Pistachio, Raspberry and White Chocolate Layer Cake
2025 is officially my year of hosting—whether it’s a long lunch, aperitivo hour, or morning tea, there will always be room for dessert (and plenty of it!). This new summer cake recipe combines dense pistachio layers, a white chocolate ganache and lemon curd filling, fresh raspberries, and a sprinkle of pistachios!
Serves 12-15
Ingredients:
For The Cake:
285g unsalted butter, softened
300g shelled pistachios
225g self-raising flour
5 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
250g caster sugar
150ml yoghurt
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
For The Ganache:
650g white chocolate, finely chopped
215g thickened cream
To Decorate:
120g store brought lemon curd
3 punnets raspberries
100g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan-forced. Grease and line 4 x 20cm round cake pans with baking paper.
Blitz the pistachios in a food processor until finely crumbled. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, then stir in the flour and a pinch of salt.
In a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and caster sugar for 8-9 minutes, until pale and very fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
Gently fold the pistachio-flour mixture into the wet ingredients, followed by the yoghurt. Mix until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the 4 prepared cake pans (see notes). Bake for 20–22 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs. Allow the cakes to cool completely in their pans on a wire rack.
For the ganache, place the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl (finely chop if using chocolate bars). Microwave for 45–60 seconds to soften.
In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium-low heat until it just begins to steam (be careful not to let it curdle). Pour the hot cream over the softened chocolate, ensuring it is fully covered. Let the mixture sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, gently stir the ganache with a spatula or whisk to blend, being careful not to incorporate air as this can cause the ganache to split. Let the ganache sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes with a layer of plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. If the ganache becomes too firm, microwave it in 5–10 second intervals and stir until smooth.
To assemble, place one cake layer on your serving plate. Spread a layer of white chocolate ganache over the top, followed by ⅓ of the lemon curd. Scatter a handful of raspberries and chopped pistachios over the ganache. Repeat with the remaining layers, finishing with a final layer of ganache, raspberries, and pistachios.
Notes:
If you only have two 20cm cake tins, you can:
Bake in two batches: Divide the batter evenly between the two tins and bake the first two layers, then cool and bake the remaining two layers after.
Bake as a two-layer cake: Simply divide the batter between the two tins and bake just two layers. The layers will be thicker, so adjust the baking time to 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
If you’re working with a warm cake, it can cause the ganache to melt or become too runny. Let the cakes cool completely before icing. You can also place the cakes in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
You can bake the cake layers a day ahead. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. The ganache can also be made in advance and kept at room temperature or in the fridge. Just gently warm it up if it gets too thick before spreading.
This cake is best enjoyed within 2-3 days of making. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge to keep the ganache fresh and prevent it from melting at room temperature.