Last updated on July 26th, 2026.
This isn’t just any Pistachio Pound Cake, it’s a rich, moist, tender, and buttery. No extracts, artificial flavoring or instant mixes here. This cake gets its deep pistachio flavor from real pistachios, which also give it its natural beautiful nutty hue.
Nothing beats a rich, buttery, and comforting pound cakes, and the only thing that can make it even better is turning it into a festival of flavor and texture like in this recipe. Not only this recipe uses real pistachios (no pudding mix thank you very much), it incorporates it all with creamy dreamy dose of cream cheese, very similar to these Moist Pistachios Muffins, and Orange Cream Cheese Cake. The result is an explosion of flavor, texture, and color.
My Secret Ingredients
The complete list of ingredients including measurements you can find below in the recipe card. For best results, please read my notes on the key ingredients and substitutions when possible.
- Shelled pistachios. The cake gets a deep, rich flavor from real pistachios, no extracts, or mixes. For maximum flavor use slightly slated roasted pistachios, and avoid flavored pistachios.
- Cream cheese. One of the reasons cream cheese works so well in this recipe is its fat content. Since many flavor compounds dissolve in fat, cream cheese is a great vessel for the pistachio flavor, helping it spread throughout the batter and become more noticeable in every bite. As a bonus, it also creates a rich, moist and tender crumb.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour and potato starch. The cake is rich and requires a descent amount of flour for a full, stable structure. Adding a tablespoon of potato starch helps maintain the structure and prevent the cake from getting too chewy. If you do not have potato starch at hand, replace it with more flour.
Try this Pistachio Glaze for an extra layer of flavor and texture.
Let’s Bake
This is a classic pound cake made using the creaming method (creaming the fat with the sugar and eggs), but with an extra step of processing some of the pistachio in a food processor for flavor and some into rough pieces using a knife, for texture.
Not much is new under the sun in this pound cake, and you are gurentee success when keeping these mixing principles:
- All of the ingredients need to be at room temperature. Cold ingredients do not incorporate smoothly and the cake bakes short, dense and chewy.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as you go. Some chunks of butter, cream cheese, and even unmixed eggs can be stuck to the bottom or sides. A soft rubber spatula will collect any lumps so they will be incorporated into a smooth batter.
- Use the spatula to incorporate the flour into the batter. When using a mixer, the friction can cause over mixing, which can tighten the cake.
- Pay attention to the cake and not the timer. The cake is ready when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs from the center.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan until the pan is warm to the touch of your hands, then invert it. If the pan is too warn, the cake is still setting and won’t release from the sides of the pan. If it cools completely in the pan, it will get stuck to the pan.
Storing
Best to store and serve at room temperature, covered for up to 5 days. Do not refrigerate, it will dry out the cake.
To freeze
Wrap the cake (whole or sliced) in plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.
Moist and Tender Pistachio Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 Cup (250g) Shelled pistachios
- 3/4 Cup (170g) Unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 Cup (224g) Cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 3/4 Cup (350g) Granulated sugar
- 4 Large Eggs at room temperature
- 2 1/3 Cups (280g) Unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoons (9g) Potato starch
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1/3 Cup (80ml) Sour cream at room temperature
Instructions
Prepare the pistachios
- Process half (125g) of the pistachios in a food processor until you have a thick, spread consistency mixture. Make sure to scape the sides of the bowl as you go.
- Chop the rest of the nuts into a rough pieces. You can use a kitchen knife, or the food processor.
Make The Batter
- Preheat your oven to 340F and grease one 12 cups bundt pan.
- Cream the cream cheese (225g), butter (170g), sugar (350g), and pistachio paste on high speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl 2-3 times, or as needed.
- Add the eggs (4), one at a time, waiting for each egg to fully incorporate before adding the next egg.
- In a separate large bowl, mix the flour (280g), potato starch (9g), baking powder (2 1/2 teaspoons) and chopped pistachios (125g).
- Reduce the speed to low, then add the flour in three parts, alternating with the sour cream.
- Once you added the last part of the flour, use a rubber spatula to mix the flour into batter. This is the best way to make sure we are not over mixing.
- Fill the greased pan with the batter and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out from the center of the cake with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow the cake to set and chill in the pan for at least 45 minutes before inverting the cake. Inverting the cake too soon might cause the cake to collapse and some part to stick to the pan. However, if the cake cools completely in the pan it might get stuck to the pan as well.
Can you make this cake dairy free?
I am afraid not, the cream cheese is key to this recipe.