Pistachio Bundt Cake

The week between Christmas and New Year. The house emptied. Kai and Danielle and Tommy left Saturday. Luna and Cole Sunday. River and Lucia Monday. The days between the holidays are quiet. I ate leftovers. I sat on the porch in coats. I worked on memory project piece six in the afternoons.

New Year's Eve. Hannah and Caleb and Miriam came over at six. We had a small dinner — venison roast, mashed potatoes, the last of the persimmon pudding. After dinner the four of us sat in the living room. Caleb stood up. He said to Miriam: come here. She came. He took her hand. He said: Miriam, I have been a man who was lost for a long time, and I have been a man who has been finding my way for a shorter time, and you have been the most surprising and best thing I have ever found. He said: will you marry me. He pulled the ring from his pocket. He went down on one knee — a knee that creaked — and looked up at her. Miriam was crying before he finished the question. She said: yes. He put the ring on her finger. They kissed. Hannah and I clapped. Hannah was crying. I was crying. We hugged them both.

We sat back down. Miriam looked at the ring. She said: I never thought I'd wear another ring. She said: my first marriage. She said: I never thought. Caleb said: I know. He said: I never thought either. They held each other on the couch. Hannah brought champagne — the bottle she'd been keeping for whenever — and we toasted. Caleb didn't drink. Miriam didn't drink. Hannah and I drank for them. Then we all drank sparkling cider and toasted again. The four of us toasted to the year that was ending and the year that was starting.

I went to bed at midnight. Hannah came up after. She said: my brother is engaged. I said: yes. She said: I love your brother. I said: yes. She said: I love your sister too. I said: yes. She said: I love everyone in this family. I said: that's the secret. She said: what's the secret. I said: loving everyone in your family. She said: yes. She kissed me. I went to sleep.

That small dinner — the roast, the potatoes, the last of the persimmon pudding — turned into the most significant night our family has had in years, and I keep thinking about what I’d make if I could do it again knowing what was coming. This pistachio bundt cake is the answer: something green and golden and festive, worthy of a ring coming out of a pocket, worthy of Miriam saying yes, worthy of Hannah crying and me crying and all four of us toasting to a year just beginning. It’s simple enough to have on the table without fuss, and beautiful enough that it feels like the occasion meant something — because it did.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
1 box (3.4 oz) instant pistachio pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup chopped pistachios, plus more for garnish
1 cup powdered sugar
2–3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter and flour for greasing the pan

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan thoroughly, making sure to coat all the ridges.
Mix the batter. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pistachio pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil, and warm water. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth and well blended.
Add the pistachios. Fold in the 1/2 cup chopped pistachios with a spatula until evenly distributed through the batter.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread evenly. Bake for 42–48 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean and the top is set.
Cool. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then carefully invert onto the rack and allow to cool completely before glazing, at least 30 minutes.
Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach a thick but pourable consistency.
Glaze and garnish. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, letting it run down the sides. Scatter additional chopped pistachios over the top while the glaze is still wet. Slice and serve.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pistachio Bundt Cake — The Night Caleb Got Down on One Knee