Pistachio Lemon Pound Cake

Pistachio Lemon Pound Cake – this pound cake is lemon scented and full of chopped pistachios.

So – The Amazing Race. Who watches??

It has always been one of my favorite reality shows. But man – sometimes I think that it’s not good for my health.

I will usually watch it at night, and I get so caught up in it that it takes me time to cool down before I can even go to bed. You know how I talked about not being a competitive person?? Maybe this is why!! That show seriously stresses me out!

And can I just say that my husband and I would be horrible on this show. You should have seen us driving in New Jersey before we headed home from NYC. Yikes. Even with GPS. (Granted – those roads in New Jersey make no sense whatsoever. At least we weren’t yelling and screaming at each other!!)

When I get worked up, one thing that will always calm me down is baking. That’s my kind of therapy! Especially when it comes in the form of a pound cake. That has lemon. And TONS of pistachios.

Before we get to the cake, though, let’s talk pistachios. I remember years ago, seeing a recipe that had pistachios in it and wanting to make it. I searched high and low for pistachios, and all I could come up with were the pistachios – in their shells. I painstakingly shelled each of those pistachios for that recipe. And then vowed to never do it again.

Thank goodness I don’t have to do that again!! Diamond Nuts is the first company to market raw, shelled, unsalted pistachios. My life was just made a whole lot easier!! And because they carry the Diamond name, you know they are going to be quality!!

This cake is everything you’d expect from a pound cake, plus more. I had actually just planned to do just a pistachio pound cake, but at the last minute, I decided to throw some lemon in there. Best decision. I only added a little bit of lemon juice and zest, but the flavor definitely comes through. And I have decided that lemons and pistachios are a match made in heaven.

This cake was great the day I made it, but after sitting overnight, it was even better. Even a few days later, it was so good. (Although I could have easily finished it off in a day or two myself!!)

I’m pretty sure this pound cake will be a favorite for years to come!

More Pistachio Favs:

Pistachio Cake
Pistachio Cookies
Coconut and Pistachio Pudding Cake
Creamy Cranberry Pistachio Fudge

Pistachio Lemon Pound Cake

5 from 2 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 0 One 9x5-inch cake

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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This pound cake is lemon scented and full of chopped pistachios.

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup butter softened
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups sugar
• ▢ 3 eggs at room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups flour
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup Diamond pistachios coarsely chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line with parchment paper. Spray the paper lightly with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating for a full minute between additions. Beat in the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. The mixture may appear curdled, but it will come together.
• In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add in 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix just until combined. Add half the sour cream and mix just until combined. Add another 1/3 of the flour, then the remaining sour cream, mixing lightly between additions. Fold in the remaining flour by hand. Fold 1 cup of the pistachios into the batter, then pour into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of pistachios on top of the loaf.
• Bake until a tester inserted comes out clean, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Check the loaf after about 45 minutes and cover with foil if the top is getting too brown.
• Let the loaf cool for 15 minutes, then carefully pull the cake out of the loaf pan. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
• This cake is good the first day, but is even better the second day after being stored in an airtight container.

I am in a working relationship with Diamond Nuts, and this post has been sponsored. I’m so glad to be able to work with companies and organizations that I truly believe in. Thank you for supporting them, too.