The best vegan pistachio cake with a nutty twist. Three layers of moist and nutty pistachio sponges, layered with a pistachio buttercream, topped with dairy-free pistachio cream and chopped pistachio nuts. This Vegan Pistachio Cake is bursting with flavour, a summer must make! No-Egg, No-Dairy and easy to make!
Vegan Pistachio Cake
Indulge in the nutty goodness of my vegan pistachio cake. A delicious cake that is not only rich in flavour, but has the most luscious soft and creamy texture. This cake features the distinctive taste of pistachios blended into a moist and tender sponge, paired with a pistachio buttercream. Perfect for those who are vegan or simply seeking a delicious cake for a family gathering, birthday or special occasion, as this pistachio cake promises to be a showstopper at any gathering. Also if you love pistachio like me, this cake is a winner!!!
Looking for more Pistachio recipes, check out my Vegan Pistachio Tiramisu, Easy Vegan Pistachio Truffles, No-Bake Vegan Pistachio Cheesecake, Vegan Pistachio Puff Pastry Croissants and Vegan Pistachio Sheet Cake.
Why you’ll love this pistachio cake:
- TASTE: This vegan pistachio cake is moist, fluffy, perfectly flavoured with real pistachio nuts and pistachio butter.
- VEGAN: This recipe doesn’t contain any animal derived ingredients! Always make sure to triple check your ingredients before using.
- DIFFICULTY: The cake is really simple to prepare as all the ingredients are mixed in one bowl (with only the buttermilk in a jug). We’re also using a super easy whipped American style buttercream, with the addition of some chopped nuts and pistachio butter for added flavour.
- PERFECT SIZE : Made to 8” which is the perfect size for a birthday party or family gathering. The recipe can be sized up or down depending on how many you wish to serve.
- STORAGE: The frosted cake keeps very well in the fridge and maintains it’s moist texture which means you can prepare the cake a few days in advance if needed. Just make sure it’s kept in an air tight / sealed container for optimum moistness!
- DECORATION: The easiest but most effective design has to be the frilled edge. It’s are so easy to do and looks gorgeous! You can make the design as large or little as you prefer.
Ingredients and tools you’ll need
This recipe is super easy, using ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen cupboards / pantry. If not, don’t worry… I’ve listed them below for you to jot down on your shopping list for your next shopping trip. You can find the quantities including the full method and ingredients list in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Dairy-free milk : This is for making a vegan buttermilk. Soya milk works best, but you can use any dairy-free milk including almond, oat and cashew.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Self Raising Flour.
- Caster sugar : Use a fine, white sugar.
- Pistachio nuts: Make sure the nuts are removed from their shells.
- Pistachio butter: This is the one i use.
- Dairy-free white chocolate : My go-to is Sainsburys Own Deliciously Free From white Chocolate, Moo Free White Chocolate and iChoc vanilla.
- Green food gel : Optional but gives a lovely pistachio green colour to the sponge. This is the one I use and recommend.
- Raising agents : Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- Sunflower oil : Make sure to use a neutral flavoured oil.
- Dairy-free butter : Use a dairy-free block butter for best results (Flora Plant Butter is my go-to)!
- Icing sugar : Sieve before use to remove any clumps.
- 8” loose base cake tins
- Off-set spatula.
- Kitchen weighing scales.
- Bowls.
- Mini blender.
- Stand mixer / hand whisk.
- Turn table.
Tips for stacking and decorating the cake
I decorated my cake in a super fun, patisserie style with a natural pistachio green coloured buttercream and a pistachio cream topping with nuts. The pastel green buttercream background contrasts against the darker nuts making them stand out beautifully.
The cake is topped with a border of roughly chopped nuts. Other great alternative topping ideas include:
- Crushed Biscoff biscuits: The caramel flavour of Biscoff biscuits pairs perfectly with the nuttiness of the pistachio cake and buttercream, great for sprinkling on top of the cake. The flavours compliment so well together.
- A caramel drizzle : Go all out and add a sweet caramel drizzle to the top of the cake. You can use my vegan 3 ingredient caramel sauce for this.
- Buttercream swirls: Make the cake even more of a showstopper by adding some buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip nozzle and pipe swirls on top of the cake.
- Pistachio butter drip: Add drips of pistachio butter / pistachio cream down the side of the cake for a decorative effect.
If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking! Make sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram , TikTok and Facebook! And if you want to pin this recipe for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, above or below this post, or on any of the photos. Happy baking all!
Print
Vegan Pistachio Cake
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 10–12 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The BEST Vegan Pistachio Cake with pistachio sponges, creamy pistachio buttercream and chopped nuts! Delicious and easy to make.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cake
- 480ml of dairy-free milk (soya milk works best)
- 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
- Green food gel (optional)
- 420g of self raising flour
- 300g of caster sugar
- 100g of chopped pistachio nuts
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- 120ml of sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon of pistachio butter
Ingredients for the buttercream
- 300g of dairy-free butter (block + softened)
- 400g of powdered / icing sugar
- 100g of pistachio nuts (finely chopped)
- 3 tablespoons of pistachio butter (plus extra for drizzling in-between layers)
- Dairy-free milk (if needed)
Ingredients for the pistachio cream + toppings
- 100g of dairy-free white chocolate
- 4 tablespoons of pistachio butter
- 20g of pistachio nuts (roughly chopped)
Instructions
Method (cakes)
- Preheat your oven to 180°C fan and line three 8 inch loose base / push up cake tins with greaseproof paper. If you don’t have 3 cake tins you will have to bake the cakes separately. Just cover the unused batter with a damp tea towel until you’re ready to use it.
- In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan ‘buttermilk’. You can whisk in a drop of green food gel, this will help give a subtle green colour to the cake but this is completely optional.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, chopped pistachios, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
- Add the oil and pistachio butter into the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
- Pour equal amounts of batter into the lined cake tins. Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
- Pop the cakes into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes. You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer in to the centre of the cake and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.
- Place the cakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before removing them from the tins. Leave the cakes to cool fully on the cooling rack. Once cool, pop them into a sealed container to keep them fresh before frosting.
Method (buttercream)
- In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter, whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
- Sift in the icing sugar and add in the chopped nuts and pistachio butter. Whip on high speed for around 5-8 minutes to incorporate it. Add a splash of dairy-free milk if needed. If the buttercream is too thick, add some more chunks of cold butter. if it’s too soft, add more icing sugar. You want it smooth, creamy and airy.
- Place one of the cakes on a serving plate or cake stand. Dollop or pipe some of the buttercream on top and spread out until even using an off-set spatula or pallet knife.
- Drizzle some pistachio butter over the top of the buttercream, then place the second cake layer on top. Press it down gently so it sticks, repeat for the third cake. Coat the whole cake with a thin layer of buttercream. This creates a crumb coat.
- Place the cake into the fridge to set for 15-20 minutes. You want the buttercream to be firm, this will make the final coat and applying the decorations easier.
- Remove the cake from the fridge and apply a second/final coat, this time making it thicker, then using a cake scraper to make the edges of cake smooth.
- Use the back of a spoon or end of an off-set spatula to create a fun design to the sides of the cake by dragging the buttercream in an upwards motion (see video for visual reference here).
Method (pistachio cream)
- Melt the dairy-free white chocolate either in the microwave or on the hob using a bain-marie. Mix in the pistachio butter.
- Drizzle this over the top of the cake, in a puddle and spread out.
- While it’s still wet, sprinkle some roughly chopped pistachio nuts around the outer edge of the cake. Chill the cake until ready to serve.
- Use a shark knife to cut the cake into slices, serve and enjoy! As the white chocolate may set when chilled, it’s best to warm up the knife in some warm water, wipe dry then slice the cake, this’ll help cut through the chocolate neatly.
Notes
To store: Store this cake in a sealed container in the fridge. Best eaten within 3 days of making.
Remove from the fridge and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Un-iced cakes can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for 2 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Cakes and layer cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Access to self rising flour is difficult? Any substitute please
Thank you