fbpx
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Romy London
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
  • Pasta
  • Quick & Easy
  • Cakes & Bakes
  • Desserts
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • Grilled balsamic peaches with coconut yogurt and raspberry coulis on a dessert plate.
      Grilled Balsamic Peaches
    • Seitan and tempeh next to each other in comparison.
      Seitan Vs Tempeh
    • Creamy Butter Beans Alla Vodka on a plate with a spoon.
      Butter Beans Alla Vodka
    • Creamy cutter bean curry in a bowl with rice and naan bread.
      Creamy Butter Bean Curry
    • A bowl of chickpea and sweet potato curry on the dinner table, with rice, pickled onions, naan bread and fresh lime on top.
      Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry
    • Baked butter beans in a dish on the dinner table, surrounded by ingredients.
      Caprese Butter Beans
    • A bowl of vegan nduja pasta.
      Vegan Nduja Pasta
    • A plate of black pepper stir fry with crispy pumfu tofu and veggies.
      Pumfu Pumpkin Seed Tofu
    • A bulb of garlic that has gone bad.
      How To Tell If Garlic Is Bad
    • Two jars of flaxseed pudding on the breakfast table
      Flaxseed Pudding
    • A skillet filled with creamy chickpea curry with tofu on top.
      Vegan Butter Chickpea Curry
    • Collage showing vegan recipes for Valentine's Day.
      Vegan Valentine's Day Recipes
    Home » Recipes » Cakes & Bakes

    Vegan Pistachio Cake

    Published: Aug 27, 2021 · Modified: Mar 10, 2025 by Romy · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This vegan pistachio cake is seriously as good as it looks! Full of nutty flavours from the pistachio kernels teamed up with zesty lemon and aromatic cardamom - topped with a thick and zesty lemon glaze and crunchy pistachios - a true loaf cake dream come true!

    Vegan pistachio cake loaf topped with lemon glaze and pistachio nuts

    Vegan Pistachio Cake Recipe

    I have loved pistachio flavours ever since I can remember! As a kid I was actually obsessed with pistachio ice cream, it was my all-time favourite during regular ice cream shop visits. Adding pistachio flavours to cake is something that I only just started doing at an adult age - but believe me, when I tell you, I've been just as obsessed with pistachio in a cake as I have been with pistachio in ice cream! There's a wonderful nutty creaminess about pistachio nuts, that simply hits the right spot - and this is also true with this Vegan Pistachio Cake with Lemon and Cardamom!

    Lemon glaze been put onto a pistachio loaf cake
    Lemon glaze been put onto a pistachio loaf cake

    What you'll need to make Vegan Pistachio Cake

    Ingredients

    • plain flour (all-purpose flour)
    • golden caster sugar
    • baking powder
    • fine sea salt: any fine salt will be fine!
    • vanilla powder: alternatively, use 2 teaspoon vanilla extract and add it to the wet ingredients
    • cardamom powder: also called 'ground cardamom'
    • pistachio kernels: for this recipe, they should be roughly ground
    • chickpea water: the liquid of 1 unsalted 400g-tin chickpeas (aquafaba), whipped into stiff peaks
    • fresh lemon juice
    • fresh lemon zest
    • rapeseed oil: any other heat resistant, flavour-neutral oil will be fine
    • coconut yogurt
    • apple cider vinegar

    For the glaze:

    • powdered sugar
    • fresh lemon juice
    • vanilla extract (optional)
    • soya milk (optional)

    Equipment

    • 2 mixing bowls
    • an electric hand whisk
    • a loaf tin
    Hands sprinkling pistachio nuts on the cake place
    Adding pistachio nuts onto the vegan pistachio cake
    Sprinkling crushed pistachios onto a lemon and cardamom pistachio loaf cake

    How to make pistachio cake

    Preparation

    Start by preheating the oven. For this vegan pistachio cake, we're baking at 180°C (356°F). 

    Dry Ingredients

    For this recipe, we're using 2 separate mixing bowls. Start by combining your dry ingredients, plain flour (all-purpose), baking powder, caster sugar, pistachio, salt, vanilla powder and cardamom powder, in one bowl. I like to use a whisk to quickly combine the ingredients, but you can also use a simple spoon or spatula. If you're using vanilla extract instead of vanilla powder, then add it to the wet ingredients. 

    Wet Ingredients

    In a second bowl, first, add the chickpea water (aquafaba) and use an electric hand mixer to whip it up until it forms stiff peaks. This should usually take 4-5 minutes. Once the stiff peaks are formed, mix in the rest of the wet ingredients: lemon juice, lemon zest, rapeseed oil, coconut yoghurt and apple cider vinegar. Mix until well combined (2-3 minutes).

    Combining the batter

    Slowly sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet mix and continue to blend with the hand mixer until all ingredients are combined into a smooth batter. 

    Transfer the batter into a lined loaf tin. I used a regular bread loaf tin on this occasion, but feel free to use a different shape if you prefer. However, please be aware that the baking time may vary in a different shape - so I can only recommend experimenting with the baking time if you're opting for a different cake shape. 

    Baking Time

    Smooth out the top with a spatula and then transfer the loaf tin to the fully preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

    Important cool down time

    Once baked, remove the pistachio cake from the oven and allow for it to cool for at least 45 minutes before you remove it from the loaf tin and slice it - during this time, the baking process slowly continues inside the loaf and it ensures your cake is baked and soft all the way through! 

    Adding the glaze

    When the cake is cooled down, you can add your glaze or any other decoration you like! I find glaze is always such a personal thing, some like it super thin and runny, others (like myself) want it to be super thick and firm - so I recommend going with what you like most! For my glaze, I've used 300g powdered sugar and sprinkled in the juice of ½ lemon and about ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract. To get my glaze so shiny bright, I mix these ingredients and add small amounts of soya milk until my glaze has a thick, but runny texture without any lumps. That way my glaze isn't see-through!

    Once the glaze is added, you can also add some crunchy pistachios on top for an extra crunch - at least that's what I like on this vegan pistachio cake! 

    Close-up of crushed pistachios
    Pistachio nuts on a loaf cake
    Close-up of a nutty cake

    This recipe is:

    • 100% vegan
    • full of nutty flavours
    • zesty
    • full of flavour
    • addictive
    • seriously delicious! 
    • perfect for your next afternoon tea or birthday celebration!

    Looking for more things to make with lemons? Then look no further - try my Vegan Lemon Cookies, or Lemon Meringue Pie! You could also just make Vegan Lemon Curd which is fantastic drizzled or dipped.

    You might also enjoy these recipes:

    • A Snowman shaped caramel cake on a cake stand.
      Vegan Snowman Caramel Cake
    • Vegan Upside Down Plum Cake
      Upside Down Plum Cake
    • round vegan pistachio cheesecake with 2 slices cut out of it
      Vegan Pistachio Cheesecake
    • a slice of vegan strawberry cheesecake on a blue plate with the rest of the cake in the background
      No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

    📌 If you love Pinterest you can pin any of the images to your boards!

    📖 Recipe Card

    vegan pistachio loaf cake with cardamom and white icing on top

    Vegan Pistachio Cake with Lemon and Cardamom

    Romy
    This vegan pistachio cake is as good as it looks! Full of nutty flavours from the pistachio kernels teamed up with zesty lemon and aromatic cardamom - topped with a thick and zesty lemon glaze - a true loaf cake dream come true!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine British
    Servings 8 servings

    Equipment

    • 2 mixing bowls
    • 1 electric hand mixer
    • 1 spatula
    • 1 greased and lined loaf tin

    Ingredients
      

    • 250 g all-purpose flour
    • 180 g golden caster sugar
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
    • 100 g roughly ground pistachio kernels
    • 1 can unsalted chickpea water (water from 1 can only, not the chickpeas)
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 130 ml rapeseed oil
    • 120 ml coconut yogurt
    • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

    For the glaze:

    • powdered sugar
    • lemon juice
    • vanilla extract

    Instructions
     

    • Start by preheating your oven to 180°C (356°F).
    • In a large bowl combine the plain flour, golden caster sugar, baking powder, sea salt, vanilla powder, cardamom powder, and roughly ground pistachio kernels.
    • In the meantime, whip up your aquafaba with an electric whisk until it forms stiff peaks, then combine the aquafaba with the lemon juice, zest, rapeseed oil, coconut yogurt and apple cider vinegar in a separate bowl.
    • Slowly sprinkle the dry ingredients into the aquafaba mix and fold them in with a spatula until you get a smooth batter.
    • Transfer the batter to a greased and lined loaf tin and bake at 180°C (356°F) in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes.
    • Once a toothpick comes out clean, remove the pistachio loaf cake from the oven and set it aside to cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing.
    Keyword loaf cake, pistachio cake, pistachio loaf cake, vegan loaf cake, vegan pistachio cake

    Recent Recipes

    • A plate filled with satay pasta and a fork on the side.
      Vegan Satay Pasta
    • Vegan Avocado lime crema in a bowl with two slices of lime on the edge.
      Avocado Lime Crema
    • Creamy tofu sour cream in an open jar.
      Tofu Sour Cream
    • Vegan custard donuts on a parchment paper.
      Vegan Custard Donuts

    Addicted to cake? Oh, I feel ya! Here are some other cake recipes from the blog that might interest you:

    • Pistachio Cheesecake
    • Easy Vegan Carrot Cake
    • Upside Down Plum Cake

    *Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links and sponsored links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. You can find more information in my Privacy Policy.

     © 2025 Romy London / Romina Callwitz | All images, videos, wordings and content are copyright protected and belong to Romina Callwitz. Please do not use any of my content without prior permission. If you wish to re-publish any (part of my) content, please get in touch via email. Thanks for your support!

    *Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links and sponsored links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. You can find more information in my Privacy Policy.

    More Cakes & Bakes

    • A slice of vegan banoffee pie lifted from the pie with layers of biscuit base, toffee sauce, banana slices and whipped vegan cream visible.
      Vegan Banoffee Pie
    • Fluffy Vegan Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls in a baking dish with glaze on top.
      Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
    • A slice of chocolate avocado cake on a plate.
      Avocado Chocolate Fudge Cake
    • Pistachio cookies on a parchment paper, with one cookie broken in half.
      Vegan Pistachio Cookies

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      💭 Leave a Comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Susie

      January 09, 2023 at 4:26 am

      Yum! Romy this looks great 🙂 I will have to try!

      Reply
      • romylondonuk

        January 09, 2023 at 4:26 pm

        Thank you so much for the lovely review, Susie! Hope you'll enjoy this one! 🙂

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hey, I'm Romy!

    On this blog, you'll find some of my favorite vegan recipes for you to try at home.

    They all include detailed step-by-step instructions, so you can WOW everyone with your vegan kitchen magic in no time!

    About Romy

    FOLLOW ME

    • link to instagram account
    • link to facebook account
    • link to pinterest account
    • link to youtube account
    • link to tiktok account
    • Link to email

    As Seen In

    Romy London Uk as seen on Netflix, Channel 4, Metro, Cosmopolitan, TalkRadio, Channel 4, Evening Standard, Vegan Life, Vegan Food & Living

    Latest Recipes

    • Grilled balsamic peaches with coconut yogurt and raspberry coulis on a dessert plate.
      Grilled Balsamic Peaches

    • Creamy Butter Beans Alla Vodka on a plate with a spoon.
      Butter Beans Alla Vodka

    • Creamy cutter bean curry in a bowl with rice and naan bread.
      Creamy Butter Bean Curry

    🔎 Search

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign up for my newsletter & NEVER miss a recipe!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with me

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Romy London

    Manage Cookie Consent
    We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. We do this to improve browsing experience and to show (non-) personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}