• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray two 8-inch cake pans with pan spray and set aside.
• If you don’t have ground pistachios, pulse shelled unsalted pistachios in a blender or food processor until the nuts before a powder.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground pistachios, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In a medium bowl whisk together the buttermilk, milk, both extracts and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. If desired, add a drop or two of green food coloring for the signature green pistachio color.
• In a clean large bowl, whip the egg whites until medium stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until no white streaks of egg whites remain. Separate the batter evenly into the two prepared pans.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the tops of the cakes spring back when gently pressed or a toothpick comes out with minimal crumbs on it.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 4-5 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
• Frost the cooled cakes with buttercream and top with chopped pistachios.

Buttercream

• Beat the butter and powdered sugar together slowly in a stand mixer until combined. Add the vanilla, salt and 3 tablespoons of cream. Beat until smooth. Add more cream if needed to reach a softer, smoother consistency.