Hello again! Renee from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures back sharing one of my family favorite recipes with you, Pistachio Cake with Marshmallow Frosting. Box cake mix gets all dressed up in green (thanks to a box of instant pistachio pudding) and is frosted with a gorgeous marshmallow frosting!
This cake is an oldie but a goodie. A retro recipe if ever there was one. My mom has been making this cake for as long as I can remember. My mom is not much of a baker and never has been, but this was always one thing she would make for gatherings and potlucks and everyone always seemed to love it! We’ve always just called it “Green Cake” for the lovely green interior.
It’s a very easy cake to make. It starts with a boxed yellow cake mix, so there is little room for error. It’s moist and rich and, like I said, the most beautiful shade of green! I’m not one of those people who refuse to use boxed cake mixes. In fact, I’ve found they make a wonderful base for all sorts of fun flavors and, with the addition of a few extra ingredients, end up tasting more like a “made from scratch” cake then the boxed cake mix that it is. I love to bake from scratch too…so I guess I can go both ways!
My mom always just dusted her cakes with a little powdered sugar, but I thought I’d kick it up a notch and frost it with some marshmallow frosting topped with chopped pistachios. My husband actually requested this cake for his birthday this year, so this cake was his birthday cake!
The marshmallow frosting holds it shape wonderfully and is the brightest shade of white you will ever see! Honestly, very difficult to photograph! But it really made for a gorgeous looking cake that was so easy to make.
Have you ever made pistachio cake? If you have, is the recipe similar or the same as my moms?
Pistachio Cake with Marshmallow Frosting
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Moist and rich "green cake" flavored with pistachios and topped with a marshmallow frosting. Ingredients.
Author: Renee's Kitchen Adventures
: Dessert
Serves: 16
Ingredients
- For cake:
- 1 - 15.25 oz. yellow cake mix
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup canola oil (or other non-flavored oil)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 - 3.4 oz. box of instant pistachio flavored pudding mix
- ¼ cup water
- For Frosting:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 TBS water
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 - 7 oz. jar marshmallow creme
- chopped pistachios, for topping, if desired
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10" bundt pan with cooking spray with flour added (such as Baker's Joy).
- In a large bowl, combine all the cake ingredients with an electric mixer on low until combined and beat for 1-2 minutes on high, until it is a nice fluffy batter.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with spatula. Bake in preheated oven for 50- 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove to wire rack and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto serving platter and allow to cool completely before frosting OR you can dust with powdered sugar if you prefer.
- While cake is cooling, make frosting by combining the ½ cup granulated sugar with the 1 TBS of water in a large, heavy sauce pan. Add in the egg whites and begin heating over a low heat. With an electric mixer (being careful to not let cord touch flame or heating element) begin to beat the mixture on HIGH speed until soft peaks form. (2 - 3 minutes or so)
- Remove pan from heat and add in marshmallow creme. Beat on HIGH speed with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Frost the cake ( you will probably have extra frosting) and garnish with chopped pistachios, if desired.
Notes
Frosting recipe adapted from The Cake Doctor by Anne Byrn
Try these recipes that also start with a boxed cake mix!
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Thanks Renee for sharing this- What a beautiful colour and of course, the frosting!
Thanks Arman! I hope you get a chance to try this!
I love pistachio, and I know my kids would LOVE that frosting!!
The frosting is sweet, but so different from the usual buttercream! A nice change!
Hi, boy this sounds great… does the frosting stay soft & will it hold peaks on the cake ? how long can I keep the frosting ? does it ever begin to break down ( weep ) ?
Sorry for all the questions……..
Thanks
No problem about the questions! I had the same. The peaks hold up well. It held for a few days in the fridge. I had one piece left in the fridge before we went on vacation, that had been in there a few days before we left for a 6 day vacation, and it had broken down by the time we got back. But I’d say that’s a pretty good long time. 🙂
Well, isn’t this just beautiful? What a lovely recipe!
Thank you Sarah!
Yes I have made a Pistachio Cake before and it is different from yours. I got the recipe from a great aunt back in the 70’s. It has Hershey syrup in it. When you cut the cake it is half green and the other is chocolate. It is a wonderful moist cake and stays moist for a few days also. Thank you for sharing your recipe and I love marshmallows and that frosting looks yummy and so does the cake.
Thank you for sharing the recipe. I will share my recipe as well if you want it.
Oh that addition of chocolate sounds so good, Barbara! I bet its beautiful too!
Does the frosting really need the sugar? I would think the fluff is plenty sweet? Also if I omit the sugar do I still want to heat the egg whites to kill any bugs (raw eggwhites)? Finally, if I do add sugar, any thoughts on using powdered instead of granular?
Thanks
Bob
Hi Bob. I can’t really say, as I’ve only ever made the frosting as written. The sugar may be needed for texture more than sweetness. You can always give it a try, if you like. Let me know how it works.