I wanted pistachio gelato. This happened instead.
The story behind Tavva’s Pistachio Ricotta Cake
A note from Val: Turning a favorite recipe into something new
Pistachio has always been one of my favorite flavors.
When I visited Italy, I ordered pistachio gelato everywhere we went. Sometimes once a day. Sometimes twice. If a gelato shop had pistachio, I was trying it.
So when we started planning the Tavva menu, I was convinced we needed gelato.
We spent quite a bit of time researching gelato equipment and testing options. But as a brand-new restaurant, investing in an expensive gelato machine didn’t feel like the smartest decision until we knew whether the demand would be there.
So then we tested a few pre-made gelatos, hoping we could find something that would work in the meantime.
That idea didn’t last long. As soon as I tasted them, it was an immediate no for me.
If we’re going to serve gelato, I want it to be made from scratch in-house. I’m not interested in serving something that’s just okay. It has to be amazing.
So while gelato is on hold for now at Tavva, I wasn’t ready to give up on pistachio.
As I started researching Italian desserts and brainstorming ideas, I kept coming back to a Lemon Ricotta Cake recipe that I created years ago and love. The texture of that cake is incredible, and I wondered if it would be just as good made into a pistachio version.
My goal wasn’t to create another overly sweet pistachio dessert. I wanted something where the pistachio flavor was actually the star. A dessert made with real pistachios. No artificial flavorings or food dyes, just authentic pistachio flavor in every bite.
Tyler wasn’t convinced that this needed to be a menu item. He’s always trying to rein me in when I want to add more and more things to the menu.
But then he took a bite of the cake, and his reaction was priceless. He looked at me and said it was the best dessert I’d tested for Tavva. He loved it!
I took some to friends and family to try, and they loved it too. They loved the texture, loved the pistachio flavor, and loved that it wasn’t overly sweet.
The cake just melts in your mouth, and the pistachio flavor shines through without being buried under sugar, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
I’m so happy with how it turned out, and I can’t wait for you to try it!