Pistachio Bundt Cake is one of the simplest recipes to make, but it looks and tastes so special. Then add a few or a lot of chocolate chips and it becomes spectacular! I love the combination of pistachios and chocolate, so I make this cake along with my Lemon Biscotti with White Chocolate often.
Anything with pistachio in it just sounds so delicious and unordinary! It is not an ingredient that you see used in many recipes in the US, but in Italy, where pistachios are abundant, it is much more common and you will find it in gelato, cakes, cookies and even main dishes.
Pistachio Bundt Cake is as easy as it gets
This has always been one of my mother’s go to desserts when she needed to whip up something that she knew would be a hit, but she did not have a lot of time to fuss with complicated steps. My boys, my husband included, love this cake. It is probably our most requested dessert for family gatherings and “Nonna” is always happy to oblige. She added chocolate chips to her recipe which means you get a little chocolate surprise while you enjoy this truly moist cake. That raises the cake to another level where the grandkids and chocolate loving adults are concerned.
Pudding in cakes
I remember this recipe being more popular in the 1970’s when cake mixes and pudding mixes were in every kitchen pantry. They are still in my pantry because they are so versatile. Pudding mixes add moisture and creaminess to recipes and can really simplify cake recipes, because you have most of your dry ingredients already included in the box.
What you need and how to make it
The ingredients for this cake are fairly simple and you only need one bowl. Combine a white or yellow cake mix, a box of pistachio instant pudding, vegetable oil, water, eggs, almond extract and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Simply beat for 2 minutes, pour into a greased and floured Bundt pan and bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.
How to frost this Bundt cake
This is a very moist, spongy cake that we top with a creamy pistachio frosting. You can substitute any frosting that you like. Sometimes my mother just dusts the top of the cake with powdered sugar, which is also delicious. The cake is moist enough that it really does not need frosting, but I would highly recommend that you try the pistachio frosting recipe below. It is light and cool and brings just a hint more pistachio flavor to this dessert.
Helpful hints for making Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cake:
- Make sure to grease and flour all of the creases in your Bundt pan. This will ensure that your cake comes out clean and you don’t end up with pieces of the cake stuck to the pan.
- You can also use cooking spray especially made for baking. This version of cooking spray has flour already in it so it saves you a step. I don’t think that it changes the flavor of the cake at all, so if you want to eliminate a step, go for it!
What can I add or substitute in this Pistachio cake?
- Mini Chocolate chips or Chocolate morsels: You can use either mini chocolate chips or regular size chocolate morsels in your recipe. Using the mini chips will result in chocolate chips scattered throughout your cake. If you choose to use the regular chocolate morsels, they will fall to the bottom of you pan while baking, creating a chocolate layer versus being sprinkled throughout your cake.
- Chopped pistachios: Some pudding mixes have chopped pistachios in it already. If yours doesn’t, you can them for added pistachio flavor and texture.
- Powdered sugar makes a delicious and simple substitute for frosting.
FAQ’s
Adding pudding mix into a boxed cake mix will add make the cake denser and soft. Make sure to follow the recipe instructions on how many eggs and how much fat you need in order to achieve the optimal texture and moistness.
The word Bundt refers to type of pan the cake is baked in. The pan creates a ring shaped cake because of the tube in the middle. The pan was designed and trademarked by David Dalquist in the 1940’s but the Bundt cake sky rocketed into popularity when Ella Helfrich entered a Pillsbury cake baking contest in 1966 and won 2nd place with her Tunnel of Fudge Cake recipe.
Other cake recipes you will love
Chocolate Mocha Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
Salted Carmel Swirl Cheesecake with Almond Crust
Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pistachio Bundt Cake with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 1 box Yellow cake mix
- 1 3.4 oz. Package of instant pistachio pudding
- 4 Eggs
- 1 1/4 cups Water
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 tsp. Almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups Chocolate Chips or mini chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp. Powdered Sugar
Pistachio Frosting
- 1 3.4 oz. Package of pistachio pudding
- 2 cups Whipped topping or 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup Milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan and set aside.
- Add cake mix, instant pudding, eggs, water, vegetable oiland almond extract to mixing bowl. Beaton medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the batter. Bake for 50-55 mins. The cake is done with a toothpick placed in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- When the cake is done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the cake pan to loosen the cake from the sides and set aside to cool completely.
- Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar or frost with the pistachio frosting.
Pistachio Frosting
- Combine the pudding mix and milk in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until it is thick. Fold in the whipped topping.
- If you are using heavy cream, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
The boys loved it! The only thing I changed was that I used cool whip for frosting. Definitely going to make it again 😊
So glad you liked it!!
Delicious