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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Pistachio Loaf

bread· breakfast· cake· dessert· Easter· Fall Flavors· Holiday Favorites· pastries· snacks
January 15, 2023

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Pistachio Loaf – Real pistachios are ground and added to olive oil, eggs, sugar, flour, and a hint of almond extract to make this gorgeous loaf that is great for dessert or afternoon tea.

slice of pistachio loaf on a cutting board with the rest of the loaf in the background

I’ve spent the last 2 weeks getting back into healthy mode. But now it’s time for a break. Bring on the cake! I have a delicious new loaf cake for you today. And it’s loaded with real pistachios. None of that fake pudding mix in this recipe, folks!

This Pistachio Loaf is made by chopping real pistachios finely and then adding in eggs, olive oil, milk, almond extract, and flour. Olive oil seems odd at first, but it adds an incredible amount of moisture. And the way it pairs with pistachios enhances their flavor. Once the cake bakes, you don’t taste even a hint of olive oil flavor. I promise!

Here is my Pistachio Loaf!

whole pistachio loaf cake without yet being sliced, shot from the front
overhead shot of pistachio loaf cake
slices of pistachio loaf

Tips & Tricks

  1. Lightly salted pistachios. It’s important to use lightly salted pistachios in this recipe. Since we’re adding salt to the batter, using really salty pistachios will make the cake a little too salty. If you cannot find light salted pistachios, use salted ones and omit the salt from the batter.
  2. Cover the cake if browning too fast. Loaf cakes take about an hour to make Because of this long bake time, sometimes the outside will get too brown before the inside is fully-cooked. To prevent this, keep an eye on your bread and top with foil when you notice the top beginning to get too brown.
  3. Do not mix too much! Be very careful not to over-mix this batter. If you mix too much, it will make the bread tense and tough.
  4. Food processor needed. This recipe calls for a food processor. If you don’t have one, you’ll have to chop the nuts by hand. This will take almost 10 minutes to get them finely chopped. After that, you can just complete the rest of the steps with a bowl and whisk or a stand mixer.
Print Recipe

Pistachio Loaf

Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time1 hour hr
Cooling time15 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
Servings: 1 loaf

Ingredients

  • 1 cup roasted pistachios lightly salted
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside. If you have a dark colored pan, reduce heat to 325 degrees.
  • Add 1 cup of pistachios to a full-sized food processor. Pulse to chop just a little bit. Remove 2 tablespoons of chopped pistachios from the food processor and set aside in a small bowl. Continue to pulse the rest of the pistachio until they are finely chopped. Add sugar and salt and pulse until combined.
  • Add eggs, one at a time to the food processor, pulsing after each one. Add almond extract and pulse to combine. With the food processor on, drizzle in olive oil and milk slowly. Once combined, add all flour and baking powder. Pulse just until combined.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread evenly. Sprinkle reserved chopped pistachios down the center of the batter. Place in preheated oven to bake for 55 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
  • Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the cake from the edges of the pan. Invert onto a plate to remove it form the pan. Serve immediately or within 2 days.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Feel Good Foodie

Pin for later:

pin of pistachio loaf cake

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20 Comments

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Comments

  1. Jenny says

    January 22, 2023 at 9:28 pm

    This pistachio bread is great! I am a newbie and don’t bake often. I have been experimenting and found your recipe just in time! I followed your detailed instructions and managed to pull it off! The loaf tastes really good! Thanks so much for this!

    Reply
  2. Amy Liu Dong says

    January 22, 2023 at 9:12 pm

    I love Pistachio so much! This one is so delicious and so easy to make.

    Reply
  3. Lauren Michael Harris says

    January 22, 2023 at 4:25 pm

    This pistachio cake was so delicious! I’ve just recently found that I love pistachios in baked good – I will be making this again!

    Reply
  4. Erin says

    January 22, 2023 at 2:17 pm

    This was so full of pistachio flavor! We all really enjoyed it. And I love the color! Thanks.

    Reply
  5. Jamie says

    January 22, 2023 at 11:12 am

    Wow! This Pistachio Loaf bread looks amazingly delicious and very tempting! As pistachio is one of my favorite snacks. This will be an instant favorite too! It’s overloaded with pistachios making this so tasteful! Love it!

    Reply
  6. Tammy says

    January 19, 2023 at 2:23 pm

    My mom loves pistachio so I think she would thoroughly enjoy this cake. I’m so intrigued to make this now! Sounds delicious and looks super moist.

    Reply
  7. Mikayla says

    January 18, 2023 at 8:21 pm

    Great nutty flavor, so good with a cup of coffee or as a warmed up treat with some butter.

    Reply
  8. Colleen says

    January 18, 2023 at 4:11 pm

    I’m a pistachio fan so when I saw this recipe I had to make it. It did not disappoint. It’s a moist and delicious loaf. Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply
  9. Pam says

    January 18, 2023 at 3:28 pm

    This comes out so moist and with so much flavor! I love it in the afternoon with a cup of tea!

    Reply
  10. Artney says

    January 17, 2023 at 9:30 pm

    Pistachios and olive oil are such a delicious combination! This cake is so moist and delicious and goes so well with afternoon tea.

    Reply
  11. Julie says

    January 17, 2023 at 9:03 pm

    I tried this loaf and love the pistachio flavors! So tasty and simple to make for the family. Adding this to my recipe mix

    Reply
  12. Lima Ekram says

    January 17, 2023 at 7:41 pm

    Made with for a tea with my friends! Everyone loved it!

    Reply
  13. Diana Reis says

    January 17, 2023 at 7:09 pm

    This is a lovely smooth loaf. Pistachio and olive oil are a great combination and the whole cake is just sweet enough.

    Reply
  14. rebecca says

    January 17, 2023 at 6:54 pm

    pistachios + olive oil is such a great flavor combo in this recipe! yum

    Reply
  15. Irena says

    January 17, 2023 at 6:47 pm

    Lovely, moist loaf with a distinct but not overpowering pistachio flavour. Will be making again!

    Reply
  16. Carrie Robinson says

    January 17, 2023 at 6:32 pm

    So perfect for a pistachio lover! Looks delicious. 🙂

    Reply
  17. Nadalie says

    January 17, 2023 at 1:20 pm

    I love pistachio but have never tried them as bread! This is great to try out some time!

    Reply
  18. Marta says

    January 17, 2023 at 11:07 am

    Pistachios are one of my favorite nuts so I knew I would love this pistachio loaf. It was perfectly moist and had the perfect amount of texture and flavor from the pistachios.

    Reply
  19. Whitney Stewart says

    January 17, 2023 at 12:31 am

    I’m not much of a pistachio person, but this actually looks pretty good! I’ll give it a whirl here pretty soon! Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
  20. Amber Myers says

    January 16, 2023 at 9:39 pm

    Yum, this looks so amazing! I’ve always been a huge fan of pistachio

    Reply

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Hi, my name is Sharon. I’m an accountant by day, risk-taking baker and food enthusiast by night. Come join me as I share my favorite recipes and test out new ones along the way!

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Want to make your own Gideon's-inspired cookies at home? 💌 Comment 'BANANA' below and I'll send you the link!

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I used to love cooking, but during busy weeks it f I used to love cooking, but during busy weeks it felt like a chore. I was too exhausted after work to make anything fun. But with all that time at home, I was able to rethink our favorite foods and make them more achievable for weeknights.

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Here's what makes this recipe a weeknight winner:
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Three critical tips:
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