Bake

Pistachio Lemon Cake From 'Dolci' by Renato Poliafito

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September 26, 2024
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Pistachio Lemon Cake From 'Dolci' by Renato Poliafito
Photo by Kevin Miyazaki.
  • Prep time 1 hour
  • Cook time 1 hour 20 minutes
  • makes one 8-inch (20 cm) layer cake
Author Notes

This recipe is excerpted from "Dolci," the October 2024 Book of the Month in the Food52 Baking Club.


Pistachios are synonymous with Sicily and Sicilians will tell you that their island produces the finest, case closed. My parents’ town is not that far from Bronte, the pistachio capital of Sicily, if not the world, where every shop, bakery, and café celebrates this nut, in foods both sweet and savory. On my last trip to Sicily, I spent the day buzzing around visiting different relatives (who all live within a three-block radius of each other) and, as I was saying my good-byes, one cousin ran off and a few seconds later, reappeared with a bag of vacuum-packed pistachios. “For you to take home and bake with! These are from our farm.” This cake, enriched with pistachio cream spread (available online and at most Italian markets), accented with sharp lemon, and finished with chopped pistachios, is a tribute to all the flavors of my Italian home in the height of summer.—Renato Poliafito
—Food52

Test Kitchen Notes

From DOLCI! by Renato Poliafito with Casey Elsass. Copyright © 2024 by Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • FOR THE CAKE:
  • 3 cups (425 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 2 cups (425 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) fine sea salt
  • 14 tablespoons (195 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
  • 1 2/3 cups (380 grams) whole milk, at room temperature
  • 3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon (5 grams) pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) almond extract
  • 1 tablespoon pistachio cream spread
  • 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (50 grams) unsalted pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
  • FOR THE FILLING:
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
  • Pinch of fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup (115 grams) mascarpone
  • 3 tablespoons (60 grams) pistachio cream spread
  • FOR THE FROSTING:
  • 6 large egg whites
  • 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
  • 6 sticks (670 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
  • 2 ounces (60 grams) white chocolate, melted
  • 1 tablespoon (4 grams) grated lemon zest
  • 3 tablespoons (55 grams) fresh lemon juice
Directions
  1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and set a rack in the center. Coat two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans with cooking spray, line with parchment rounds, and dust with flour, knocking out any excess.
  2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed. Add the butter, one piece at a time and mix until it resembles coarse sand. In a small bowl, whisk the milk and egg yolks. Add half the milk mixture to the mixer and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Stop to scrape down the sides, then add the remaining milk mixture and mix on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and pistachio spread and mix until just combined. Transfer the batter to a large bowl.
  3. Wash and dry the stand mixer bowl, then return to the stand mixer and snap on the whisk. Beat the egg whites on high speed until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes. Add half of the whites to the bowl with the batter and fold in. Add the chopped pistachios and remaining egg whites and fold until just a few streaks remain. Divide the batter between the prepared pans.
  4. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. Make the filling: In a stand mixer with the paddle, mix the butter until smooth. Sift the powdered sugar and add to the mixer, followed by the salt, scraping down the bowl as needed.
  6. Add in the mascarpone and mix until incorporated. Add in the pistachio spread and mix until the filling begins to thicken and emulsify, at least 30 to 45 seconds. Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use. (If cold, let the filling soften at room temperature before spreading.)
  7. Just before assembling, make the frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the buttercream on low speed. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and beat until smooth and incorporated, about 3 minutes.
  8. To assemble the cake, use a serrated knife to trim off the tops of both cake layers, creating an even surface. Place one cake layer, cut-side up, on a turntable cake stand or serving plate. Fit a piping bag with a large round tip. Put about 85 grams (1/2 cup) of buttercream in the bag and pipe a border around the edge of the cake to help contain the filling. Spoon all of the filling in the center of the cake layer. Use a small offset spatula to spread in an even layer out to the buttercream border.
  9. Place the second cake layer, cut-side down, on top of the filling and frosting. Top the cake with 170 grams (1 cup) of the buttercream, spreading a thin layer on the top and sides of the cake as a “crumb coat.” Place the cake in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes to set.
  10. Use the remaining frosting to frost the sides and top of the cake. Any remaining pistachios, buttercream, and filling can be used to accent the top of the cake (as seen in the photo).
  11. This cake can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
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