I loved this cake from Dolci di Franci in NYC, but she moved to Miami and the cakes are no longer available. So I frankensteined several recipes to create this one in the hopes I can replicate the ones I used to buy. It’s gluten-free and while it’s nearly all ground nuts and butter, it isn’t greasy or heavy. As it’s written, it’s pretty good and gets better after a couple days.

Folding in the egg whites at the end helps lighten the consistency. Letting the batter rest allows the rice flour to absorb the liquid ingredients so it’s not gritty.

You can substitute nocino for the vanilla extract, maybe add a little extra…throw in a tablespoon of orange zest, rosewater, or orange blossom water to add a different flavor…even a teaspoon of ground cardamom can give a new twist. For a brown crispy crust, grease the sides of the pan with one tablespoon of melted butter.

Chapters
0:00 Pistachio Cake Recipe Intro
0:25 Most important baking step with ingredients
0:40 Making the cake cream
2:00 Combining the dry ingredients
2:28 Beating egg whites for a fluffy cake
3:38 Key to gluten-free baking with rice flour
3:58 Buttering the pan for a crispy crust
4:45 Baking temp instructions
5:40 Glaze instructions
6:24 Additional notes for the best cake

Sicilian Pistachio Cake

Inspired by Dolci Di Franci

Ingredients
1.5 sticks of butter (6 oz/168 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup orange juice
4 large eggs, yolks and whites separated, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups (200g) ground pistachios (unsalted pistachios)
1/2 cup (90g) finely ground rice flour
3 tbsp (30g) potato starch
1/2 tsp salt

Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar + 1 tbsp orange juice

Baking temp & time: 350F for 50 minutes
Baking summary: Cream the butter and vanilla, and add yolks. Continuing mixing until fully combined. Add orange juice and beat for several minutes (up to 10 minutes even) until combined. Add in powdered sugar incrementally. Sift together pistachio flour, potato starch, rice flour, and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter in increments and beat until fluffy and pale. In the meantime, beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into the cake batter. Pour batter into a greased 9-inch springform pan lined with parchment paper. Gently shake/shimmy the batter to even out and let the batter rest for 15 minutes. Bake for 50 minutes at 350F. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then gently remove to cool completely.

For the glaze, start with half a tablespoon of orange juice and stir in a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. You probably won't use all of the sugar or orange juice.