Pistachio Nut Cake

St. Patrick's Day was this past Saturday and I was feeling something different and green for dessert to celebrate. Andy and I both love to munch on pistachios and I thought a Pistachio Nut Cake would be perfect! I tried to use "light" or sugar free when available and it still turned out really good. Andy told me next to a Pina Colada cake, this was his favorite. It's not rich, but it is moist and since you keep it refrigerated; it's perfect after a hot day.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 2 small boxes pistachio instant pudding
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup club soda
• 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
• 8 oz. whipped topping (use the 12 oz. container if you like a thick layer of icing)

Shell 1/2 cup pistachios.

Chop pistachios. 

In a large mixing bowl, blend cake mix and 1 box of the instant pudding.

Stir in eggs, vegetable oil and club soda (which will foam up). Mix in chopped pistachios. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Evenly pour batter in pan.

In a 350 degree preheated oven, bake the cake until it springs back when you touch it. (My oven took 50 minutes.) Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan before you remove it!

Move cake to wire rack to cool.

Let it cool completely. 

The cake needs to be sliced in 2 layers. I placed toothpicks every 3 or so inches, as evenly as possible, for a guide to cut by.

With a long serrated knife, I cut the cake in half, turning the rack as needed until I cut it completely through.

What better way to serve a St. Patrick's Day cake than on a pretty green cake plate?

I placed the bottom on the cake plate and the top on the wire rack. It was still slightly warm in the center, so I let it cool a little more.

In a medium bowl, fold the second box of pistachio pudding mix into the whipped topping. Spread a layer of icing on the bottom half of the cake.

Place the top layer of the cake on top of the icing. If your cake was cut slightly uneven, be sure to reline it up as close as possible.

Cover the rest of the cake with the whipped topping icing. Keep refrigerated.