Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake

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A delicious combination of lemon and pistachio come together to create this moist and flavorful Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake. Topped with a lemon icing, this cake is delight for any celebration.

Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.

Over the past couple weeks, I’ve been trying to switch up my routine. Normally, I crawl out of bed, brew a pot of coffee, and log on the computer to sort through email and check social media. I’m finding that going online within fifteen minutes of getting out of bed is probably not the best way to start the day.

Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.

Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake

Last week I decided to instead flip through my favorite magazines as I enjoy my first cup of the day. Magazines are one of the places I find inspiration, so I thought this might be a more productive and less stressful use of time.

I’m delighted to report that this change has greatly improved my mornings. Not only that, but it has inspired dozens of ideas and put a little pep back in my step.

This past Saturday I was so inspired that I decided to have a baking day. It was cold and rainy so staying indoors with my tunes playing and the oven warming my kitchen was fine with me. I actually managed to whip up three recipes and a cocktail. (What I’m going to do with all this food is another matter.) To kick off my baking, I decided to tackle something for St. Patrick’s Day. This Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake was the result.

Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.
Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.

With a touch of green, the pistachios give a nod to the holiday. Plus, I can’t get enough lemon in the springtime. The combination is perfection.

Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.

I made this cake with the help of my latest kitchen toy. Have you seen the new KitchenAid Black Tie Limited Edition Mixer? I was thrilled to get my hands on one. With all black finishes and premium materials, it’s one sexy machine.

KitchenAid Black Tie Limited Edition Artisan Stand Mixer
KitchenAid Black Tie Limited Edition Artisan Stand Mixer

I started by creaming the sugar and butter. To give the cake lots of pistachio flavor, I finely ground two cups of pistachios in my food processor and then added them to the batter. (I reserved a few tablespoons of whole pistachios to use as garnish.)

Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.
Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.

After the ground pistachios were incorporated, the eggs, lemon zest, and flour went in. I also added a splash of rum for depth of flavor. After pouring the batter into the prepared pan, I baked the cake for an hour. My house was filled with the sweet smell of success! (You can find the bundt pan that I used HERE.)

Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.

Once the cake had cooled slightly, I added a lemon glaze to the entire cake to lock in the moisture. To garnish, I drizzled the cake with lemon icing and sprinkled it with the greenest pistachios I could find.

Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.
Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.

Even though it’s not covered in rainbows or filled with Lucky Charms, I think this Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake is a grand way to celebrate St. Patty’s Day. (And don’t worry, if you’re reading this after March 17, you really don’t need a holiday to whip up this sweet treat.)

Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.
Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.

With that, your pistachio-filled and lemony-drizzled bundt cake is complete!

Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.
Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.

Doesn’t it look incredibly delicious? Trust me, it is. It’s dense, but still light thanks to all of that lemon zest and lemon juice. This is one cake I’d be proud to serve at any bunch, be it on St. Patty’s Day or another special occasion.

If my newfound morning routine continues, I’ll have lots more creative ideas and recipes to share. Stay tuned!

Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Spring, or Easter.

Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake

A delicious combination of lemon and pistachio come together to create this moist and flavorful Lemon Pistachio Bundt Cake. Topped with a lemon icing, this cake is delight for any celebration.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple cake, bundt cake, lemon, pistachio
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Cooling: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 524kcal

Ingredients

Lemon Glaze:

Lemon Icing:

Instructions

  • Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
  • In a food processor, pulse the shelled pistachios until finely ground. (They should stick together when pinched.)
  • Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed with an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the ground pistachios, lemon zest, and vanilla. Beat until incorporated. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture and rum alternately, ending with the flour until just incorporated. Add the batter to the prepared pan, leveling out the top with the spatula.
  • Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes; then invert the cake onto the rack to cool completely.
  • In the meantime, prepare your lemon glaze. In a small saucepan simmer sugar, lemon juice, and salt over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. This will take 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then brush the glaze evenly on the cake.
  • Finally, prepare the lemon icing by whisking together confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Add more lemon juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over this icing over the Bundt cake and sprinkle it with chopped pistachios.

Nutrition

Calories: 524kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 600IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg
Recipe adapted from Country Living Magazine.

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23 Comments

  1. This sounds delicious – I can’t wait to try it. I noticed that there is water in your glaze ingredient list but it is not in the directions. Should this be added to the glaze?

  2. Would like to try the recipe. You specify a 12 cup bundt pan in the recipe, but the pan shape you use (and I checked the link) is for a 10 cup pan. Could you double-check for me? Thanks.

  3. I’d like to try this but can you confirm the amount of liquid for the cake itself? All I see is 1/4 cup rum but you said it’s dense yet light due to the lemon juice. I noticed that Kathy commented that her cake was super dry; that might be why.
    Thanks!

    1. Kalila,

      Yes – the recipe is correct. I think what Kathy did was use 2 cups ground pistachios instead of 2 cups whole shelled pistachios. There’s a big difference.
      The cake does have eggs, rum, and butter, which are all considered “wet” ingredients. It also gets brushed with a lemon glaze (that’s where the lemon juice comes in) which adds moisture to the cake.

      Hope that helps!
      xo Michael

  4. Want to make this for Easter tomorrow. Looks awesome! Wondering if you used roasted AND SALTED pistachios, or if I should rinse my pistachios before using. Thanks!

  5. Michael I am making this cake for my husband’s poker game/dinner party. I can’t wait to see if they like it. Thanks for the recipe.

    1. Michael I made this last Friday and it was so very dry. I don’t know what I did wrong except that maybe I put too much ground pistachios in it. I did 2 c ground pistachios and maybe that should have been 2 c pistachios before grinding. Anyway at least they said the flavor was good but was a fail for the poker night dinner.

  6. This looks really yummy. If I get to the store for pistachios I am making it. Have you looked into whether your local homeless shelters accept homemade donations?

    1. To be honest, I don’t know if I have a local homeless shelter, but that’s a good idea. Though, my family would be disappointed to miss out on the treats. Nothing goes to waste around here. Ha!

      xo Michael

  7. My goodness, Michael, so glad you are enjoying your new morning inspiration ritual. And thank you for sharing your joy via recipes like this one. Cheers, Ardith

  8. Your mornings sound wonderful and perfect. Love to see that you are being good to you. I think the relentless competition on the net is exhausting and stifling.