This Vintage Cake Shares The Name Of An Infamous Political Event

As a cheerful meal conclusion, cakes can be entertaining with some unique names. There's the Depression-era wacky cake, elegant Lady Baltimore, or the Southern Pig Pickin' Cake. And if you're willing to bring politics into dinnertime, then you can also sample a slice of Watergate cake. To those unfamiliar, this political scandal involved an unsuccessful burglary at the Democratic National Committee, the details of which were concealed by the Richard Nixon administration. Subsequently, the layers of involvement became known, and Nixon resigned from his second presidential term.

The dessert — which comes in an eye-catching bright green — is a fluffy white cake mix loaded with pistachios, coconut flakes, and pecans. Most integral to its creation is pistachio instant pudding — a technicolored '50s sweet mix used in both the batter and the creamy frosting. Add up all such elements, and you get a colorful, crunchy, and nutty delight. So, what does it have to do with Richard Nixon? Well, the dessert didn't emerge in the Watergate hotel, and it wasn't served at the White House, either. Truth is, the precise origins are murky, although the name was coined in the 1970s, around the time of the Watergate scandal. Instead, the dish came about alongside the now-disappeared Watergate salad, which employs the same pudding mix.

Templates for the two creations circulated in the 1970s, yet under different names. Then, once the scandal occurred, it's suggested the cake took on the name as a humorous ode to how the icing concealed the nutty filling inside. Or it's possible the dessert gained the label simply to attract attention. Between its palette and name, it channels the unmistakable mood of the '70s.

Intriguingly, this cake also weaves a thread with other sweets that contain water in the name. The Great Depression-era water pie, Italian water cake, and varying soda cakes all share an element in common with the Watergate cake: ditching dairy for a water-based beverage. To leaven the batter, the Watergate cake employs club soda or even a flavored version like 7Up — while other cakes can even rely on water alone.

Making a cake with soda water is a resourceful move. Not only does a soda-based leavening optimize ingredient costs, but it also improves the cake in the process. The carbonation in the drink aerates the dough, and citric acid imparts structural changes. The resulting bake comes out wispy and flavorful, yet minimizes prep. Not to mention, it aligns well with all the further ready-made ingredients: The cake also contains pistachio pudding, white cake mix, dried coconut flakes, and canned whipped cream.

It's impossible to say whether the water in Watergate deliberately references a previous era of resourceful liquid-based cakes. What's clear is that the cake's vintage formula emerges from a tradition of ready-made desserts. Just like the Watergate incident itself, such a form of baking is becoming lost in history — so its catchy name makes the period as a whole easier to remember.