WATERGATE CAKE – VINTAGE RECIPE

This Watergate Cake is a vintage recipe your family will love. It’s made with pistachio pudding and is an excellent addition to any spring/summer gathering.

If you are a fan of pistachio, you will definitely need to make the classic Watergate Salad! It’s a wonderful addition to any holiday; some people call it the “green stuff”.

❤️WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE

This cake is made from a cake mix, which makes is super simple and it comes together really quickly. We love the combination of pistachio and coconut. It just goes really well together, and the cake is very moist, you add a cool whip frosting, and you have a delicious dessert. It’s so pretty too, so it’s perfect for Easter, St. Patrick’s Day or Mother’s Day!

SWAPS

If you are not a fan of pecans, you can substitute the nuts or leave them out. Yes, this cake is made with Cool Whip. No, I don’t think you can make your own. I don’t think it will work because the stability of the Cool Whip makes the frosting. You can always try it, but I recommend using Cool Whip.

⭐TIP

Cake mix sizes have changed over the years but this recipe works fine. We prefer the white cake mix, it makes the cake much prettier. You can use a yellow cake mix in a pinch. You can also make this cake in day in advance and it must be kept in the refrigerator.

SIMILAR CAKES

We love the simplicity of this cake; however, it’s delicious too! Anyone would think these cakes are made from scratch.

Mandarin Orange Cake – This cake is made similar and it’s a classic that has been around a very long time. It’s one of our most popular for a reason!
Old Fashioned Snowball Cake – This cake is made with angel food cake and it’s easy and delicious. Such a wonderful addition to any Christmas!
Coconut Cream Poke Cake – If you love coconut this cake is one you have to make, it’s simple and is always a hit!

PISTACHIO RECIPES

If you love pistachios, you will want to check out these recipes, too!

Pistachio Cookies—These cookies have pistachios and white chocolate chips, which we quickly discovered is a great combination.
Nutty Pistachio Cake – This cake is also made with a mix and it’s delicious. It was an experiment that turned out fantastic.
Watergate Salad– This classic is at every holiday gathering for a reason! The best fluff salad.

STORING

This cake needs to be stored in the refrigerator. We keep it in a cake container.

SERVING SIZE

This cake serves 8-10, depending on how thick you cut the slices.

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Leigh Walkup

This vintage watergate cake is made with a cake mix and pistachio instant pudding. It's so good and the perfect addition to any spring/summer gathering. Great for Easter, St. Patrick's Day or Mother's Day!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 55 minutes

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American

1 Box of White Cake Mix
3/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 3.4 ounce packet of instant pistachio pudding mix
1 cup of 7-up soda
3 large eggs
1/2 cup of sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup of toasted pecans

Frosting

1 1/2 cups milk
1 3.4 ounce packet of instant pistachio pudding
8- ounce Cool Whip thawed
1/2 cup of sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup of toasted chopped pecans

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl mix with a mixer on medium speed the cake mix, oil, pudding, eggs, and 7-Up. Once mixed, fold in pecans and coconut. Pour into two greased 9-inch cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until done. Let cakes cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting:

Combine pudding and milk and stir for until slightly thickened (usually around 2-4 minutes). Fold in Cool Whip. Spread frosting on the first layer of the cake and then frost the entire cake. Press the coconut and the pecans into the frosting and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve cold.

We keep this cake covered in the fridge. We simply keep it in a cake carrier.

Let us know by commenting below!