Pistachio Bundt Cake
Featuring a mild nutty flavor, this homemade Pistachio Bundt Cake is a tasty dessert recipe. Top with a simple glaze and chopped pistachios for a mouthwatering appearance!
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Pound cakes…Bundt cakes…whatever you prefer to call ’em, I like ’em. Pound cakes are denser than traditional yellow cakes, but they also have an irresistible rich, buttery taste. Back in the day (aka England in the 1700’s), pound cake recipes called for one pound each of flour, butter, sugar and eggs. Now that’s a large (and heavy) cake!
Pound cakes have evolved over time, and they no longer include a pound of each of the four main ingredients. This Classic Pound Cake actually uses whipping cream to create a lighter texture. (It’s still a dense cake – that’s one of the key features of a pound cake.) That cake is probably in my Top 5 All Time Favorite Desserts!
Pound cake flavors have also evolved over time, and now we have options like lemon, chocolate, gingersnap and even sweet potato. What can I say? I love baking pound cakes! And y’all must love ’em, too, as many of these pound cake recipes are all-time favorites here on the blog. Well today we’re adding another flavor to the list – pistachio. Yup, a Pistachio Bundt Cake. (Hint: It’s delicious!!)
Pistachio Bundt Cake
My wife is a huge fan of pistachio-flavored things, and I made this Lemon Pistachio Cake recipe a while back. It turns out lemon + pistachio pair well together. The nutty pistachio flavor combined with the brightness of the lemons made for a fantastic cake! But hold up – how did the cake have such a wonderful pistachio flavor? Just by adding a handful of pistachios? The secret was instant pistachio pudding mix.
Pudding mix is great for puddings…but also for cakes! It’s an easy way to add different flavors to cakes without changing too many of the other ingredients. (And for that Lemon Pistachio Cake, I used pudding mix in both the cake and the frosting. So creamy and delicious!)
I hit the kitchen recently with the idea of using pudding mix in a pound cake. I started out with my Classic Pound Cake recipe, and I really didn’t make too many changes at all. That recipe doesn’t use a box of yellow cake mix. It’s made from scratch, and it’s perfect. I only made 2 changes – 1) I added a box of instant pistachio pudding mix. I was afraid the pudding mix might absorb some of the liquid and lead to a drier cake, so 2) I added a bit more heavy cream. That’s it. A box of pudding mix and an extra ¼ cup of cream. Easy peasy!
The result was a wonderful pound cake. Dense like pound cakes should be, but not so dense that it takes a chainsaw to cut off a slice. And the flavor? The mild pistachio flavor in this cake had me coming back for another nibble…and another…and another. You get the picture!
Pound Cake Glaze
To highlight the pistachio flavor in this Pistachio Bundt Cake, I added a simple powdered sugar glaze + chopped pistachios on top. The crunch from the pistachios added so much to this cake! (I included a handful of chopped nuts in the cake itself, too.) I feel like pistachios are often overlooked, and this Pistachio Bundt Cake really lets them take center stage.
The cake batter had a slightly green color thanks to the pudding mix, but I added a few more drops of food coloring to give it a noticeably green color. This Pistachio Bundt Cake is the perfect spring dessert, or it would also be great for St. Patrick’s Day. And you know what? It would be fun at a Grinch-themed Christmas party, too!
The only downside to this cake (if you can call it a downside) is the fact that it takes a long time to bake. Pound cakes are traditionally baked at a lower temperature (300°F) for a long time (~1 hour, 45 minutes to 2 hours). The cake itself is easy to make, though. Just be patient, and you will be rewarded with a fantastic cake that will have everyone ooo’ing and ahh’ing.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover pound cake can be stored at room temperature, in the refrigerator or in the freezer. If you plan on eating the cake within the 3-4 days, just store it in an airtight container at room temperature. If you think it will be closer to 7 days, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. (Note: The cake will dry out a bit faster in the fridge.) And for longer storage (3 months), just wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and store ’em in a freezer bag.
I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we do here in our house. Happy Baking!
Did you bake this Pistachio Bundt Cake recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Pistachio Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Pistachio Cake
- 1½ cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 7 large eggs
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 3.4-oz. package instant pistachio pudding mix
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- {optional} 3-4 drops green food coloring
- ¾ cup chopped unsalted pistachios
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1½-2 Tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped unsalted pistachios
Instructions
For the Pistachio Cake
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes on medium speed).
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add salt, instant pudding mix and half of the flour to the bowl; mix until well combined.
- Add heavy whipping cream; mix until well combined.
- Add remaining flour, vanilla extract and {optional} green food coloring; mix until well combined.
- Fold chopped pistachios into batter.
- Scrape sides and bottom of bowl to ensure batter is well combined.
- Grease and flour a 10-12 cup Bundt pan (or generously spray with nonstick cooking spray and then lightly dust with flour). Transfer batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 60 minutes. Tent top of cake with foil and continue baking for 45-55 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire baking rack. Let cool completely before slicing.
For the Glaze
- Using a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, milk and vanilla extract.
- Drizzle glaze on top of cake and sprinkle chopped pistachios on top of glaze. (Tip: Let glaze set for ~60 minutes to harden before slicing.)
Notes
Looking for more tasty pound cake recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
I need to try this soon for me BTW can’t wait to make your recipes soon for me
This cake is delicious, Ramya – I really hope you enjoy it!!
Delicious nutty variation on the classic pound cake! Yum!
This pistachio twist on the classic bundt cake is a fun one, Michelle! It’s great for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, but the flavor alone means you’ll come back to this one at other non-green times of the year, too! 🙂
that’s funny you say that about pound cakes – my hubby agrees with you but i always thought that it meant 4 ounces each of sugar and flour and eggs and butter = 1 pound. Anyway your cake looks delicious. I do love a green cake :=) And i love pistachio.
sherry
Haha – that 4 ounces angle might be a bit more appropriate. Can you imagine those old-timey pound cakes!? They must have fed a small army. 🙂 I do recommend this one, Sherry! It’s fantastic. Cheers!
David, this pistachio bundt cake looks so lovely and elegant. I love the idea of that nutty flavour paired with a tender crumb – such a beautiful bake.
Thanks so much, Ben – I have to say that this cake turned out quite well. It was definitely a favorite around here, and the leftovers are long gone!
That was simply brilliant to use a pudding mix to ensure a concentrated pistachio flavor was able to shine through. And you can never have enough heavy cream… the more the merrier! 🙂 I could literally eat this cake every day… you can never have enough pistachios in your life!
I feel like using pudding mix in pound cake is a new secret weapon to creating all sorts of fun new flavors! This cake was absolutely delicious – thanks, Heidi!!