Vegan Pistachio Cake
This stunning layer cake proves that skipping eggs and dairy doesn't mean sacrificing a single crumb of texture or flavor. A full cup of raw pistachios gets pulsed into a fine, nutty flour that works right into the batter, giving every slice a rich, earthy depth you simply can't fake with extract alone. The plant-based milk gets a splash of apple cider vinegar to create a quick vegan buttermilk, which keeps the crumb tender and helps the layers rise beautifully without any eggs in sight. Almond and vanilla extracts weave through both the cake and the frosting, so the flavor is layered and fragrant all the way to the last bite. The whipped vegan butter frosting beats up silky smooth and spreads like a dream, making it easy to achieve that bakery-worthy finish at home. A scatter of roughly chopped pistachios on top adds a little crunch and makes the whole thing look genuinely impressive. Cut into 12 generous slices, this is the kind of showstopper you bring to a dinner party and watch disappear before you've even set down the knife.
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Learn more →Ingredients
12 servings
For the cake
- 1 cup raw shelled pistachios, plus 2 tbsp roughly chopped for garnish
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 cup plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup neutral oil (such as sunflower or canola oil)
- 1 tsp pure almond extract
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the frosting
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3 tbsp plant-based milk
- ½ tsp pure almond extract
- 1 pinch fine salt
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- 2
Add 1 cup of the pistachios to a food processor and pulse until finely ground, about 20–25 short pulses, stopping before the mixture turns to paste. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
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