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Ingredients
- Cake:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
- 2 2/3 cups cake flour, sifted, plus more for dusting
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- No-Fuss Pistachio Pastry Cream:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Pinch of coarse salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup pistachio paste, such as Love'n Bake
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- Basic Buttercream for Pistachio Layer Cake:
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 pound confectioners' sugar (3 1/2 cups), sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring, such as AmeriColor, in Leaf Green, Electric Green, and Mint Green (1 to 2 drops each)
- Royal Icing for Pistachio Layer Cake:
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
Preparation
Step 1
Cake:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment; butter parchment and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated, scraping down bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with milk in two batches.
2. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Smooth tops with an offset spatula. Bake until tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto a wire rack, remove parchment, reinvert, and let cool completely. With a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes so they're level.
3. Stir together pastry cream and 1/3 cup buttercream. Spread pastry-cream mixture over one cake layer and top with second cake layer, cut-side down. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Spread about 1 cup of buttercream in a thin layer on top of sides of cake (to prevent crumbs from pulling through final layer of frosting; it's okay if crumb coating is uneven, as it will be covered up later). Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Frost cake with remaining buttercream and refrigerate until icing is firm, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
4. Use a 2-inch round biscuit cutter to mark an overlapping circle pattern around top edge of cake. Place royal icing in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (such as Ateco #2). Pipe overlapping circles, using markings as a guide. Use a small damp brush to correct any wobbly piping. Cake can be stored in refrigerator up to 1 day; bring to room temperature 1 hour before serving.
No-Fuss Pistachio Pastry Cream:
Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg yolk, and pistachio paste in a small saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Let boil 1 minute, still stirring constantly. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl; discard solids. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Basic Buttercream for Pistachio Layer Cake:
Beat butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, until combined, 1 to 2 minutes total. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium.) Beat in vanilla until smooth.
2. Add food coloring, a little at a time, to achieve desired color. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days. To use, bring to room temperature and beat on low speed until smooth.
Royal Icing for Pistachio Layer Cake:
In a large bowl, stir egg white vigorously with rubber spatula until frothy. Add confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, stirring until smooth, until icing is thick and pipeable. Adjust consistency with additional sugar or water by the drop. Icing can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before using.