Watergate Cake

5 from 4 votes

This vintage Watergate Cake is a pistachio, pecan, and coconut dessert that's topped with a creamy whipped frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword pistachio cake, pistachio pudding cake, watergate cake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 2 50

Servings slices

Calories 340.2kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

1 (15.25 ounce) box white cake mix
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 small box instant pistachio pudding mix (either the 1-ounce box of sugar-free instant pudding or the 3.4-ounce box of regular instant pudding will work)
3 eggs
1 cup club soda, 7UP, or ginger ale
½ cup finely chopped pecans
½ cup sweetened coconut flakes

2 envelopes (2.6 oz total) Dream Whip
1 ¼ cups cold milk
1 small box instant pistachio pudding mix (either the 1-ounce box of sugar-free instant pudding or the 3.4-ounce box of regular instant pudding will work)
½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
½ cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, pudding mix, eggs and soda. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for about 30 seconds, and then on medium speed for about 3-4 minutes (scraping the sides of the bowl regularly). Fold in the pecans and coconut. Transfer batter to prepared baking dish.
Bake the cake at 350°F for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cake is cool, prepare the frosting.
In a large bowl, combine Dream Whip and cold milk. Beat on high speed until soft peaks form (about 4-5 minutes). Add pudding mix and beat until fluffy. Spread on cake and sprinkle coconut and pecans over top.

Instead of the Dream Whip, you can make the frosting using Cool Whip. To do so, beat 1 ½ cups of cold milk with the pudding mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Fold in an 8-ounce carton of thawed Cool Whip, spread on the cake, and garnish with pecans and coconut.

A box of yellow cake mix will also work -- the color and flavor of the cake will just be slightly different.

While it's not as traditional, you can also make a Watergate Cake with pineapple. Here's a quick recipe if you want to try that version.

I used 7UP in this recipe, but club soda or ginger ale are also good options. The carbonation helps the cake rise and gives it a light, fluffy texture!