• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Hungry Bites
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Categories
    • Main Dishes
      • Beef and veal
      • Chicken and poultry
      • Lamb and goat
      • Pork
      • Fish and seafood
      • Other meats
      • Legumes
      • Salad meals
    • Side Dishes
    • Appetizers and meze
    • Pasta and rice
    • Soups and stews
    • One pan - One pot
    • Air fryer
    • Salads
    • Desserts and sweets
      • Cakes
      • Cheesecakes
      • Cupcakes and muffins
      • cookies
      • Chocolate
      • ice cream
      • Pies, bars and tarts
      • Puddings and creams
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • Bread
    • Drinks
    • Dietary
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Gluten Free
      • Healthy
  • The Mediterranean Diet
  • About me
    • Contact me
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • By Category
  • MDiet
  • About me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • By Category
    • MDiet
    • About me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian

    Pistachio cake recipe with rose water frosting

    Published: Oct 1, 2017 · Modified: Mar 31, 2023 by Makos

    Go to Recipe Print Recipe

    Bake this fluffy pistachio cake from scratch and frost it with rose water frosting for a unique dessert, also known as Persian love cake.

    Every celebration needs a nice dessert, and this cake is ideal because the velvety, melt-in-your-mouth texture is combined perfectly with the fluffy buttercream.

    You could say that it's another type of Persian love cake, except that the almond flour is being replaced with ground pistachios.

    pistachio cake with rose water frosting for birhtdays

    Since pistachios, cardamom, and rose water are ingredients commonly used in the Mediterranean cuisine, this cake couldn't be missing from this blog!

    So, for those of you who are wondering if you can bake with pistachios, my answer is this: A pistachio and rose cake and some pistachio cookies are probably the two best things you can bake with pistachios.

    This real pistachio ice cream (no ice cream machine needed) is another great thing you can do with pistachios.

    How to make this cake from scratch.

    Making a pistachio cake from scratch is something that I enjoy very much, mostly because I get to see every ingredient that goes into my mixing bowl. The steps for the recipe are:

    1. Ground the pistachios in a food processor until they resemble almond flour. If you add some sugar and flour, they will absorb some of the oils from the nuts and will not let the mixture become pasty.
    2. Combine the dry ingredients with the butter in the bowl of your electric mixer.
    3. Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl.
    4. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of your mixer in two batches while mixing.
    5. Bake the cakes.
    6. Make the rose water frosting. This maybe be a Persian love cake, but the frosting is your typical American buttercream scented with rosewater and vanilla. You can add a tiny portion of red food coloring for a beautiful pink color.
    7. Frost the cake and serve.

    This Persian love cake recipe follows the one-bowl method. I've learned this method from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible. It produces a very light, velvety and fluffy cake with an amazingly tender crumb. You have to be very careful though, because all the ingredients must be at room temperature and the butter soft enough.

    Fluffy pistachio cake with rosewater buttercream gif

    How do you enhance the pistachio flavor?

    Pistachios have a very delicate flavor which is complemented by some vanilla extract and ground cardamom (you could also use a tiny bit of lemon zest and a pinch of cinnamon).

    Roasting fresh pistachios helps to intensify their flavor by far. If you want to enhance the pistachio flavor more, you can add some more ground pistachios but that may have a negative effect to the texture of the cake. Your other solution is to add 2-3 drops of almond extract for extra nuttiness.

    Since pistachio desserts are often correlated with green color, you can use some drops of green food coloring in order to achieve the desired hue.

    Can you use salted pistachios in cake?

    I will have to say no, because you can never know how much salt will go into the recipe.

    If salted roasted pistachios is the only thing you have, I would advise you to rinse them very well under running water, let them drain in a sieve and bake them in the oven for 5-10 minutes until they're completely dry (this will also freshen they're aroma).

    Do pistachios need to be roasted?

    Yes, mainly for two reasons: Their flavor is much more better and intense, and they will also lose some moisture so they will become like flour more easily when you ground them.

    pistachio cake with rose water frosting 5

    The frosting.

    Making a cake from scratch can be a time consuming job, especially nowadays when we have so much more on our plates. That's why I've kept the frosting simple, like a classic American buttercream vanilla frosting, only it is flavored with some additional rose water. You can also add a few drops of almond extract, but I don't feel it is necessary, especially if the rose water is good quality.

    An even easier solution is to make a rose water glaze with two cups of icing sugar and as much rose water needed (add it drop by drop) until it reaches a pouring consistency. The rose water glaze is ideal if you want to make half the recipe in one 8-inch pan. Don't forget to add a pinch of salt to cut down the sweetness. I'm guessing you will have a lot of rose water left, so make sure to also try this no-churn Turkish delight ice cream!

    If you can’t find or don’t like rose water, you can always use only vanilla extract (increase it to 3 teaspoons), or try it with some orange blossom water for a different flavor profile. Either way, it will be delicious!

    For these photos I used two cakes with one layer of filling in the middle, but if you want an even more spectacular birthday pistachio cake, you can cut each cake horizontally into two layers. This way you’ll end up with four cake layers and three layers of filling.

    How to bake level cakes:

    This is my trick for baking a level cake: I wrap the pans with towel strips soaked in water (squeeze them lightly before wrapping the pans) and secure them with safety pins. If you have an old, worn out towel, this is the perfect use for it!

    These strips (usually called cake strips) prevent the edges of the cake from baking too quickly, so the whole surface rises at the same time, thus remaining level. Of course, a good cake recipe helps too! You can see my DIY cake strips below:

    pistachio cakes in their pans

    (they’re not dirty, they’re just a little browned from the times they've been in the oven!). You can also buy them on line.

    And here's the cake with minimum dome:

    pistachio cake with rose water frosting 4

    Some notes/tips:

    • Bring all the ingredients at room temperature. This is very important for the proper emulsification which will result in a great texture.
    • If possible, weight the ingredients for better accuracy.
    • If you only have large eggs, use 3 whole and one egg white.

    Similar recipes:

    White chocolate and roasted almond mousse cake (Nougat torte)
    Pure chocolate mousse cake - Torte

    Share this post if you liked it (share buttons at the top!) and don’t forget to subscribe for new recipes or follow me on Instagram,   Pinterest,   Facebook

    pistachio cake with rose water frosting 6

    Recipe

    pistachio cake with rose water frosting
    Print
    4.67 from 12 votes

    Pistachio cake recipe with rose water frosting

    Bake this fluffy pistachio cake from scratch and frost it with a romantic rose water frosting for a unique pistachio and rose dessert, also known as Persian love cake
    Prep Time1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
    Active Time50 minutes mins
    Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
    Course: Dessert, Sweet
    Cuisine: American, Mediterranean, Persian
    Keyword: cake, cardamom, from scratch, frosting, pistachio, rose water
    Yield: 12
    Calories: 639kcal
    Author: The Hungry Bites

    Ingredients

    For the pistachio cakes

    • 3 ⅓ cups (400 grams) cake flour, sifted
    • 5 teaspoons (25 grams) baking powder
    • ¾ to 1 cups (90 grams) roasted pistachios, unsalted
    • 2 cups (400 grams) sugar
    • ¾ teaspoon fine salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
    • 1 cup minus 1 heaped tablespoon (210 grams) soft butter
    • 4 medium eggs (200 grams), room temperature
    • 1 ¼ cups (300 grams) milk, room temperature
    • 2 teaspoons (10 grams) vanilla
    • 2-3 drops green food coloring, optional

    For the rosewater buttercream

    • 1 cup (2 sticks / 250 grams) unsalted butter, softened
    • 4-5 cups (500-625 grams) confectioners (powdered) sugar, sifted (you’ll adjust this according to your preference)
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2-3 tablespoons rose water (or to taste)
    • 3-4 drops pink food coloring

    Other

    • Some chopped pistachios for decoration
    • 2 8-inch (20 cm) round pans

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease and line with baking paper two 8-inch round pans. Then, wrap them with wet cake/towel-strips.
    • Ground the pistachios: In a food processor, process one cup flour, one cup sugar and the pistachios until finely ground (processing nuts with the flour and sugar prevents them from turning pasty).
    • Prepare the dry ingredients: In the bowl of your electric mixer combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, pistachios, salt, baking powder, and cardamom) and mix for 10-20 seconds until well combined. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles wet sand.
    • Make the cake: Combine the milk, the vanilla and the eggs in a jug and mix with a fork just to break down the eggs. Add about three-quarters of the wet ingredients in the bowl and beat on medium to medium-high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl halfway. You will see the mixture to lighten in color and get fluffier. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and beat for another 30seconds until well combined. Add the green food coloring (if using) and mix well.
    • Bake: Divide mixture into two pans and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert onto a rack and let the cakes cool.
    • Make the buttercream: For the buttercream, beat the butter and 3 ½ cups sugar on low speed until well incorporated. Increase speed to high and beat well for 3-4 minutes until very fluffy. Add the salt, the vanilla, the food coloring, and two tablespoons rosewater and beat to incorporate. Taste the buttercream and add more sugar or rosewater to your preference, until you get the consistency you want.
    • Assemble the cake: When cakes are completely cooled, frost with buttercream and decorate with chopped pistachios.

    Notes

    .
    • Make sure that all of the ingredients are at room temperature and the butter very soft.
    • From what I know, many products with pistachio flavor (especially ice cream) actually have almond extract as the main flavoring. This cake gets its' delicate aroma from real, roasted pistachios. Some vanilla and cardamom is used to complement the pistachio flavor. If you want a stronger flavor, you can add 3-4 drops of almond extract, but this might overpower the real pistachio taste.
    .
    Can't get enough cake? See these recipes:
    • 5-ingredient flourless chocolate cake
    • Xmas scented cake with fluffy vanilla buttercream
    • Moist chocolate cupcake (with Mascarpone frosting)
    5-ingredient flourless chocolate cake (with no butter)
    Flourless chocolate cake
    xmas-scented-cake-with-fluffy-vanilla-buttercream-2
    Xmas scented cake
    Moist chocolate cupcake recipe (and a Mascarpone frosting) 3
    Moist chocolate cupcakes

    This recipe is also published as a pistachio cake web story

    If you like this post, Pin it!

    pistachio cake with rose water frosting 9

    Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. This means that if you make a purchase through an affiliate link I may earn a small fee with no additional cost for you. However I provide these links to make items easier to find in case you cannot purchase them locally.

    More Vegetarian

    • Creamy mushroom risotto without wine, featured image.
      Best creamy mushroom risotto recipe without wine
    • Air fryer Brussels sprouts profile image.
      Air fryer Brussels sprouts recipe (3 ways)
    • Tabbouleh salad thumbnail.
      Tabbouleh (tabouli) salad
    • Israeli couscous salad thumbnail.
      Israeli couscous salad




    Oven baked swordfish featured image.

    Oven baked swordfish recipe with lemon vinaigrette

    Easy coffee ice cream featured image.

    Easiest coffee ice cream recipe (no-churn, no eggs)

    See All Recipes →

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. heather (delicious not gorgeous)

      October 04, 2017 at 12:20 am

      congrats on the one year! i love the colors of this cake, but it also sounds incredibly delicious and like the perfect way to celebrate (:

      Reply
      • Makos

        October 05, 2017 at 9:28 pm

        Thank you very much Heather!!! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Akhila@Pepper Delight

      October 04, 2017 at 3:31 am

      Congratulations Makos and a Happy Birthday to thehungrybites 🙂 !! Your blog is amazing, it opened a new world of Mediterranean cuisine for me (I know I've said this before). The use of spices, ingredients, content you pen down behind every post, and every effort you put reflects your passion for food. You are a great friend and big inspiration to me. Looking forward to the many more awesome years of delicious food!

      The cake looks super soft and it’s so pretty. I love the idea of using towel strips around baking pan, that was genius. So Thanks for that great tip, it’s helpful for amateurs like me!

      Reply
      • Makos

        October 05, 2017 at 9:32 pm

        Thank you so much Akhila!!!
        Your words make me very happy, and you know I feel exactly the same way about you and your blog!
        We all learn a lot from each other in this great community! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Lokness

      October 06, 2017 at 10:27 pm

      Happy Blogiversary! And congrats on the nomination! It's amazing that you have accomplished so much in just a short year!

      I'm in love with this cake! I have never thought of adding rose water into frosting. That sounds very good! Gotta try it next time!

      I don't cook Mediterranean food often, but thank you for introducing me to all these new ingredients and flavors! I can't wait to dive into the kitchen and do some exploration. Looking forward to seeing more of your delicious recipes!

      Reply
      • Makos

        October 07, 2017 at 1:22 pm

        Thank you so much Lokness!!!
        I had the feeling we had talked before, and when I saw the rassberry cheesecake I realized I first sew your recipes on Google+ !
        Keep up the good work too! <3

        Reply
    4. Stephanie

      October 09, 2017 at 3:09 pm

      Oh my gosh, this looks amazing & I want to make it right now. Also, happy anniversary!

      Reply
      • Makos

        October 09, 2017 at 10:11 pm

        Thank you very much Stephanie!

        Reply
    5. thequeenmomma

      October 09, 2017 at 9:19 pm

      I love baking myself and I am very ecstatic reading this recipe. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

      Reply
      • Makos

        October 09, 2017 at 10:11 pm

        I am really glad you liked it!

        Reply
    6. Diana

      October 11, 2017 at 1:08 am

      Ah! I want to attempt this so bad! Saving this on Pinterest!!

      Reply
      • Makos

        October 12, 2017 at 7:20 pm

        Thank you Diana!

        Reply
    7. Tara

      October 12, 2017 at 4:54 pm

      i LOVE pistachio anything - so this s sounds right up my alley!

      Reply
      • Makos

        October 12, 2017 at 7:21 pm

        Hey, Tara!
        Yes, pistachios are great, aren't they?

        Reply
    8. Octochan

      October 28, 2017 at 3:16 am

      LOL you might want to edit your 2nd step where your instructions say to wrap the pans in wet CAKE strips. 😀

      Reply
      • Makos

        October 29, 2017 at 10:23 am

        LOL, they're not strips made of cake! They're towel strips used to help produce a level cake, that's why they're called cake strips 🙂

        Reply
    9. MM

      September 11, 2018 at 9:12 am

      5 stars
      Making this cake today. This recipe is for licking the bowl. I don't usually do that but with this one I couldn't resist after testing a bit for taste. The cake' s in the oven. Can't wait to try it.

      I wonder if you've used rose geranium leaves for flavouring. I've read about it. This recipe reminded me of it. But since geraniums don't grow where I live I have never tried it.

      Reply
      • Makos

        September 11, 2018 at 10:16 am

        Thank you for your kind words MM! I've used rose geranium leaves in a recent summer cocktail and in a tomato mrmalade I've made, but not in a cake. What a wonderful idea!
        Rose geranium has a lemony aroma with some flowery notes that can remind you of rose, so it would pair very well with this cake 🙂

        Reply
    10. Leanne Wilhelm

      October 15, 2018 at 12:34 pm

      Hi, worst cake baker here but up for a challenge. For the cakes it says 10g of vanilla. Is this vanilla extract?
      I see the buttercream says vanilla extract so wondering if there is a difference?

      Reply
      • Makos

        October 15, 2018 at 12:41 pm

        Hi Leanne! Yes, it's liquid vanilla extract. Just make sure you have all the ingredients at room temperatute and follow the instructions. You should have no problem! Good luck!

        Reply
    11. Efi

      November 01, 2018 at 8:54 pm

      5 stars
      This cake came out perfect! It is tender and tastes very nice! I will definitely make it again! Thanks for the recipe

      Reply
      • Makos

        November 05, 2018 at 8:40 pm

        I'm so glad you liked it Efi!

        Reply
    12. Margarita

      November 17, 2018 at 7:33 am

      5 stars
      Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
      I made this cake for my 30th birthday yesterday...it turned out amazing!

      Reply
      • Makos

        November 18, 2018 at 7:55 pm

        Thanks Margarita!
        And happy birthday!!! 🙂

        Reply
    13. Heather

      November 18, 2018 at 12:09 am

      4 stars
      Well--I made it but was not blown away. But that said...It was my first time dealing with the recipe. I even made some small cupcakes out of some of the dough. I think I made a mistake to use regular flour instead of cake flour. It seemed pretty heavy, almost like the texture of banana bread. I have seen recipes that used 3 egg whites and one whole egg... If you feel like experimenting to lighten the cake since ground up pistachios is already pretty heavy in batter try this.... Also as far as the buttercream recipe...I found it to be super sweet! It was calling for 3-4cups of powder sugar was very sweet. If you want it to not overpower the cake and taste butter as well as sugar in the buttercream, maybe go with less powder sugar...start with one cup and work your way up by tasting it Its more refined not to make it sickly sweet. Then add the rose water carefully. Too much can overpower. I only put it in the middle layer and just used plain buttercream on the outside, but mainly because it was so sweet. Finally it did not have a huge pistachio flavor to me...but it was still nice. So I wonder if adding more cardamon would give it a bit more flavor..but not sure about this since I do not bake often. A great idea but I need to practice it and make it my own.

      Reply
      • Makos

        November 18, 2018 at 8:15 pm

        Hi Heather!
        This cake uses the one-bowl method (i think Rose Levy Beranbaum first made this method well-known with her book "The Cake Bible") and it always produces a silky batter and a very soft and tender cake (like the photos in the post). But in order to work best, all the ingredients must be at room temperature, and especially the butter should be very soft. Also, I would suggest measuring the ingredients by weight to ensure better accuracy.
        For the buttercream, I agree with you. It's based on the classic American-type buttercream which is pretty sweet 🙂 Maybe another type of filling (like a white chocolate ganache with some rosewater added to the heavy cream) would suit you better.
        For the flavor, it is my understanding that many store-bought, pistachio-flavored products have some almond extract as an additional flavoring - maybe that was what you were missing (tastewise). If you make this recipe again, you can try adding a few drops of almond extract along with the rest of the flavorings.
        Hope that helps!
        Thanks for trying this recipe!

        Reply
    14. Halona

      January 02, 2019 at 2:48 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Makos,
      Made this cake for my grandpa’s 103rd birthday yesterday. Everyone loved it and helped themselves to seconds. The cake strips are an amazing idea.
      Thank you for the wonderful receipe

      Reply
      • Makos

        January 02, 2019 at 2:57 pm

        Thank you very much Halona, I'm very happy you liked it!!!

        Reply
    15. Amy

      January 17, 2019 at 6:58 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Heather,
      In your recipe it says process pistachios with 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of sugar. Should I take the sugar & flour from the recipe? Or it is additional 1 cup of sugar & a cup of flour for processing the pistachios?
      Thank you

      Reply
      • Makos

        January 17, 2019 at 5:13 pm

        Hey Amy,
        Take the sugar and flour from the recipe.
        Happy baking!

        Reply
    16. Kamala

      March 07, 2019 at 1:57 am

      3 stars


      I made this cake. The frosting was wonderful. I did add some lemon juice to cut some of the sweetness of the frosting and it was delicious.

      Baking the pistachios into the cake seemed like a waste of pistachios. The flavor and texture of the nut didn’t come through and just seemed to weigh the cake down. It wasn’t fluffy like I hoped it would be.

      5 teaspoons of baking powder, as the recipe called for, was way too much. Baking powder overpowered the flavor of the cake.

      Reply
      • Makos

        March 09, 2019 at 6:50 pm

        Hi Kamala,
        I'm sorry you weren't pleased with the cake.
        Pistachios have a delicate flavor and they should be roasted for the flavor to come through. Also, this cake is based on the one bowl method, which produces soft and tender cake as long as you follow the directions exactly. The most important thing is to have all of the ingredients at room temperature and especially the butter should be soft to the touch, otherwise the cake can come out dense.
        I've made this cake several times and never had a problem, it always comes out like you see in the photos. Did you use the right measurements for the ingredients? All the cups and teaspoons should be levelled.
        Thanks for trying this recipe and good luck next time!

        Reply
    17. ada

      March 11, 2019 at 10:36 pm

      Hi, when you measure 90g of pistachios, is that the weight of shelled pistachios or pistachios still in their shells?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Makos

        March 11, 2019 at 8:46 pm

        Hi ada,
        It's 90 grams shelled pistachios ?

        Reply
    18. Srivi

      May 17, 2019 at 3:57 am

      Just a quick question- what do you mean “wrap the pans with wet cake strips”? The recipe sounds phenominal, but I was only confused about this part.

      Reply
      • Makos

        May 17, 2019 at 5:13 am

        Hi Srivi,
        I mean wet towel strips (which are also called cake strips- but are not made of cake, haha). Wrapping the pan with towel strips bakes the cake more evenly and results in a level top

        Reply
    19. Abi

      May 17, 2019 at 10:05 am

      Hi
      I’d like to make this cake but wondered if ‘cake flour’ means plain, all purpose or self raising (ie with baking powder already in). In the UK it means self raising but not sure if it does elsewhere
      Thanks very much
      Abi

      Reply
      • Makos

        May 17, 2019 at 7:16 am

        Hi Abi,
        That's interesting, haha. Here it means plain flour but with a lower protein content. If you can't find it, use plain or all-purpose flour. Don't use self raising flour because the recipe also calls for some baking powder.
        Thank you and happy baking!

        Reply
        • Abi

          May 18, 2019 at 5:44 am

          Thanks for replying. I made the cake just using plain flour as couldn’t get the cake flour locally and it came out really well. I’m definitely going to make it again. Thanks for great recipe

          Reply
          • Makos

            May 19, 2019 at 4:31 pm

            Thanks Abi!

            Reply
          • Haresh Melwani

            January 24, 2021 at 2:01 pm

            Hi thanku so much.
            I made this cake for my mother for her bday and everyone loved it, instead of vanilla, i used rose essence. Smells amazing. But only any idea to make the cake more moist?

            Reply
            • Makos

              January 24, 2021 at 2:15 pm

              I find this cake moist enough (as long as it's not overbaked). A light drizzle of simple syrup will add moisture but it will also make it a little sweeter

          • Suman

            January 24, 2021 at 4:01 pm

            Hi thanku so much.
            I made this cake for my mother for her bday and everyone loved it, instead of vanilla, i used rose essence. Smells amazing. But only any idea to make the cake more moist?

            Reply
    20. Arefa

      November 03, 2019 at 12:47 am

      Can this recipe be halved?

      Reply
      • Makos

        November 02, 2019 at 11:09 pm

        Hi Arefa,
        If you half it, you can just bake it in one 8-inch pan. Otherwise, you can divide the mixture into 2 pans but the baking time will probably have to be less.

        Reply
    21. M

      January 31, 2020 at 11:43 am

      Hello!

      Looking forward to trying this recipe. Just wanted to check whether the sugar in cake recipe is caster or granulated? Thanks

      Reply
      • Makos

        January 31, 2020 at 12:03 pm

        Hi! If you can find caster sugar use it because the texture of the cake can benefit from it. If you can't find caster, the recipe will also work with granulated sugar

        Reply
    22. Pooja Majur

      July 14, 2020 at 10:29 am

      5 stars

      5 stars
      Hello Makos,

      Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. I followed your recipe exactly step by step. I must say this is the best cake I ever made in my life. I made it for my hubby’s 40th Birthday and I got a big applause. The hint of cardamom is the best part of the cake. I did not put any rose water to the icing and I just used plain vanilla and Oh my Gosh they just married so well with the cake. Thanks a ton again.
      Regards
      Puj

      Reply
      • Makos

        July 14, 2020 at 11:33 am

        Thanks for trying this! I'm very happy you liked it and happy birthday to your husband! 🙂

        Reply
    23. Neha

      August 18, 2020 at 1:22 pm

      5 stars
      What a delicious recipe. I’ve made this cake twice now and it was a hit both times. Such a lovely and flavoursome sponge. Thank you!

      I wanted to try it again but eggless if possible. Can you suggest a substitute or any change in the recipe to make it eggless but just as light and fluffy? Thanks in advance.

      Reply
      • Makos

        August 18, 2020 at 11:30 am

        Thank you for your kind words Neha!
        I'm afraid this recipe will probably not work without eggs.
        I have this oil cake on the blog ( https://www.thehungrybites.com/vegan-olive-oil-cake-fanouropita-with-tahini-ganache/ ) which is very fluffy but is also a little crumbly. If you want to try it use a neutral tasting oil and omit the spices (use the vanilla and the pistachios from the pistachio cake instead).

        Reply
    24. Faseeha Yaseen

      September 22, 2020 at 5:20 pm

      Hi !is this buttercream too sweet if i use 1:2 butter to sugar ratio ?

      Reply
      • Makos

        September 22, 2020 at 3:48 pm

        Hi Faseeha,
        I haven't made it like this so I don't know, but the consistency will be different

        Reply
    25. Heather

      January 24, 2021 at 9:25 pm

      5 stars
      This cake tasted amazing. I made it for my birthday because nobody ever wants to eat rose-flavored things with me, and I thought it would be my one chance to make this! But everybody finished every last crumb and raved about it. Plus we couldn't stop sniffing it because it had such a beautiful aroma! I used my own rosewater buttercream recipe, and added a thin layer of almond paste in the center of the frosting in the middle of the cake, just for fun. Everybody loved it, and I'm definitely making it again. It was beautiful and delicious, the perfect cake, thank you!

      Reply
      • Makos

        January 24, 2021 at 9:28 pm

        Happy birthday Heather! I'm very happy you all enjoyed this cake and thanks for the feedback!

        Reply
    26. Anastasia Gayol Gayol Cintron

      April 29, 2021 at 8:51 pm

      I am making this cake today, are the flour and sugar that are added to the pistachio grind included in the recipe or is it + this?

      Reply
      • Makos

        April 29, 2021 at 6:07 pm

        Hi, you take the flour and the sugar from the total amount stated in the ingredients. It's not plus. Good luck!

        Reply
    27. sadi

      July 15, 2021 at 12:02 am

      Hi can I replace the vanilla in the cake with rose water?

      Reply
      • Makos

        July 14, 2021 at 9:20 pm

        Hi,
        Yes you can but rose water has less intense aroma than vanilla

        Reply
    28. Priscilla Reyes

      November 02, 2021 at 12:34 am

      4 stars
      After a few needed adjustments I fell in love with this recipe! I decreased the amount of sugar to 1 1/2 cups of sugar instead of 2, and added 1/8 tsp of almond extract which I felt complimented the pistachio flavor without overpowering it. I also creamed the butter in the mixer first and added 1/3 of the wet ingredients. Then I slowly incorporated the dry ingredients and the rest of the wet ingredients. This helped decrease clumping. Also make sure your roasted pistachios are completely cooled before grinding. This will also prevent clumping.

      Reply
    29. Terry

      February 28, 2022 at 8:28 pm

      Can’t wait to try this recipe! Question, when you say grind the pistachios with a cup of flower, is that cup in addition to the 3 1/3 cups in the ingredients list for a total of 4 1/3 cups or should I just use 1 cup out of the 3 1/3? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Makos

        February 28, 2022 at 7:08 pm

        Hi Terry, you'll use 1 cup out of the 3 1/3 🙂

        Reply
    30. Amina

      August 16, 2022 at 2:34 pm

      How long will the cake keep please? Can I make it the cake the day before and ice it on the day?

      Reply
      • Makos

        August 16, 2022 at 11:40 am

        Hi Amina. Yes, wrap it with plastic wrap and the cake will be fine

        Reply
    31. Lise

      September 13, 2022 at 7:29 pm

      Hello!
      I plan to make this cake this week, just want to make sure I have to use salted butter. I did many cakes that required unsalted butter, don’t want to make any mistakes!

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Makos

        September 13, 2022 at 4:40 pm

        Hi Lise, the recipe calls for unsalted butter, that's why it includes 3/4 tsp salt.
        Good luck!!!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    author profile image.

    Hi, I’m Makos. I make traditional Mediterranean recipes more accessible to modern people. Sometimes I'll add a twist. Take a look!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Featured image of a strawberry milkshake without ice cream.
      Best strawberry milkshake recipe without ice cream
    • Oven baked swordfish featured image.
      Oven baked swordfish recipe with lemon vinaigrette
    • Easy coffee ice cream featured image.
      Easiest coffee ice cream recipe (no-churn, no eggs)
    • Espresso freddo in a glass, featured image.
      Freddo espresso recipe (easy Greek iced coffee)
    • Two bottles with white wine. The one with Chenin Blanc and the other with Chardonnay. Featured image.
      Chenin Blanc vs Chardonnay wine - A comparison guide
    • A bottle of unfiltered extra virgin olive oil.
      Unfiltered vs filtered olive oil - which is better?
    • Chianti vs Sangiovese featured image.
      Chianti vs Sangiovese - A Guide to Italian wine
    • Air fryer salmon fillet on a plate with Mediterranean potato salad.
      Easy Salmon recipe - air fryer and oven instructions

    Easter Recipes

    • Greek pea and potato stew (Vegan) feat
      Greek pea and potato stew (Vegan)
    • Taramasalata thumbnail.
      Taramasalata without bread
    • Easy Greek brown lentil soup (vegan) feat
      Easy Mediterranean lentil soup recipe (fakes)
    • Greek traditional baked chickpeas (Revithada) f
      Greek traditional baked chickpeas (Revithada)
    • Roasted goat leg in the oven with potatoes. featured image.
      Greek roasted goat (or lamb) leg recipe
    • Tsoureki thumbnail
      Tsoureki – Greek Easter Bread
    • Greek ceremonial bread (Artos) feat2
      Greek ceremonial bread recipe (Artos)
    • Chocolate stuffed Greek Easter bread (Tsoureki gemisto) feat
      Chocolate stuffed Greek Easter bread (Tsoureki gemisto)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • YouTube

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2023 The Hungry Bites