When I was girl, my Mom's friend, Joanne, was quite the baker. She would bake homemade desserts on a regular basis for her family, and there were always a couple from-scratch desserts available at their summer gatherings. One of the cakes that my Mom really enjoyed was Joanne's pistachio bundt cake. This happened to be a cake that Joanne didn't make from scratch but it was delicious nonetheless. Joanne copied down the recipe for my Mom and she's been making it ever since.
The recipe was quite simple really: a boxed yellow cake mix and two boxes of instant pistachio pudding combined with a couple additional ingredients. Pour the final mixture into a bundt pan, bake and viola!
Those pistachio bundt cakes set me on a path to love all things Bundt, but, as I grew older and more conscious of what I ate, it bothered me that this beloved pistachio cake was a processed nightmare. More along the lines of a Chemical-Pistaschio Bundt Cake than anything resembling "cake" or actually containing pistachio nuts. The instant pudding mix contains "less than 2%" of pistachio nuts! Boo.
The last time I made the boxed version of the cake I swore it would be the last time. Determined to create a from-scratch pistachio cake recipe, I consulted "The Joy" for a yellow cake recipe. Then I recalled a vendor at a local art fair last summer who sold her homemade nut butters. Heck, I had tasted her pistachio butter and even thought then that it could be used to make cake. How could this epiphany have slipped my mind?!
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking's yellow cake recipe, here is my from-scratch recipe for:
Pistachio Bundt Cake with a Buttermilk-Lime Glaze
Preheat the oven to 350˚
Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan. Take care to reach every nook and cranny.
Sift together and set aside:
2-2/3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
2-1/4 tsp baking power
1/2 tsp salt
In a measuring cup combine and set aside:
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
In a large bowl, cream 2 sticks of butter (1/2 pound). Add 1-1/2 cups of sugar to the butter and beat until light and creamy. Then add 4 large eggs and mix well. Alternating the flour mixture and the milk mixture, add and blend each with the butter/egg mixture. Add 1 cup of Futters pistachio nut butter, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1 TB of walnut oil and blend well.
Add the cake batter to your Bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Buttermilk-Lime Glaze:
2 TB of well-shaken buttermilk
1-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Zest of two limes
Once the cake has cooled completely, whisk the above three ingredients together and then drizzle the glaze over the bundt cake.
Moist, nutty, and delicious!
The recipe was quite simple really: a boxed yellow cake mix and two boxes of instant pistachio pudding combined with a couple additional ingredients. Pour the final mixture into a bundt pan, bake and viola!
Those pistachio bundt cakes set me on a path to love all things Bundt, but, as I grew older and more conscious of what I ate, it bothered me that this beloved pistachio cake was a processed nightmare. More along the lines of a Chemical-Pistaschio Bundt Cake than anything resembling "cake" or actually containing pistachio nuts. The instant pudding mix contains "less than 2%" of pistachio nuts! Boo.
The last time I made the boxed version of the cake I swore it would be the last time. Determined to create a from-scratch pistachio cake recipe, I consulted "The Joy" for a yellow cake recipe. Then I recalled a vendor at a local art fair last summer who sold her homemade nut butters. Heck, I had tasted her pistachio butter and even thought then that it could be used to make cake. How could this epiphany have slipped my mind?!
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking's yellow cake recipe, here is my from-scratch recipe for:
Pistachio Bundt Cake with a Buttermilk-Lime Glaze
Preheat the oven to 350˚
Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan. Take care to reach every nook and cranny.
Sift together and set aside:
2-2/3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
2-1/4 tsp baking power
1/2 tsp salt
In a measuring cup combine and set aside:
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
In a large bowl, cream 2 sticks of butter (1/2 pound). Add 1-1/2 cups of sugar to the butter and beat until light and creamy. Then add 4 large eggs and mix well. Alternating the flour mixture and the milk mixture, add and blend each with the butter/egg mixture. Add 1 cup of Futters pistachio nut butter, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1 TB of walnut oil and blend well.
Add the cake batter to your Bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Buttermilk-Lime Glaze:
2 TB of well-shaken buttermilk
1-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Zest of two limes
Once the cake has cooled completely, whisk the above three ingredients together and then drizzle the glaze over the bundt cake.
Moist, nutty, and delicious!
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