This chocolate pistachio bundt cake is a blend of rich chocolate flavors and earthy goodness in every bite. If you love pistachios then you're in for a real treat!
We love pistachios around here, and chocolate is always a winner too, so combining them both into one chocolate pistachio bundt cake was an obvious recipe for success.
From the ease of making this cake to the presentation and the taste of every soft and tender cake slice, this recipe is one you won't soon forget!
If you still have pistachios leftover, don't forget to check out this Pistachio Banana Bread!
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to make. Making this pistachio marble cake is incredibly easy thanks to boxed mixes lending us a helping hand but the end results are still fabulous and impressive.
- It's delicious! This pistachio marble cake didn't last long around my house as everyone kept going back for another slice.
- Great for any occasion. Serve it up for any occasion or serve it up for St Patrick's day because the green coloration really adds a festive touch to the holiday.
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🥘 Ingredients
For the chocolate cake batter, you will need:
Chocolate cake mix- You'll need a box of chocolate cake mix for the base of this recipe. Use any brand desired.
Instant pudding box chocolate flavor- Adding a box of instant mix (just the dry stuff) will help to make the cake more moist and flavorful.
Milk- You'll need some milk to give the batter moisture.
Large eggs- Use eggs as a binding agent to hold the cake together.
Vegetable oil- You will need some oil in the batter to help keep it moist.
For the pistachio cake batter, you will need:
Yellow cake mix- Using yellow cake mix is ideal because we can flavor it how we want.
Instant pudding mix pistachio flavor- Adding a box of instant mix (just the dry stuff) will give the cake some great pistachio flavor and green color.
Milk- Add in milk to bring the batter together.
Large eggs- A necessary binding agent.
Vegetable oil- For added fats that will keep the cake moist, use some cooking oil.
Green food coloring- For a stronger green color, you can add in green food coloring.
For the glaze, you will need:
Powdered sugar- To get the icing smooth and sweet you'll need some powdered sugar.
Milk- Use milk to get the icing to the correct consistency.
Pistachios- Use some fresh pistachios for added crunch and appearance.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make pistachio chocolate bundt cake with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease and lightly flour inside of 10 or 12 cup bundt pan. Set aside.
In one bowl combine all of the ingredients for the chocolate cake batter, until smooth.
In another bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the pistachio cake batter until smooth and desired green color is achieved.
Scoop the batter from one bowl and place it into the bundt pan (about 2 cups). Make a small layer at the bottom of the pan and spread it out evenly.
Follow up with another small layer of the other cake flavor. Repeat until the bundt pan is ¾ of the way full.
Use a long wooden skewer or a butter knife to swirl throughout the cake for a marble look. *This step is optional.
You will have batter left over. Use that to make 6-8 cupcakes (they bake for about 25-30 minutes).
Bake cake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.
Place onto a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto the rack and removing the pan. Let cool completely.
Once cooled, prepare glaze by whisking together the ingredients until smooth.
Drizzle or spoon glaze over the cake. Garnish with pistachios.
Let rest about 5 minutes for the glaze to set before slicing and serving.
🧾 Substitutions
There really isn't much that can be substituted thanks to the simple recipe ingredient list but here are a few things you can do differently.
Cake mixes. You can use ANY chocolate-flavored cake mix of the same size. This includes devil's food cake, chocolate, or another chocolate variation. You can also use a white cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix.
Milk or water. On the back of the box of cake mix, it requests that you use water. We use milk in the recipe because I like the way it makes the cakes taste and feel after baking (added richness). You can stick with just using water though.
Chocolate chips. For a fun little variation, if desired, you can stir in one cup of chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips to the chocolate cake batter.
🍴 Recipe Tips
Leftover cake batter
When making the pistachio bundt cake with cake mix you'll need to know that there will be leftover cake batter. You can use this leftover batter to make about 6-8 muffins by filling greased muffin cups ¾ of the way full and then baking them for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.
Layering order
By layering the batter in the bundt pan we get the cool swirling look that you see in my photos. Whichever color of batter you place into the bundt pan first will become the outer layer. I chose pistachio but you can just as easily use chocolate instead.
Tips for greasing the bundt pan
If you layer your cake batter to have chocolate on the outside, grease the bundt pan and dust it with cocoa powder instead of white flour. This will help it to blend in better with the cake once it's been removed from the pan so that there aren't white streaks on your cake.
💭 FAQs
You can keep this cake well covered or stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Note that the pistachios on the glaze will cause the glaze to have some discoloration after the first day so if you're making this cake in advance, don't add the glaze until almost ready to serve.
Yes, you can freeze this cake after it has been baked and cooled completely. If you do this, then make sure to not add the glaze until ready to serve. Wrap your cooled cake in plastic wrap and place it into an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw on the counter for a few hours until no longer too firm to slice through. Add glaze and serve.
You should allow your bundt cake to cool for at least 10 minutes before flipping it onto a wire rack. This will help the cake to finish the cooking process and start to cool, thereby naturally retracting away from the sides of the pan. This makes it a lot easier to remove the cake without breakage as well.
More great bundt cake recipes to check out soon
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Pistachio Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate cake batter
- 1 box (15.25oz) Chocolate cake mix ($1.00)
- 1 box (3.4oz) Instant pudding box chocolate flavor ($0.98)
- 1 ¼ cup Milk ($0.24)
- 3 large Eggs ($0.24)
- ½ cup Vegetable oil ($0.24)
Pistachio cake batter
- 1 box (15.25oz) Yellow cake mix ($1.00)
- 1 box (3.4oz) Instant pudding mix pistachio flavor ($0.98)
- 1 cup Milk ($0.19)
- 3 large Eggs ($0.24)
- ½ cup Vegetable oil ($0.24)
- 3-5 drops Green food coloring *optional ($0.05)
Glaze
- 1 ½ cup Powdered sugar ($0.35)
- 2 Tablespoons Milk ($0.02)
- 3 Tablespoons Pistachios, roughly chopped ($1.19)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease and lightly flour inside of 10 or 12 cup bundt pan. Set aside.
- In one bowl combine all of the ingredients for the chocolate cake batter, until smooth.
- In another bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the pistachio cake batter until smooth and desired green color is achieved.
- Scoop the batter from one bowl and place it into the bundt pan (about 2 cups). Make a small layer at the bottom of the pan and spread it out evenly.
- Follow up with another small layer of the other cake flavor. Repeat until the bundt pan is ¾ of the way full.
- Use a long wooden skewer or a butter knife to swirl throughout the cake for a marble look. *This step is optional.
- You will have batter left over. Use that to make 6-8 cupcakes (they bake for about 25-30 minutes).
- Bake cake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.
- Place onto a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto the rack and removing the pan. Let cool completely.
- Once cooled, prepare glaze by whisking together the ingredients until smooth.
- Drizzle or spoon glaze over the cake. Garnish with pistachios.
- Let rest about 5 minutes for the glaze to set before slicing and serving.
Notes
Substitutions
- Cake mixes. You can use any variation of chocolate cake mix including Devils Food chocolate cake mix. You can also use a white cake mix instead of yellow if desired.
- Milk or water. We can replace the milk in this recipe with water instead.
Variations
- Chocolate chips. You can add one cup of chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips to the chocolate cake batter if desired.
Recipe Tips
- There will be leftover cake batter. Use it to make 6-8 muffins in greased muffin cups filled ¾ of the way full. Bake for 35-30 minutes or until toothpicks come out clean.
- Whatever cake layer you place on the bottom of the pan will be the outermost color of the cake. If you want chocolate on the outside, place it down first but make sure to grease the pan and sprinkle cocoa powder instead of flour inside of the pan to prevent sticking. This will keep you from getting white streaks on a dark-colored cake.
- Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan before flipping onto a wire cooling rack. This will help the cake to settle and start pulling away from the pan, making it easier to remove without breaking.
Storage
- Your cake will keep for up to a week at room temperature in an airtight container. The pistachios on the laze will cause the glaze to discolor after a day so don't add glaze until ready to serve if you're making it in advance.
- You can freeze the unglazed cake by cooling it completely and wrapping it in plastic wrap before storing it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw for several hours on the counter before adding glaze and serving.
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