pistachio bundt cake, side

My third and final entry for the Nordicware Bundt Cake Contest. See the other two here.

Prickly Pistachio Bundt Cake combines the nutty sweetness of pistachios with the creamy deliciousness of butter cream frosting. Top this with a hearty handful of white chocolate chips and the bloom of an aloe vera plant, or another favorite wildly-colored spring flower. Together, the cake represents the two main colors of an Arizona desert spring — sage and coral.

Ingredients for cake:
1 package of Betty Crocker White Cake Mix
1 package of pistachio instant pudding
3 eggs
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of water

Directions:
Pour yourself a glass of wine. Put on a cute apron. Turn on NPR or your favorite Fiona Apple CD. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take one stick of butter out of the fridge and set it aside. Thoroughly mix the aforementioned cake ingredients, making sure to work in the pudding evenly. This will create a lovely sage green batter. Mix the batter for at least one minute, being sure to work in plenty of air. Grease bundt pan generously with PAM or another favorite baking spray. Slowly pour batter into the pan and even it out with a spatula. Tap the pan gently on the side. Cook for 30 minutes or until the top of the cake bounces back.

Pistachio bundt cake 3

While the cake is baking, help yourself to a handful of white chocolate chips and fee free to pour another glass of wine. All that mixing by hand is hard work! It can make a girl thirsty. Now get started on the frosting.

Frosting ingredients:
1 stick of butter at room temperature (The best is Challenge brand unsalted butter. This stuff is like baking gold.)
3 cups of confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 package of pistachio instant pudding.

In a small bowl, mix this with an electric mixer on slow speed. Be careful or you’ll send teeny tiny globs of sugary butter all over your kitchen. If this happens, smile and turn up the music and move on. You’ll get to it later after the wine is gone.

When the cake is out of the oven, let it sit in the pan to cool for 10 minutes. Then run a sharp knife around the outer edge and flip the cake on to your serving platter. Let the cake cool on this platter at least 30 minutes before icing. Slowly add your creamy pistachio icing. Sprinkle the cake with a handful of white chocolate chips. Garnish the platter with your desert bloom. Best when served with a cold lime margarita and eaten in the shade.

pistachio bundt cake, whole

Voila, Prickly Pistachio Bundt Cake.