Rhubarb Pistachio Cake. came about because there’s a “perfect storm” of ingredients! A neighbor volunteered some rhubarb, I had just picked up a new carton of yogurt, and I knew I had a stash of pistachios in the freezer. Then I happened to open up the April Martha Stewart magazine.

Rhubarb Pistachio Cake

I had found a few quiet minutes to sit outside and thumb through the food photos (I always look at the food first, lol! Do you?) and there it was, in all its glory – a sweet little cake just begging to be made. It was fate. It was Rhubarb Cake.

About Rhubarb Pistachio Cake:

This cake is beautiful in a lovely, down-home kind of way, but it still has a touch of sophistication. Very moist, tender, and light, the texture was almost fluffy due to the ground pistachios.

It’s one of those cakes that you can just pull out casually – not too over the top, not too fussy, and just different enough to get everyone’s attention. The directions say to serve it cool, but I thought it was even better slightly warm.

The Rhubarb Pistachio Cake has a creamy yogurt rhubarb sauce. It was a nice addition, but in the future, I might just substitute an old-fashioned rhubarb sauce, just like my Grandma used to make.

That would really bring the rhubarb flavor home with its sweet & sour tanginess. Then it could be served with a little vanilla ice cream, too. Or maybe I’d just put more rhubarb on the top of the cake before baking and skip a sauce altogether.

Making Rhubarb Pistachio Cake:

Since this is not my original recipe, let me show you how I changed it up.

It was shown in the magazine with large. very dramatic pieces of rhubarb. It’s been a trend lately to do this, but if you know rhubarb, it has lots of long fibers. At best, the pieces would be dragged out of the cake while cutting, and at worst, that would destroy the cake. So I used bite-sized pieces, and it was perfect and jammy after baking.

I subbed in orange extract for the orange blossom water (a pricey and hard-to-find ingredient in some areas), but the subtle orange flavor was all but lost in the cake. I’d say use orange extract if you have it, but just go with vanilla if you don’t.

The directions, too, were clarified. Make sure to allow plenty of time to make this cake. The rhubarb needs to be roasted and cooled. The yogurt needs to strain for a bit.

Aside from opening the pistachios (I hear you can buy them out of the shell – how did I not know this?), the recipe was pretty straightforward. I loved the roasted rhubarb, and it just hung out, doing its thing in the oven, as I put together everything else, and was ready when I was ready to add it to the cake.

If you like Rhubarb, you might also like:

• Two Layer Rhubarb Custard Pie: another fabulous, easy old-fashioned recipe, this separates into layers as it bakes. 

Two Layer Rhubarb Custard Pie

• Sour Cream Rhubarb Coffee Cake: a big, easy mix by and coffee cake, sweet and tart, and very popular on my site for good reason.

Sour Cream Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Saving Money on Groceries:

What you pay for groceries depends not only on WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.

• The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Use these sales not just for your holiday, but to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
• Take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality; be selective.

The best way to save money on this or any recipe is to have a well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer full of sale-priced items.

Rhubarb:

• If you can, pick your own or beg a neighbor (pay them back with a slice or two of the cake).
• If buying fresh rhubarb, you’ll need more than a pound because you’ll need to trim the leaves and ends off.
• Rhubarb comes frozen in 1-pound bags. Frozen items like this are usually cheapest after harvest. Supply and demand, right? Prices will rise over winter, but look for sales around holidays.

General Baking Items:

• Never buy baking items when needed and never pay full price. Instead, stock up during your grocery holiday sales, especially before Easter and the Winter Holidays. Many items are up to half off.
• Discount stores have good pricing on baking items year-round, as does your buyer’s club, although quantities are larger.
• Immediately when arriving home, freeze items containing flour for three days.

Yogurt:

• Larger cartons will have best pricing. Better yogurts (plain, whole milk with live probiotics) can be found at a range of price points.
• Shop buyers’ clubs (fabulous deals) and discount stores; if available, ethnic markets will have a good selection.
• For price and freshness, it’s a real flex to Make Your Own Yogurt.
• Plain is versatile; use it for eating, cooking, and baking. It can often sub for sour cream. Pro tip: add fruit or jam flavor.
• Yogurt stays fresher stored upside down in the fridge and is good for weeks after the “Best Buy” date.

Nuts:

• Stock up for the year on nuts (and dried fruit) from the fall through the Winter holidays.
• At the grocery, check snack, baking, bulk, and discount aisles. Discount groceries usually have good pricing but limited choices. Buyers’ clubs are known for their quality. Farm & Tractor Supply Stores are hidden gems for dried fruit and nuts.
• Repackage any nuts in flimsy wrappings and keep in the freezer for long-term storage.

Thanks for visiting today and checking out the Rhubarb Pistachio Cake. Feel free to explore. I’d love it if you give me a follow and, of course, a comment and share now and then if you like what you see. 

Mollie 

Rhubarb Pistachio Cake

Rhubarb Pistachio Cake

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The pistachios add a lovely texture and just a hint of flavor to this cake.

• Author: Martha Stewart, slightly adapted
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Total Time: about 2 hours
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Desserts Cakes
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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• 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan (divided)
• 2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt (non-fat or low-fat is fine) divided
• 1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt (divided)
• 1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios (2 1/4 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/4 teaspoons orange-blossom water or pure vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter an 8-inch-round, 2-inch-deep cake pan and line bottom with parchment; butter parchment. Place 1 cup yogurt in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and let drain in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, toss together rhubarb, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once, just until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove, reserving rhubarb and juice. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

In a food processor, finely grind pistachios. Add flour, baking powder, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt; pulse to combine.

In a medium bowl, beat together remaining 1 stick butter and 1 cup granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping after each addition. Add the orange-blossom water, vanilla or extract and beat for a moment to combine.

Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture in two additions, flour first, alternating with one cup of the yogurt. Transfer batter to pan and smooth top.

Using a slotted spoon, remove about half the rhubarb from the rhubarb syrup mixture and place over the top in a single layer. (Refrigerate remaining rhubarb in syrup until ready to serve.)

Sprinkle cake with granulated sugar and bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. (If browning too quickly, tent with foil.) Let cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Run a small sharp knife around edges. Invert onto a cutting board, then immediately flip onto rack; let cool completely.

To serve, stir confectioners’ sugar into drained yogurt. Add the remaining yogurt and some of the syrup to the yogurt and stir. Reserve the rest of the syrup. When ready to serve, top the cake slices with the yogurt mixture and drizzle with the remaining syrup.

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I’m sharing Rhubarb Pistachio Cake at Fiesta Friday 125, cohosted by Quinn @ dadwhats4dinner and Elaine @ Foodbod.