Pistachio Pudding Cake

This gorgeous green cake is nothing short of a dream come true - pillowy soft cake laced with salty pistachio pieces, and topped with a creamy vanilla glaze.

This would be a perfect cake for St. Patrick's Day because of the lovely color - which is due to the not-so-secret ingredient - instant pistachio pudding mix.

I'm not one to use a box mix and cut corners when baking, but after seeing a ton of recipes that use pudding mix, i thought I'd give it a whirl. This combines a box of yellow cake mix with a pouch of instant pistachio pudding mix - leaving you with a decadently moist, soft cake. A lot of traditional pudding cakes use club soda in the mixture to give it an airy textures (thanks to all the bubbles!) but this cake didn't need a lot of extra moisture so I used whole milk instead. Another swap you can do if you want to cut down a bit on all the dairy, is to use vegetable oil instead of butter. (tip - use 3/4 cup of oil for every 1 cup of butter if substituting)

I made this in a bundt pan, but a regular 9x13 pan would work well, too. These would even make great cupcakes if you are consciously making an effort to reduce food sharing and giving everyone their own specific plate (thanks #covid19)

Now let's get to the good stuff...

Pistachio Pudding Bundt Cake

The Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

1 pouch Jell-O instant pistachio pudding mix

4 eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 stick butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup chopped pistachios

The Icing

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbsp milk

2 tsp vanilla paste

1/4 cup finely chopped pistachios

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease your bundt pan with butter and coat with a flour dusting.

2. Whisk cake mix and flour. Add in eggs, milk, and butter until well smooth batter is formed.

3. Gently fold in chopped pistachios.

4. Pour batter into baking pan and use spatula to level and smooth.

5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

6. While baking, combine powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp milk, and vanilla until a thick, smooth icing is formed.

7. Once the cake is finished baking, let cool for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing.

8. Spoon icing over cake and let it drip down the sides. Sprinkle with finely chopped pistachios.

It is a simple cake that is sure to please any sweet tooth!

Adapted from Taste of Home