Pistachio Loaf Cake Recipe

Another day and another delicious loaf cake.

I am crazy about this cake, the glorious green of the pistachio sprinkle against the white of the glaze, the generously pistachio studded cake, which is gloriously moist and incredibly moreish. This is definitely a two slice cake and by that I mean that nobody will be having just one.

 This is a king among loaf cakes.

There is definitely something distinctly Christmasy about this cake and I can see myself whipping up a few, over the festive season.  The cake itself is a breeze to make, but if you can't find ground, chopped or shelled pistachios be prepared to de-shell a fair few.

Although I'm sure the cake would still taste wonderful without the glaze, I think just that little touch of sweetness takes this cake to a whole new level and I can't encourage you to glaze this bad boy enough.

Pistachio Loaf Cake

Recipe adapted from - Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days Recipes

190g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

190g caster sugar

3 large eggs

190g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla paste

100g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped

For the glaze

125g icing sugar

40g ground pistachios

To make the pistachio loaf cake:

 Preheat the oven to 170°C then grease and line  a 8.5cm x 17.5cm loaf tin.

 Using a hand-held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are properly mixed together.

 Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then add to the creamed mixture in two batches and mix on a low speed until just incorporated. Add the buttermilk and vanilla paste, then stir in the chopped pistachios by hand.

 Pour or spoon the batter into the prepared tin, then place in the oven and bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until the sponge feels firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean, with no uncooked batter sticking to it.

 Allow the loaf to cool a little in the tin, then turn out on a wire rack to cool down fully before adding the glaze.

To make the glaze:

 Place the icing sugar in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of water and mix together. This will form a fairly runny paste; if the glaze seems too thick, add a little more water to thin it – 1/4 teaspoon at a time. Pour the glaze over the cooled loaf and sprinkle with the ground pistachios.

Enjoy

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Pistachio Loaf Cake Recipe