This pistachio cake is made with ground oats and pistachios as the flour, and gets is gorgeous green hue from pureed spinach. It happens to be naturally gluten and dairy free and is filled with simple, easy-to-find ingredients. The combination of ingredients like spinach, applesauce, and coconut oil make this cake dense, moist, and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. 
I used to love pistachio muffins as a kid, but other than being super sweet (hello, cupcake masquerading as breakfast), I couldn’t tell you what they taste like anymore. Maybe almond extract? I have such a faint memory of them, but really the best part was the bright green color. I do love snacking on pistachios though, so I figured I could make this whole green cake thing a reality. Coincidentally, I baked this cake on Earth Day and was feeling all the green earth-y vibes. I also roasted off a huge batch of purple sweet potatoes on the day Prince died, so I’d say there’s something suspicious going on with the workings of the universe lately.
Let’s talk about this cake! While I think it could be the star of a dinner party or even a birthday cake, I loved this cake as a simple, everyday treat. The green color was a fun, exciting change to the typical river of chocolate and peanut butter running through my life, and the flavor was so unexpectedly subtle and nuanced. The cake is topped with Whipped Coconut Cream and maple-candied pistachios, which paired so perfectly with it’s faint, nutty flavor. Heather and I enjoyed a slice the day I baked it, and bite after bite we asked each other “what am I eating?” because there wasn’t one overpowering flavor. You can taste the pistachios, oats, vanilla, and coconut cream. The cake is subtly sweet, and just as good warm as it is cold. 
I think this pistachio cake could become your new favorite anytime treat. It’s packed with protein, fiber, and vitamins E and B-6 from the pistachios. There’s a healthy dose of fats that help regulate blood sugar spikes and keep you feeling happy and satisfied, and a slew of other vitamins and nutrients from this plant-powered cake. What I’m trying to say is, go make this cake, and eat it whenever the heck you want it. Breakfast, second breakfast, brunch, lunch, lunch dessert, mid-afternoon snack, before-dinner treat, dessert; there’s no wrong time for it to be cake time. If you make a gloriously green cake this week, let me know! Leave a comment below, or tag me #bakedgreens on Instagram so I can see how they turn out! Happy weekend, Friends!
Pistachio Cake with Whipped Coconut Cream and Candied Pistachios
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup oats
- 1/2 cup raw pistachios
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup spinach packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 Tablespoons coconut oil melted
Topping
- Whipped Coconut Cream**
- 1/4 cup pistachios
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- a pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick spray and/or line with parchment paper. Set pan aside.
- 2. Put oats and pistachios into a blender or food processor to turn them into flour. Blend until no large bits of either are visible (about 1 minute). Pour the oat/pistachio flour into a mixing bowl, and add sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- 3. In the same blender, combine all remaining ingredients except coconut oil, which will re-harden when it touches the cold eggs/applesauce. Pour this green liquid over the dry ingredients, add coconut oil, and quickly stir to combine.
- 4. Pour batter into greased pan, and bake for 20 minutes. The cake should look set, and the edges will start to brown. Let cake cool at room temperature before adding toppings, either on a wire rack or in the pan itself, depending on how you plan to serve it.
- 5. While the cake cools, make the candied pistachios. Put pistachios into a small pan on the stove over medium heat. When pistachios start to brown (about 10 minutes), turn off the heat and add maple syrup, and stir until syrup is evaporated. Add salt, and transfer to a plate to cool. Once cooled, roughly chop with a sharp knife.
- 6. Assemble cake: top cooled cake with whipped coconut cream and pistachios. Cake can be eaten at at room temperature, or cold when stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
**See previous post for my whipped coconut cream recipe. I added 1 T honey and the seeds from a vanilla bean to a can of coconut cream, and whipped until fluffy. Adapted from Edible Perspective
I may have eaten the tip off several slices of cake in the name of art. Shh, don’t tell.