Gluten Free Lemon Pistachio Cake
This gluten free pistachio cake is bound to impress! With lemon, olive oil and a whipped mascarpone frosting, this is a showstopper you have to make for your next dinner party!
You guys hello! This might be my favorite cake recipe I’ve ever done for the blog. And we have a lot! My gluten free chocolate cake is a total crowd pleaser, and my carrot cake is so fun for spring, but this gluten free pistachio cake just needs to be the dessert at your next dinner party!
The cake itself has pistachio, lemon and olive oil as the main flavors and is then topped with a light and fluffy mascarpone frosting. I know traditional buttercream can be a bit sweet for some, so this is a nice little mix up!
This recipe is easy to make, dairy free friendly (aside from the frosting) and of course gluten free! If you love this recipe, try my orange olive oil cake or one of the recipes from my gluten free cake recipes roundup. next.
Before we get started…
- If you do not want to use the mascarpone frosting you can just make a half batch of my gluten free buttercream frosting instead.
- I used lightly salted pistachios for this recipe. You can use unsalted, un-roasted, roasted or whatever you can find! Just make sure when you grind them that it is a fine flour like texture.
How to make gluten free pistachio cake
Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Use a food processor to grind your pistachios into a fine powder. I suggest a food processor over a blender here. About 1 1/2 cups of pistachios will yield 1 cup of ground pistachios.
Line either an 8 inch springform pan or regular 9 inch cake pan (a regular 8 inch cake pan will be too shallow) with parchment paper and set aside.
In a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and lemon zest. Use your hands to massage the zest into the sugar, this will help release some of the oils in the zest and create more lemon flavor.
Add in all remaining wet ingredients and beat with an electric mixer until combined.
Add in the flour, making sure to spoon and level to measure, 1 cup of ground pistachios, baking powder, baking soda and salt. I opted to add 1/2 teaspoon of matcha to create a brighter green color, but this is optional. It will not change the flavor at all!
Add to your prepared pan. For the 8 inch springform pan, bake for about 48-55 minutes, for the 9 inch pan, bake for 40-44 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. All ovens are different, so just check with a toothpick.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
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To make the frosting, beat the mascarpone and powdered sugar until combined, about 30 seconds, then beat in the vanilla, heavy cream, lemon zest and salt on low speed to combine.
Switch to high speed for about 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy. It is key that all ingredients are cold here! Frost the cooled cake, then top with berries of choice and enjoy! Try my gluten free chantilly cake or gluten free coconut cake next!
Key Ingredients & swaps
OLIVE OIL. I suggest a high quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor. You can swap for a different kind of oil, but this will change the flavor of the cake.
FLOUR. I used the Gluten Free Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour, which I recommend here. If you use a different blend, make sure it has xanthan gum.
SUGAR. I use white granulated sugar, which I recommend here. I do not recommend any liquid sweeteners here. You can try coconut sugar, but the cake will be much darker.
EGGS. You need three eggs for this gluten free olive oil cake which will bind all ingredients together and create a really fluffy texture. I do not recommend any swaps here as the eggs are key for that rise and texture!
How to store and freeze
Once prepared, this gluten free olive oil cake will keep for about 3-5 days at room temperature. You can store it in the fridge, but the texture will firm up a bit as it sits.
You can definitely prep this cake ahead of time and freeze it before slicing and serving. To do so, allow it to cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap (several layers) and place in the freezer until you’re ready to frost and serve.
Let it thaw at room temperature, then frost and serve as usual. The texture and flavor should hold up beautifully.
My favorite cake pan
For this recipe you need an 8 inch springform pan, which is traditionally use for cheesecake. This cake rises pretty significantly, so I do not recommend using a regular 8 inch cake pan as it is likely to overflow.
You can, however, use a regular 9 inch cake pan and just bake for a little less time since the cake won’t be as thick.
More gluten free cake recipes!
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Gluten Free Lemon Olive Oil Pistachio Cake
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 3 eggs
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry
- 1 ½ cups gluten free all purpose baking flour
- 1 cup ground pistachios from about 1 1/2 cups whole pistachios
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- optional: 1/2 teaspoon matcha
Mascarpone Frosting
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese chilled
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream chilled
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest or to taste
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
- Use a food processor to grind your pistachios into a fine powder. I suggest a food processor over a blender here. About 1 1/2 cups of pistachios will yield 1 cup of ground pistachios.
- Line either an 8 inch springform pan or regular 9 inch cake pan (a regular 8 inch cake pan will be too shallow) with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and lemon zest. Use your hands to massage the zest into the sugar, this will help release some of the oils in the zest and create more lemon flavor.
- Add in all remaining wet ingredients and beat with an electric mixer until combined.
- Add in the flour, making sure to spoon and level to measure, 1 cup of ground pistachios, baking powder, baking soda and salt. I opted to add 1/2 teaspoon of matcha to create a brighter green color, but this is optional. It will not change the flavor at all!
- Add to your prepared pan. For the 8 inch springform pan, bake for about 48-55 minutes, for the 9 inch pan, bake for 40-44 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. All ovens are different, so just check with a toothpick.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- To make the frosting, beat the mascarpone and powdered sugar until combined, about 30 seconds, then beat in the vanilla, heavy cream, lemon zest and salt on low speed to combine, then switch to high speed for about 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy. It is key that all ingredients are cold here!
- Frost the cooled cake, then top with berries of choice and enjoy!
Notes
Comments
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OMG, this is the Best cake recipe ever; the cake is full of flavor & moist
The recipe is easy to bake; I followed the recipe with no substitutions the mascarpone icing is to die for
It was a hit with friends….
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe
I will bake again
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Thank you, Patty!
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Can I use almond flour instead?
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No! I’d follow the recipe as written for best results.
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Hi! Do you think this frosting will keep well if made ahead of time? Thanks!
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Yes, just keep in the fridge and then give it a good mix before using!
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What caught my eye were the pistachios and olive oil in the ingredients. I substituted goat yogurt for the cow milk version. I also did not pulverize the nuts to a powder but left some of the nuts a bit chunky. I didn’t frost the cake. Nonetheless, it was delicious. Thank you, Claire, for this keeper.
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Thank you! So glad those subs worked well for you!
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WOW! Loved this. Made for a family gathering and was such a hit
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Thank you, Jonas!
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