This pistachio-yogurt plumcake is born from a memory I hold dear. As a child, every Sunday at my grandparents’ house my grandmother prepared a different cake for breakfast, and her soft plumcake was one of my favorites. One morning, coming back from the market with a bag of fresh pistachios, she took my hand and said: “Today we’ll make something special.” Together we added the yogurt, sprinkled the crunchy pistachio crumble on top, and the result was surprising: a cake that smelled of love and captured all the sweetness of our Sundays together.
Back then yogurt was only plain, but it was already wonderful. Today, with all the variety of flavors available—including pistachio—I wanted to pay homage to that memory by turning it into an even more indulgent and fragrant version.
If you love rich, comforting cakes, you might also adore my Plumcake with Nutella and Almonds.
Every time I make this plumcake, I return to that kitchen: the scent of toasted pistachios, my grandmother’s flour-dusted hands, and that simple joy of creating something delicious together.
If you enjoy desserts you can also look at:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 3 1/3 cups 00 flour (type 00 / all-purpose)
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp cups frumina (wheat starch)
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup pistachio yogurt
- 3/4 cup sunflower oil
- 3.5 oz milk chocolate (in chips or chopped)
- 4 tsp baking powder (for cakes)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp pistachios (finely chopped)
- 2 tsp butter
- 1 1/4 tbsp 00 flour
Preparation
To prepare the plumcake, start by whisking the sugar with the eggs until pale and fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer (if you don’t have one, an electric hand mixer works fine).
Add the oil, the pistachio yogurt (you can use whichever flavor you prefer) and continue working the batter.
Gradually add the sifted 00 flour, frumina and baking powder, until everything is incorporated.
Finally, for anyone with a sweet tooth 😋, add the chocolate and fold it in until evenly distributed.
Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan greased and floured, arrange small strips of butter on top if you like, and bake in a preheated oven at 338°F for about 40 minutes. To check if the cake is done, insert a wooden or metal skewer after 40 minutes: if it comes out dry, the plumcake is ready; if it comes out with batter on it, continue baking.Make sure to cool it on a wire rack before slicing.
Storage and tips
The pistachio-yogurt plumcake can be stored under a glass dome for 2–3 days, or it can be frozen.
If the surface of the plumcake starts to brown too quickly during baking, cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and continue baking.
