Pistachio Cake [gf]

Chio's first bake!
#yesinamedmymixer
#bakingwithchio
#breakinginmynewmixer

It goes that the first bake in my first ever pistachio colored stand mixer would be something with pistachio. Ohlala, I love to eat anything and everything pistachio (pistachio gelato and pistachio baklava to name just two). So what's more fitting than baking my favorite with my new favorite stand mixer?

#yesiamobsessed

I wanted a recipe that really highlights pistachio. I came across SugarHero's post about substituting an almond flour cake with pistachio flour (aka ground pistachio)! As much as I wanted to take credit for this ingenious idea, I got to admit I never thought about pistachio flour. This cake is all about pistachio, in fact it used up almost the whole bag of pistachios I got from TJs. This recipe requires few basic ingredients of which I already have at hand.

Pistachio Cake
recipe adapted from Simple Recipes
inspired by SugarHero
makes one 9" round cake

1 1/2 cups (6 1/3 oz) shelled pistachios, unsalted
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt
4 eggs at room temperature, separated into yolks and whites
zest from one orange
a little less than 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided use
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1. Line pan with parchment paper.

2. Process shelled pistachios in food processor for about 10 seconds, until small pieces. 

3. Add powdered sugar and continue to process in 10-second intervals until pistachios are a fine powder. Stop and scrape bowl occasionally to avoid over processing the pistachios*
4. Transfer to small bowl, add baking powder and salt. Whisk.

5. In large bowl, combine egg yolks, orange zest, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and whisk well. 

6. Add pistachio mixture and stir with spatula. Mixture will be very thick and sticky.
7. Whip egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue whipping, gradually increasing the speed until you reach medium-high. When soft peaks form, start adding remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it’s all incorporated. Whip until egg whites form firm peaks and glossy.

8. Add quarter of egg whites to pistachio mixture and fold. Add remaining whites in three batches and fold gently until no streaks.
9. Pour into pan and bake the cake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes.

Grinded pistachio smells so good!

yolk mixture + pistachio

chio working hard

almost to stiff peak!

loosening the yolk/pistachio mixture with some whites

fluffy batter ready to pour into pan

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect of the texture since this is my first time trying my hands on a gluten free cake. This cake rose beautifully with a tight yet light crumbs. Each bite was very nutty due to the not so fine powder pistachios. The texture was certainly on point, however, with the huge amount of pistachios I used, I felt like I couldn't taste enough of the pistachio aroma. Maybe a few drops of pistachio essence would help next time. I would also lower the sugar as well as the orange zest to bring out the pistachio flavor.

dented pan = lopsided cake lol

Overall, I am happily satisfied with chio's first bake. Chio definitely eased and accelerated the process. And it's always fun to have a new toy in the kitchen!

Taste:3.5 stars
Looking for a more intense pistachio flavor
Texture 4.5 stars
Moist, light and nutty!

happy baking (;

--Next on the blog: Valentine's Day Bake- Cookie Brownie--