Easter Dessert Inspiration

This is how my life often goes: I wandered into the bathroom, spied the new Bon Appétit, flipped through it, and an hour later, the kitchen was cleaned, the dishwasher was running, and I had a citrus-pistachio pound cake in the oven! YAY ME!

I didn't have any limes on hand, so I used the zest of the lemon. Also, instead of oranges, I used some extra-juicy minneolas. YUMMY! But please, learn from the error of my ways. Either scale the recipe back by a third, or use a larger pan than a standard loaf pan. Otherwise, you will have batter spilling over and burning in the bottom of your oven like I did. Oops! (My friend, Joan, tried this recipe after I posted about it on Facebook, and she used three smaller loaf pans which she reported worked out well.)

This would be a lovely springtime addition to your Easter dessert buffet!

Pistachio Pound Cake
Source: Bon Appétit, April 2012
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups all-purpose flour plus more
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1 cup shelled, unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped, divided

Arrange a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°F. Coat a 9x5x3" loaf pan with nonstick spray. Dust pan with flour; tap out excess.

Whisk 2 cups flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add sugar; beat until well incorporated, 1-2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions. Add juices and zests; beat until well combined (mixture will look curdled), 2-3 minutes. Add dry ingredients; reduce speed to low and beat just until blended. Fold in 3/4 cup pistachios. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup pistachios over.

Bake cake, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely in pan. Run a sharp knife around sides to loosen; unmold cake. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.