This Cardamom Pistachio Cake is made with ground pistachios, giving it a nutty, rich flavor with a hint of cardamom. It's super light and moist, with the perfect mix of sweet and spicy goodness.
Cardamom is one of my favorite spices because it carries a lot of nostalgia. It is featured in many Middle Eastern dishes, savory and sweet, and was a staple in our home while growing up. This Cardamom Pistachio Cake does not disappoint. It's warm, flavorful, tender, and fluffy, and it was designed to be a perfect cake to enjoy with a cup of tea.
The Cake is made in an 8 inch pan, which produces a nice height. It's filled with ground cardamom, crushed pistachios, and milk and oil, both contributing to it's tender and moist texture. It's a cake anyone will love, and it's perfect for the upcoming Eid celebrations to include on your dessert table. It's also customizable, so add as little or as much cardamom as you like. You can also top it with a simple dusting of powdered sugar, or a light whipped cream frosting.
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Loved! I made this for my Palestinian husband for his tea. I am Mexican so learning an entirely different cuisine has not been easy. My mother in law makes a cake similar to this with orange and cardamom so I decided to give this a go. My husband approved 😊 I will add that you should definitely check at the 35 min mark because mine was a little over cooked. Recommend 10/10.
♥ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy - There is no creaming butter and everything comes together in a short amount of time. It bakes up nice and flat and doesn't require a frosting.
Flavorful - The cardamom and pistachio flavors go so well together. The cake is filled with cardamom (which can be adjusted to your liking), with subtle pistachio flavor.
Perfect Tea cake - This is a perfect afternoon tea cake or after dinner cake to enjoy with tea or coffee.
📝 Ingredient Notes
A full list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Cardamom: The star of this cake is a lot of ground cardamom. You can ground it yourself, or buy it pre-ground. You can customize the amount to your liking.
Pistachio: Crushed pistachios are used to add more flavor, albeit subtle. I've used both salted and unsalted and both work well.
Milk: I've used both dairy-free as well as regular milk, and both work great.
See recipe card for quantities.
⇄ Substitutions
Milk - You can use any type of milk you like in this recipe. I've used both regular whole milk, as well as dairy-free milk and they turn out great. I would suggest a more rich dairy-free milk like a creamy oat milk.
Butter - If you don't like oil in your baked goods, you can try using melted butter, but make sure it's the same amount.
Cake pan - Instead of an 8 inch cake pan, you can use a 9 inch pan. The cake will take less time in the oven, so you should start checking at around 25 minutes (but it could take longer) and the cake will not be as tall.
✨ Variations
Whipped cream topping - Instead of sprinkling with powdered sugar, you can add a dollop of whipped cream to your slice of cake and enjoy a light dessert.
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting - Take it up a notch from a regular whipped cream and make a whipped cream cheese frosting. Use the frosting from my Vanilla Almond Cake, but just leave out the almond flavoring.
Cream Cheese Frosting - Add a cream cheese frosting to the cake and it will be delicious!
🍴Special Equipment
Kitchen Scale: It's so important to use a kitchen scale for accurate results.
Pan: You'll need an 8 or 9 inch round pan.
Mixing bowls: I love using glass Mixing Bowls when making batters and doughs.
Mixer: You can use a stand mixer, or a handheld mixer.
𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions
A few instruction photos to help you nail this recipe every time.
Step 1
In a medium bowl, combine sugar and eggs and beat using a hand mixer for about 2 minutes until light in color. Add vegetable oil and mix until combined.
Step 1
Alternate dry ingredients and milk until just barely mixed.
💡 Hint: Don't over mix the batter, otherwise the cake could turn out dry.
Step 1
Then using a spatula, fold in the pistachios.
Step 1
Add batter to the prepared pan and bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Start checking your cake at 35 minutes. Every oven is different.
💬 FAQ
Yes, I've used almond milk and it works out great.
I have used roasted salted and unsalted in this cake. I buy them pre-shelled, but you could buy them shelled and remove the shells; it will just take a bit longer.
Absolutely! Add whipped cream, a simple vanilla buttercream, or even a cream cheese frosting.
💡Pro Tips
Measure Flour Correctly - As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off.
Don't over mix - Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, stop mixing, and fold in the pistachios with a spatula to avoid over mixing the batter.
Don't over bake - Start checking the cake at 35 minutes by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, remove them from the oven. Depending on your oven, it could take longer. Mine take closer to 50 minutes.
More or Less Cardamom - I think ¾ of a teaspoon of cardamom is perfect, but if you think that's too much, you can add less.
❄ Storage
Room temperature - Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Freezer - If you want to freeze the cake, wrap completely in saran wrap, then aluminum foil (or insert into a freezer bag) and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before taking it out to come to room temperature.
📖 Recipe Card
Cardamom Pistachio Cake
Ingredients
- 1½ cup (180 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon (1.5 g) ground cardamom you can use less if you don't like too much cardamom flavor
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (109 g) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (244 g) milk regular, or dairy-free
- ½ cup crushed pistachios* see notes
Topping
- Powdered sugar
- Crushed pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and prepare an 8in cake pan by greasing with your favorite cake release or baking spray, then add a layer of parchment paper at the bottom. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt, mix and set aside.1½ cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a medium bowl, combine sugar and eggs and beat using a hand mixer for about 2 minutes until light in color. Add vegetable oil and mix until combined.¾ cup granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil
- Alternate dry ingredients and milk until just barely mixed. Then using a spatula, fold in the pistachios.1 cup milk, ½ cup crushed pistachios*
- Add batter to the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Start checking your cake at 35 minutes. Every oven is different.
- Let cool at least 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle pistachios on top and enjoy with tea.Powdered sugar, Crushed pistachios
So yummy!! Perfect with tea or coffee.
Thank you so much for the review. I'm so glad you like the cake. 🙂
Are the rose petals decorating the top of your cake fresh or dried?
They are dried petals. They weren't eaten. Just for pictures.
I made this cake for Eid last week and my family ate it all in one day. 10/10
If I use the heavy whipping cream frosting from your alternate recipe, do I just add that right before I plate it and serve it?
Yes! Absolutely. I would probably add it to each individual slice instead of adding it to the whole cake. This way, if you have any cake leftover, you don't need to store it in the fridge and the whipped cream won't weap.
Loved! I made this for my Palestenian husband for his tea. I am Mexican so learning an entirely different cuisine has not been easy. My mother in law makes a cake similar to this with orange and cardamom so I decided to give this a go. My husband approved 😊 I will add that you should definitely check at the 35 min mark because mine was a little over cooked. Recommend 10/10.
Thank you for the review, Gabriela! I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed the cake. Thank you for the tip as well! 🙂
Is that 350°F?
Yes! Sorry that I missed adding that.
Hi, do you use salted or unsalted pistachios?
I've used both before.
Such an easy cake. Adding whipped cream and it was so good.
SO excited to try this for the colder months! Do you think this can be made with olive oil instead of a neutral oil?
Yes! Olive oil works in this recipe; I've used it many times. I like to use more mild-flavored olive oil. If you want the olive oil flavor to come through, then you can use a robust olive oil. 🙂
Tried this recipe , Delish .
Things I did that changed the outcome one : I did substitute the oil .
My cake was rather flat as I used a cake tin that was too large . So it wasn’t as satisfyingly tall .
Good recipe , will be making again :))
This recipe looks delicious! I am wondering if it would work as a loaf or mini loaf as I am wanting to serve at a gathering and thought it might be easier to slice ahead this way for serving.
I honestly am not sure, I haven't tried it. I don't know how much the batter would fill a loaf pan, but if you try it, let me know!