Plant-Based Pistachio Cake
Get ready to fall in love with The Plant-Based Pistachio Cake of Your Dreams! This wholesome, gluten-free cake is made with rolled oats, naturally sweet medjool dates, and rich, buttery pistachios for a moist, flavorful delight in every bite. Lightly sweetened with fruit and elevated with a splash of lemon and vanilla, it’s the perfect balance of nutty and sweet. Topped with a luscious, creamy pistachio-cashew frosting and a sprinkle of chopped pistachios for that satisfying crunch, this cake is 100% plant-based, oil-free, vegan and surprisingly easy to make. Whether it’s for a celebration or just because, you deserve this dreamy dessert!
Equipment
2 9" Round Silicone Cake Pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups rolled oats organic
- 1 cup pistachios shelled
- ¼ cup arrowroot powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup medjool dates or deglet
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups soy milk unsweetened, or plant based milk of choice
Frosting
- 1 cup cashews or almonds
- ½ cup pistachios shelled
- ½ cup medjool dates or deglet
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup water
Topping
- ½ cup pistachios shelled, chopped
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Blend the rolled oats with the pistachios in a blender to make flour.
- Pour into a mixing bowl along with the arrowroot flour, baking powder and soda and whisk thoroughly.
- Add the remaining cake ingredients to a blender and blend until the dates are completely pulverized.
- Stir this mixture into the dry mixture and pour into 2 – 9 inch silicone cake pans or cake pans lined with parchment.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
Frosting
- Add all frosting ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Once the cakes are completely cooled, place one of the cakes on a plate or cake stand and spread on half of the frosting.
- Place the second cake on top of that and spread the remaining frosting on the top only.
- Sprinkle the chopped pistachios on top of the cake to decorate.
Nutrition
Calories: 369kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 11gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 222mgPotassium: 620mgFiber: 6gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 321IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 168mgIron: 3mg
I have not had pistachio cake in years! Can’t wait to make this!
Looks amazing, Jill!
I just took the cakes out of the oven. My family can’t wait to try it. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Yay! I hope you all love it =)
I haven’t tried this (yet), but would like to. Were the pistachios you used salted? The only ones I’ve found are salted in the shell, and I’m concerned the result will be too salty and not sweet enough. What do you advise?
I have tried making the cake with both actually and they both work fine. I actually like the salted ones in it better.
Thank you! ??
Incredible! Perfect texture and sweetness was just just right! I’ll definitely be adding this easy yet show stopping recipe to my repertoire ?
This cake looks amazing! I am definitely going to try it, but I haven’t had success using oatflour. What do you recommend in its place?
I don’t really have an effective alternative to the oat flour, sorry
This cake is my next favorite cake after the 7 layer chocolate cake. I love pistachios, the texture was perfect. Even better than the ones they sell in the stores that have green coloring.
Would this work fine in a 9×13 inch pan instead of two 9 inch?
Yes
Great, thank you!!
We love your recipes. What are your thoughts re: making the pistachio cake as muffins – and if so, how many do you think it would make and how long would you bake them for?
Hello Caroline, I think they would definitely work as muffins. Just not really sure how many this recipe will make or how long to bake them. My best guess on the baking time would be 15-20 minutes.
Hello! I would like to ask you if I can replace the arrowroot powder with something else in this recipe?
Thank you!
tapioca starch or corn starch
Thank you!
Hi Jill, are those dry roasted pistachios or raw ones? Thank you so much for this and all your wonderful recipes!
They are dry roasted.
I finally tried this recipe and it was even better than I imagined. I used corn starch instead of arrowroot and it was totally fine. The cakes were so thin, I was worried about the texture, but with them stacked and frosting between and on top, it was really perfect. And so easy to make, too!! Thanks for another great recipe. I brought this to a picnic with a bunch of “meat & potatoes” people and expected to bring most of it home. One person came back for a 4th piece and we didn’t have any to bring home! A great success!!
Hi Jill!
Does this cake freeze well after being cut into individual portions?
Hello Debbie,
Sorry, I’m not sure. I haven’t tried freezing it but I think it would do ok.
Thanks for another great recipe. My batter was quite runny so I added a bit more pistachio flour to the mix. For the filling / topping, I didn’t have cashews or almonds so I improvised a mix of coconut flakes, oats and more pistachios blended into powder, then further blended with half a cup of dates and one and a half cups of soy milk, plus some vanilla essence and lemon juice. It looks good. Will taste tomorrow!
Thanks for another great recipe. My batter was quite runny so I added a bit more pistachio flour to the mix. For the filling / topping, I didn’t have cashews or almonds so I improvised a mix of coconut flakes, oats and more pistachios blended into powder, then further blended with half a cup of dates and 3/4 cup of soy milk, plus some vanilla essence and lemon juice. It looks good. Will taste tomorrow!