Makes one 9-inch cake
1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup finely ground raw pistachios (about 3½ ounces)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
3 large eggs
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon mild olive oil or pistachio oil
1/3 cup plain full-fat Greek-style yogurt
Chocolate ganache or strawberry-rhubarb compote (recipes follow)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pistachios, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and the orange zest, using your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. Add the eggs and whisk until combined, then whisk in the olive oil and yogurt until smooth.
With a rubber spatula, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until completely combined, then transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until the cake springs back when gently pressed and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake, or the cake will be dry.
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn out of the pan onto the wire rack and let cool completely.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote
8 ounces strawberries, hulled and quartered
8 ounces rhubarb, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
5 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Reserve ½ cup of the quartered strawberries. Transfer the remaining strawberries to a medium saucepan and add the rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the juices begin to release from the strawberries, then continue cooking, stirring, until the juices begin to thicken and the rhubarb has begun to soften, 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until the rhubarb is tender and beginning to fall apart, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in reserved strawberries. Cooled compote can be spooned on top of the cake, or served alongside.
Chocolate Ganache
If you want a pourable ganache that will drip off the edges of the cake, use 3½ ounces of chocolate and pour over the cake while the ganache is still warm. If you plan to frost the cake, covering the top and sides with a thin, even layer, use 4 ounces of chocolate and let the ganache cool slightly before using an offset spatula to spread the ganache over the cake.
3½ to 4 ounces semisweet chocolate (64% cacao), chopped
½ cup heavy cream
Put the chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat until bubbles begin to appear at the pan’s edge. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Pour or spread the ganache over the cake and refrigerate until firm.