Pistachio Cake with Cream Cheese Whip

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line a 20 cm / 8-inch round cake pan with baking paper.

Step 2: Spread the pistachios on a tray. Bake for 12 minutes, shaking the tray once halfway through, until the pistachios smell nutty and are crisp. Cool completely on the tray, about 15 minutes.

Step 3: Measure out 3/4 cup of the pistachios and save the rest for decorating. Pulse the measured pistachios into a powder, taking care not to turn them into a paste. Some larger pieces are fine; aim for mostly powder.

Tip: Use short pulses and shake or scrape the sides of the appliance between them.

Step 4: Put the pistachio powder and flour in a large bowl. Briefly whisk, then rub the larger pistachio powder clumps between your fingers to break them up.

Step 5: Add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

Step 6: Put all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk until combined.

Step 7: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to mix until the flour is almost mixed in.

Step 8: Add the food coloring, then finish mixing the batter until mostly lump-free. Small lumps will dissolve during baking.

Step 9: Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out. The surface does not need to be perfectly smooth.

Step 10: Bake for 40 minutes, turning the pan at 30 minutes so the surface browns evenly. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the center comes out without batter on it.

Step 11: Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.

Step 12: Chop the reserved pistachios, leaving a mix of fine pieces and larger chunks.

Step 13: Spread the cream cheese whip over the cooled cake and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Cut and serve.

Step 14: Beat the cream cheese on medium-high for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until very light and creamy.

Tip: Beat the cream cheese thoroughly to help prevent lumps in the topping.

Step 15: Add the remaining ingredients and beat on medium-high until the cream is softly whipped and spreadable, about 1 minute.