| Type | Dessert |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Main ingredients | Pistachio pudding |
Watergate cake is a pistachio cake popular in the U.S. which shares its name with theWatergate scandal of the 1970s, although the name's origin is not clear.[1] The cake pre-datesWatergate salad, a dessert made with similar ingredients including pistachio pudding.[2]
Watergate cake mix can contain pistachio-flavor pudding, marshmallows, nuts, crushed pineapple, whipped cream, and greenfood coloring.[3] The cake is then covered in icing symbolizing a "cover-up", in reference to the Watergate scandal, during which theNixon administration attempted to conceal its involvement in the 1972 break-in at theDemocratic National Committee offices in theWatergate complex.[3]
Vintage Cakes (2012) by bakerJulie Richardson describes a Watergate cake made from "apistachio layer cake with mascarponemousse frosting."[4] Richardson's recipe calls for a pistachio cake, pudding, and an "impeachment" pistachio frosting ofmascarpone, topped with caramelized pistachios.[5][6]
A family recipe fromWashington Post critic Tom Sietsema calls for a base made fromwhite cake mix,instantpistachio pudding,7 Up soda, eggs, vegetable oil, and walnuts, which is baked, covered with icing made from instant pudding mix andCool Whip, and topped withmaraschino cherries.[5] In some variations, the base contains another type nut rather than walnut,club soda orginger ale instead of 7 Up, and coconut, and it can be baked as aBundt cake,cupcake, orlayer cake.[5] In the southern U.S.,pecans are often used in the cake due to their prevalence in the region.[7]
TheJell-O company started selling its pistachio pudding mix in 1976, amidst a trend in American cuisine whereby people createdsalad dishes containing ingredients such as Cool Whip, nuts, pineapple, and pudding.[1]General Foods, then owner of the Jell-O brand, published a recipe for "Pistachio Pineapple Delight" that would later becomeWatergate salad.[1] Two Watergate-related cookbooks were published in 1973:The Watergate Cook (Or, Who's in the Soup?) by The Committee to Write the Cookbook andThe Watergate Cookbook.[3][8] The latter book featured "unimpeachable recipes" all containing pistachio gelatin, such as a "Watergate Cake with Cover-Up Icing", which became popular after it was disseminated by media outlets.[8]
According toWAMU reporter Gabe Bullard, the name may be satirical wordplay: an early recipe published by theHagerstown Daily Mail of Maryland in September 1974 (a month after theresignation of Richard Nixon) credits Christine Hatcher, who gave the cake its name "because of all the nuts that are in it."[2][9] AuthorJoseph Rodota, who has written on theWatergate Hotel, said "It could've been a Democratic partisan who wanted to make sure the Watergate name lived on, because the Republicans were very intent on turning the page."[2] Susan Benjamin, a West Virginian historian of candy, claims the name "came out of the mouths of the people who ate it," a jab at the Nixon administration following the Watergate scandal.[2] Leslie Cole forOregon Live writes that the Watergate Cake was a "vehicle" for people to purchase pudding and cake mixes, like many 1960s and 1970s recipes.[4]
It is not known whether theWatergate Hotel ever sold Watergate cake or salad.[2] According to Joseph Rodota, "the lack of answer is fitting" regarding the origin of the cake's name: "The bakery, like the hotel, was quite upscale. A cake made with cheap ingredients was off-brand for a hotel known for luxury and privacy."[5] However, the cake originated in a time of what Rodota describes as "Watergateconsumerism", and one shop in theWatergate complex was known to have sold "ties with plastic bugs on them".[5] The Watergate Pastry Shop also reportedly denied knowledge of the cake despite its popularity in stores, and none of its dessert products contained pistachios.[10][11]
A shortage of one brand of pistachio pudding in Washington, D.C. occurred in 1975, starting aroundThanksgiving and becoming especially worse inChristmas, partly due to poor pistachio crops.[2][12] A spokesperson for theGiant Food grocery stores claimed the shortage was exacerbated by the large numbers of home cooks baking Watergate cakes.[2][12]
