Last updated on November 3rd, 2025.
This isn’t just any Pistachio Pound Cake, it’s a rich, tender, and buttery delight, infused with the distinctive flavor of pistachios and the creamy essence of cream cheese.
Nothing beat a rich, buttery, and comforting pound cake, 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.
Key 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. Honestly, you can use any kind you like or have at hand: roasted or raw, salted or unsalted. Personally I like to keep the skin on, it adds another layer of flavor and color.
- Cream cheese. Despite the fact that cream cheese is tangy and has a string distingue flavor, in this recipe, it blends beautifully with the pistachios, and highlight the mild, unique flavor.
- 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.
- Sour cream. The acidity balances the large amount of the sugar, and can be replaced with buttermilk, or plain greek yogurt.
Try this Pistachio Glaze for an extra layer of flavor and texture.
Make It
To give the cake both the flavor and the texture of the pistachios, we will process half of the nuts into a paste, then cream it with the butter, sugar and cream cheese. The second half we will add to the flour mixture in roughly chopped pieces.
Prepare the Pistachios
Process half of the pistachios in a food processor until you have a sticky, thick spreadable paste. Chop the other half using a large kitchen knife (or pulse it a few time in the food processor).
Make The Batter
Make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature, then cream the pistachio paste with the butter, sugar and cream cheese, and mix the chopped ones with the flour, potato starch and baking powder. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as you go so all of the ingredients will be incorporated fully. Below are step-by-step images for a visual gaudiness.
Baking
Baking time will change depending on the pans you are using. This recipe yields one 10, or 12 cups bundt pan. Or two 8-inch loaf pans.
Here are the two things to remember when baking this cake:
- Fill the pan no more than 3/4 full.
- 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.
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.
Pistachio Pound Cake (No instant pudding mix)
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, butter, sugar, 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, one at a time, waiting for each egg to fully incorporate before adding the next egg.
- In a separate large bowl, mix the flour, potato starch, baking powder and chopped pistachios.
- 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.
Notes
- Replace the potato starch with more flour if you do not have it at hand.
- Replace the sour cream with buttermilk, or plain greek yogurt (no skim).
- Bake the cake in a 10, or 12-inch Bundt pan or two 8-inch loaf pans, and only fill the pan up to 3/4 full.
- The cake is ready when the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out from the center of the cake with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake with chill in the pan for about 30-45 minutes before inverting it. Releasing it too soon might cause it to collapse, or stick to the pan.
- Do not allow the cake to chill completely in the pan or it will stick to it.
