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A nutty and aromatic quick bread-style cake from a Parisian bakery
Pistachio-Cardamom Loaf Cake
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We got the best results from grinding the nuts until they were nearly as fine as flour but still had some texture. If you can’t find unsalted pistachios, reduce the salt in the recipe by half. We preferred the clean taste of regular olive oil to butter, but vegetable oil also worked. If you prefer a stronger flavor, use extra-virgin olive oil. Cooling the cake was essential to maintaining the thick consistency of the glaze.
1
9-inch loaf
Tip
Don’t skip toasting the pistachios. The differences in flavor and texture were significant between raw and toasted. Toast the nuts at 300ºF until they’re quite fragrant and begin to darken, 10 to 15 minutes.
1 hour 10 minutes
15 minutes active
198 grams (1 cup) white sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest, plus ¼ cup orange juice (about 1 orange)
185 grams (1⅓ cups) shelled, unsalted pistachios, toasted and cooled
142 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground cardamom
½ teaspoon table salt
4 large eggs
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons plain whole-milk Greek-style yogurt
¼ cup olive oil, plus more for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
85 grams (¾ cup) powdered sugar
Ingredients
-
198
grams (1 cup) white sugar
-
2
teaspoons grated orange zest, plus ¼ cup orange juice (about 1 orange)
-
185
grams (1⅓ cups) shelled, unsalted pistachios, toasted and cooled
-
142
grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
-
2
teaspoons baking powder
-
1½
teaspoons ground cardamom
-
½
teaspoon table salt
-
4
large eggs
-
½
cup plus 2 tablespoons plain whole-milk Greek-style yogurt
-
¼
cup olive oil, plus more for pan
-
2
teaspoons vanilla extract
-
85
grams (¾ cup) powdered sugar
MILK STREET RECIPES
How to make a quick, elegant loaf cake
Directions
-
01Heat the oven to 325ºF with a rack in the middle position. Lightly coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with oil and flour. In a food processor, combine the white sugar and orange zest; process until the sugar is damp and fragrant, 5 to 10 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl.See Demo
-
02Add the pistachios to the processor and pulse until coarse, 8 to 10 pulses. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the nuts for topping. Add the flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt to the processor with the nuts. Process until the nuts are finely ground, about 45 seconds.See Demo
-
03To the sugar mixture, whisk in the eggs, ½ cup of yogurt, the oil, orange juice and vanilla. Add the nut-flour mixture and fold until mixed. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until golden brown, firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out with moist crumbs, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely, about 2 hours.See Demo
-
04In a bowl, whisk the remaining yogurt with the powdered sugar until thick and smooth. Spread over the cake. Sprinkle with the reserved nuts. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.See Demo
Tip: Don’t skip toasting the pistachios. The differences in flavor and texture were significant between raw and toasted. Toast the nuts at 300ºF until they’re quite fragrant and begin to darken, 10 to 15 minutes.
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Reviews
Made this tonight using a gluten free flour mix (one from a website but I think any all-purpose store bought gluten free mix would be fine). Full disclosure: I also omitted the orange zest and used milk instead of the juice. It turned out perfect and delicious! Very moist, nice texture. Since gluten free starches and flours don't mask sweetness as much as wheat flour, it is plenty sweet enough so I omitted the icing. Maybe it's not as pretty without that drizzle holding nuggets of pistachios, but once you taste a piece it doesn't matter at all! Some of my pistachios didn't quite grind as fine and I didn't notice until I was folding but actually those little pieces add a nice textural interest that I really liked. Will definitely add to my recipe box.
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Your First Issue
I made this cake last night and my wife and I thought it was absolutely wonderful. The cardamom, yogurt, and pistachio flavors with the sugar and orange makes the perfect blend of sweet and savory. It was also a fantastic breakfast with dark roast coffee.