Bake

Food-Processor Pistachio Cake With Raspberry Cream

by:
May  5, 2019
4
10 Ratings
Food-Processor Pistachio Cake With Raspberry Cream
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Prep time 45 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour
  • Makes One (10-inch) cake
Author Notes

A pistachio riff on David Lebovitz’s almond cake, one of my favorite cakes ever, with a raspberry-rippled whipped cream inspired by Nigel Slater’s Genius toast. This cake is buttery, nutty, and incredibly moist—confident enough to have with nothing but hot coffee, but adaptable enough to drape with chocolate ganache or rework into a layer cake with your favorite buttercream. —Emma Laperruque

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Pistachio cake
  • 1 1/3 cups (265 grams) sugar
  • 8 ounces (225 grams) pistachio paste
  • 1 cup (140 grams) flour, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks, 225 grams) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 large eggs, at room temperature
  • Raspberry cream
  • 6 ounces raspberries
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, plus more for serving
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
  1. Pistachio cake
  2. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 10-inch cake pan, line the bottom with a parchment round, butter the parchment, then dust with flour and tap out any excess. Set the pan on a rimmed sheet pan (this makes getting the cake pan in and out of the oven a lot easier).
  3. Combine the sugar, pistachio paste, and 1/4 cup (35 grams) of flour in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the pistachio paste is completely incorporated and the mixture is sandy.
  4. In a small bowl, use a fork to stir together the remaining 3/4 cup (105g) of flour, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Add the butter and vanilla to the food processor. Process until the batter is very smooth and fluffy.
  6. Add the eggs one at a time, pulsing between additions and scraping down the bowl with a flexible spatula as needed. Don't worry if the mixture looks curdled—it'll right itself soon.
  7. Add half the flour mixture and pulse the machine a few times. Add the rest and pulse again until just incorporated—don't overmix!
  8. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the top is deeply golden-brown and the cake feels bouncy and firm-ish when you gently press its center.
  9. Remove the cake from the oven and run knife around the perimeter, releasing the cake from the sides of the pan. Cool completely in the pan.
  10. Once cool, tap the cake out of the pan, remove the parchment paper, and set on a cake plate if you're serving that day. If not, the cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
  1. Raspberry cream
  2. Crush the raspberries with a fork until jammy and swirl-able. Combine the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla in another bowl. Whisk (or beat with an electric mixer) until very soft peaks form. Fold the crushed berries into the whipped cream, leaving it swirled and streaked with berries.
  3. To serve: Dust the top of the cake with confectioners’ sugar. Cut into big slices and serve with the raspberry cream.
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Regine
    Regine
  • Natalie Covill-Fontaine
    Natalie Covill-Fontaine
  • bhilz
    bhilz
  • Emma Laperruque
    Emma Laperruque
Emma Laperruque
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

Popular on Food52

6 Reviews

Regine
Regine March 25, 2021
Wow. So funny. First time I see or really notice this recipe in Food52. I have been making the almond cake version, which I found online and is called « Chez Panisse Simple Almond Torte,» so many times. Just today I tweaked it and used marzipan paste instead of almond paste, and decreased the sugar from 1 1/4 cup to 1 cup due to the additional sugar in the marzipan. I first tried the marzipan version with the original amount of sugar. While very good, it is even better with the reduced amount. What a wonderful cake. What a wonderful texture. A tall, buttery, spongy “in a dense way” cake (i use a 9 inch springform pan). I also add 1 to 2 tsp orange zest but if you want to fully preserve the marzipan flavor, you can skip it. I am looking forward to trying your version with pistachio paste.
 
Natalie C.
Natalie C. February 25, 2021
This cake was delicious! As for the pistachio cream, I made a homemade version with blanched pistachios and confectioners sugar. My pistachio paste was quite sweet so I slightly reduced the amount of sugar in the cake, and it was incredibly moist with a nicely crisp exterior. The raspberry cream was great alongside, but I think this cake stands on its own.
 
bhilz
bhilz May 14, 2019
This looks delicious! I can picture incorporating rose water and cardamom somehow, either in the cake or the cream. Could you give some more detail about the pistachio paste? Did you buy it or make it? I'm seeing some recipes online for a paste with 100% raw/blanched pistachios and others (like Pierre Hermé's) that include sugar and almond flour as well. Looking forward to trying this!
 
Emma L.
Emma L. May 14, 2019
Hi! I bought the pistachio paste—found it at Whole Foods, but you could also order it online from websites like Nuts.com.
 
Sharon
Sharon June 9, 2019
How did your cake turnout.
 
cosmiccook
cosmiccook June 8, 2023
WOW that was my first thought! I have Rose syrup & extract on hand --stronger than the water--from a previous Dorie Greenspan cake.