Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cake with a Hint of Lime
Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cake – pistachio cake layers with mini chocolate chips and a lime cream cheese frosting.
Lucky Charms Cake
A couple years ago, the kids and I made a Lucky Charms cake for St. Patrick’s Day. While they didn’t love the idea of me taking all the marshmallows out of the cereal for the cake, they certainly loved helping make the cake and eat it!
Underneath all the marshmallows was a light and fluffy pistachio cake with an almond buttercream. I distinctly remember liking the cake, but not loving the cake. It ended up being more fun to make than to eat.
I love the idea of a pistachio cake, but feel like I missed the mark on it last time and wanted to redeem myself.
Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cake
With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, I thought it would be the perfect time to reinvent this cake. One of the things I wanted to add was finely ground pistachios. I felt like the cake layers themselves needed a little more flavor and texture to them. To make sure the cake didn’t turn out too dry, I made sure to reduce the flour from the previous recipe and I kept the pistachio pudding mix I used last time. I also added an additional egg.
To give the cake another element of texture and flavor, I threw in about a half cup of mini dark chocolate chips.
For the frosting, I switched things up completely from almond to a lime cream cheese. The small hint of lime with the pistachio is seriously the perfect flavor combination. And then the cream cheese gives the frosting the slightest tart flavor, which I think balances all the flavors really well.
I am beyond excited about how this cake turned out. The flavor combination and the textures are everything I hoped they would be!
Cake Making Tips
- Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
- Beat the butter and sugar for a few minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy.
- Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
- Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
- Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
- Use room temperature wet ingredients.
- Use fresh baking powder.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
Cake Decorating Tools
- Offset and straight spatulas
- Acrylic disk
- Scrapers
- Drip bottle
- Piping bag
You can find them all HERE.
Enjoy!
More Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 4 large egg whites at room temperature
- 1 whole egg
- 1 cup 240 g buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon 4.2 g pure vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups 316.25 g cake flour
- 3/4 cup 112.5 g finely ground pistachios
- 1 1/2 cup 300 g granulated sugar
- 1 package Jello pistachio pudding mix 3.4 oz
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (16 g) baking powder
- 12 tablespoons 169.5 g unsalted butter, soft and cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup 75 g mini dark or semi sweet chocolate chips
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- 1 1/2 cups 339 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 6 cups 750 g powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
- 2-3 tablespoons 28.8-43.3 g heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon 4.2 g lime extract
- Pinch of salt
- *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 3 8-inch or 4 6-inch pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, combine the egg whites, whole egg, ¼ cup of buttermilk, and vanilla.
- In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients together on low speed for 30 seconds.
- Add the butter one piece at a time, about every 10 seconds. Continue to mix on low speed until the mixture is a fine and crumbly texture. Add the ¾ cup remaining buttermilk and mix on low speed for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg mixture in 3 separate batches, mixing until light and fluffy, about 4 more minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all the batter has been incorporated.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Divide batter evenly among your pans, about 16 oz of batter in each 8-inch pan or 12 oz in each 6-inch pan.
- Bake the cakes until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs inserted into the center, about 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes before inverting them onto cooling racks to cool completely.
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese for about one minute.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar.
- Add the lime extract and heavy cream. Turn the mixer on medium-high speed and beat for 5-7 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon to push out any air bubbles.
How much almond extract? Its not in the ingredients list?
Sorry, that’s a typo on my part. There’s no almond in this.
Are the pistachios part of the “dry ingredients” in the recipe or are they reserved for the topping? Thanks!! We can’t wait to try this.
Part of the dry ingredients.
I cant find pistachio pudding bix in mexico. What else can i use?
Thanks
Pistachio oil would be great.
This sounds delicious! I’ve been addicted to the pistachio Oreos and was thinking they would make a great cake 😂😂 definitely want to give this a try since pistachio cake is my all time favorite! Did you end up putting some lime zest in the frosting? The pics have some flecks of green in the frosting. If so, how much did you use?
Yes just a couple teaspoons:)
You can use Vanilla pudding mix instead and an egg for the oil.
Hi Courtney – I do not see the recipe on this. Maybe it is just a me problem, but when I click the scroll to recipe button, it goes to the last photo. I can see the other recipes on your site, so not sure what is happening. Thanks!
Should be there now!
Hi! What’s the size of the cake? Can I use 4, 8″ pan? It’s not on the recipe
It’s 3 8-inch pans
What kind of pistachios do you use? Roasted or raw? Salted? Thank you!
Roasted, non salted.
Hi Courtney! Can’t wait to try this! Pistachio is my dad’s favorite. Can I use Lakanto powdered sugar for the buttercream? What will be the ratio?
Yes you can, Same ratio but start with a little less to see how sweet it is.
I’m going to try this cake for St Patrick’s day! But wondering if could use lime juice instead of lime extract?
Yes, it just won’t be quite as strong of a flavor.