Italian Pistachio Olive Oil Cake by Erin Swanson

Executive Pastry Chef, Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, Lake Geneva, WI

This dessert was created for Brissago, our Italian restaurant at our Resort. I wanted something that would be seasonal for Fall/Winter and that would be gluten-free. I like to accommodate as many guests as possible, so I have at least one gluten-free dessert on each menu.

Yield: 1 10-inch cake

Italian Pistachio Cake

• 440 g pistachio flour
• 160 g almond flour
• 32 g cornstarch
• 1.5 g kosher salt
• 500 g granulated sugar
• 4 g orange zest
• 12 whole eggs, room temperature
• 280 g unsalted butter, softened
• 56 g extra virgin olive oil
• 5 g pistachio extract

1. Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C).
2. Whisk the pistachio flour, almond flour, salt and cornstarch together.
3. Rub the orange zest into the sugar.
4. Whisk the eggs with a whip attachment on a mixer.
5. Add the orange sugar to the eggs and whip to ribbon stage (7-10 minutes).
6. Microwave the butter to the point of flowing.
7. Add the olive oil to the butter.
8. Slowly add the butter mixture to the eggs while mixing.
9. Add the pistachio extract.
10. Remove from the mixer and fold in the nut flours until no dry spots are showing.
11. Pour the batter into a prepared 10-inch spring-form pan lined with paper.
12. Bake until set, about 45-60 minutes.

Double-Chocolate Ganache

• 280 g chocolate, 66%
• 56 g milk chocolate
• 476 g heavy cream

1. Combine the chocolates in a bowl.
2. Heat the heavy cream to a simmer.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolates.
4. Gently stir the ganache until combined, being careful not to add air bubbles.
5. While the ganache is still warm, pour it over the pistachio cake, just covering the surface.
6. Let set in cooler overnight before cutting.
7. Once the ganache has set, remove it from the pan using a hot knife and cut into 16 pieces.

Blood Orange Curd

• 300 g blood orange puree
• 5 whole egg yolks
• 6 g orange zest
• 150 g granulated sugar
• 60 g lemon juice
• 2 g kosher salt
• 100 g unsalted butter, cold

1. Reduce the blood orange puree to 170 grams.
2. Combine the yolks, zest and sugar with a whisk, stirring to ribbon stage.
3. Slowly add the hot, reduced blood-orange puree while whisking.
4. Place the egg mixture, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepot on low heat. Whisk constantly until the curd reaches 180°F (82°C).
5. Remove from the heat and strain through a chinois.
6. Slowly add the cold butter while blending with a hand mixer.
7. Cool in an ice bath with plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

Citrus White Chocolate Ganache

• 435 g heavy cream
• 3 g lemon zest
• 3 g orange zest
• 170 g white chocolate

1. Heat the heavy cream, lemon zest and orange zest in a saucepot almost to a boil.
2. Pour the hot cream through a chinois over the white chocolate.
3. Whisk together until all the chocolate is melted.
4. Chill in an ice bath until cold.
5. Refrigerate overnight.
6. Whip to medium peak.

Italian Hot Chocolate

• 300 g milk, divided
• 15 g cocoa powder
• 8 g cornstarch
• 13 g confectioners’ sugar
• 50 g chocolate, 66%

1. Heat 200 grams of the milk in a saucepot.
2. Combine the remaining 100 grams of milk with the cocoa, cornstarch and confectioners’ sugar to form a slurry.
3. Once the hot milk comes to a boil, whisk in the slurry.
4. Bring back to a boil and continue to cook for two minutes while stirring constantly.
5. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate.
6. Strain through a chinois.
7. Serve warm on the side.

Assembly

• Slice of cake
• Chopped pistachios
• Blood Orange Curd
• Citrus White Chocolate Ganache, whipped to medium peak
• Blood orange supremes
• Dehydrated blood orange slice
• Dark chocolate garnish
• Italian Hot Chocolate served tableside

1. Place a swoop of the Blood Orange Curd on the plate.
2. Position the cake above the swoop.
3. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios over the cake and on the curd.
4. Place rosettes of Citrus Ganache randomly on the plate.
5. Add the blood orange supremes.
6. Finish with the blood orange slice and chocolate garnish.

Photos by Dillion Grandon

(This recipe appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)