Pistachio Cardamom and Lemon Loaf Cake

An easy dairy-free pistachio and lemon loaf cake with the addition of cardamon spice and finished off with a tangy lemon drizzle.

This is one of the most interesting new cake flavours that has found its way into my kitchen. If you are looking for something a bit different to the usual but still want something that is really simple to make, then this cake might just be the solution.

The combination of pistachio and lemon is one that brings together two of my all time favourite flavours. But I couldn’t help but push things a little further and to the mix we have the addition of cardamom, giving this cake a lightly spiced flavour.

The basis of this cake starts with one of my favourite pantry ingredients, but not one that I tend to use a lot in baking: olive oil. Generally with baking we tend to lean towards light, mild tasting oils so that we get their fantastic moisture in the cake, but not the flavour.

However, with this cake, the added richness and fruity flavour of the olive oil is exactly what we want. It’s this flavour of the olive oil that combines with the lemon and the cardamon to give this cake it’s unique taste.

The final thing that makes this recipe a little different is that we are using a combination of plain flour and almond meal. The addition of the almond meal makes this cake a little more on the dense side, but also helps keep it nice and soft. Plus it also works to give the cake a nutty flavour that enhances the crunchy pistachios.

This cake is the ideal treat for morning or afternoon tea, as that lightly spiced, fruity flavour ensures it pairs perfectly with tea or coffee.

How to make pistachio and lemon drizzle cake

This cake couldn’t be more simple to make, you just need a couple of bowls and a whisk – no electric beaters required!

Start by whisking your eggs, olive oil, vanilla, sugar, lemon juice and zest together until a little foamy. Next grab another bowl and lightly mix together all of your dry ingredients, just to make sure everything is combined before adding into your wet ingredients and avoiding over-mixing.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and add in the dairy-free milk and whisk until a smooth batter forms. Finally fold through your pistachios.

For this recipe, I shelled some salted pistachios until I had the correct amount, as that’s what I had on hand, however if you can buy yourself some that have already been shelled, I guarantee your hands and patience will thank you greatly!

Also I like to use salted pistachios for that extra flavour, however you can certainly use unsalted and add a pinch of salt to the batter instead.

Pour the batter into a loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes. If the cake starts to get a bit too brown, lightly cover with foil until it’s finished baking. Let the cake cool on a wire rack before adding the glaze.

The glaze couldn’t be more simple, it’s just icing sugar mixed with lemon juice for a sweet and tangy addition to the nutty, spiced cake. Plus it looks super pretty when drizzled over the top.

If you don’t have a loaf pan, you could also make this using a 9×9 inch square pan, however check the cake after 30 minutes as it will take less time to cook through.

Slice the cake and serve straight away or store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months by wrapping it in plastic wrap tightly, either as a full cake or in individual slices. Defrost the cake at room temperature overnight while still wrapped for best results.

The warm spices of this pistachio cardamom cake with lemon makes it the perfect recipe for these in between seasons when you’re not quite feeling the heaviness of winter desserts, but still want something a bit comforting.

I also love loaf cakes for taking to work or friends and family as they are so easy to transport and are easy to freeze, if for some reason there happens to be any left over!

Next time you want to bake something from scratch but don’t really feel like any of the usuals, give this pistachio lemon loaf a try and I am sure you will love this combination as much as I do.

If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with #eightforestlane as I would love to see.

5 from 1 vote

Pistachio Cardamom and Lemon Loaf Cake

An easy lemon and pistachio loaf cake with the addition of cardamon spice and finished off with a tangy lemon drizzle.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Course: Dessert, Morning Tea

Cuisine: Australian

Servings: 8 serves

Author: Sally

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Ingredients

• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup caster sugar
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• ¾ cups plain flour
• ¼ cup almond meal
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk
• ½ cup pistachios shelled and lightly crushed

For the glaze:

• ¼ cup icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• crushed pistachios optional for topping

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease and line a 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with baking paper and a light spray of cooling oil.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Add in the sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest and continue to mix.
• In a smaller bowl, add the flour, almond meal, cardamon, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and start to whisk together. Add in the dairy-free milk to thin out the batter. Use a spatula to fold through the pistachios.
• Pour into the prepared pan evenly and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer when inserted comes out clean. If the cake starts to get a bit too brown, lightly cover with foil until it’s finished baking. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make the glaze by mixing the lemon juice with the icing sugar a little at a time, adding more of each if needed until the glaze is the desired consistency. Drizzle over the cooled cake, top with more crushed pistachios and let sit for a few minutes to set before slicing and serving.

Notes

I use shelled and salted pistachios. You can use raw, unsalted instead but add a pinch of salt to the batter. I then crush them lightly in a mortar and pestle, however it can also be done by placing the nuts in a zip lock bag and hitting them with a rolling pin. 

Dairy-free milk: I used oat milk, but any milk here will work fine.

Not from Australia? Check out my US Conversion Guide. 

More spiced desserts:

Chai Spiced Tea Cake
Chai Spiced French Toast Casserole
Baked Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts
Easy Cinnamon Tea Cake

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