This Lemon Pistachio Cake is made with Meyer lemons and topped with toasted pistachios and drizzled with a Lemony Glaze-a happy, cheerful little cake to help brighten up this winter weekend.

Meyer Lemon Loaf with Toasted Pistachios and Lemony Glaze. The perfect balance between tart and sweet. #lemonloaf

Meyer Lemons are everywhere right now and we’ve been using them in everything while we still can. My friend Tonia came for a visit last week and she created this Lemon Pistachio Cake – a tangy sweet treat for the senses.  It’s topped with a tart lemony glaze and sprinkled with toasted pistachios, and couldn’t be any more delicious!

Meyer Lemon Loaf Cake with Toasted Pistachios and Lemony Glaze. The perfect balance between tart and sweet. #lemonloaf

How to make Meyer Lemon Pistachio Cake

It starts with creaming the sugar and butter together until light, fluffy and pale, then add the eggs one by one, the vanilla and Meyer lemon zest. Add the yogurt and lemon juice.

If you can’t find Meyer lemons, feel free to use regular lemons!

lemon loaf cake

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl, then gradually add to combine.

Meyer lemon loaf

For a little intrigue, we add cardamom and ginger, which pair well with the pistachios.

Once combined, place in a greased 9-inch loaf pan and bake for 50-65 minutes, or until puffed, golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

While it’s cooling make the simple lemon glaze.

lemon loaf cake

After the cake has cooled, drizzle the glaze over the cake. While it’s still slick, sprinkle with the chopped pistachios, so they stick.

It’s easiest to do this over a cooling rack placed over a sheet pan with a piece of parchment, so you can collect the surplus glaze and reapply it.

Meyer lemon loaf cake with pistachios and lemon glaze

Ways to Serve Lemon Cake

  • As morning bread for a special brunch.
  • With afternoon tea.
  • As a dessert after dinner!
Meyer Lemon Loaf Cake with Toasted Pistachios and Lemony Glaze. The perfect balance between tart and sweet. #lemonloaf

This would also make a sweet hostess gift, or would be a nice “cheering-up” gift for someone who could use a little extra love this weekend.

And it is perfectly reasonable if that someone is you.

Meyer Lemon Loaf Cake with Toasted Pistachios and Lemony Glaze. The perfect balance between tart and sweet. #lemonloaf

Let us know what you think of the lemon cake- rate it in the comments below!

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Meyer lemon loaf cake with pistachios and lemon glaze

Meyer Lemon Pistachio Cake

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 18 reviews
  • Author: Tonia Schemmel
  • Prep Time: 70
  • Cook Time: 60
  • Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
  • Yield: 9 1x
  • Category: cake, baked,
  • Method: baked
  • Cuisine: Northwest
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

Meyer Lemon Loaf Cake with Toasted Pistachios and Lemony Glaze. The perfect balance between tart and sweet. Prep Time includes 40 minutes of cooling time.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1/2 cup butter, (4 ounces) at room temperature or sightly softened
  • 3/4 cup1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 firm Meyer lemons (2-3 tablespoons meyer lemon zest) or use regular lemons see notes
  • ———
  • 1/3 cup meyer lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
  • ————
  • 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger (optional)

Lemony Glaze Recipe

½ cup ​​​​roasted pistachios,  chopped

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
  2. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan 
  3. Cream butter and sugar in a stand or handheld mixer until pale, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add eggs one at a time mixing until fully incorporated.  Add vanilla and Meyer lemon zest. Add the yogurt and lemon juice, and mix to combine. 
  5. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and spices in a medium-sized bowl.
  6. Add a third of the flour mixture, mix, a third more, mix and add the last third.   
  7. Pour batter into the greased pan, smoothing the top.  
  8. Bake for 50 to 70 minutes.  (This may seem like a big time range but it all depends on the pan you choose, your oven and the elevation your at) until internal temp reaches 200F  and a toothpick comes out clean. 
  9. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove cake from pan (use a knife to loosen edges) and allow it to cool on rack for another 20 minutes before adding glaze.
  10. Make the Lemon Glaze Recipe
  11. Once the cake has cooled, 20-30 minutes, drizzle with the lemon glaze. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios (while still wet, so they stick to the cake).
  12. Store cake on the counter for 3-5 days, lightly covered.

Notes

Choose meyer lemons that are firm rather than soft, for easier zesting. I used 3 tablespoons meyer lemon zest for extra lemon flavor. If using regular lemons, you will only need 2 tablespoons.

If you can’t find Meyer lemons, feel free to use regular lemons or try subbing in a little orange zest/juice with the lemons to mimic that Meyer lemon taste.

 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 inch slice
  • Calories: 378
  • Sugar: 36.9 g
  • Sodium: 194.5 mg
  • Fat: 15.4 g
  • Saturated Fat: 7.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 55.5 g
  • Fiber: 1.4 g
  • Protein: 6 g
  • Cholesterol: 83.4 mg

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Comments

  1. Could I double the recipe and bake in a bundt cake pan? Are there any other adjustments that you would make? Thanks for your wonderful recipes!!

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