Soft and Moist Pistachio Marble Cake

You already know the most delicious marble cake in the world, and for some of you, it’s become a regular guest in your kitchen. I usually bake it in a loaf pan and Mamush absolutely love slicing it slowly, like a true French woman.

Recently, I decided to make exactly the same cake in a bundt pan using a specific technique that has become a real favorite among you. After making it several times in the bundt pan and dozens of times in the loaf pan, I think the result in the bundt pan is even better than the original!

Something about the structure of the pan, the heat distribution, the final shape, everything together leads me to conclude that from now on, I’m definitely going to slice the marble cake in style 🙂

So after the success of the marble cake in its new form, here’s a pistachio marble cake that’s going to give serious competition to the classic marble cake.

I created this recipe based on my original marble cake, and the main change is in the pistachio mass that replaces the chocolate mass, plus a pistachio glaçage that adds another deep layer of pistachio flavor and helps keep the cake moist. The glaçage is obviously not mandatory, but it’s really recommended.

Soft and Moist Pistachio Marble Cake
20cm bundt pan or 30cm loaf pan

Ingredients
Pistachio Marble Cake:
100g heavy whipping cream
100g sweetened pistachio spread (I use one with about 50% pistachios)
150g butter, softened
140g light brown sugar or regular sugar + 60g muscovado or dark brown sugar
180g eggs (about 3 medium eggs)
280g flour, sifted
10g baking powder
160g heavy whipping cream (yes, again)

Pistachio Chocolate Glaçage (optional but recommended):
150g chopped white chocolate
20g canola or sunflower oil
45g natural pistachio paste (without food coloring and without sugar)

Preparation
1. Pistachio Marble Cake: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Generously butter the pan and dust with flour. Prepare two piping bags.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the first amount of cream (100g) to a boil, then remove from heat. Add the pistachio spread and mix well. Set aside to cool.
3. In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter with the sugars.
4. Gradually add the eggs, mixing until they’re fully incorporated into the mixture.
5. Alternately add the flour + baking powder and the cream (160g) to the mixture, mixing only until the flour is just incorporated. Avoid overmixing to prevent the cake from becoming too dense.
6. Transfer about 5-6 tablespoons of the light mixture to the pistachio mixture and mix to create a uniform mixture.
7. Transfer each mixture to a separate piping bag, so you’ll have two piping bags, each with a different colored batter. Cut the tips of each piping bag, being careful not to let the batter spill out (you can use clips to help).
8. Pipe alternately from both batters into the pan in the desired pattern. For the bundt pan, I like to start with the light batter and pipe mounds on the bottom of the pan. Pipe a small amount of the pistachio batter into the center of each mound, then pipe more of the light batter into the pistachio center. Continue alternating the two batters to create spiral mounds until both piping bags are empty. If using a loaf pan, pipe alternating stripes lengthwise and widthwise across the pan.
9. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the cake is set but not too dry.
10. If you used a bundt pan, while the cake is still warm, invert the pan and remove the cake. Place on a serving surface and cool completely. If you want to glaze it, refrigerate the cake for about two hours.
11. Pistachio Chocolate Glaçage (optional but recommended): Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. When melted, remove from heat and stir in the oil, then the pistachio paste. Cool until the glaçage reaches room temperature.
12. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and pour the glaçage over the cake as desired. You can store leftover glaçage in an airtight container for future use.

*The cake keeps in an airtight container for several days and improves with time. I absolutely love it after two to three days, when it’s at its peak.

Bon appétit!
Sharon