Pistachio Honey Baklava Cake (video)

My Baklava Cake Video Tutorial

Watch my YouTube video tutorial for step-by-step instructions for making this incredible pistachio honey baklava cake! Want to stay up to date on new recipes? Make sure to subscribe to my emailing list (on the homepage!) and my YouTube channel and turn on notifications!

Ingredients for Pistachio Honey Cake

I love all the incredible flavors of this baklava honey cake! From the sweet honey to the creamy frosting to the salted pistachios! Here’s what you’ll need to put it together!

• Honey: I use it to sweeten the cake layers and for the filling. If you want the cake to have a very rich honey flavor, try using a darker variety of honey.
• Salted Pistachios: salted nuts really help balance out the sweetness of the honey! Very finely dice the pistachios for the filling.
• Sour Cream: using sour cream, buttermilk or Greek yogurt makes this cake more moist and fluffier!
• Unsalted Butter: use only unsalted butter for making the pistachio buttercream! This way, you’ll be able to control the amount of salt. Soften the butter at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
• Eggs: bring the eggs up to room temperature. This will allow the cake batter to bake more evenly!
• Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda & Salt: always check the expiration dates on your leavening agents! Baking powder and baking soda go bad quickly and this can result in flat cake layers!
• Cooking Oil: I typically use canola oil for baking since it has very little flavor.  You can also use melted, unsalted butter.

Using Salted or Unsalted Pistachios

While most desserts, cakes and pie are made with unsalted nuts, I recommend using roasted and salted pistachios for this baklava cake recipe. Adding a little bit of saltiness actually helps balance out the sweetness of the honey and really makes this cake pop! You can use unsalted pistachios for this recipe, too if you’re unable to find salted ones.

It’s a Sweet Cake!

Although most of my cake recipes are not on the sweet side, this one is an exception! This honey cake with pistachios is on the sweet side, thanks to all the honey I add! I love to enjoy it with tea to help break up the sweetness. However, you can make this cake less sweet by reducing the amount of honey you add into the cake batter (from 1 cup to ¾ cup) and as a filling.

Making Pistachio Buttercream Frosting

To frost this pistachio baklava cake, I’m using my incredible ‘Pistachio Buttercream Frosting’! It’s one of my ‘Back to Cake Basics’ episodes. This delicious and fluffy frosting is made with salted pistachios, which make the frosting well balanced! Make sure to check out my recipe for the video tutorial! Here’s how I make it:

1. Prepare the pistachio paste first. Place the shelled pistachios into a food processor, or a blender, and pulse until the pistachios are very well ground. Add in the heavy cream and pulse again until a thick paste forms. Set this paste aside.
2. Soften the butter at room temperature until it’s lightly softened. Place the butter into a mixer bowl and attach a flat beater. Beat the butter on medium to high speed for 7 to 9 minutes, until the butter is fluffy and white in color. Scrap down the sides of the mixing bowl often to ensure all the butter is well mixed.
3. Add in the pistachio paste and vanilla extract next. Beat for a few minutes, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl, until the butter and pistachio paste are well combined.
4. Add the confectioner’s sugar next. Mix on low speed for, until the sugar is incorporated. Continue to beat on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until the buttercream is light and fluffy.
5. If your buttercream is flat and doesn’t become fluffy, place it into the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. Once chilled, beat the frosting again until it’s fluffy.
6. Keep the frosting refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.

How to Make Pistachio Honey Baklava Cake

You’re going to love how easy it is to make this incredible pistachio honey cake! The cake layers come together in no time and it’s easy to assemble! Here’s how I put this baklava cake together:

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350F/177C. Line three, 8-inch (20-cm) cake pans with parchment paper and spray the sides with a non-stick baking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, honey, cooking oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat this mixture for a few minutes, until it’s smooth and uniform. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Sift these dry ingredients into the cake batter, then mix for about 1 minute, just until incorporated.
3. Divide the prepared cake batter between the three pans. I like to use a kitchen scale to make sure each pan has the same amount of batter. Bake the cake layers in the preheated oven at 350F for 24 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
4. Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans for about 5 to 8 minutes, then carefully take them out of the pans and onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cake layers have cooled, place them into the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. This will make the layers less fragile.
5. Meanwhile, prepare a batch of my pistachio buttercream frosting. Keep the frosting refrigerated until you’re ready to use it!

Garnishing the Honey Cake

Feel free to garnish the baklava cake however you like! Try adding some pistachio baklava or even some honeycomb on the top to make it look extra special! I kept my garnishes simple for this shoot! Here’s what I did:

• To garnish the top, sprinkle more finely diced pistachios over the top of the cake and drizzle with a few tablespoons of honey.
• Transfer the remaining buttercream into a pastry bag; I used a French star tip #4. Pipe dollops onto the top to garnish the cake.

How to Serve & Store Baklava Pistachio Cake

Once you have the cake assembled and completed, I recommend placing it into the refrigerator for an hour or two, to allow the frosting to set. You can also leave the cake in the refrigerator overnight to chill. I recommend removing it from the refrigerator about an hour before serving, to allow the cake to soften. Since this cake is quite sweet, I recommend serving it with hot tea to break up the sweetness!

More Recipes!

Enjoyed my pistachio honey baklava cake recipe? Make sure to check out some of my other recipes you’re sure to enjoy!

• Raspberry Pistachio Swiss Roll Cake – a delicate and delicious combination of fruity raspberries, mascarpone cream and pistachio sponge cake!
• Chocolate Pistachio Cake – you’ll love this rich chocolate cake with pistachio buttercream and chocolate ganache; inspired by my favorite pistachio truffles!
• Pistachio Carrot Cake – this delicious carrot cake is dotted with crunchy pistachios and frosted with my cream cheese frosting!
• EASY Pistachio Baklava Rolls – I’m officially obsessed with these buttery, flaky rolls! Puff pastry filled with pistachio paste and coated with honey!
• Pistachio Honey Baklava Cheesecake – everything you love about baklava in a rich, creamy and delicious honey pistachio cheesecake!

Supplies & Tools

Need some supplies or tools to make this baklava cake at home? You can get them online here (Amazon Affiliate Links):

• Ateco Turn Table – this cake decorating turn table is a must for serious bakers!
• 8-Inch Cake Pans – these are my favorite cake pans! They bake evenly and the aluminum is almost non-stick!
• Flat Cake Spatula – use this spatula for smoothing the sides of the cake.
• Offset Spatulas – use this spatula to spread the frosting evenly between each cake layer.
• Disposable Pastry Bags – never wash another pastry bag again with these amazing disposable bags! They come in a bulk roll that will last you a while, too!