Recipe: Pistachio Cake With Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Makes one 9-inch single-layer cake

Finely ground toasted pistachios sifted with cake flour gives this beautifully nutty single-layer fancy cake its flavour. Swiss meringue strawberry buttercream is then piped on top using a large multi-pronged star tip, and the whole cake is dotted with fresh berries of all kinds, along with whole pistachios and chopped sprinkled pistachios, if you so desire.

Ingredients

Pistachio cake

• ½ cup soy milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup finely ground shelled toasted pistachios (you can use a food  processor for the grinding)
• 1½ cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ cup unsalted plant-based butter, at room temperature
• 1¼ cups granulated white sugar
• ¼ cup vegan sour cream
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp pistachio or almond extract

Simple vanilla syrup

• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (substitute almond or pistachio extract, if desired)

Filling and frosting

• ½ recipe strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream 
• Fresh strawberries, sliced raspberries, blueberries and gooseberries (optional)
• Fresh mint (optional)
• Whole pistachios

Make It

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9-inch round cake pan by spritzing it with vegetable oil and lining with a parchment paper circle, and then spritzing again to prevent sticking.

In a small bowl, mix the soy milk with the apple cider vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes to thicken. It may look a bit separated at this point, but that’s normal.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the ground pistachios, cake flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, sour cream, vanilla extract and pistachio or almond extract on medium speed until combined (about 30 seconds).

With the mixer turned off, add the flour mixture, then pulse to combine. Slowly pour in the soy milk mixture and mix on low speed to combine until a batter forms (15 to 30 seconds).

Add the batter to the prepared cake pan, using an offset spatula to level and smooth the top. Give the pan a light tap on the counter to reduce any air bubbles. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out with only moist crumbs. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool completely.

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat,  allowing the sugar to dissolve and the mixture to reduce (5 to 10 minutes).  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool completely before using. The syrup can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Remove the cooled cake from the pan. Using a pastry brush or a teaspoon,  spread a generous amount of the vanilla syrup across the top of the cake.

Dollop a generous amount of strawberry buttercream onto the centre of the cake. Using your small offset spatula, frost toward the edges of the cake, leaving a half-inch of bare cake around the edge.

Fit a piping bag with a large open star tip and fill the bag with the remaining buttercream. Pipe drop stars in a circle around the border of the cake, working your way inward in circles until the entire cake is covered in piped stars. Alternate between adding sliced strawberries (and any other berry you might like) and whole pistachios to the centre of each drop star. Crush up some more pistachios and sprinkle on top. Decorate further with additional berries and mint, if desired.