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Square side shot of a slice of Watergate cake on a white plate.
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5 from 7 votes

Watergate Cake

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 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings 16 slices
Calories 340.2kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

  • 1 (15.25 ounce) box white cake mix
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant pistachio pudding mix (or sub with the 1-ounce box of sugar-free instant pudding)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup 7UP lemon-lime soda (or sub with Sprite, ginger ale, or club soda)
  • ½ cup finely chopped pecans
  • ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes

FOR THE FROSTING

  • 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant pistachio pudding mix (or sub with a 1-ounce package of the sugar-free version)
  • 1 cup cold milk
  • 16 ounces frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed in the refrigerator
  • ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
  • ½ cup finely chopped pecans
  • Garnish: maraschino cherries

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the 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).
    Process shot showing how to make a classic Watergate cake recipe with cake mix.
  • Fold in the pecans and coconut.
    Adding the pecans and coconut to Watergate cake batter.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
    Batter for a Watergate cake before baking.
  • Bake the cake for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
    Baked Watergate cake recipe before frosting.
  • Once the cake is cool, prepare the frosting. To make the frosting, whisk together the pudding mix and milk until combined and slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Carefully fold the whipped topping into the pudding until combined.
    Stirring together the Impeachment Frosting for a Watergate cake recipe.
  • Spread on the cake and sprinkle the coconut and pecans over top. Garnish with maraschino cherries.
    Overhead shot of a finished Watergate cake recipe.

Notes

Instead of the Cool Whip, you can make the frosting using Dream Whip. To do so, beat together 2 envelopes (2.6 oz total) Dream Whip and 1 ¼ cups cold milk on high speed for 4-5 minutes, until soft peaks form. Add 1 small box of instant pistachio pudding mix and beat until fluffy. Spread on the cake, and garnish with pecans and coconut. The coating of Dream Whip frosting just won't be quite as thick as when you use 16 ounces of Cool Whip.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 340.2kcal | Carbohydrates: 34.5g | Protein: 4.3g | Fat: 22.5g | Saturated Fat: 9.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 35.8mg | Sodium: 220.4mg | Potassium: 41.5mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 15.3g