Light, fragrant, and a little bit special - this is the kind of bake that looks impressive but is easier than you'd think.
There's something about the combination of lemon and pistachio that just feels a cut above. Bright, nutty, and not too sweet - it's the kind of cake you'd be proud to bring to the table, whether you're baking for guests or simply treating yourself on a slow weekend morning.
We've been making this one in the Cooks Professional kitchen and it's become a firm favourite. The olive oil keeps it beautifully moist, and the ground pistachios give it a lovely dense, tender crumb. Topped with a light mascarpone cream, a scatter of crushed pistachios and fresh lemon zest, it looks every bit as good as it tastes.
What you'll need
For the cake:
200g granulated sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest (from about 2-3 lemons)
3 large eggs
150ml extra virgin olive oil
115ml whole milk (or milk of your choice)
Juice of 2 fresh lemons (approx. 60ml)
1 tsp vanilla extract
185g plain flour
120g finely ground or chopped pistachios
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
For the mascarpone frosting:
115g mascarpone cheese
60g icing sugar
180ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
To finish: a handful of crushed pistachios and a few thin lemon slices
How to make it
1. Get your tin ready. Preheat your oven to 175°C (155°C fan). Grease the bottom and sides of a 23cm round cake tin, line the base with a circle of baking parchment, then grease again.
2. Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl and use your fingertips to massage them together for a couple of minutes. The sugar will turn slightly pale and start to smell wonderfully fragrant - this step draws out the oils from the zest and gives the cake a much more pronounced lemon flavour. Don't skip it!
3. Add the eggs, olive oil, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on a medium speed until smooth and well combined.
4. Switch to a low speed and add the flour, ground pistachios, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined, stopping as soon as the flour disappears.
5. Pour the batter into your prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the top starts to colour too quickly, lay a piece of foil loosely over the tin. Every oven is slightly different, so start checking at 35 minutes.
6. Leave the cake in the tin for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack. It needs to be completely cool before you add the frosting - at least 2 hours. (We know. It's the hardest part.)
7. Make the frosting! Mix the mascarpone and icing sugar together in your stand mixer bowl until smooth and lump-free. Add the double cream and vanilla, then mix again until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
8. Spread the mascarpone frosting generously over the top of the cooled cake. Scatter over some extra crushed pistachios and arrange a few lemon slices in the centre.
Slice, serve, and enjoy every bit of it!
A few tips before you start:
If you can't get hold ready ground pistachios, you can buy whole (shell them first!) and blitz them yourself in a food processor.
The olive oil is what keeps this cake so soft and moist, so don't be tempted to swap it out. A good quality, mild-flavoured oil works best here.
Browse our full range of stand mixers here!