Soft and simple lemon pistachio cake with a delicious pistachio sheet cake and a lemon white chocolate buttercream. This sheet cake is full of delicious flavor and lemon, pistachio and white chocolate goes absolutely perfectly together!
This sheet cake is full of flavor, combining beautifully the earthy notes from the pistachio sheet cake with the lemon in the buttercream. The addition of the white chocolate in the buttercream perfectly balance the flavors of the pistachio and lemon.
This cake tastes absolutely amazing and I hope you’ll love it too!
For more sheet cake and pistachio recipes, try Chocolate Sheet Cake with Mascarpone Frosting, Raspberry Pistachio Layer Cake and Birthday Blondie Bars.
Jump to:
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Easy to make: What I love so much about sheet cakes is that they are so easy to make! They are a no-fuss kinda cake.
- Super soft and tender: This pistachio cake is so full of flavor and has most soft and tender texture.
- Pistachios: Pistachios have beautiful earthy notes that gives the cake the most soft texture and delicious flavor
- Lemon white chocolate buttercream: To complement and balance the earthy notes off the pistachios the lemon and white chocolate really lift this cake to another level.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Butter: Take it out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking.
- Eggs: Take them out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking.
- Unsalted pistachio: The beautiful green color of the cake is naturally colored by the pistachios.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk makes for a softer and more tender cake. Measure out the buttermilk and let it come to room temperature 1-2 hours before baking
- White chocolate: Use chips or a block of white chocolate.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CAKE
Here is how make and bake these lemon pistachio cake. This recipe needs a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer. You will also need a 22x33 cm sheet pan lined with baking paper.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Before starting preheat the oven to 170ºC/ 340ºF conventional oven. Prepare a 22x33 cm sheet pan with baking paper.
STEP 1. Blend the pistachios into a flour-like consistency. Sift together the all-purpose flour, blended pistachios, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set it aside. Mix together the buttermilk and vanilla extract and set it aside.
STEP 2: In a mixing bowl, using the paddle attachment, add the butter, vegetable oil, and granulated sugar and mix it on high speed for 3 min.
STEP 3: Add the eggs one at a time into the mixture. Mix it in until combined.
STEP 4: Continue by alternating between adding ⅓ of the flour mixture and ½ of the milk mixture, ending on the flour mixture. Mix in each addition until just combined.
STEP 5: Divide the cake batter into the sheet pan and bake it for 35-37 min or until a cake tester comes out clean.
STEP 6: Let the cake cool on a cooling rack. After 10 min, gently remove the cake from the cake tin and let the cake cool down completely.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - BUTTERCREAM AND ASSEMBLING
STEP 1: Melt the white chocolate and heavy cream together over a bain-marie or in the microwave. Let it cool down to room temperature in the fridge (it’s important that it’s not too hot).
STEP 2: Take the butter out of the fridge 10 min before starting and cut the butter into cubes. Sift the powdered sugar.
STEP 3: In your stand mixer, use the paddle attachment, start by creaming the butter for 2 min on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix 1 min more. Add the melted white chocolate and mix it in until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another mix to make sure it’s fully incorporated with the butter.
STEP 4: On low speed, add the lemon juice and the sifted powdered sugar in 2 portions, mix in the powdered sugar at low speed, until each addition is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the vanilla extract. Mix for 2 min on low/medium speed.
STEP 5: Take the bowl off the stand mixer and with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, beat it well by hand to make sure to remove the air bubbles in the buttercream.
STEP 6: With a spatula, add the buttercream on top of the sheet cake and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle it with a bit of chopped pistachios and it’s ready to be enjoyed.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Yes, follow the recipe and then divide the batter into either 2 or 3, 20 cm baking pans. If divided into 2 baking pans bake them 35-40 minutes. If divided into 3 baking pans bake them 22-25 minutes.
Yes, this cake last well and keeps moist in an airtight container, stored at room temperature.
I recommend using a cake tester. Once the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the middle of the cake and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it's done.
STORAGE
Store the sheet cake on the kitchen counter in an airtight container. It's best enjoyed within a few days.
Other Pistachio and Sheet Cake Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Lemon Pistachio Cake
Ingredients
PISTACHIO CAKE
- 100 g unsalted pistachios blended into flour
- 260 g all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 240 g buttermilk room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 180 g butter room temperature
- 65 g vegetable oil e.g. canola oil
- 330 g granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
LEMON WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- 100 g white chocolate
- 20 g heavy cream
- 200 g butter cool room temperature
- 350 g powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DECORATION
- Chopped unsalted pistachios
Instructions
PISTACHIO CAKE
- Preheat the oven at 170ºC/ 340ºF conventional oven and prepare a 22x33/ 9x13 inch sheet baking pan with parchment paper.
- Blend the pistachios into a flour-like consistency.100 g unsalted pistachios
- Sift together the all-purpose flour, blended pistachios, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set it aside. Mix together the buttermilk and vanilla extract and set it aside.260 g all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt, 240 g buttermilk, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, or mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, add the butter and granulated sugar and mix it on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the vegetable oil and mix it together on low speed until combined.65 g vegetable oil, 330 g granulated sugar, 180 g butter
- Add the eggs one at a time into the mixture and mix it in until combined.4 large eggs
- Continue by alternating between adding ⅓ of the flour mixture and ½ of the buttermilk mixture, ending on the flour mixture. Mix in each addition until just combined.
- Add the cake batter to the sheet pan. Bake it for 35-37 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool on a cooling rack. After 10 minutes, gently remove the cake from the cake tin and let the cake cool down completely.
LEMON WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- Melt the white chocolate and heavy cream together over a bain-marie or in the microwave. Let it cool down to room temperature in the fridge (it’s important that it’s not too hot).100 g white chocolate, 20 g heavy cream
- Take the butter out of the fridge 10 minutes before starting and cut the butter into cubes. Sift the powdered sugar.200 g butter, 350 g powdered sugar
- In your stand mixer, use the paddle attachment, start by creaming the butter for 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix 1 minute more. Add the melted white chocolate and mix it in until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another mix to make sure it’s fully incorporated with the butter.
- On low speed, add the lemon juice and the sifted powdered sugar in 2 portions, mix in the powdered sugar at low speed, until each addition is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the vanilla extract. Mix for 2 minutes on low/medium speed.2 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the cake to a serving tray and add the buttercream on top of the sheet cake. Spread it out evenly and sprinkle it with chopped pistachios. It’s ready to be enjoyed.Chopped unsalted pistachios
Sophia Lee
Absolutely amazing! One of the best cakes I’ve ever made ( and I’ve made a lot!)
marlowe
hi, should the pistachios be roasted or raw?
Julie Marie
They should be unsalted roasted pistachios 🙂
Liz
I made this recipe in a 3 layer 6" cake for my birthday (cake recipe per above and doubled the buttercream recipe to decorate)
It was divine! The flavours, the texture! Everything!! I can see myself making this again and again.
Julie Marie
Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Zed
Is it possible to make this as a cake and what size cake pan would I need to use of making 2 cakes with the buttercream as filling ? Thanks so much
Julie Marie
Yes, use can make it into 2 layers using 2x 8-inch/ 20 cm cake tins 🙂
Yashna
Can I add lemon juice and lemon zest to the cake batter?
Julie Marie
Yes absolutely. I'd recommend lemon zest for the most amount of flavor. Rub it together with the sugar to release all of the flour of the lemon zest, before mixing it with the butter 🙂
Sophie
DELICIOUS!! I loved this cake and made it for my coworkers recently. The only change I made to the cake was adding a bit more pistachio to the batter because I love pistachio so much, but it would taste just as great with the 100g, as the recipe calls for.
I’m also not a huge fan of cake frosting in general because it’s always a bit too sweet for my liking (just a personal preference), and I found this white chocolate/lemon buttercream too sweet for my liking, but everyone else loved it 🙂 Julie, you killed it with this recipe! I’m making the cake again this week for my coworkers because they asked for it again
Lauren
What is this recipe in cups instead of grams ? I
Julie Marie
You will find the Cups conversion in the recipe, by the ingredients list, there is a toggle between metrics and cups.
Katrine
En af mine absolut favoritter.
Moist kage og en virkelig god hvid chokolade buttercream.
Bager den til min søns 1 års fødselsdag så det bliver den første kage han smager 🤩
Niki Geuens
Very Nice cake & easy to make
RAD
Made this for Thanksgiving a while back and it was an absolute success. Thank you for sharing the recipe!! Sending ❤️ from California!
Amanda
I made the Ferraro Roche chocolate cake to the exact recipe and it was absolutely delicious. All the family enjoyed the cake and now I am making the lemon pistachio cake, which I will no doubt be delicious. The ingredient list was exact and the instructions are so easy to follow.
Christa Roderick
My husband sent me this from Instagram - and asked me to make it
What a treat. I made it in 2 8inch round cake pans and froze the second one. I made a cream cheese and butter frosting because we wanted it a little less sweet and I used lemoncello in place of extract.
Would definitely make again
Carrie
I’ve made this for Christmas desert, and it is delicious! Everyone loved it.
Naythar
Can i possibly know how much flour does 100g pistachio make? I have ready pistachio flour so I am not sure how much to use.
Julie Marie
It's 1:1 so use 100 g of pistachio flour 🙂
Meera
Hi...this surely sounds a very good flavour pairing to try..had a query..as frosting can we not use lemon white chocolate ganache than buttercream? Pls let me know
Julie Marie
That sounds like a great paring, so you can definitely do that 🙂
Maria do Carmo
Hello Julie,
I have a question: is this recipe suitable to a Bundt cake tin?
Julie Marie
No, I wouldn't recommend using the recipe in a bundt cake tin. It's best to use a round or square baking pans for this cake recipe 🙂
bhumi soni
How to make it eggless?
Julie Marie
I unfortunately don't have an eggless option.
Mesho
This is the best pistachio cake I ever tried. My family love so much it stay fresh and delicious even after few days. Thank you so much
Amy
Sooo moist and tender! The buttercream is fabulous. I made it a layer cake and added raspberry filling as well. A HUGE hit with everyone! I will 100% make this again.