This layered Chocolate Pistachio Cake will turn heads! Rich decadent chocolate cake slathered in light, creamy pistachio frosting. It looks just as good as it tastes. A luscious chocolate ganache rests on top of the cake with a ring of crushed pistachios encasing it. It’s a chocolate lover’s dream!
It’s starting to feel like spring here already. Currently, the windows are open and the sun is filling the office as I work. Oh, how I’ve missed these gorgeous days.
The weather has me craving time away. Maybe somewhere tropical. Somewhere warm.
That’s exactly what I’ll be doing at the end of the month. We’re sailing away on a 10 cruise and I. Can’t. Wait.
I’ve been busy planning enough recipes and posts to keep the blog afloat while we travel. And there’s been so much chocolate! Earlier this week I shared these homemade thin mints. And now this glorious chocolate pistachio cake.
This is a mega chocolate cake! So full of rich chocolaty goodness but balanced with a light pistachio buttercream. It’s perfection.
While this chocolate pistachio cake looks extravagant and difficult, it’s actually really simple. I turned to my favorite chocolate cake base. It’s the same one used for this peppermint fudge cake.
The chocolate batter contains both cocoa powder and melted chocolate which is enhanced with some strong brewed coffee. If you’d rather not add coffee to the cake, you can replace it with buttermilk.
After you bake the chocolate cake layers, it’s time to cover them with frosting. I am loving this pistachio frosting. It’s incredible.
You need unsalted shelled pistachios and a strong food processor. Follow the steps for making homemade almond butter and grind the pistachios into a paste.
Make a basic vanilla buttercream frosting and stir the pistachio paste in at the very end. I like to add a drop of green food coloring also, but this is totally optional.
Make sure the cake is completely cool then spread some frosting in between each layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Finish the cake with chocolate ganache and crushed pistachios.
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Chocolate Pistachio Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup (57 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus more for dusting the pans
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces (113 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360 milliliters) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) strong brewed coffee, cooled
For the frosting
- 1 and 1/2 cups (184 grams) unsalted pistachios, shelled
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 2 cups (454 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3-6 cups (720 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 1-2 (1 ) drops green food coloring
- 1 cup (123 grams) unsalted pistachios, shelled and chopped (for garnish)
For the ganache
- 2 ounces (56 grams) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Instructions
Make the cake
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Spray 3 8-inch round pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper cut into a circle to fit the pan. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray and dust the pan lightly with cocoa powder. Tap out any excess and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a whisk and set aside.
- Add the chocolate to a small heatproof bowl and set it over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir continuously until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a handheld electric mixer beat the butter and sugar together on medium-low speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Add the melted chocolate and mix until well incorporated. With the mixer set to low speed. gradually add half the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk and coffee, and then the remaining flour mixture. Beat just until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter all the way to the edges of the pan and smooth out the surface. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few dry crumbs. Cool the cake in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely. Peel the parchment paper off the bottoms before filling.
Make the frosting
- In a food processor, process the pistachios until they become coarsely ground. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the oil if the pistachios aren’t breaking down easily. Continue to blend for 25-30 minutes, stopping and scraping down the sides as needed throughout the process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with an electric hand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the cream, vanilla, and salt. Continue to beat until incorporated.
- Add 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar, beat on medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened. Gradually add in the remaining sugar, one cup at a time. You may need more or less depending on how soft the butter is. Beat on medium-low speed until the sugar is moistened. Turn the speed up to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the pistachio paste and food coloring. Mix until well combined.
Assemble the cake
- Place one cake layer onto a serving platter. Add a generous amount of frosting and spread it to the edge with a spatula. Repeat with a second cake layer, topping it with a generous amount of frosting. Add the third cake layer and cover the top and sides of cake with frosting. Press chopped pistachios into the sides of the cake near the bottom and coming up less than halfway. Sprinkle pistachios over the outer edge on top of the cake creating a 1-inch border. Set the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Make the ganache
- Place the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Spoon the ganache over the top of the cake in the center of the pistachio border. Use the back of the spoon to create a smooth layer of ganache. Set the cake back into the freezer for 10 minutes.
Make ahead tip
- Wrap baked and cooled cake layers tightly in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator. The frosting can be prepared, covered, and refrigerated overnight. Assemble and frost the cake within 2 days.
- The frosted cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature just before serving.
GayleH says
This cake was amazing! I rarely write reviews but I just wanted to say thanks for the awesome recipe!
Jen Sobjack says
Thanks, Gayle! I’m happy to hear you loved the recipe!
Kelly says
Made this. Amazing. Might be the best thing I’ve ever made. I used more pistachios than it said to. And I didn’t need any food colouring to make it green!
Jen Sobjack says
That’s fantastic! Thank you for sharing!
Ariel says
What a great cake! I made this for a 75th birthday party. It turned out perfect, and everyone loved it.
I skipped the coffee, and put strawberry slices between each layer, and on top of the ganache. It’s was so delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Jen Sobjack says
I love the addition of strawberries!
Sabrina says
I love almonds and I am going to try to make this cake using almond butter as a substitute for the pistachios. If I thought my food processor could handle this I would make the pistachio version. Happy baking.
Abigail says
When my brother asked for a chocolate pistachio cake for his birthday, I thought he was joking.
But he wasn’t, so I found this recipe. Honestly, Jen, this was the only recipe that caught my eye. Your cake is polished and beautiful.
I made only a couple of minor changes to the recipe. I used cake flour (sifted) instead of all-purpose and made the ganache with just melted chocolate and heavy cream. I used about 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar in the frosting (which was delicious). Also, I could only process the pistachios for a couple of minutes before they started sticking to the sides of the food processor, which was fine by me. I was afraid that the frosting would be too grainy, but the pieces were small enough that it didn’t bother anyone.
Everyone loved this cake. I make desserts for my family pretty frequently and everyone agreed that this was their favorite one yet. This is going to be my new go-to recipe for chocolate cake… It’s so good.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
2pots2cook says
I really enjoy your site. Thank you !
Hallie B.| The Wordy Baker says
This looks amazing! I love dark chocolate and pistachios together.
cakespy says
I’ve never been on a cruise! Enjoy!! This cake looks like heaven on a plate for the rest of us on solid ground. 🙂
Manali@CookWithManali says
stunning cake Jen! 🙂 enjoy your trip xoxo