Pistachio Loaf/Pistachio Glazed Pound Cake

Going to a coffeeshop always makes me feel so relaxed and sophisticated. My favorite kind are the ones that are inside bookstores. Whoever came up with the concept of Barnes and Noble was a genius. Of course, not only do they sell all kinds of drinks there, but there’s usually an assortment of sweets to choose from. Scones, cookies, pastries, muffins – they are all just perfect treats to enjoy with a Vanilla Latte, but one of my favorites is any kind of loaf cake.

When I saw pistachios in the grocery store one day, I got the idea to make a loaf cake with pistachios. Tender, not too sweet, with the crunch and flavor of the pistachios, this loaf will make your own house 10 times better than any coffee shop. It’s so easy to make and looks gorgeous. How about serving it to your friends next time you get together for tea, for a brunch or put it in your lunchbox to enjoy at work the next day? You can make your own Homemade Chai Tea Latte and you can pretend you’re sophisticated on the couch in your pajamas. Or dress up, put the kiddos to bed and have a stay-in date night? All those options sound good to me. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup buttermilk (or sour cream or yogurt)

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pistachios, toasted

1/2 cup ground pistachios

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp milk or buttermilk

Instructions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat the bottom and the sides of a bread pan with butter or oil.

Whisk all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt) together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl of a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly mixed.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, mix just until mostly combined. Add half of the buttermilk and also mix until mostly combined. Add half of the dry ingredients, mix and then add the remaining half of the buttermilk, finishing with the last of the dry ingredients. Don’t over mix. Using this method of mixing will make the loaf very tender.

Fold in the pistachios (both the chopped pistachios and the ground pistachios) into the batter. I use a food processor to coarsely chop the first half of the pistachios and then finely grind the second half.

(Set aside a handful of chopped pistachios to sprinkle on top of the loaf after it’s baked.)

Scrape the batter into the prepared bread pan. Bake in the preheated oven, 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the loaf on a cooling rack. To make the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar and the buttermilk together. If the glaze is too thick, you can add more buttermilk or milk.

Drizzle the glaze over the pistachio loaf. Sprinkle some more chopped pistachios on top.