Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Bundt Cakes Pistachio Bundt Cake 5.0 (2) 2 Reviews The sweet, nutty flavor of this moist pistachio Bundt cake is sure to please. By Molly Allen Molly Allen Molly Allen is a previous bakery owner and freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience focused on food and beverage, lifestyle, travel and parties. Her work has been published in Taste of Home, HuffPost, and Brides, among others. When she’s not writing or baking, she can be found hiking or paddleboarding near Hood River, Oregon, where she calls home. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on January 30, 2024 Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about the Southern Living Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 3 hrs Servings: 12 This tender pistachio Bundt cake skips boxed pudding mix and lets real pistachios shine. Mild and sweet, pistachios don't pack a lot of flavor, but in this recipe, they're elevated so that each bite is filled with their flavor and even some crunch. The secret step in this pistachio Bundt cake is to finely grind the pistachios in a food processor, which adds great texture and flavor to the batter. The cake is made even better with the addition of sour cream for extra moisture. Paired with a simple glaze, the cake's sweet, nutty flavor makes it perfect for any occasion. Display it on your favorite cake stand and dish up a slice with tea or coffee. Learn how to make a gorgeous pistachio Bundt cake, and enjoy showing it off at your holiday meal, tea, or shower. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Ingredients for Pistachio Bundt Cake Essential baking ingredients make up most of this list, with lots of pistachios. Here's what you'll need to make a pistachio Bundt cake: Granulated sugar: Sugar adds sweetness, but it also helps the cake stay tender and moist.All-purpose flour: This is the right flour for this recipe because it produces a cake with a tender but delicate texture.Pistachios: Roasted, unshelled pistachios are our preference for flavor. Use more for garnish.Baking powder and baking soda: These leaveners help the cake to rise and lift during baking.Table salt: Essential to baking, both for the chemistry of a recipe and the flavor.Eggs: You'll need two. They bring the batter together and help it bake up nice and tall.Vegetable oil: Adds moisture and helps the cake bake up more tender.Milk: Moistens the batter and binds it.Almond and vanilla extracts: Both extracts add warm and inviting flavors of vanilla and sweet almond.Sour cream: Adds richness to the cake and helps produce a tender slice.Food coloring: You don't have to add green food coloring to this cake, but it'll help sell the "pistachio" look. For the glaze, you'll need powdered sugar, milk, and almond vanilla extracts. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox How To Make Pistachio Bundt Cake This Bundt cake batter comes together quickly once you have the pistachios ready. Here's an outline of the process; the full recipe is further below. Blitz the pistachios: Remove pistachio shells, and process them in a food processor until they are finely ground.Make cake batter: Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl. Add the eggs and oil, then stir in the milk, extracts, and sour cream. Finish with food coloring if desired.Bake: Pour the cake batter into a greased Bundt pan, and bake until the top is golden brown and a pick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.Cool cake: Remove the cake from the pan after it's cooled. Flip it over a wire rack.Make glaze: Stir together the powdered sugar, milk, and extracts for the glaze. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake, and garnish with additional pistachios if desired. How To Store Pistachio Bundt Cake Because of the milk in the glaze, you'll need to store the cake in the fridge. In an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap, it'll last up to 5 days. You can also wrap the cake in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil, and freeze up to 3 months. For a quick and easy dessert, you may want to first slice the cake before freezing it. The individual slices will thaw quickly at room temperature. If you freeze the whole cake, thaw it overnight in the fridge. Can You Make Pistachio Bundt Cake Ahead of Time? Yes, if covered well, this cake can be made up to 3 days in advance. However, save the glaze and pistachio sprinkle until you're ready to serve the cake. The chopped pistachios may soften if stored in the fridge. You can also make and freeze the cake, but again, we recommend waiting to add the glaze and chopped pistachios until you're ready to serve. More Lovely Bundt Cakes Bundt cakes are great because they're easy to make, but the beautiful pans make them look extra special. Here are a few of our favorites: Bourbon-Peach Upside-Down Bundt Cake Banana Bundt Cake Pumpkin Bundt Cake Gingerbread Bundt Red Velvet Bundt Cake Ingredients Cake: 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup roasted, unshelled pistachios, plus additional for garnish 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. table salt 2 large eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup milk 1 tsp. almond extract 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 cup sour cream 2 drops green liquid food coloring, optional Glaze: 3 cups powdered sugar 1/4 cup milk 1 tsp. almond extract 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract Directions Prepare oven and Bundt pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously coat a 10-inch Bundt pan with baking spray. Blitz pistachios: Remove the pistachios from their shells and place in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the pistachios until they are finely ground. Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, ground pistachios, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Add wet ingredients: Using an electric mixer, mix in the eggs and oil until evenly combined. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Then, mix in the milk, almond extract, vanilla extract, and sour cream until smooth. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Mix in food coloring if desired. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Bake: Pour the batter into prepared Bundt pan. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Bake the pistachio cake for 38 to 40 minutes until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Cool cake: Once the cake has baked, remove it from the oven, and allow it to fully cool on a wire rack before removing the cake from the pan. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Make glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Glaze the cake: Once the cake has cooled, pour the glaze over the cake. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Garnish with additional chopped pistachios, if desired. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Rate It Print