I woke up a few days ago craving this pistachio chocolate bundt cake my mom used to make. It's an old recipe that everyone's mom probably knew back in the 1980s - a box of cake mix, a box of pistachio instant pudding mix, a can of chocolate syrup, eggs and oil. Somehow those 5 ingredients made a deliciously simple cake that I'm still thinking about almost 40 years later.
Well, I didn't have a gluten free cake mix or pudding mix, which might not even be gluten free anyways. So I set to work making the perfect copycat all from scratch with gluten free and dairy free ingredients and let me tell you it is just as tasty as I remember it being!
If you're looking for more old fashioned recipes that have been recreated with a gluten free diet in mind, check out my gluten free pineapple upside down cake or this delicious gluten free Italian cream cake.
Jump to:
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and we will send it straight to your inbox!
You will also be added to our weekly email list.
Why You 'll Love This Chocolate Pistachio Cake
- NOSTALGIC: Tastes just like the original pistachio bundt cake but it's made with pantry ingredients instead of box mixes.
- TESTED RECIPE: Guaranteed to work! Lots of those doctored cake mix recipes don't work with gluten free cake mix. No need to worry about wasting expensive ingredients.
- ALLERGEN FRIENDLY: This recipe is gluten free and dairy free as written.
A Note About Doctored Cake Mix Recipes
If you've ever tried to convert an old doctored cake mix recipe to be gluten free, you may have noticed it didn't turn out exactly the same. Most wheat based cake mixes measure 15.25 ounces per box. Gluten free cake mixes are all over the place in terms of the volume of dry ingredients included. Just take a look at this comparison chart:
As you can see from the chart above, the only one that is close to a regular cake mix is Betty Crocker brand. My store doesn't carry Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix, so I usually end up with King Arthur's Yellow Cake Mix, which has 50% more dry ingredients and would make this cake a total flop.
To get around all of that, I've simple recreated a standard white or yellow cake mix using regular, gluten free pantry ingredients.
Ingredient Notes
With a few pantry ingredients, I have created what is essentially a home made box cake mix and a homemade pistachio pudding mix. By making it yourself, you can be certain it's the right volume and made from gluten free ingredients.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend - I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to1 flour for this recipe. You can use the gluten free flour blend you prefer, but ensure it contains xanthan gum or a similar binder. Using another brand of flour may result in a different outcome in your bake as all gluten free flour blends are a little different in their makeup.
- Cornstarch - pudding mix is primarily made up of cornstarch and sugar, which is why when people add it to cakes it makes the cake lighter. Adding cornstarch to flour is the same as baking with cake flour, which is all purpose flour combined with cornstarch. Since we're not using pistachio pudding mix, we are adding a little cornstarch for the same outcome. If you don't like cornstarch you can replace it with the same measure of arrowroot powder or tapioca starch.
- Pistachio Flour - In this recipe, we are getting our pistachio flavor from real pistachios. I usually order pre-ground pistachio flour online because it is a little finer than what I can make at home. If you don't want to buy it, you can grind your own shelled pistachios in a food processor or high speed blender and sift them to get the larger chunks out.
- Baking Powder - We need some leavening agent to help the cake rise and stay soft and fluffy. A cake mix will already contain baking powder.
- Salt - Just a little salt to compliment the sweet flavors.
- Sugar - Both cake mix and pistachio pudding mix contain a fair amount of sugar, so this is to replace the sugar in both.
- Oil - I use extra light olive oil in all of my recipes, but you can use any light flavored cooking oil that you prefer.
- Eggs - This cake uses four large eggs, so I wouldn't recommend an egg replacement here.
- Vanilla Extract - Vanilla adds a little complexity of flavor and sweetness to the cake.
- Almond Extract - Funny story, pistachio pudding mix actually contains more almond than pistachio. Almond extract is a naturally complimentary flavor to pistachio. Once baked it really brings out the nuttiness in the cake.
- Cocoa Powder - You can use unsweetened cocoa or dutch process cocoa in this recipe, whichever you prefer. See the note below if you'd rather use chocolate syrup.
You may also want green gel food coloring to color the cake as well as chocolate chips, vegan heavy cream, corn syrup, and chopped pistachios for decorating the cake.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not Dairy Free - The only dairy-free substitutes in this cake are in the chocolate ganache topping. If you're not dairy free, use your favorite chocolate chips and dairy heavy cream in the same measure.
- Make it Corn Free - Replace cornstarch with arrowroot powder or tapioca powder in the same measure. Omit the corn syrup from the ganache frosting.
- Make it with Chocolate Syrup - In the recipe you'll see that I combine cocoa powder with water to make a chocolate sauce. If you prefer to use chocolate syrup, replace the cocoa powder/water mixture with ¾ cup of syrup.
- Make it Dye Free - I used a single drop of green gel food coloring in this cake to give it that light green color. If you're dye free, you can omit the food coloring completely. The cake will be a golden green color naturally thanks to the pistachios.
How to make a Pistachio Chocolate Cake
This recipe is as easy as making a box cake mix. I recommend using a handheld mixer to get everything combined quickly. Make sure to grease and flour your bundt pan before use.
STEP 1: Combine the gluten free flour, pistachio flour, cornstarch and baking powder. Sift it together a couple of times.
STEP 2: Add the sugar and salt to the sifted ingredients. Whisk them together to get everything well mixed.
STEP 3: Add the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, almond extract and water to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.
STEP 4: Use a handheld mixer to combine the ingredients on low for 30 seconds. If you're using green food coloring, add one drop now. Then increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
STEP 5: Combine the cocoa powder and water in a small bowl. Whisk it well until a chocolate sauce forms.
STEP 6: Add 1 ½ cups of the pistachio cake batter to the chocolate sauce and mix until a chocolate cake batter forms.
STEP 7: Add ½ of the pistachio cake batter to your bundt pan, followed by ½ of the chocolate cake batter. Repeat with the remaining batter.
STEP 8: Use a knife to swirl the chocolate and pistachio cake batter together. Now you're ready to bake!
Baking Tip
Bake on the center rack to avoid the top of the cake getting overly brown. Your cake is ready when the top springs back when it's gently poked or the internal temperature measures over 200 degrees on a thermometer.
Once your cake has cooled completely, decorate it with chocolate ganache and chopped pistachios or just go with a simple dusting of powdered sugar!
Storage
Store leftover cake in an airtight container, like a cake keeper, for up to 4 days. You can store this cake at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Chocolate and pistachio are one of my favorite flavor combinations. I have always loved this cake and these chocolate chip and pistachio cookies are excellent too!
The original pistachio cake is made from a box of cake mix and a box of instant pistachio pudding mix. This cake recipe has the same flavors made from pantry ingredients.
Use a glass meauring cup with a pour spout to make things easier. Pour or drizzle the chocolate ganache over the cake. You can either let it naturally drip down the sides or use an offset spatula to spread it over the whole cake.
Other cake recipes to consider:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Pistachio Chocolate Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the pistachio cake
- 1 ⅔ Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend I use Bob's Red Mill
- ⅓ Cup Pistachio Flour see note
- 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ¼ Cup Sugar
- 4 Eggs
- ½ Cup Oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
- ¾ Cup Water
- Green Gel Food Coloring optional
For the chocolate swirl
- ½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder see note
- 7 Tablespoons Water
For the decoration
- 1 Cup Allergen Free Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- ½ Cup Non-Dairy Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
- ½ Cup Pistachios roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-cup bundt pan.
- Combine the gluten free flour, cornstarch, baking powder and pistachio flour. Sift together a few times until it's well mixed.1 ⅔ Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, ⅓ Cup Pistachio Flour, 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch, 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- Add the sugar and salt to the sifted ingredients and whisk together to combine.½ teaspoon Salt, 1 ¼ Cup Sugar
- Add the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, almond extract and water to the dry ingredients.4 Eggs, ½ Cup Oil, 1 teaspoon Vanilla, 1 teaspoon Almond Extract, ¾ Cup Water
- Use a handheld mixer on low speed to combine the ingredients for 30 seconds.
- If you want to use green food coloring, add 1 drop now. Then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.Green Gel Food Coloring
- Combine the cocoa powder and water in a small bowl. Whisk together until a chocolate sauce forms.½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 7 Tablespoons Water
- Add 1 ½ cups of the pistachio cake batter to the chocolate sauce and mix until a chocolate cake batter forms.
- Add ½ of the pistachio cake batter into your prepared cake pan, followed by ½ of the chocolate batter. Repeat with the remaining cake batter. Use a butter knife to swirl the two cake batters together (just a little). Tap the pan on the counter a few times to dislodge any air bubbles.
- Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 50 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when gently poked.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then invert the cake onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the chocolate ganache
- Place the chocolate chips into a heat proof bowl.1 Cup Allergen Free Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Heat the non-dairy cream in the microwave for about 1 minute. It should be warmer than body temperature. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let it sit for 5 minutes.½ Cup Non-Dairy Cream
- Use a whisk to combine the chocolate chips and cream into a smooth chocolate sauce. Add the corn syrup and whisk together until it's combined.2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the cooled cake. Sprinkle the cake with chopped pistachios.½ Cup Pistachios
- Let the cake rest for about 30 minutes so the ganache can setup. You can speed this up by placing the whole cake in the refrigerator.
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
Leave a Comment