A simple bundt cake that is moist, light, fluffy, and a little crunchy. Fresh ground pistachios in the cake with some more drizzled over the top of a beautiful sugar glaze, this Pistachio Pudding Bundt Cake is beautiful to look at and divine to eat.
Several years ago, my cousin Sagar would come over to cook with me in the afternoons. He and I would experiment with new and old recipes. On one such occasion, my aunt, Rekha Masi, his mom, sent over a few slices of pistachio cake. This was the first time I had ever had pistachio cake and boy was I hooked. I loved it because it is not too sweet, it’s perfectly moist, and I love the crunch of pistachios in each bite.
Ok, I know the name indicates pudding, but there is nothing pudding consistency about this cake. But it does help keep it beautifully moist and fluffy. And add a beautiful color and nutty flavor to it. Between the pudding and the cake mix, I love this recipe because it’s mostly putting ingredients together and baking a cake can’t get easier.
Here’s what you will need:
- Yellow Cake Mix
- Pistachio Pudding Mix
- Milk
- Oil
- Water
- Pistachios: I add extra in the batter and on top.
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract: This enhances the nutty flavor which I love.
- Green food coloring: optional but if you are baking with kids, this is a fun step to add in, especially for St. Patrick’s Day
For the glaze, I choose to keep it traditional with a vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk glaze. In the past, I’ve omitted the glaze and we’ve eaten the cake on its own too. It tastes great both ways. If you are making this with younger kiddos, some green sprinkles would be a fun touch for them also.
This recipe is my tribute to my Masi’s pistachio cake. Each time I have it, it reminds me of the afternoons I spent in the kitchen with my cousin, joking around, having some intense conversations, and becoming closer as family.
Pistachio Pudding Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the cake batter:
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
- 4 eggs
- 1 c water
- 1/2 c milk
- ¼ c oil ( I like to use olive)
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 c shelled pistachios, ground
- 7 drops green food coloring (optional)
For the frosting:
- 2 c confectioner's sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp milk
- Garnish:
- 1/4 c shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt cake pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then add in the water, oil, and milk and mix until well combined. Add in the pudding mix and the vanilla and almond extract and mix well.
- If you are choosing to add the food coloring, add it in at this point..
- Now add in the cake mix and mix well to combine all of the ingredients.
- Fold in the pistachios and mix gently.
- Transfer the batter to greased bundt cake pan.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk gently into a thick syrup consistency. Pour over the cake when it has completely cooled. Garnish with chopped pistachios.
Here are the tools I used to make this recipe:
Can a different cake pan be used instead of the Bundt cake for In don’t have one. If so how long would it need to cook for (either 9×13 or two round pans)
Yes, you can use a 9×13 pan or two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans instead of a bundt pan for this Pistachio Pudding Bundt Cake. However, the baking time will need to be adjusted:
9×13 pan: Bake at the same temperature (350°F), but reduce the baking time to around 30-35 minutes. Start checking for doneness at 30 minutes with a toothpick.
Two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans: These will likely bake in 25-30 minutes, so start checking around the 25-minute mark.
Since a bundt pan is deeper, it takes longer to bake than these alternative pans. Keep an eye on the cake and test with a toothpick—it should come out clean or with a few crumbs when done!
I followed the recipe the only thing different was that i didn’t have the 3.4 oz box of Pistachio pudding but I did have the 1 oz but only 2 so I added a box of vanilla instant pudding to make the almost 3 oz. My cake did the same thing as Shirlee 3/17/24 my cake was flat and did not rise that much. I cooked it for approximately 54 minutes and it never really cooked in the middle . I did use the olive oil but I also use Zero sugar Jello pudding could that make a difference in the cooking and a Duncan Hines Keto friendly yellow cake mix ? I did love the ingredients and would love to get your advice as to what might of happened…
Hi! I’m so sorry for the late reply. I did some research and found that zero sugar pudding does actually change the texture of the cake because the lack of sugar can lead to a drier and therefore denser cake. The Keto cake mix also leads to a denser cake combined with the zero sugar pudding mix alters the consistency and bake time. I’ve never played around with these alternatives so I can’t say for sure how much of a difference it makes.
Somehow the actual recipe has disappeared. All it says now is [zrdn-recipe id=”96″] You’re photos are beautiful and I hope I’ll be able to make this cake once the recipe is back online
Hi Amanda, Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’ve fixed this and the recipe is back online. I hope you get a chance to make it and enjoy it.
Hello are we allowed to print your recipes? I’m never able to do so!
Hi Dimitria, Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I added a small print button at the top of each recipe so that you can just click on that and it should let you print out the recipe. I appreciate your following my blog and trying my recipes.
I tried using olive oil one time only and last time, the cake would not even rise and stayed flat like lead ughhh. I use veg oil or canola only
Hi Shirlee, I’m so sorry the olive oil didn’t work out for you. Interesting that only the veg or canola works. I’ll do some research and try to find out what is causing your cake to be flat.
do you have to use instant pudding? is regular ok?
Regular works just the same. 😊
I made this cake and it was so delicious and moist, thanks for the recipe.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you like it as much as we do! =)
My family and I really enjoyed this cake! The almond extract was a nice addition, and the frosting made it extra yummy ( I did need to add more than 2 Tbsp of milk to the confectioner’s sugar to make the frosting pourable). Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed this cake! It’s one of our favorites.
[…] Pistachio Pudding Bundt Cake A simple bundt cake that is moist, light, fluffy, and a little crunchy. Fresh ground pistachios in the cake with some more drizzled over the top of a beautiful sugar glaze, this Pistachio Pudding Bundt Cake is beautiful to look at and divine to eat. […]