Pistachio Grand Marnier Cake Recipes

PISTACHIO CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 6-inch cake pans. Set aside.
• In a food processor pulse the pistachios until they are broken down into fine pieces. It's okay if it's not completely powdery, but the pieces should be very small.
• Combine the pistachios, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and oil and beaut until homogenous. Add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy and pale in color. Add the egg and egg white, vanilla extract and almond extract and beat on medium high until light and fluffy and pale in color.
• Add the sour cream and milk and mix to incorporate slightly. Don't over mix.
• Last, fold the dry ingredients into the wet until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown and a knife inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool completely.
• While the cakes are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract, salt, honey, and powdered sugar and whip to combine, about 1 minute more.
• Place the first cake on a plate, then top with a large dollop of frosting. Layer the second and third layer, frosting in between each layer. Finish by frosting the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting.
• Sprinkle pistachio pieces along the sides of the cake, pushing it into the frosting gently with your hands. If you'd like, decorate the top of your cake with fresh fruit, more pistachio crumbs or a drizzle of honey. Enjoy!

PISTACHIO CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour three 9-inch cake pans.
• Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until ground up into very fine crumbs. See photo above for a visual. You'll have about 1 and 1/2 cups of crumbs. (If you have more than that, set aside for garnish.)
• Pour 1 and 1/2 cups of pistachio crumbs in a large bowl. Whisk in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, pour in the milk (and the green food coloring, if using) and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
• Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 21-23 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
• Prepare the cream cheese frosting (see note below).
• Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and evenly cover the top with more frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the frosting all over the top and sides. (I used a bench scraper to smooth out the sides.) Decorate with garnishes, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 30-45 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake keep its shape when cutting.
• Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

PISTACHIO LAYER CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Line each pan with a round piece of parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.
• Prepare the cake: pulse pistachios in a food processor until finely ground, 10 to 15 pulses. Transfer 1 1/2 cups ground pistachios to a bowl with flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; whisk until well combined and set aside. Place remaining ground pistachios, about 1 1/3 cups, in a bowl and reserve for finishing the cake.
• Beat butter and white sugar for cake in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides as needed, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg whites and beat on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes.
• Mix in sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract until combined, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture in batches on low speed until completely incorporated, about 2 minutes. Mix in milk and food coloring until just combined, about 1 minute.
• Divide batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Gently tap each pan on the countertop to spread and flatten batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each pan removes cleanly, 22 to 24 minutes. Cool cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen cakes, then invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• While the cakes are cooling, prepare buttercream: beat cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in powdered sugar in 1/2-cup increments on medium-low speed, allowing sugar to be completely incorporated before adding more, until combined, about 4 minutes. Mix in vanilla and food coloring on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Top with 1 cup buttercream and 1 tablespoon ground pistachios, and spread evenly over the surface using a spatula. Place second cake layer on top; top with 1 cup buttercream and 1 tablespoon ground pistachios, and spread evenly over the surface. Place third cake layer on top, and spread 1 cup buttercream evenly over the surface. Spread 2 cups buttercream evenly around sides of assembled cake and smooth with a spatula. Transfer cake to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
• Remove cake from the refrigerator and spread remaining buttercream over top and sides of cake until sides are smooth and top is billowy. Using a small offset spatula, make a spiral pattern on top of the cake. Press remaining ground pistachios into sides of the cake.
• Slice and serve immediately or chill in an airtight container until ready to serve. If chilled, allow cake to come to room temperature before serving.

PISTACHIO POPOVER CREMES BRULEES WITH GRAND MARNIER SYRUP

Steps:

• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into cream in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add pod and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Remove from heat, then steep, covered, 20 minutes.
• Discard pod.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Whisk together yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour through a fine sieve into glass loaf pan. Cover pan with foil and bake custard in a hot water bath until set but with center still slightly wobbly, about 1 hour.
• Remove foil and cool custard in pan on a rack, then chill, covered, until firm, at least 4 hours.
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into juice in cleaned 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add pod and sugar. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil until reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, then discard pod and stir in Grand Marnier. Cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Chop enough pistachios to measure 2 tablespoons. Pulse remaining nuts with regular granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add flour and salt and pulse to combine. Add milk, butter, and eggs and blend until just combined. Pour batter into well-buttered popover cups, filling them two-thirds full.
• Bake in lower third of oven until popovers are puffed and well browned, about 40 minutes. Cut a 1/2-inch slit in top of each popover and bake 10 minutes more. Immediately turn popovers out onto rack to cool.
• Cut off tops of cooled popovers and arrange in a baking dish. Brush tops with some syrup and heat in oven until warm, about 3 minutes.
• While tops are heating, fill bottoms of popovers with custard. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon superfine sugar evenly over each custard, then move blowtorch flame evenly back and forth just over sugar until sugar is melted and caramelized.
• Transfer popovers with tops to plates and spoon some syrup around each. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

GRAND MARNIER CAKE

Steps:

• Cream sugar and butter.
• Add egg yolks and 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier.
• Continue to beat. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder.
• Add flour to mixture with sour cream, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
• Add orange rind, walnuts and stiff beaten egg whites.
• Butter and flour an angle food cake pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.
• Spoon topping over baked cake while still in hot pan.
• Cool and invert onto serving plate.

PISTACHIO CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®).
• Beat cake mix, vegetable oil, club soda, eggs, and 1 package pistachio pudding mix together in a bowl until blended; pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Turn cake onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Beat milk, 1 package pistachio pudding mix, and whipped topping mix together in a bowl using an electric mixer on high until frosting forms stiff peaks. Spread frosting on cake.