Frosted Pistachio Cake with Pudding Mix

In this post, we’ll show you how to make Frosted Pistachio Cake made with Pudding Mix. This super moist pistachio cake comes together with yellow cake mix, pistachio pudding, and pantry staples. Frosted with a fluffy, blended pistachio pudding, Dream Whip, and pecans, this cake is heavenly, and melts in your mouth!

Jump to Recipe

If you love all things pistachio, you’ve come to the right place. This semi-homemade bundt cake comes together so easily! In just a couple of hours, you can have a light and delicious cake for your next BBQ, party, or function. Find other easy to make pistachio desserts on our site like these Pistachio Cream Puffs, Cherry Pistachio Snowball Cookies, Pistachio Pudding Dessert Cups, and these Pistachio Meltaway Cookies. You might also like this Pistachio Cherry Christmas Cake recipe which is similar to this cake.

Ingredients

Before starting this recipe, you’ll want to verify that you have the following ingredients which are for both the cake and the Pistachio Dream Whip Frosting.

• Yellow Cake Mix – This is the base of this moist cake.
• Pistachio Instant Pudding – You will need (2) 3.4 ounce boxes for both the cake flavoring and the frosting recipe.
• Dream Whip – You’ll need one box which has two pouches inside to make the frosting.
• Eggs – This recipe requires 4 large eggs which add to the springy, moist nature of this cake.
• Oil – You’ll need canola or vegetable oil to make this cake.
• Club soda – This recipe calls for seltzer water which adds even more moisture to the cake.
• Whole milk – This is needed to mix the Dream Whip to a light, fluffy consistency.
• Pecans – These tasty nuts add a nice flavor and texture to this cake. You can add them to both the cake batter as well as the frosting –although optional.
• Nonstick spray & 1/2 a tablespoon of flour – This is a crucial combination of ingredients needed to grease the Bundt pan so the cooled cake can be easily removed.

Equipment and Supplies Needed

We used the following equipment and supplies to make this recipe. Items that are optional or can be substituted will be noted.

• 10″ Bundt Cake pan – Needed to bake this cake inside.
• Hand mixer – This will help to combine the cake batter as well as the Pistachio Cake Frosting.
• Rubber spatula – To scrape out any excess batter as well as to frost the cake.
• Oven – This cake bakes on the center rack of the oven.
• Mixing Bowls – To prepare the batter and frosting (2 large sized bowls).
• Measuring Cups – For measuring out the oil, water, and milk.
• Rolling pin – To crush pecans into smaller pieces.

Recipe Tips

This recipe is easy to make if you know the right tips and tricks! Here are my tips for ensuring your Frosted Pistachio Cake comes out perfectly.

Pan

This cake bakes in an average-sized 10″ Bundt cake pan. However, you can bake this in a greased 9″ x 13″ pan (like Pyrex). Just be sure to grease your pans! We used Baker’s Joy nonstick baking spray which is made with a blend of flour. However, I also loosely sprinkled some all-purpose flour over the nonstick spray to be extra cautious.

Removing the Cake

Always be sure the cake is fully cooled to room temperature before removing it from the pan. On average, you will need about one hour before you can remove this cake from the pan.

To remove, place a plate, cake holder, or cake stand over the opening of the Bundt cake pan. In one swift motion, carefully flip the pan so that the Bundt cake pan is abutted to the platter or plate. Lift up the Bundt pan to remove the cake, and it should be flawless on the platter, plate, or stand.

If any cake is left behind, carefully remove any chunks from the pan and stick them back on the cake. Since this is frosted, it is a little more forgiving with mishaps.

Ingredient Substitutions and Additions

• Nuts – You can use pecans or crushed walnuts for this cake. Additionally, you can add nuts to the cake better for extra texture, and to the frosting.
• Cherries – This cake is excellent with maraschino cherries mixed into the cake batter, or garnished on the pistachio frosting.
• Frosting – If you cannot find Dream Whip packets (in the baking aisle) you can use real whipped cream frosting, or Cool Whip. To use real whipped cream, mix 8 ounces of heavy whipping cream, and one packet of Pistachio pudding mix, and beat on high speed for 4-6 minutes or until light, fluffy peaks form. For Cool Whip, fold in one packet of Pistachio pudding mix into 8 ounces of Cool Whip.

Storage

If you want to store your Pistachio Cake, just follow these easy steps.

Refrigerator

Since this cake has frosting that was made with milk you will need to refrigerate it. Store it in an airtight cake storage container for up to 5 days.

Freezer

To freeze this cake, simply bake and fully cool the cake. Remove it from the pan, and slice it as desired. Place the cake slices on a wax paper-lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer. Freeze for 4-6 hours or until slices are fully frozen. Wrap each slice of cake with plastic wrap and place frozen slices in an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Do not freeze the cake frosted as it will cause issues when defrosting.

Recipe

Follow the recipe below to make Pistachio Pudding Cake! This recipe makes 12 SERVINGS, but you can adjust the recipe card for other serving sizes.