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, then 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!
🍴KEY INGREDIENTS
- White Cake Mix
- Vegetable oil
- Instant pistachio pudding mix
- 7-up soda
- Eggs
- Sweetened flaked coconut
- Toasted pecans
- Frosting
- Milk
- Instant pistachio pudding
- Cool Whip, thawed
- Sweetened flaked coconut
- Toasted chopped pecans
As you can see from the ingredient list, you will need 2 packages of pudding and you will use coconut and pecans for the cake AND the frosting.
🍽️HOW TO MAKE
This cake turns out beautiful, looks like you spent hours in the kitchen but it comes together really quickly!
COOKING STEPS
Step 1
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.
Step 2
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.
⭐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.
SIMILAR CAKES
We love the simplicity of this cake; however, it’s delicious too! Anyone would think these cakes are made from scratch.
PISTACHIO RECIPES
If you love pistachio, you will want to check out these recipes too!
❓FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes, you absolutely can; you can also use Sprite or Club Soda.
Yes, that should work just fine. You may need to adjust the cooking time so just watch it.
STORING
This cake needs to be stored in the refrigerator. We keep it in a cake container.
💕MORE POPULAR RECIPES TO ENJOY
SERVING SIZE
This cake is about 8-10 servings depending on how thick you cut the slices.
Watergate Cake
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!
- 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.
We keep this cake covered in the fridge. We simply keep it in a cake carrier.
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