened), 175 g sugar and the zest of one lemon in a mixing bowl. Cream together with an electric mixer or wooden spoon until smooth and slightly paler.
- Add the 4 small eggs one at a time, mixing each egg in fully before adding the next.
- Stir in 1 tsp vanilla essence.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 80 g flour and 1 tsp baking soda.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture along with 80 g ground roasted pistachios and 80 g ground raw almonds. Fold everything together gently with a spatula using wide up-and-down motions until just combined — avoid overmixing.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer the cake (still on the parchment) to a wire cooling rack. Remove the parchment and cool the cake completely on the rack.
- While the cake cools, make the frosting: beat 50 g butter (softened) with 250 g cream cheese and 70 g powdered sugar until smooth and spreadable.
- When the cake is completely cool, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top. Slice and serve.
Equipment
- Oven
- 10 x 22 cm (4 × 8-inch) baking pan
- Parchment Paper
- Mixing Bowl
- electric mixer or wooden spoon
- Spatula
- wire cooling rack
- toothpick
