Delicious Lemon Pistachio Sheet Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream

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Indulge in the exquisite flavors of this soft and simple Lemon Pistachio Cake, a delightful sheet cake masterpiece topped with a luscious lemon white chocolate buttercream. This dessert isn’t just a cake; it’s an experience, bringing together the earthy richness of pistachios with the bright zest of lemon and the sweet creaminess of white chocolate. This combination creates a harmonious balance that is truly unforgettable, making it an absolute must-try for any baking enthusiast.

Every bite of this pistachio sheet cake is packed with flavor. The finely ground pistachios infuse the cake with a unique, subtle nuttiness and a beautiful natural green hue, while also contributing to its incredibly soft and tender texture. The lemon white chocolate buttercream serves as the perfect complement, with its tangy lemon notes cutting through the richness of the white chocolate, and together they elegantly balance the distinct earthy profile of the pistachios. This careful blend of ingredients ensures that no single flavor overpowers another, resulting in a perfectly balanced and utterly delicious dessert.

This cake is not only a treat for the taste buds but also a joy to bake. Its sheet cake format makes it less intimidating than traditional layer cakes, perfect for bakers of all skill levels. Whether you’re making it for a special occasion or simply to brighten an ordinary day, this Lemon Pistachio Sheet Cake is sure to impress. We’re confident you’ll adore its exquisite taste and delicate texture as much as we do!

Looking for more delightful baking inspiration? Explore our other fantastic sheet cake and pistachio recipes, such as our rich Chocolate Sheet Cake with Mascarpone Frosting, the vibrant Raspberry Pistachio Layer Cake, and the fun Birthday Blondie Bars. Each recipe offers a unique twist on classic desserts, promising delicious results every time.

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WHY THIS LEMON PISTACHIO CAKE RECIPE WORKS

• Easy to Make: One of the greatest advantages of a sheet cake is its simplicity. Unlike multi-tiered cakes that can be daunting, this lemon pistachio sheet cake is designed for ease. It’s a no-fuss baking project that delivers spectacular results without requiring advanced decorating skills or complex techniques. Simply spread the batter, bake, and frost – perfect for busy bakers or beginners.
• Super Soft and Tender Texture: The secret to this cake’s irresistible texture lies in its carefully selected ingredients, including buttermilk, which is known for tenderizing cake batters. The finely ground pistachios also contribute to a moist crumb, resulting in a cake that is exceptionally soft, airy, and literally melts in your mouth. This isn’t just a cake; it’s a fluffy cloud of pistachio goodness.
• Rich Pistachio Flavor: Pistachios are the star of the show, imparting their unique earthy, nutty flavor and a beautiful natural green hue to the cake. Using unsalted pistachios ensures that the delicate flavor of the nut shines through without any competing saltiness, making for a truly authentic and rich pistachio experience in every bite.
• Perfect Lemon White Chocolate Buttercream: To elevate the pistachio cake, we’ve crafted a lemon white chocolate buttercream that is nothing short of heavenly. The bright, tangy notes of fresh lemon zest and juice perfectly cut through the sweetness of the white chocolate, creating a balanced and incredibly creamy frosting. This combination not only complements the earthy tones of the pistachios but also adds a layer of sophisticated flavor that takes the entire cake to another level.

KEY INGREDIENT NOTES FOR THIS PISTACHIO CAKE

Understanding the role of each ingredient is key to achieving the perfect Lemon Pistachio Cake. These are some of the key components; for a full list with exact measurements, please refer to the recipe card below.

• Butter: For both the cake and the buttercream, room temperature butter is crucial. It incorporates more easily with sugar and other ingredients, creating an emulsified batter and a smooth, fluffy buttercream. Remember to take it out of the fridge 1-2 hours before you plan to start baking.
• Eggs: Just like butter, room temperature eggs are essential for a uniform batter. They mix more evenly, preventing the batter from curdling and resulting in a lighter, more consistent cake texture. Allow them to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours prior to use.
• Unsalted Pistachios: The heart of our pistachio cake! Using unsalted pistachios allows you to control the salt content in the recipe and ensures the pure, distinct flavor of the nut comes through. Blending them into a flour-like consistency not only imbues the cake with its beautiful natural green color but also contributes to its incredibly soft and moist crumb. Look for bright green pistachios for the best visual appeal.
• Buttermilk: This acidic ingredient is a game-changer for cake texture. Buttermilk reacts with the baking soda, creating tiny air pockets that contribute to a softer, more tender, and incredibly moist cake. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make a quick substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to regular milk and letting it sit for 5-10 minutes until it slightly curdles. Ensure it’s at room temperature before adding to the batter.
• White Chocolate: For the buttercream, high-quality white chocolate makes a significant difference. Whether you use chips or a block, opt for one with a good cocoa butter content for a smoother melt and richer flavor. This will result in a velvety, luxurious buttercream that balances the lemon beautifully.
• Fresh Lemons: Both the zest and juice of fresh lemons are integral to the bright, tangy flavor of the buttercream. Always use fresh lemons for the best, most vibrant taste – bottled lemon juice simply won’t achieve the same results.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS – PISTACHIO SHEET CAKE

Crafting this delicious lemon pistachio cake is a straightforward process when you follow these steps. For this recipe, you’ll need a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment, or a reliable hand mixer. Additionally, prepare a 22×33 cm (9×13 inch) sheet pan, ensuring it’s lined with baking paper for easy release.

The complete, detailed recipe, including all ingredient quantities, can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Before you begin: Preheat your oven to 170ºC/ 340ºF (conventional oven setting). Take a moment to properly prepare your 22×33 cm sheet pan by lining it with baking paper, leaving a slight overhang on the sides for easy removal of the baked cake.

STEP 1. Prepare Dry and Wet Ingredients: Start by processing the unsalted pistachios in a food processor or blender until they reach a fine, flour-like consistency. This step is crucial for both flavor distribution and the cake’s delicate texture. In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, your freshly blended pistachios, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sifting helps to eliminate lumps and ensures these dry ingredients are evenly distributed. Set this mixture aside. In another small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla extract, then also set it aside.

STEP 2. Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the softened room temperature butter, vegetable oil, and granulated sugar. Beat this mixture on high speed for at least 3 minutes. This creaming process incorporates air into the butter and sugar, which is vital for a light and fluffy cake texture.

STEP 3. Add Eggs: Reduce the mixer speed to medium. Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated into the butter mixture before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is thoroughly combined. The mixture should appear smooth and well-emulsified.

STEP 4. Incorporate Dry and Wet Mixtures: With the mixer on low speed, begin adding the dry flour-pistachio mixture and the buttermilk-vanilla mixture to the wet ingredients. Start by adding ⅓ of the flour mixture, mix until just combined, then add ½ of the milk mixture. Repeat this process, ending with the final ⅓ of the flour mixture. It’s important to mix each addition only until just combined to avoid overmixing, which can lead to a tough cake.

STEP 5. Bake the Cake: Carefully pour the cake batter evenly into your prepared sheet pan. Ensure it’s spread from edge to edge for even baking. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-37 minutes. The cake is done when a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, with no wet batter clinging to it.

STEP 6. Cool Completely: Once baked, remove the sheet pan from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. After this initial cooling, gently lift the cake from the tin using the parchment paper overhang and transfer it directly onto the cooling rack to cool completely. This step is crucial for preventing the cake from becoming soggy and ensuring it’s firm enough to handle before frosting.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS – LEMON WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM AND ASSEMBLING

Creating the silky smooth lemon white chocolate buttercream and assembling your cake is the final exciting stage. This frosting adds the perfect tangy-sweet finish to your pistachio sheet cake.

STEP 1. Prepare Melted White Chocolate: Begin by gently melting the white chocolate and heavy cream together. You can do this either over a bain-marie (a bowl set over a pot of simmering water) or carefully in the microwave, heating in short bursts and stirring until smooth. Once melted, set the mixture aside in the fridge to cool down to room temperature. It is critical that this mixture is not warm when added to the butter, as it can melt your buttercream.

STEP 2. Prepare Butter and Sugar: About 10 minutes before you start making the buttercream, take your butter out of the fridge. Cut it into small cubes; this helps it soften evenly and incorporate faster. Sift your powdered sugar to remove any lumps, ensuring a smooth buttercream texture.

STEP 3. Cream Butter and Incorporate White Chocolate: In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cubed butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl thoroughly, and then mix for another minute. Next, add the cooled melted white chocolate mixture to the creamed butter and mix on low speed until it’s fully incorporated and smooth. Scrape down the sides once more and give it a final mix to ensure consistency.

STEP 4. Add Lemon Juice, Powdered Sugar, and Vanilla: With the mixer still on low speed, gradually add the fresh lemon juice. Then, slowly incorporate the sifted powdered sugar in two portions, mixing thoroughly after each addition until no streaks remain. Scrape down the sides of the bowl one last time, then add the vanilla extract. Increase the speed to low/medium and mix for another 2 minutes. This final mixing step helps to make the buttercream extra light and airy.

STEP 5. Remove Air Bubbles for a Smooth Finish: Take the bowl off the stand mixer. Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, vigorously beat the buttercream by hand for a few minutes. This manual step is surprisingly effective at removing any trapped air bubbles, resulting in an incredibly smooth, glossy, and professional-looking buttercream.

STEP 6. Assemble and Decorate: Once your lemon pistachio cake is completely cool and your buttercream is perfectly smooth, it’s time to assemble. Using a spatula, generously spread the buttercream evenly over the top of the sheet cake. For a beautiful finish and an extra pop of pistachio flavor and texture, sprinkle a handful of freshly chopped unsalted pistachios over the frosted cake. Now your stunning Lemon Pistachio Sheet Cake is ready to be sliced and enjoyed!

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR PERFECT CAKE

Achieving baking perfection, especially with a cake as delicate as this Lemon Pistachio Sheet Cake, often comes down to attention to detail. Here are some expert tips to ensure your cake turns out flawlessly every time:

• Use a Kitchen Scale for Precision: While cup measurements are common, grams offer unparalleled accuracy, especially in baking where ingredient ratios are critical. My recipes default to grams for this reason. A kitchen scale is an invaluable tool that ensures your ingredients are measured precisely, leading to consistent and reliable results, and preventing common baking mishaps caused by inaccurate measuring.
• Avoid Overmixing Your Batter: Overmixing is one of the most common mistakes in cake baking. Once the dry ingredients are added to the wet, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour too much, resulting in a dense, tough, and chewy cake rather than a soft and tender one. I always recommend using a rubber spatula to give the batter one final, gentle fold by hand after machine mixing. This ensures that any pockets of unmixed ingredients from the bottom or sides of the bowl are fully incorporated without overworking the batter.
• Choose the Right Baking Pan: The type of baking pan you use significantly impacts the final texture and color of your cake. For the best results with this pistachio sheet cake, opt for an aluminum baking pan. Aluminum pans are light in color, which means they reflect heat and bake more gently and evenly. This results in a cake with a softer, lighter crust and a consistently moist crumb. Always grease your aluminum pan with butter and line the bottom with baking paper for easy removal. In contrast, dark-colored baking pans absorb more heat, leading to a darker, crispier crust that can sometimes result in a drier cake.
• Room Temperature Ingredients are Key: As mentioned in the ingredient notes, ensuring your butter, eggs, and buttermilk are at room temperature is vital. This allows them to emulsify properly, creating a smooth, homogenous batter that traps air efficiently, leading to a lighter, more tender crumb. Cold ingredients don’t mix as well, which can result in a lumpy batter and a denser cake.
• Don’t Rush the Cooling Process: It can be tempting to frost a cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, but patience is a virtue here. A warm cake will melt your buttercream, leading to a runny mess. Always allow your cake to cool completely on a wire rack before applying any frosting. This might take a couple of hours, but it’s essential for a beautifully finished cake.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT LEMON PISTACHIO CAKE

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR PISTACHIO CAKE

To maintain the freshness and incredible flavor of your Lemon Pistachio Sheet Cake, proper storage is essential. Store the cake on your kitchen counter in an airtight container. This will protect it from drying out and keep the buttercream from hardening too much. The cake is best enjoyed within 3-4 days of baking. While it can be refrigerated to extend its shelf life, bringing it back to room temperature before serving will ensure the best flavor and texture, especially for the buttercream.

Other Pistachio and Sheet Cake Recipes To Try

If you loved this Lemon Pistachio Sheet Cake, you’re in for a treat! We have a curated collection of other recipes that celebrate the unique flavor of pistachios and the convenience of sheet cakes. Expand your baking repertoire with these equally delicious options:

If you adored this recipe, please make sure to leave a STAR REVIEW in the recipe card below! We love hearing from you. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats to share your creations. For more baking inspiration and delicious ideas, you can also follow me on Pinterest.

Lemon Pistachio Cake

Soft and simple lemon pistachio cake with a delicious pistachio sheet cake and a lemon white chocolate buttercream. This sheet cake is full of delicious flavor and lemon, pistachio and white chocolate goes absolutely perfectly together!

5 from 23 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 15 slices

Calories 468 kcal

Equipment

• 22×33/ 9×13 inch sheet pan
• Parchment Paper

Ingredients

 

 

PISTACHIO CAKE

• 100 g unsalted pistachios blended into flour
• 260 g all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 240 g buttermilk room temperature
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 180 g butter room temperature
• 65 g vegetable oil e.g. canola oil
• 330 g granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs room temperature

LEMON WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

• 100 g white chocolate
• 20 g heavy cream
• 200 g butter cool room temperature
• 350 g powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DECORATION

• Chopped unsalted pistachios

Instructions

 

PISTACHIO CAKE

• Preheat the oven at 170ºC/ 340ºF conventional oven and prepare a 22×33/ 9×13 inch sheet baking pan with parchment paper.
• Blend the pistachios into a flour-like consistency.
  100 g unsalted pistachios
• Sift together the all-purpose flour, blended pistachios, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set it aside. Mix together the buttermilk and vanilla extract and set it aside.
  260 g all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt, 240 g buttermilk, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, or mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, add the butter and granulated sugar and mix it on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the vegetable oil and mix it together on low speed until combined.
  65 g vegetable oil, 330 g granulated sugar, 180 g butter
• Add the eggs one at a time into the mixture and mix it in until combined.
  4 large eggs
• Continue by alternating between adding ⅓ of the flour mixture and ½ of the buttermilk mixture, ending on the flour mixture. Mix in each addition until just combined.
• Add the cake batter to the sheet pan. Bake it for 35-37 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool on a cooling rack. After 10 minutes, gently remove the cake from the cake tin and let the cake cool down completely.

LEMON WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

• Melt the white chocolate and heavy cream together over a bain-marie or in the microwave. Let it cool down to room temperature in the fridge (it’s important that it’s not too hot).
  100 g white chocolate, 20 g heavy cream
• Take the butter out of the fridge 10 minutes before starting and cut the butter into cubes. Sift the powdered sugar.
  200 g butter, 350 g powdered sugar
• In your stand mixer, use the paddle attachment, start by creaming the butter for 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix 1 minute more. Add the melted white chocolate and mix it in until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another mix to make sure it’s fully incorporated with the butter.
• On low speed, add the lemon juice and the sifted powdered sugar in 2 portions, mix in the powdered sugar at low speed, until each addition is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the vanilla extract. Mix for 2 minutes on low/medium speed.
  2 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Add the cake to a serving tray and add the buttercream on top of the sheet cake. Spread it out evenly and sprinkle it with chopped pistachios. It’s ready to be enjoyed.
  Chopped unsalted pistachios

Notes

Update: The baking powder was on the 24th March 2023 updated from 2 teaspoon to ½ teaspoon as well as the salt reduced from 1 teaspoon to ¾ tsp

Nutrition

Calories: 468kcalCarbohydrates: 72gProtein: 6gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 450mgPotassium: 129mgFiber: 1gSugar: 51gVitamin A: 127IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 2mg

Keyword lemon, pistachio, sheet cake, white chocolate buttercream, easy dessert, moist cake

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