Pistachio Cake Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Soft, moist, and tender: Semolina gives the cake a lovely flavor and a crumbly, almost buttery texture as well. I love it in my nankhatai recipe!

Nutty pistachios: Ground pistachios give this beautiful pale green color, a nutty, creamy, rich flavor.

Bright citrusy finish: The lemon syrup adds brightness and zing to this pistachio cake.

Easy to make: Simple ingredients, easy steps make this pistachio cake recipe perfect for beginners and expert bakers alike!

Gorgeous presentation: This eggless cake with pistachios is so effortlessly elegant and makes for a stunning center-piece!

Recipe Ingredients

Semolina: I love using semolina in my bakes, like in my orange semolina cake and cardamom pistachio madeleines. It gives the cake a tender and slightly dense crumb. It also adds a nutty flavor and a subtle texture. I recommend using fine semolina in this recipe.

Flour: In addition to semolina, I have used all-purpose flour. You can also use whole wheat flour.

Pistachios: They add a rich, nutty flavor and a beautiful green color. I ground some raw, unsalted pistachios in my coffee grinder. You can also use store-bought ground pistachios.

Oil: I love using coconut oil for its subtle sweet flavor, but feel free to use any vegetable oil you like.

Sugar: I used caster sugar, also known as superfine sugar. It blends easily into the batter.

Yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt or plain yogurt drained of excess liquid works well here. Yogurt keeps the eggless pistachio cake super moist and also adds richness.

Lemon: Lemon juice and zest make the cake bright and fresh! After baking, the cake is soaked in lemon syrup, which adds to the citrussy flavor and also makes the cake so so moist.

Matcha powder: I used a small amount for color! Feel free to leave it out or use 2 or 3 drops of green food coloring. 

Please see the recipe card below for full information about the ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Pistachio Cake

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 180 °C / 350°F. Grease a 6" cake tin well.

Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients - semolina, ground pistachio, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and matcha powder.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, coconut oil, and lemon juice.

Step 4: Stir into the dry ingredients. Add the lemon zest. Whisk until a thick, smooth batter is formed.

Step 5: Pour into the prepared tin, and top with chopped pistachios. Bake for 30-40 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached.

Step 6: While the cake bakes and cools, make the lemon syrup. 

Step 7: Once the cake is baked, let it cool for 20 minutes. Then poke holes with a skewer. Spoon or brush the syrup all over the warm cake.

Step 8: Turn it out on a serving platter and sprinkle more chopped pistachios and dried rose petals, if you wish. Slice and serve!

How To Make Lemon Syrup

This is a simple lemon-flavored syrup, super easy to make. You will use about 3-4 tablespoons of the syrup and refrigerate the leftovers for another use.

• Cook water and sugar for about 5-10 minutes, just letting it simmer.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
• Let the syrup cool before you use it. 

Recipe FAQs

More Easy Festive Cake Recipes

Half the joy of cooking is sharing it with others. That’s why I’m always eager to hear from you. So go right ahead & drop a comment or reach out on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or Facebook. I hope you love this eggless pistachio cake as much as we do!