Watergate Cake with Cover-Up Frosting
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This Watergate cake is a nostalgic pistachio dessert that’s super easy, seriously delicious, and pretty much guaranteed to spark conversation.
As a lifelong Washingtonian born in 1973—the same year the Watergate hearings were in full swing—and the daughter of a lobbyist and an activist, I couldn’t resist baking and sharing the cake that had everyone talking in the ’70s.
The Watergate cake is a retro pistachio dessert that rose to fame during that era (along with the equally green, pistachio-packed Watergate Salad). Made with pistachio pudding and white cake mix, it was said to be “so good it’s scandalous.” The name was a cheeky nod to the headlines of the day—and, fittingly, the cake is full of nuts and “covered up” with frosting.
Fifty years later, the cake is just as delicious. This slightly updated version has all the charm and flavor (and that unmistakable pale-green color!) of the original, but swaps the Cool Whip for a light, fresh whipped cream frosting. Despite the non-cheffy ingredients, it’s a total crowd-pleaser: super easy, nostalgic, and sure to be a “talker” at any gathering.
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Watergate Cake with Coverup Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 (14.25-oz.) box white cake mix, such as Betty Crocker
- 1 cup club soda
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 (3.4-oz.) packages pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix (preferably Jell-O brand), divided
- Salt
- ¾ cup sweetened flaked coconut, divided
- ¾ cup finely chopped (unsalted) pistachios, divided
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) cake pan with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), combine the cake mix, club soda, oil, eggs, 1 package of the pudding mix, and a heaping ¼ teaspoon salt. Mix on medium speed until light and evenly combined, scraping down the bowl as needed, about 2 minutes. Add ½ cup (30 g) of the coconut and ½ cup (60 g) of the pistachios and mix to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
- Bake until the top is lightly golden and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours.
- Make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk (or beaters), beat the cream on medium speed until just starting to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of the second box of pudding mix (reserve the remaining pudding mix for another cake or discard), the vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat on medium speed until thickened and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Spoon the frosting onto the cooled cake, then use an offset spatula to spread and swirl it decoratively. Sprinkle the cake with the remaining coconut and pistachios.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Hi Jenn,
Decided to make this for Christmas dessert this year. I like the color 🙂
I’m having a hard time finding unsalted roasted Pistachios.
Can I use salted and wipe them off?
Hi Jenny, that should be fine. Enjoy!
Hi Jen, can I use pistachio butter in this recipe as a substitute for instant pistachio pudding? If so, what changes might I need to make? Thanks!
Unfortunately, I don’t think pistachio butter will work here – sorry!
I want to make this in two 9inch rounds, similar to your coconut cake, to make it fancier looking 🙂 Should I double the recipe? Or, follow the recipe and split it between the two round pans? Or, should I just leave it alone and make it as written? Thanks for your help!
Hi Danielle, you can divide this into two round pans. Bake time should be about 25 minutes. I’d love to hear how it comes out!
25 minutes was perfect and it turned out just fine! There was enough frosting for the two rounds as well. Thank you for your help!
So glad to hear it – thanks for taking the time to report back!
Have you tried to add drained crushed pineapple to the cake? I haven’t yet made it, but the Watergate salad was a staple at my aunt’s holiday meals…and it seems like it would be missing the pineapple.
Hi Shelly, I’ve never had this cake with pineapple – I think it would make it too moist. You can always serve some fresh pineapple on the side though. Hope you enjoy it!
Buying ingredients to make, sounds delicious (who doesnt love Watergate salad) Question, is there a substitute for the club soda?
You can use lemon-lime soda, like Sprite or 7-up. 🙂