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    Home » Recipes » Cakes & Cupcakes

    Cardamom Pistachio Cake

    Published: Apr 16, 2023 · Modified: Apr 15, 2025 by Hakima · This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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 pistachio cake on a platter with powdered sugar and crushed pistachios

    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.

    Jump to:
    • ♥ Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • 📝 Ingredient Notes
    • ⇄ Substitutions
    • ✨ Variations
    • 🍴Special Equipment
    • 𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions
    • 💬 FAQ
    • 💡Pro Tips
    • ❄ Storage
    • 📖 Recipe Card
    • 💬 Reviews

    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.

    Ingredients for cardamom pistachio cake

    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.

    slice of cardamom pistachio cake showing the moist and fluffy crumb

    ⇄ 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.

    slice of cardamom pistachio cake on a plate

    𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions

    A few instruction photos to help you nail this recipe every time.

    cardamom pistachio cake mixing sugar and eggs

    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.

    adding dry ingredients

    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.

    adding pistachio

    Step 1

    Then using a spatula, fold in the pistachios.

    pouring into pan and baking

    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.

    whole cardamom pistachio cake on a platter before slicing

    💬 FAQ

    Can I make this cake dairy-free?

    Yes, I've used almond milk and it works out great.

    What type of pistachio is best in this cake?

    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.

    Can I add frosting to the cake?

    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.

    slice of cardamom pistachio cake on it's side next to half the cake

    Did you make this recipe or any other recipe on my website? I'd love to hear about it! Please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Don't forget to Tag me on Instagram or Facebook when you recreate a recipe! The feedback helps both me and the readers!

    📖 Recipe Card

    cardamom pistachio cake

    Cardamom Pistachio Cake

    Hakima
    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.
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 45 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 243 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    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

    Notes

    Crushed Pistachios: You can take a ½ cup whole pistachios and pulse in a food processor until mostly crushed.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 5gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 156mgPotassium: 117mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 114IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword afternoon tea cake, cardamom, cardamom pistachio cake, olive oil pistachio chocolate chunk cookies
    Tried this recipe?Mention @siftwithkima or tag #SiftwithKima on Instagram!

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    Comments

    1. Besma says

      April 19, 2023 at 8:58 am

      5 stars
      So yummy!! Perfect with tea or coffee.

      Reply
      • Hakima says

        April 20, 2023 at 6:49 am

        Thank you so much for the review. I'm so glad you like the cake. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Susan says

      July 28, 2023 at 11:25 am

      Are the rose petals decorating the top of your cake fresh or dried?

      Reply
      • Hakima says

        July 28, 2023 at 2:08 pm

        They are dried petals. They weren't eaten. Just for pictures.

        Reply
    3. Salma says

      June 22, 2024 at 11:17 am

      5 stars
      I made this cake for Eid last week and my family ate it all in one day. 10/10

      Reply
    4. Gabriela Villa says

      September 20, 2024 at 10:22 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Hakima says

        October 16, 2024 at 7:25 am

        Thank you for the review, Gabriela! I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed the cake. Thank you for the tip as well! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Meriem says

      January 29, 2025 at 3:38 pm

      Is that 350°F?

      Reply
      • Hakima says

        January 29, 2025 at 5:52 pm

        Yes! Sorry that I missed adding that.

        Reply
    6. Libby says

      March 14, 2025 at 9:06 am

      Hi, do you use salted or unsalted pistachios?

      Reply
      • Hakima says

        March 14, 2025 at 1:05 pm

        I've used both before.

        Reply
    7. Anonymous says

      April 16, 2025 at 3:49 pm

      5 stars
      Such an easy cake. Adding whipped cream and it was so good.

      Reply
    5 from 10 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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    Hi there, I'm Hakima!

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