Having put my birthday baking options to a vote on social media, I have learned a few important things:
1) People really like pistachio. At least when it's between pistachio, sesame, and maple.
2) Nobody cares about sesame like I care about sesame.
3) People really like pistachio. (No, really.) Hence, my birthday project was to be pistachio-oriented. While I have been keen on an all-pistachio take on the Bakewell tart, my recent (mis)adventures in pastry land suggested it might be time to take a wee break from the shortcrust. Besides, this recipe by Rose Levy Beranbaum had been on my radar for even longer. All I wanted was a pistachio essence or extract with which to make the frosting, which I finally found (the best so far). So pistachio cake it would be. What could be more fitting for a birthday than a layer cake? (I did a tahini layer cake last year, after all.)
In case you are disappointed by the outcome of the vote, please note that there was to be a maple backup cake (which fell victim to a violent attack by some unknown wild animal, more on that later) and a sesame vegan faux Halo Top ice cream to round out the celebration.
Except I don't just bookmark one recipe for something as important as The Birthday Cake Project and call it a day, no. Sally (of the Baking Addiction blog and cookbooks) had recently come out with her own pistachio cake, which boasted of proportionally more pistachio in a lighter sponge. But I wasn't sure I wanted the latter part. This other pistachio sponge, by Smitten Kitchen, also seemed promising. So I went with a compromise of sorts: Sally's sponge with extra backbone from AP flour and an egg yolk, plus more pistachio; Rose's buttercream with a serious pistachio injection. The result is a super moist, slightly dense but not stodgy, cake not unlike almond flour-based cakes, and a frosting that's loaded with pistachio flavor and only lightly sweet. Pistachio-on-Pistachio Cake
Makes: 3 x 6" layers (thin)
The Cake
140g pistachios, soaked and skinned (will weigh approx. 200g after soaking; see Notes)
60g pistachio meal 130g AP flour
1 t baking powder 1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
85g unsalted butter, soft
175g granulated sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg white
60g plain almond or soy yogurt (or more nut milk, see below)
120 ml nut milk (I used walnut) 1 t vanilla
1/2 t pistachio extract (optional, not sure it was needed)
1/4 t almond extract
2 drops green food coloring The Frosting (French Buttercream)
75g granulated sugar
75g corn syrup
1 t lemon juice
4 egg yolks (room temperature)
227g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
140g pistachios, blanched and skinned (reserve about 2T for garnishing)
1 t vanilla bean paste
1/4 t pistachio extract (optional, I did not feel I needed it) Make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour three (or two, if like me you thought all your layer cake needs would be covered with two 6" rounds ). For added insurance policy, consider lining the bottom with parchment, also greased and floured. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. In a food processor, pulse the pistachio until the texture resembles fine crumbs. If they are still moist and cling together, incorporate the pistachio meal and some of the dry ingredients. Add in the (remaining) pistachio meal and flour mix.
In your stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, cream the butter, then sugar for about 3 minutes or until fluffy. Gradually add in the eggs and beat on high for another 2-3 minutes. Slowly add in the yogurt and extracts. Gently incorporate the "dry" (as dry as they can be with this much nut) and the nut milk in two installments. As desired, add some food coloring. (This batch of pistachios is decidedly more golden than the previous bag I bought from the same e-tailer, so I went with the artificial color.) Divide the dough into thirds (have you memorized the weights of your mixing bowls yet?) and bake for about 23 minutes, or until the top springs back when pressed with your finger, and/or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
Let the cake cool in its pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a baking rack to finish cooling. Immediately peel off the parchment, if using. Careful: this is a relatively soft, moist cake. At this point, you can quickly clean up a pan and get your third layer into the oven. Nobody needs to know you were too cheap for a third pan. For some reason. Make the frosting:
Process the pistachios until they form very fine crumbs or, better yet, a smooth paste (see notes).
Beat the egg yolks in a stand mixer (whisk attachment is best) until lighter and fluffier.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the sugar, corn syrup, and lemon juice while stirring constantly with a silicone spatula until the mixture reaches 235F.
With the stand mixer still running on medium speed, pour the hot syrup into the eggs while carefully avoiding the whisk. Continue whisking until the bowl feels neutral/cool to the touch. (You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times.) Once the mixture has cooled down, add the butter one cube at a time until completely incorporated. Gradually add in the pistachio paste.
Assemble the cake:
You know the drill. Or, at least, you know better than to look to me for guidance on cake decoration. If I seem a little trigger-happy with the rosettes, it's because I was tired and half my equipment was left at school. That's totally normal, right? Pastry tips and offset spatulas in a higher ed setting?
The best part about a 6" layer cake is that it's really not that horrible if you just eat the whole thing. Or so I tell myself.
Notes:
- I love my pistachios too much to not skin every single one of them. Soaking is sufficient for the sponge, but in all honesty you're welcome to try unsoaked. I cannot vouch for the effect of having 60g less liquid (the water absorbed by the pistachios) in the recipe. I might start by swapping out the 60g pistachio meal for more of the processed nuts, which aren't as dry.
- The last time I blanched and processed pistachios, I ended up with a very smooth paste that blended itself seamlessly into ice cream and buttercream (for sandwich cookies). This time, despite processing the nuts for what seemed like an eternity, the paste was never quite smooth so tons of specks of pistachio were visible in the buttercream. It was still delicious. I wonder if the issue this time was a) a different batch of nuts, with a lower fat content or b) blanching too briefly.