Pistachio Orange Cake

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, room temperature
• 1/4 cup triple sec, clear
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled and toasted + extra for garnish
• 1 3/4 cups sifted Swans Down® Cake Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature

Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 orange
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease and line 3 (6-inch) round cake pans.
2. Combine eggs, Greek yogurt, triple sec, vanilla and almond extract together in a small bowl and mix well; set aside.
3. Place sugar and pistachios in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it resembles fine sand. (Be careful not to over process or it will turn into a paste.)
4. Place ground pistachio mixture, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on low to combine. Add butter and 1/4 of the egg mixture. Beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute to help build structure. (The mixture will be thick and moist.) Add remaining egg mixture in 3 additions, mixing on medium speed until fully incorporated into batter.
5. Divide batter evenly in the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in pans, then remove from pans to a wire rack and cool completely.
6. Make Frosting: Finely zest the orange (reserve the remaining orange for another use). Place the cream cheese, butter, orange zest, honey and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Cream together until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth.
7. Assemble Cake: Top each layer with frosting and assemble, then frost the cake with a crumb coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 to 20 minutes to set.
8. Remove cake from refrigerator and apply a finish layer of frosting. Using a bench scraper or offset spatula, smooth out the cake surface, removing excess frosting to achieve a “naked” look that reveals cake layers. Garnish with roughly chopped pistachios.