Pistachio Cake
This sweet and moist Pistachio Cake is made with real pistachios and topped with cream cheese frosting! It’s gluten-free with healthy swaps, but no one can ever tell!
Servings: 16 bars
Cost: $7.12
Equipment
- Large blender high-powered, see note 1
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
Cake
- 1 cup shelled pistachios see note 2, plus more for topping
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar up to 1 cup—see note 3
- 8 tablespoons cold butter cut into small cubes
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch see note 4
Optional Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (162°C). Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Add shelled pistachios and brown sugar to a large, powerful blender (Blend-tec/Vitamix) and blend until pistachios are broken down and incorporated with brown sugar, 20–30 seconds (don’t blend too long or you’ll make pistachio butter). Add cubed butter and pulse to break down butter. Scrape sides of blender and add eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Blend until batter is completely smooth, stopping and scraping edges as needed, about 90 seconds.
- Pour completely smooth batter into prepared baking pan, using a spatula to scrape out every bit. Smooth the top with the spatula and bake for 37–43 minutes or until cake is lightly browned at edges and set in the middle (toothpick when inserted in the center should come out clean).
- Meanwhile, place softened cream cheese in a large bowl. (Give it ample time to set out so your frosting isn’t chunky.) Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and salt until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar (beating between additions) until smooth, creamy, and to the desired consistency. Add milk and beat until smooth.
- Frost the completely cooled cake evenly with frosting. If desired, top the frosting with chopped pistachios.
Video
Notes
Note 1: You’ll need a good, powerful blender (think Blendtec or Vitamix) to break down the pistachios without overheating the machine.
Note 2: I love dry roasted and lightly salted pistachios—more flavor without extra effort on your part. (Here’s what I use in this cake).
Note 3: Make sure the brown sugar is soft and fresh for the best possible cake texture. If you are used to healthier treats, use 3/4 cup brown sugar, but if you’d like a sweeter cake, use 1 cup. I usually go with 1 cup!
Note 4: Corn starch is an important ingredient since this recipe doesn’t use flour and needs some additional support and thickness.
Nutrition Note: Nutrition information is for the cake only. With the optional frosting, one serving has 227 calories.
Storage: Keep frosted bars tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 2–3 days, though the fridge will turn the bars stale quickly. Store unfrosted bars in an airtight container at room temperature. Unfrosted bars freeze nicely, though there will be some texture and flavor loss.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.1g | Protein: 0.7g | Fat: 5.8g | Cholesterol: 15.3mg | Sodium: 3.5mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 9.1g