cream of pistachio Archives - Proud Italian Cook

Pistachio Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

This pistachio cake is the perfect dessert for any occasion but especially for pistachio lovers. It has a dense crumb, sort of like a poundcake and it’s subtly sweet, it’s filled with finely chopped pistachio’s along with rich and creamy pistachio butter.

The frosting is in a league of it’s own, the mascarpone cheese takes it over the top, it’s my new favorite frosting right now, move over cream cheese!

This is the star of the show, pistachio cream, pistachio butter, it’s also called pistachio paste, you can fine it at Italian markets or online, it has such concentrated pistachio flavor, the same as you would have in peanut butter, almond butter or any nut butter.

The pistachio cream gets mixed into the batter along with some finely chopped pistachio’s, the batter will be rich and thick.

The pistachio cream also makes you able to put this cake together in no time, so it’s not labor intensive baking at all.

The mascarpone frosting is the perfect topping for this cake and it holds up very well for a few days after being frosted, that is if you have any leftover cake.

You won’t find any green food coloring in this cake, pistachio pudding or cake mix like in days of old when that was a very popular way to make pistachio cake. You’ll only find the natural color and true essence of real pistachio.

Make this for Easter, Mother’s Day, a girls luncheon or a special birthday, you can even double everything and make it a 2 layer cake if you wish.

Grab a fork and have a slice!

Pistachio Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

Pistachio lovers, this cake is for you, subtly sweet with the true essence of pistachio, easy to make and perfect for special occasions. This recipe is adapted from a couple of different ones I found on the Internet that used pistachio cream.

Author: Marie

Ingredients

½ cup of softened unsalted butter
¾ cup of granulated sugar
2 eggs
½ cup of flavorless oil
¼ cup of whole milk or sour cream
1 t. almond extract
2 t. vanilla extract
4 T. pistachio cream, butter or paste
1½ cups all purpose flour
½ t. baking powder
¼ t. baking soda
¼ to ½ of salt, depending if you're using salted pistachio's
2 T. of small but coarsely ground pistachio's, I used salted
you'll be adding more ground pistachio's for garnish on top or just use large chopped pistachio's instead so you'll. need extra
FROSTING
½ cup of cold mascarpone cheese
½ t. almond extract
1t. vanilla extract
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup of cold heavy whipping cream
NOTE: If you want to make the frosting look green add a little bit of the pistachio cream into the mix, I would just fold it in little by little not making the frosting too loose.

Instructions

Heat oven to 350
Grease the bottom and sides of an 8 inch pan, glass can also be used.
In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until nice and creamy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating to combined.
Add the oil and milk or sour cream then the vanilla and almond extract, mix well and incorporate it all.
Add the pistachio butter, mixing it in on low.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add the dry to the wet ingredients and mix til all combined, batter will be thick.
Toss in and fold the 2 T. of the small coarsely ground pistachio's into the thick batter.
Pour into your baking pan spreading it out with an off set spatula from corner to corner.
Bake 45 minutes, less if using a glass dish, I used glass and it was 7 minutes less.
The key is to check the center if it comes out clean and golden brown on the bottom.
Ovens do vary so check accordingly, make sure cake is completely cooled before frosting it.
For the frosting beat together the mascarpone with the extracts, then incorporate the powdered sugar, now pour in the heavy whipping cream and beat until you get stiff peaks form into a fluffy consistency. Be careful not to over beat.
Frost your cake and garnish with ground or chopped pistachio's.

Pistachio Tiramisu No Eggs Required

Tiramisu is a beloved Italian dessert. It’s elegant and rich with luscious creamy layers and coffee soaked ladyfingers, usually spiked with a little liqueur. It’s surprisingly easy to make because there’s no baking involved. This recipe replaces the raw eggs with whipped cream which sometimes makes people leary of eating it and making it, myself included.

I can assure you it tastes just as decadent as the classic.

There are so many versions of tiramisu but pistachio is on the top of my list! I recently bought this jar of cream of pistachio ( not sponsored) and have been saving it to make a tiramisu and it was worth the wait, just look how dreamy it is!

On a side note there are many recipes on the internet that shows you how to make your own pistachio butter. I might give that a try next time if I get energetic. Keep in mind jarred pistachio cream can be quite pricey but in my opinion it’s still worth it in the convenience factor and the exceptional taste.

Besides, this is a special dessert, not something you make every day but for special occasions, so go ahead and splurge!

Cream of pistachio swirled into mascarpone cheese along with fluffy whipped cream is beyond heavenly!

To add to the amazing flavors of this tiramisu a robust espresso spiked with a fancy pistachio liqueur ( not sponsored) that I love and adore, brings the taste to another level!

If you don’t have pistachio liqueur you can use some coffee or amaretto liqueur or even a sweet marsala, but if you want to splurge a little go for the pistachio.

Savoriardi ladyfingers are a sweet and fairly dry finger shaped sponge cake, perfect for dipping into the spiked espresso mix.

You can free form your tiramisu right onto a platter using two layers like I did above or assemble them into individual glasses, you can place and layer your tiramisu into oval dishes, square, rectangle, even gratin dishes like I did below.

Sometimes for fun I like to make just one layer of the soaked savoiardi and smear the creamy mixture right on top. Which ever way you assemble it you’ll never go wrong!

Pistachio Tiramisu No Eggs Required

Present this special tiramisu into individual glasses, freeform style, small serving dishes, oval, square or rectangle 9x9 serving dishes.

Author: Marie

Ingredients

1 7 or 8 ounce jar of cream of pistachio ( if making your own you'll need to add a little sweetener otherwise the jarred cream is sweetened enough.)
1 cup of heavy whip cream, whipped to medium
1 8 oz ounce container of mascarpone cream, room temp
1 7 oz. package of savoiardi biscuits/ ladyfingers
2 cups brewed espresso
3 tablespoons of pistachio liqueur or one of your favorites like amaretto, coffee or sweet marsala
Chopped pistachios for garnish

Instructions

Brew the espresso, when it cools down pour it into a shallow bowl and add the liqueur, set aside.
Combine the mascarpone with the cream of pistachio, mix well. NOTE: Sometimes if purchased in a jar the pistachio cream may be really thick, you can let the jar sit in warm water for 15 minutes or so or add a little milk to it to make it looser, don't let it seize up. The mascarpone and the pistachio cream should blend well together.
In another bowl whip up the heavy cream until medium peaks.
Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone cream mixture until well combined.
TO ASSEMBLE:
One by one dip lady fingers into coffee mixture quickly then place onto the bottom of your serving dish, suggestions are stated in my post and above in my summary.
Cover with a layer of the pistachio cream mixture, then repeat.
Let your tiramisu chill for at least a few hours or even overnight for maximum flavor.
For a lighter version just do one layer of dipped savoiardi and spread the cream mixture on top.
Enjoy!