Sometimes you just need a little bit of sophistication and elegance in your life!
This new recipe for Pistachio Rose Cake is going to send you off to a garden villa wedding in the mountains of Italy!
Perfect Pistachio Cake recipe with rose scented buttercream filling
I’ve once again commissioned the Strawberry Couverture from my recent Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies recipe
And incorporated it into a new recipe for Strawberry Mirror Glaze!
So now you have three new recipes to add to your favorites list!
Fresh organic roses to decorate this delicate layer cake but of course that part is optional!
The babies breath is purely for the photograph and not intended to be served in any way on this cake,
Since despite the innocuous look of these sweet soft blooms, baby’s breath is slightly poisonous.
But don’t get me started about the intentional poisoning of our entire food system by Big Ag and Big Pharma,
So for me a little baby breathe touching my buttercream doesn’t scare me.
However advising you all to add baby breathe to your cake decor would be quite reckless of me now wouldn’t it?
OK, now back to this cake!
As you know my cakes are almost always three layers of 7″ cakes
However today for this cake I wanted to go less “bakery style” and more towards the rustic look with a stout two layer cake instead.
This way there is less filling too and the cake can really stand out because these cake layers definitely deserve the most attention!
I like that this cake is not the typical super moist almost heavy cake that is associated with vegan cakes.
it is quite possibly the most perfect balance of moist without feeling heavy or soggy
If you have ever tried a traditionally European Genoise style cake, that is what this so closely resembles
Just three simple recipes to make this stunning cake and you can pick whichever buttercream recipe you like the most!
I went with the American Style Buttercream because I am super lazy
But all 5 I have to choose from here will accommodate this cake beautifully
Thanks to Olive Nation for sponsoring this recipe with these high quality ingredients it is so easy to achieve.
Pistachios and Rose Extract are the only two specialty ingredients you will need
Use COUPON CODE GVB20 for 20% off your order!
The cake recipe is a spinoff from my Coconut Cake recipe so the only tweaks I had to make was interchanging coconut for ground pistachios!
The rose extract in the buttercream is a dreamy combination
These recipes together make this cake pure perfection!
For the mirror glaze recipe I used strawberry couverture but you can sub in all vegan white chocolate if you don't want to buy the Valrhona Strawberry Couverture Inspirations
- Vegan Butter 1 cup (226g)
- Granulated Sugar 2 cups (400g)
- Golden Flax Meal 3 Tablespoons (24g)
- Hot Water 6 Tablespoons (90ml)
- Vanilla Vegan Yogurt *any brand ½ cup (150g)
- Plant Milk *I am using soy milk 1 cup (237ml)
- Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons (10ml)
- All Purpose Flour 3 cups (375g)
- Baking Powder 1 teaspoon (6g)
- Baking Soda (6g)
- Salt ½ teaspoon (3g)
- Raw Unsalted Pistachios 1½ cups (225g)
- ½ recipe Buttercream of your choice *I am using the American Style Buttercream
- Rose Extract 1 Tablespoon *adjust to your taste add more or less
- For the Mirror Glaze *see note above
- Strawberry Couverture 2 ounces (56g)
- Vegan White Chocolate 2 ounces (56g)
- Coconut Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk ¼ cup (50ml) *store bought or see recipe below
- Granulated Sugar ½ cup (100g)
- Corn Syrup *or golden syrup ⅓ cup
- Water 7½ Tablespoons (112ml)
- Agar Powder 1 teaspoon
- Be sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before beginning.
- First prepare your cake pans with professional bakery pan grease and parchment paper lining.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Combine the flax meal & hot water together in a small bowl and set aside to thicken for about 5 minutes.
- Grind the pistachios in a food processor or chop as fine as possible by hand with a knife, set aside
- Combine the plant milk & yogurt with the vanilla and set aside.
- Sift the flour with the salt, baking powder & baking soda
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the vegan butter and sugar on medium to high speed until light & fluffy, this may take 3-5 minutes.
- Scrape the bottom & sides of the bowl from time to time to ensure an even mix.
- Add the flax paste to the creamed mixture and then whip on high for 20 seconds to emulsify
- Turn the speed back down to low and add ⅓ of the sifted dry ingredients and mix just until it is combined
- Add half of the plant milk/yogurt mixture and mix just until combined
- Repeat with another ⅓ of the dry ingredients, the other half of the plant milk and then the last of the dry ingredients.
- add the ground pistachios and mix well
- Portion the batter into your prepared pans and bake in the preheated 350°F oven for 25 minutes.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 300° and bake for another 15-20 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, no raw cake batter.
- *I turn the oven temp down half way through because this is a very thick cake layer I do not want it to over brown on the outside & edges while the inside batter cooks
- Cool the cakes in the pans until they are cool to the touch, then flip them out onto a wire rack to cool the rest of the way
- Be sure to remove the parchment paper lining.
- Prepare the buttercream recipe of your choice and add the Rose Extract at the last stage of mixing, tasting for your desired flavor- you can add more or less of the extract according to your taste.
- Fill & Crumb Ice the cake as shown in the video tutorial and refrigerate to set while you make the mirror glaze.
- For the Mirror Glaze:
- In a large bowl combine both chocolates chopped into smaller, same sized pieces
- Combine the sugar, water, sweetened condensed coconut milk & corn syrup and heat over medium heat stirring often to at least 150°F then add the agar powder
- Whisk constantly and bring to a rolling boil then pour over the chocolate in the bowl and whisk to melt.
- Cool to at least 90°F before pouring it over your cake.
- Place your chilled cake on a cooling rack set over a parchment paper lined sheet pan
- Pour the mirror glaze over the cake letting the excess run down over the sides.
- The agar will cause it to set very quickly so try not to use a spatula to ice it, just allow the excess to drip off
- You can reuse the excess glaze, just scrape it off the parchment paper and store in a clean container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month- simply rewarm when needed
- Decorate your cake as shown in the video or as you prefer 🙂
For longer storage refrigerate for up to 1 week
Cake layers can be frozen wrapped well for up to 1 month
Don’t forget to check out Olive Nation for the best quality baking ingredients!
Use COUPON CODE GVB20 for 20% off your order!
For more recipes using awesome Olive Nation baking ingredients check out:
- 1- 14ounce can full fat coconut milk
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- Combine the coconut milk with the sugar in a heavy bottom sauce pan
- bring to a boil over high heat stirring often
- Once it boils reduce heat to a simmer cook for 45 minutes stirring occasionally and watch it closely so it doesn't burn or boil over
- By the time 45 minutes approaches it should have reduced down to close to 1 or1¼ cup total volume and start to get thick
- It will thicken more as it cools.
- Cool completely then use it in your recipes or see storage information in the notes below
Hey Gretchen,
This cake looks adorable, thanks for sharing this amazing recipe! Are the pistachios used whole or ground? I can’t find them in the written instructions.
Greetings from The Netherlands,
Bettina
The pistachio “genoise” was amazing! I loved the texture. This was the first time I succeed in making a vegan cake with a good texture.
YAY! thanks for the feedback!