Pistachio raspberry cake – with a moist pistachio cake, a pistachio milk soak, seedless raspberry jam, pistachio cream mascarpone, and a ton of fresh raspberries.
This post may contain affiliate links, please read the privacy policy for details.
pistachio raspberry cake
Hello hello! I’m super excited to share this recipe with you all today because it’s truly equal parts pretty & delicious. It starts out with a super moist & nutty pistachio cake that gets a pistachio cream milk soak to make it even more moist and flavorful, then it gets filled with a pistachio mascarpone cream and a homemade seedless raspberry jam, and it gets finished off with a whole bunch of fresh raspberries.
The only thing special you’ll need is a 7″ springform pan – you can find the one I used here. But other than that, this cake is super easy to make. So let’s get into it! 🙂
why you’ll love this pistachio raspberry cake
- A ton of pistachio flavor: the cake is *loaded* with pistachios, doused in a pistachio cream milk soak, and paired with a pistachio cream mascarpone.
- The layers: no frosting here – a perfectly sweetened pistachio cream mascarpone acts as our frosting in this cake.
- Raspberry jam : it’s sharp, sweet, fresh, and pairs perfectly with pistachio.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Be careful when mixing the cake batter:
When you over-mix your batter, you create more gluten in the batter which will make your cake go from light and moist to dense and chewy. When you mix in the wet ingredients, be sure to only mix just until that last streak of flour disappears.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cake while it bakes:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. I’d recommend that you start checking on the cake around 35 minutes.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for pistachio raspberry cake:
pistachio cake:
- All purpose flour: gives the cake structure.
- Pistachios: to make pistachio flour, or you can use pre-made pistachio flour – but it’s cheaper & super easy to make at home! You can use salted/roasted/or unsalted here, whatever your flavor preference is.
- Baking powder: for helping the cake rise.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cake and for flavor. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter.
- Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cake. If you don’t have vegetable oil on hand, you can use another neutral oil such as canola.
- Granulated sugar: for adding sweetness and for locking in moisture.
- Egg whites: for binding the batter together, adding moisture, and for making the cake super light and fluffy.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
- Sour cream & whole milk: for moisture and for tenderizing the cake. I recommend full-fat for both of these for the best texture, but low-fat or non-dairy alternatives should work well here.
seedless raspberry jam:
- Raspberries: fresh or frozen will work – you could also use blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries if raspberries aren’t for you.
- Granulated sugar: to sweeten up the jam.
- Lemon: for flavor – you’ll want the zest and the juice from 1 small lemon.
- Corn starch: for thickening up the jam.
pistachio milk soak:
- Pistachio cream: For the pistachio flavor, you could also just sub in just pistachio milk here if you can find it near you! Here is the pistachio cream I use.
- Milk: use your favorite milk of choice here, I typically go with whole milk since it’s what we use in the cake.
pistachio mascarpone frosting:
- Mascarpone: for flavor and for thickening the whipped cream.
- Vanilla: for flavor, you can use extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Granulated sugar: for a bit of sweetness.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness and flavors of the pistachio mascarpone.
- Heavy whipping cream: the base of the whipped cream, whips up the mascarpone.
- Pistachio cream: for flavor. Here is the pistachio cream I use.
how to make pistachio raspberry cake
Below are some images of what the cake looks like at various points of the process. You can find the full recipe at the end of the blog post!
- Beat together the flour, pistachio flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and butter, then beat in the wet ingredients.
- Bake the cake.
- In the meantime, make the raspberry jam.
- And the pistachio cream.
- Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, slice it horizontally into three layers.
- Layer the cake with the milk soak, pistachio mascarpone cream, and raspberry jam. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
pistachio raspberry cake
recipe q&a
Help! My cake is dry / over-baked
No problem! The pistachio milk soak will bring your cake back to life and it will become more moist as it sits with the milk soak and fillings over time.
can I turn this into cupcakes?
If you’d rather make cupcakes, I have these small batch pistachio cupcakes for you which are also paired with a seedless raspberry jam. The mascarpone frosting on that recipe isn’t pistachio flavored, so if you’d like it to be, just add in 1-2 tbsp. of pistachio cream as desired.
Can I bake this cake in a different sized pan?
You could bake this in a 8″ springform. Just note that the cake and cream layer will be a tad thinner.
can I make this cake ahead of time?
Definitely! You can bake the cake a day in advance and keep it stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also make the raspberry jam, pistachio milk soak, and pistachio mascarpone frosting a day in advance and keep it stored separately in the fridge.
how to store pistachio raspberry cake
Once you fill the cake, you’ll want to keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep well for about 3 days.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Pistachio Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
Pistachio Cake
- 150 g all purpose flour (1 ¼ c.)
- 85 g pistachio flour* (¾ c.)
- 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 175 g granulated sugar (¾ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 85 g unsalted butter cubed, room temperature (6 tbsp.)
- 25 g vegetable oil (2 tbsp.)
- 2 egg whites room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 60 g sour cream room temperature (¼ c.)
- 100 g whole milk room temperature (3 ½ oz.)
Raspberry Jam
- 150 g raspberries fresh or frozen (1 ¼ c.)
- zest of 1 small lemon
- 45 g lemon juice divided (1 ½ oz.)
- 50 g granulated sugar (¼ c.)
- 8 g corn starch (1 tbsp.)
Pistachio Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 226 g mascarpone (1 c.)
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 30 g pistachio cream (2 tbsp.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 225 g heavy whipping cream (⅔ c.)
- 170 g fresh raspberries for topping (6 oz.)
Pistachio Milk Soak
- 30 g pistachio cream (2 tbsp.)
- 85 g whole milk (3 oz.)
Instructions
Pistachio Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter a 7" springform pan, then coat the inside with sugar.
- To a medium sized mixing bowl, add the flour, pistachio flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cubed butter. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the mixture together until the butter has completely combined with the dry ingredients and no lumps remain.
- Add in the oil, egg whites, vanilla, sour cream, and milk. Whisk the ingredients together just until a cohesive batter has formed.
- Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
- While the cake is baking, work on the raspberry jam, pistachio mascarpone whipped cream, and the pistachio milk soak.
Raspberry Jam
- Set a fine mesh sieve over a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add the raspberries, lemon zest, 15g (1 tbsp.) of lemon juice, and the sugar to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir the mixture frequently, mashing down the raspberries as they soften.
- Once all the raspberries have been mashed up, take the mixture off of the heat and pour it through the fine mesh sieve.
- Press down on the raspberries to get out as much of the juice as possible. Discard the raspberry seeds, and transfer the mixture back into the saucepan and bring it to a simmer.
- In a small bowl, mix together the corn starch and remaining lemon juice. Once the raspberry mixture is simmering, mix the corn starch slurry in to it, stirring until the jam thickens.
- Once thickened, remove the jam from the heat and transfer it to a heat-safe container to chill in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.
Pistachio Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- Add the mascarpone, sugar, pistachio cream, salt, and vanilla to a medium sized mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) to beat the mixture just until combined.
- While mixing, slowly pour in the heavy whipping cream. Continue mixing until the mixture reaches stiff peaks.
- Cover the cream and place it in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.
Pistachio Milk Soak
- Add the pistachio cream to a small mixing bowl.
- In a small microwave-safe measuring cup, heat the milk until it just starts to bubble up. Pour the milk over the pistachio cream and mix until well combined.
- Cover the mixture and place it in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.
Assembly
- Once the cake has completely cooled to room temperature, slice it in half horizontally twice to get three even pieces.
- Place the bottom piece of the cake back into your springform pan. Brush ⅓ of the pistachio milk over the cake, then top it with ⅓ of the pistachio mascarpone and ½ of the raspberry jam.
- Place the middle layer of cake on top, then top it with ½ of the remaining pistachio mascarpone and the remaining raspberry jam.
- Brush the remaining pistachio milk over the bottom of the top layer of cake, then place the top layer of cake on to the cake. Cover the cake and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Once you're ready to serve the cake top it with the remaining pistachio mascarpone and fresh raspberries. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
Hi! I tried to make the cake however it did not rise – it was half the height of your cake. I was wondering if I potentially overmixed the batter – could I have creamed the butter and sugar first and then added the other dry ingredients to prevent this from happening ? I only have a hand mix with whisk attachment.
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that your cake didn’t rise. It could be from over-mixing although the reverse creaming method (which is used here) makes a little harder to over-mix the batter. I’d recommend checking your baking powder to make sure it’s not expired – you can test it by placing a small scoop of baking powder into a small bowl of water. If the mixture fizzles, your baking powder is still goo, if it doesn’t, you’ll want to buy a new package of baking powder. Thank you so much for trying out the recipe & I hope this is helpful!
Hi Erin! I ended up checking the baking powder and it was indeed very expired! Thanks for the handy tip
🙂
this is the BEST CAKE I’VE EVER DONEEE OMGGG like it’s so easy and took no time and it tastes ANGELICAL!! I swear DO IT YOU GUYS and don’t doubt anything the recipe says. ILYSM CREATOR OF THE CAKE
Nice cake! Would’ve liked the sponge to have turned out a bit lighter, but if you’d like something pretty rich and sweet this is good..
Do you recommend raw or roasted pistachios to make the pistachio flour?
Hi Bri! Either will work here but roasted will give you a more toasty & defined pistachio flavor – it’s all about what you prefer! ☺︎
Can this made made in 8inc springform pan?
For sure! Just note that the cake will be a tad thinner and will bake up a bit faster. ☺︎