Thanks to Taneka for sending me this recipe! It’s from Ochre Bakery Detroit, which (according to Taneka) serves excellent sandwiches. They also serve highly rated pastries and sweets including this Vegan Lemon Pistachio Loaf. Bon Appetit shared the Ochre recipe.
Luckily I didn't read the reviews before baking this because they are not good. My guess is people forgot to add the ½ cup of water that is listed in the directions, but not in the ingredient list. I'm not sure why recipes don't always include water in the ingredient list, but in my opinion it should be there.
I followed the directions for the most part (almost forgetting the water!) but used an 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch pan rather than a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
I'm glad I used the narrower pan because the cake was already pretty short and a wider loaf pan would have made it stubbier.
I also used flavorless refined coconut oil in place of vegetable oil because I have a vat of it a friend gave me before she moved to Tonga to start a keto bakery (long story), so maybe the coconut oil changed things. My cake did indeed sink a bit. Compared to Vegan Lemon Pistachio Loaf on BA, it almost looks like a different cake.
But it was still delicious! However, if you make this and get a rounded top like the one in the picture on Bon Appetit, let me know! Maybe my coconut oil substitution did it or maybe it was something else, but either way Vegan Lemon Pistachio Loaf is a winner.
Recipe
Vegan Lemon Pistachio Cake Ochre
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw pistachios 105 grams
- Zest of 2 lemons measure by tablespoons
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour 220 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup melted refined coconut oil or vegetable oil 70 grams
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup water
- Icing
- 5 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ to 2 cups powdered sugar I found 1 ½ cups to be just fine
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Grease an 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch loaf pan (original recipe called for a 9x5 inch pan) with coconut oil or your favorite vegan fat, then line with a strip of parchment paper and grease again.
- Pulse pistachios in a food processor until coarsely ground, then set aside about 1 tablespoon. Pulse until finely ground.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk or stir together lemon zest, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and remaining pistachios. Make sure all of the dry ingredients are very thoroughly mixed.
- In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, ⅓ cup melted coconut oil, and ½ cup water.
- Pour oil mixture into dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula to combine, being very careful not to overmix, as this will result in a gummy texture. The batter is fairly thick.
- Transfer to greased pan and spread evenly.
- Bake cake until golden brown all over, it springs back when gently pressed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes (mine took a full 60 minutes in the 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch pan).
- Let cool completely for at least two hours.
- Using parchment overhang, lift cake out of pan and place on rack. Peel away parchment.
- To make the icing put 1 ½ to 2 cups powdered sugar in a bowl and begin adding lemon juice one tablepoon at a time, stirring after each addition, until the icing is a pourable consistency. Drizzle over and down the sides, then sprinkle with reserved ground pistachios.
Anna says
Thanks for trying it, AImee!
Aimee B. says
This is AMAZING! Just pulled mini loaves out of the oven and couldn't wait, lol! My family thinks it's perfect without the glaze, so we're leaving them naked. The texture is lovely. I used pecans because that's what I had on hand and I upped the lemon juice to 3 T in the batter. This is a beautiful loaf and a definite keeper. 🙂
Anna says
I'm so glad you liked it!
Becca says
Just made this and it came out so good! I used vegetable oil as we’re out of coconut. It came out crispy on the outside and moist inside. The flavor is phenomenal! Thank you so much for sharing. Will be making this again and again.
Anna says
Stephanie, I'm glad to hear you liked it. I plan on making it again with just olive oil (no vegetable) so it will have a touch of olive oil flavor.
Stephanie Haly says
I made this loaf and I really love it. I'm surprised at how much it raised given that the dough seemed really heavy. I was concerned that I had overmixed it but wasn't heavy. This is such an interesting recipe.
Stephanie Haly says
I saw this recipe on Instagram this past weekend and put it on my "To Be Made" list. I'm glad you mentioned the water as that is something I would've totally left out. Now all I need is someone to shell me all of those pistachios!
d says
I'm going to try this! It sounds like a fun combination of flavors, and I have all the ingredients.
Sonya says
This looks SO good! Glad you didn't read the reviews first, and it's cool that you figured out what was probably going wrong!
Anna says
Sue, it's even better on Day 2. I'm amazed at how well it holds together.
Sue says
I’m glad it tasted good! I’m fascinated by cake type recipes that don’t use eggs but are good.