PW: Pistachio Cake

Not a lot of back story on this one.  As I thought earlier in the month, with all the birthday cakes I wasn't likely to make this 'til later in the month.  Turns out I made it with only a few hours left in the month.  But I snuck it in, and keep my perfect record (can I get a woot woot) of making every recipe every month.  Hooray for the small accomplishments!

You can marble the chocolate into the pistachio, but you don't have to (and I didn't).  There is more pistachio than is obvious here.  Happened to cut a strange slice, I suppose.

 Pistachio Cake

Verdict:  Easy.  Quick.  Yummy.  And I don't typically like pistachio-flavored things unless they're pistachios.
Cook it again: I'm sure.  It is the perfect little cake to whip up and bring somewhere.  I'm also wondering what variations I might be able to pull off ... stay tuned!

Cost Factor: Very inexpensive. Less than $5, including the eggs.


As I mentioned when I first saw the April recipes, I was not too sure about this one. I don't really like pistachio-flavored things unless they're pistachios.  Yes, it's true enough for me to say it twice in two paragraphs.  But there were two things -- or three, really -- going for this cake. First, Mick likes pistachio-flavored things.  Second, it had chocolate.  And third, I got to use a cake pan.  So I made it.

Actually, CAM and I made it while WHM slept on the living room floor.  Yes, yesterday was a strange afternoon, my friends, a strange afternoon.

ANYway, here's what you do:  you buy a box of white cake mix.  You buy a box of pistachio-flavored jello pudding mix.  (Note:  the recipe calls for a 4-ounce box, but like most things these days, the size of what you get has gone down in order to keep the price the same, so the box was actually 3.4 ounces.  Not to worry.)  You mix them, and a half cup each of orange juice (weird, I know!), water, and vegetable oil, and four eggs.  Pour 3/4 of it in a bundt pan.  Then to the remaining batter you add 3/4 cup of Hershey's syrup -- something we always have on hand in bulk because our kids love, love, love chocolate milk -- and mix that up.  Pour that over the regular batter in the pan. Throw it in the oven and bake.  Done.  That's it.  I just told you the entire thing from memory.  I love recipes like that.

It's very good, and has a mild pistachio cake -- something where, if you served me this cake at a party, I might not put my finger on it right away but I would know it was not quite white or yellow cake with chocolate.  The pistachio is mild, but it also mellows the chocolate, so devil's food, this is not.

Two thumbs up, and I didn't even make a glaze!

AND I got to cross off a cake pan.  Good deal!

--Jen

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