Pistachio Cake (also called The Watergate Cake)

 

Today our American friends, family and neighbors all celebrate Thanksgiving. It is a different time when families may be separated due to safety measures in place, or families may be dealing with someone close having COVID, or even having lost a dear one.  My heartfelt wishes go out to all and hopes that even though we may not have our loved ones close there will be enough love in our lives to sustain us through hard times.

This cake dates back to the 50's and 60's, but my research tells me that it was named in the 70's as the Watergate Cake because "under the icing is a whole bunch of nuts".  With that said, and with American politics still much in the news today, I thought I would dedicate this baking spree to my American neighbors.

In Mississauga and Toronto we are back to lock-down conditions due to COVID so baking is in full swing once again. This Pistachio Cake has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember.  My mother used to bake this cake and with a family of six it was not long before it vanished. 

It is simple to make and the ingredients are easy to store in your pantry for days like this.  I love the beautiful green color that the cake has and the taste is out of this world.  I replaced the seven-up with club soda to decrease the amount of sugar.

Ingredients

1 Box White Cake Mix

1 Box Instant Pistachio Pudding

3 eggs

1 cup oil

1 cup Club Soda ( or any lemon/lime soda like Seven Up or Sprite)

1/2 cup of chopped Pistachios, and a few more for decoration

Method

Preheat the oven to 350

Keep the nuts aside, and put all the other ingredients in a large bowl. The mixture will froth when you add the soda.

Mix well with a hand held mixer until all the ingredients are blended and smooth. Add the nuts  and blend in.

Grease a pan with kitchen spray. I used a Bundt pan. 

Note: If you are using a regular cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper and then grease it.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 50-55 minutes in a regular oven.  I used a convection oven and the cake was ready in 40 minutes. Check by inserting a skewer or toothpick into the middle of the cake, It is ready when the skewer comes out clean with no batter clinging to it. 

To Decorate the cake I used a light glaze just so the nuts would stick. Traditionally this cake is covered with a green glaze or icing which I omitted.

For the glaze, sift 2 tablespoons of icing sugar into a bowl. Add one teaspoon of milk and stir until well mixed. It should be like molasses thick and able to run. Drizzle this on the cake and sprinkle a handful of chopped nuts over the glaze.

Enjoy