Lemon Pistachio Cake

5 from 12 votes

This Lemon Pistachio Cake is simple to whip up in one bowl, yet incredibly impressive and always a crowd-pleaser! Made with olive oil instead of butter, this cake is perfectly moist and tender. It's finished off with a luxurious layer of mascarpone whipped cream frosting for a truly craveable and fully gluten free dessert.

Servings slices

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 3

Equipment

parchment paper
Food Processor
kitchen scale (optional)
2 large bowls
microplane zester
whisk
spatula
9" springform cake pan
hand mixer or stand mixer

Ingredients

For the Lemon Pistachio Cake:

1 cup cane sugar or granulated sugar (200g)
2 tbsp lemon zest (14g, from about 2-3 lemons)
3 large eggs
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil (150ml)
½ cup milk of choice (115ml, I prefer whole milk)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (56ml, from about 1-2 lemons)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups gluten free 1-to-1 flour or normal AP flour (186g)*
1 cup finely ground pistachios (116g) SEE NOTE**
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt

For the Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting:

4 oz mascarpone cheese
½ cup powdered sugar (62g)
pinch of kosher salt
¾ cup heavy cream
splash of vanilla extract

Instructions

First, preheat your oven to 350F and grease the bottom and sides of your cake pan. Then, add a circle of parchment paper to the bottom of the pan, followed by more oil or spray.
In a large bowl, use your hands to massage the lemon zest into the sugar for several minutes. This releases the oils in the zest and helps impart a stronger lemon flavor.
1 cup cane sugar, 2 tbsp lemon zest
Then, add the eggs, EVOO, milk, lemon juice and vanilla to the bowl and whisk until smooth and combined.
3 large eggs, ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup milk of choice, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp vanilla extract
Add in the remaining cake ingredients and stir with a spatula until the flour is just combined - do not overmix!
1.5 cups gluten free 1-to-1 flour, 1 cup finely ground pistachios, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp kosher salt
Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Then, transfer it to the oven to bake for about 30 minutes. Let cool completely (about 2 hours) before adding the frosting.
Once the cake has cooled, add mascarpone and powdered sugar to a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and beat until smooth and combined. Then, add in heavy cream and vanilla extract and beat again until stiff peaks form.
4 oz mascarpone cheese, ½ cup powdered sugar, pinch of kosher salt, ¾ cup heavy cream, splash of vanilla extract
Spread mascarpone whipped cream frosting evenly over the top of the cooled cake. Top with extra crushed pistachios and lemon slices. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

GENERAL NOTE: For all baking recipes, I highly recommend measuring your ingredients with a digital kitchen scale for the most accurate results. They're super cheap on Amazon! If you don't have one, be sure to use the spoon and level method to measure your flour (do NOT pack it).

*NOTE: My favorite brands of gluten free 1-to-1 flour are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour - both of which contain xanthan gum which is a crucial ingredient to replicate gluten-filled baked goods.

**NOTE: Be sure to use raw, unsalted shelled pistachios. Then, add them to a small food processor and pulse until broken up as much as possible. But be sure not to over-pulse or it will turn into pistachio butter. Measure out 1 cup (116g) of the finely ground pistachios to use for the cake batter. Set aside any extra to use for decorating the cake later.

Calories: 428kcal

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: Baked Goods, Cake, Dessert, Gluten Free, Lemon, Mascarpone, Olive Oil, Pistachios, Whipped Cream

Nutrition