I am taking mental notes on the photography and will be attempting it at some point.  Keeping it simple often works best.

Wow, thank you for all of the nice comments on my photography style.

Oh my goodness - if ever I saw a temping set of photos…. THESE ARE IT!! 

I’ve been so busy lately that this cake crept up on me before I had a chance to order the pistachios.  I might just have to try it with domestic ones, although I know it won’t quite be the same.
Fabulous job Matthew!!

Here’s my (California) Pistachio Cake. This cake was very easy to make. I made 1/2 recipe again, baked in 6 inch pan. It was to my surprise that it baked completely flat - no trimming needed. Yay! I was surprised because the last couple of times I made butter cakes it either domed or sunk.

This is the 1st time I made neoclassic. I was very curious of the taste in comparison to my favorite butter: the mousseline. I followed Matthew’s lead and added some amaretto (didn’t have frangelico at home). I didn’t use pistachio essence, but I used vanilla paste instead of plain vanilla - don’t know if you can see there’s little specks of black on the close up photo.
The neoclassic is easier to make, and it’s easier to work with. It took no time to frost the cake. Tastewise, mousseline still wins. The neoclassic taste really good but does not taste as light. It is a good buttercream for this cake though (I don’t think the cake would taste as good with mousseline).

The cake was a huge hit. Hubby really likes it, it got a really high score . This is definitely something I will make again.

You can view my complete post here:
http://knittybaker.blogspot.com/2010/03/california-pistachio-cake.html

Picture perfect cake, Jenn!  Beautiful job.

OMG! This is breathtaking, Matthew - I am off to order from Kalustyan’s, and just hope I can put it together something like yours! joan

Thank you Patrincia and Joan! Joan, it is an easy cake to make, and once you have those pistachios, it pretty much decorates itself

Jenn, love the vanilla paste, yes I can see the flecks.  Bet it was delicious! I hadn’t made neoclassic in years, and forgot how much I like it. Plan to start making it again more often.

Matthew - 16 March 2010 08:46 PM

Thank you Patrincia and Joan! Joan, it is an easy cake to make, and once you have those pistachios, it pretty much decorates itself

Thanks, Matthew—you are always so supportive. j

Beautiful job, both of you! And it sounds like it’s a cake worth making, reading through your descriptions!

I’ve been dying to make this cake but I can’t find green pistachios.  Did you get them at a specialty store?

I just use the regular California pistachio. I know Rose recommends the Sicilian ones which I believe she said you can find at Kalustyan (online).