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A forkful of cake next to square piece of Watergate cake on a white plate with chopped pistachios and shredded coconut sprinkled around. Cake slice on a plate and the whole baking dish with cake is in the background.
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5 from 11 votes

Watergate Cake

Watergate Cake is a light, fluffy pistachio flavored cake with an airy pudding frosting. This Watergate Cake recipe with dream whip frosting is perfect as a spring dessert for St. Patrick's Day, Easter, or any day. This green pistachio cake is truly a delicious classic!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Cooling Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 50 minutes
Course: Dessert and Pastries
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24
Calories: 144kcal

Ingredients

For Cake:

  • 15.25 ounce box of white cake mix
  • 3.4 ounce instant pistachio pudding mix 1 small box
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup club soda

For Dream Whip Frosting:

  • 2.6 ounces dream whip 2 envelopes
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 3.4 ounce instant pistachio pudding mix 1 small box
  • 1/2 cup sweetened coconut
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios optional

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan with either butter or non-stick cooking spray.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer add in cake mix, pudding mix, oil, egg, and club soda.
  • Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then scrape down the sides. Continue beating on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
  • Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.
  • Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few clinging crumbs. Cool cake completely (about 2 hours) or cool for an hour then stick in the refrigerator to cool faster.
  • Start making the frosting as soon as the cake is completely cooled.
  • In the cleaned bowl of a stand mixer add in Dream Whip and milk. Beat on high about 6 minutes until soft peaks form. Add in pudding and beat until well combined. Frost the cake. Add on coconut and chopped nuts if using.

Notes

  • Put in a 15-ounce can of crushed pineapple (with the juice) to the cake batter just omit the fizzy beverage for Watergate cake with pineapple.
  • Add 1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, or pistachios to the cake batter.
  • Make sure to mix the cake batter for 3-4 minutes for a light and fluffy cake.
  • Always keep this cake refrigerated because there is milk in the frosting.
  • Prepared cake will last in the fridge for up to a week.
 
 
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results. 

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 230mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 104IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg