I love when people tell me that they’ve recently had an amazing dish that I have to recreate. It’s so fun getting inspiration from my friends! The inspiration for this recipe comes from my friend Gina. She texted me from a work trip telling me that she had a pistachio cardamom pound cake that was incredible, and I knew I had to make it at home. I love pistachios, and cardamom is one of my favorite warm spices, so this pistachio cardamom pound cake was the perfect treat to test out.
Naturally with a lot of things that I bake, this recipe required more than one test. Baking with nut flours can be challenging! Thankfully I found the perfect mix of pistachios and all-purpose flour to make this recipe dreamy. The pistachios are ground, not chopped, which gives the pound cake the perfect texture. The glaze on top is a must, and while you don’t have to top it with crushed pistachios, it really takes a delicious cake and makes it even prettier.
I can’t think of anything that I want to pair with a cup of coffee or tea more than this pistachio cardamom pound cake. Don’t limit yourself to dessert; treat yourself and have this for a weekend breakfast. I think this would also be so adorable baked as little mini loaves! Which I may just have to try next.
Even if these seems like a flavor combination you wouldn’t have thought of, I highly recommend that you try it!
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- 1 cup ground pistachios*
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. cardamom
- ½ tsp. salt (optional)*
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tbsp. milk
- Ground pistachios for topping (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
- Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extracts and beat again.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together ground pistachios, flour, baking powder, cornstarch, cardamom, and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- When the cake is completely cool, make the glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar and 2 tbsp. milk, adding more milk only as necessary to reach the desired consistency.
- Drizzle over the pound cake and top with ground pistachios.
- Enjoy!
*I used lightly salted pistachios in this recipe, and did not find the need for extra salt. If you can find unsalted pistachios, I recommend that you add the ½ tsp. of salt.
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