Back to Recipes

Irresistible Lemon Pistachio Loaf Cake

This cake began life as Grace’s Lemon Teacake from my first cookbook, a recipe I’ve & so many of you have always loved. Recently I’ve gently adapted it, adding yoghurt for tenderness and pistachios for a beautiful nutty warmth. The result is a soft, fragrant cake with a light lemon icing and a little crunch from pistachios on top.

Jump to Recipe

Irresistible Lemon Pistachio Loaf Cake

Irresistible Lemon Pistachio Loaf Cake

Recently, we were gifted a generous bag of lemons from friends’ farm trees. I get so excited when we are gifted these. These are heavy, fragrant lemons that immediately make me think ‘what will I make’. When lemons arrive like that, they never sit on the bench for long in our kitchen. Thank you to Fiona & Luke for so often sharing your goods with us.

Lemons are also just coming into season here in Victoria as we ease into autumn, which makes them particularly good right now. The flavour is bright and full, and they bring that fresh citrus lift that works so beautifully in cakes.

With a bowl of lemons waiting to be used, I decided to revisit & bake a cake I’ve been working on for a little while. It began as a gentle adaptation of Grace’s Lemon Teacake, a recipe from my first cookbook that many of you know well. It’s a simple, tender lemon cake that has been baked in many kitchens over the years and remains one of my favourites.

This new version builds on that original recipe. I added full-fat yoghurt to the batter, which gives the cake a soft crumb and a lovely richness. Coarsely ground pistachios bring a subtle nuttiness and gentle texture that works beautifully with the lemon.

Once baked and cooled, the cake is finished with a light lemon icing that runs softly over the top. A scattering of chopped pistachios adds a little crunch and a lovely finish.

The timing of this cake was somewhat baffling to my family. I was finishing the final round of recipe testing at a stupidly early hour on the morning I was leaving for India. Our Relish Mama tour starts in just two days. My suitcase was still open, recipe notes were spread across the kitchen table, and I have decided that I work best when up against a deadline (eg not missing a flight and still having this Irresistible Lemon Pistachio Loaf Cake to share with you all here) 😉

When friends gift you lemons, it feels only right to return the kindness. I baked them a cake as a thank-you, though I made the original Grace’s Lemon Teacake for their family. Their gorgeous little children are still quite young, so leaving out the pistachios made more sense for them. That cake has a beautiful simplicity and remains one I return to again and again. If you would prefer a nut-free option, you can find that recipe here.

This Irresistible Lemon Pistachio Loaf Cake version sits alongside it nicely. Still simple, still very much a lemon cake, but with the warmth and texture that pistachios bring.

It’s a cake that fits easily into the day. A slice with tea or coffee in the morning, something sweet in the afternoon, or a small piece after dinner when a little citrus feels just right.

And right now, with lemons coming into season and autumn just beginning here, it feels like exactly the right time to bake it.

The recipe is just below. I hope you love it as much as we do.

With love,

Nellie
x

Join Our Cooking Community

Do you love discovering new flavours, recipes and sharing your passion for food? At Relish Mama Cooking Club, we bring together home cooks who love great food, inspiring recipes, and meaningful connections. As a member, you’ll enjoy exclusive recipes, live online cooking classes, and a vibrant community of fellow food lovers.

🍽️ Learn, cook, and be inspired wherever you are.
👩‍🍳 Ready to take your cooking to the next level? Click here to explore.

We’d love to welcome you.

Irresistible Lemon Pistachio Loaf Cake

No ratings yet

Print Pin

Course: afternoon tea, high tea, morning tea

Cuisine: Australian, Australian fusion, modern australian, Modern Australian / Comfort Food

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1 5

Servings:

Calories: 321kcal

Author: Nellie Kerrison | Relish Mama

Cost: 15

Equipment

23 x 13 cm loaf tin
Baking paper
Electric mixer or stand mixer
Mixing bowls Spatula
Fine grater or microplane (for lemon zest)
Wire cooling rack
Cake skewer or thin knife or thermometre probe (to test doneness)

Ingredients

190 g butter softened
160 g caster sugar
2 lemons zested and juiced
2 free range eggs
150 g Natural yoghurt full fat
190 g plain flour sifted
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
60 g pistachios without the shell

For the icing

120 g icing sugar sifted
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon cream
¼ cup pistachios shelled, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Using a NutriBullet or a small food processor, quickly blitz the shelled pistachios so they are coarsely ground.
Line the base of a 23 × 13 cm loaf tin with baking paper, then butter and flour the sides.
Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest using an electric mixer until light, pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add the lemon juice and the yoghurt and mix gently to combine.
Fold through the sifted flour, baking powder and sea salt, followed by the coarsely ground pistachios.
Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 60–65 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, or when the internal temperature reaches 96–98°C using a probe thermometer.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for an hour before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Icing

Place the sifted icing sugar in a bowl. Gradually stir in the lemon juice, then the cream, until you have a smooth icing that is thick but pourable.
Set the completely cooled cake on a wire rack with a tray or baking paper underneath to catch any drips.
Spoon the icing along the centre of the cake and gently encourage it to flow toward the edges using the back of the spoon. Allow some of the icing to naturally run down the sides of the cake.
While the icing is still soft, scatter over the coarsely chopped pistachios.
The icing will firm up within a couple of hours (but I never wait that long).
The cake will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to three days, or refrigerated for up to one week.