Learn how to make this delicious, moist cake made with almond flour with pistachio pieces. This cake is gluten free, vegan friendly, nutty and perfectly spiced with cardamom flavour.
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If you are looking for a gluten free cake that is relatively easy to make and tasty then this one will surely tick all the right boxes.
For those of you who are familar with my cakes and sweet treat recipes will know that I have a tendency to use spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.
However, I decided to take a different creative spin on things by using cardamom and pair it with pistachio essence and combine the warmth and aromatic flavour of cardamom along with the nuttiness of the chopped pistachio nuts.
Almond flour gives this cake that ultimate gluten free experience that's moist, tender and totally foolproof.
The use of flax meal adds structure where eggs would normally be used which is another bonus for my vegans.
Whole vs ground cardamom
Cardamom can be found in its whole and ground variation, however when it comes to baking it is best to use cardamom that is ground.
Although the flavour profile of whole cardamoms is much more superior and very intense compared to its milled counterpart, the pods are not convenient to use for flavouring cakes.
Whole cardamom works best in savoury dishes such as stews or curries or even in tea (i.e chai tea).
Ingredients you will need
- Almond flour - This is often my go to gluten free flour alternative. I love it because it results in a moist and soft cake.
- Tapioca starch - Supports the almond flour by lightening the texture of the cake as well as offering more structure.
- Coconut sugar - This is an unrefined sweetener that offers subtle hints of sweetness without making the cake be overly sweet.
- Flaxmeal - A great alternative to egg, helps with binding and the cakes structure.
- Baking powder - A leavening agent that helps the cake to rise.
- Ground cardamom - The star of the show, this spice offers warmth and fragrant flavour.
- Almond milk/olive oil - Both liquids help to create the batter and gives the cake some moisture.
- Pistachio nuts - Gives you little bites of nuttiness throughout the cake.
- Pistachio essence - Helps to enhance the pistachio taste.
The steps
- Preheat the oven to 180C/375F.
- Line and grease an 8 inch spring form baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, flaxseed meal, ground cardamom, baking powder, pink salt and the chopped pistachio nuts.
- Stir the dry ingredients together to combine.
- In measuring jug, pour the almond milk, olive oil and add the pistachio essence then whisk to combine.
- Carefully pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir to create a smooth batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking pan and use a spatula to smooth down the top ensuring that it is level.
- Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until slightly golden brown (insert a toothpick/knife to determine the readiness, it should come out clean).
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing the cake from the spring form pan.
- Once the cake has completely cool down, dust the top with powdered sugar and chopped pistachio nuts.
Notes and tips
- To enhance the pistachio taste, feel free to toast them ahead of time.
- Keep in mind that coconut sugar isnt as sweet as raw cane sugar so if you want to enhance the overall sweeteness add some raw cane sugar (by ¼ cup) or do a 50/50 ratio.
- Keep the cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- The cake does brown quite quickly so keep a watchful eye on it as it bakes, you may need to cover the top with aluminium foil if it browns too quickly.
- Please stick to using almond flour and not substitute with gluten free flour as this will completely change the outcome of the cake.
- Make sure you are using almond flour and NOT ground almonds as the two are not interchangeable.
More cakes and sweet treats to try
- Coconut Drops (Jamaican Style)
- Vegan Pistachio Cookies
- Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream
- No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe (Gluten Free, Vegan)
- Caribbean Coconut Rum Cupcakes (Vegan, Gluten, Grain Free)
- Vegan Jamaican Ginger Cake
- Grater Cake (Sugar Cake)
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Vegan Pistachio Cardamom Cake
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup almond flour
- ⅔ cup tapioca starch
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 1½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon pink salt
- ⅓ cup pistachio nuts chopped
- 1 cup almond milk
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pistachio essence
- powdered sugar and extra chopped pistachio nuts for dusting and the topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/375F.
- Line and grease an 8 inch spring form baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, flaxseed meal, ground cardamom, baking powder, pink salt and the chopped pistachio nuts.
- Stir the dry ingredients together to combine.In measuring jug, pour the almond milk, olive oil and add the pistachio essence then whisk to combine.
- Carefully pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir to create a smooth batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking pan and use a spatula to smooth down the top ensuring that it is level.
- Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until slightly golden brown (insert a toothpick/knife to determine the readiness, it should come out clean).
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing the cake from the spring form pan.
- Once the cake has completely cool down, dust the top with powdered sugar and chopped pistachio nuts.
Notes
- To enhance the pistachio taste, feel free to toast them ahead of time.
- Keep in mind that coconut sugar isnt as sweet as raw cane sugar so if you want to enhance the overall sweeteness add some raw cane sugar (by ¼ cup) or do a 50/50 ratio.
- Keep the cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- The cake does brown quite quickly so keep a watchful eye on it as it bakes, you may need to cover the top with aluminium foil if it browns too quickly.
- Please stick to using almond flour and not substitute with gluten free flour as this will completely change the outcome of the cake.
- Make sure you are using almond flour and NOT ground almonds as the two are not interchangeable.
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