Growing up we called this Mom’s Pineapple Mandarin Cake but I’ve since learned most others call it a pig pickin’ cake recipe! Either way, it’s made with vanilla pudding, cool whip and mandarin oranges has been served at hundreds of family get togethers and church picnics!
Some call this pig pickin’ cake, others call it pineapple sunshine cake. Any way you look at it, you can bet on one thing – this mandarin dessert is delicious!
My Mom is the baker, I’m the cook.
Well, quite honestly she’s a good cook, too. She can whip up desserts, breads, and pastries from scratch like it’s nothing.
And then there’s me.
Give me a cake recipe using a box mix any day of the week. I will add a few things to it and make it extra delicious, and I will proudly turn around and serve that bad boy.
No guilt here. Because has anyone ever turned down one of my desserts?
Nope. That’s what I thought…
So we’re good, friends. Don’t feel one bit a shame making a shortcut recipe. People will eat it, I promise.
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How to make pig pickin’ cake
The players here are simple.
- Yellow cake mix
- Cool Whip
- Eggs
- Vanilla pudding
- Crushed Pineapple
- Mandarin Oranges
And see that cake below? It’s gonna get alllll covered out so I’m not worried about how that looks for a minute. We’re good.
I love that this cake only has a handful ingredients, one of them being yellow cake mix.
Hey, we take the short cuts where we can get them!
The frosting is super light and airy and not heavy at all. And the longer the cake sits, the moister the cake gets. But honestly, it won’t be around that long.
Because it’s goooooood.
You can see all the easy instructions in my recipe below. Basically, it goes like this:
Mix four things. Bake.
Mix 3 things. Frost.
Eat!!
Other vintage dessert recipes to try:
- Orange Fluff Salad
- Pineapple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Scotcheroos
- Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
Note: I may use referral or affiliate links for the products I love.
Mom's Best Pineapple Mandarin Cake (Pig Pickin' Cake)
Mom's Pineapple Mandarin Cake with vanilla pudding, cool whip and mandarin oranges has been served at hundreds of family get togethers and church picnics!
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 4 eggs
- 1 small can mandarin oranges with juice
FOR THE FROSTING
- 8 oz Cool Whip Whipped Topping
- 1 large can crushed pineapple, undrained
- 3 oz package instant vanilla pudding
Instructions
TO MAKE THE CAKE
- Mix together oil, cake mix and eggs until combined. Stir in mandarin oranges. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool
TO MAKE THE FROSTING
- Sprinkle dry pudding into Cool Whip and beat until blended. Add pineapple and fold in. Frost cake and refrigerate. Cut into squares to serve.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1 gramsAmount Per Serving Calories 361Unsaturated Fat 0g
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10 Comments
Alex Ryder
September 10, 2019 at 6:34 amWell I’m rubbish at baking so it’d be box mix for me too! This looks super tasty, and I enjoyed reading it from the UK!
Tayo
September 15, 2019 at 7:54 pmSuch simple ingredients and a delicious looks recipe. I sure will be making this!
Deanne Frieders
September 18, 2019 at 6:44 pmI hope you love it as much as we do!
Ramona
September 16, 2019 at 5:09 amThis looks yummy but I am not sure what the substitute for the yellow cake mix could be here in the UK? Any idea?
Deanne Frieders
September 18, 2019 at 6:44 pmHmmmm, do you have boxed cake mix in the UK?
Krissy Allori
April 15, 2020 at 6:07 pmThis just looks like sunshine on a plate. I’m guessing it tastes like it too. I can just picture having this one Sunday after some great BBQ. Saving this for later!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
April 15, 2020 at 7:05 pmOh wow, this looks amazing! And with so few ingredients too! I will definitely give this a go this week, thanks for the recipe š
Biana
April 15, 2020 at 8:21 pmThis looks so yummy, easy to make, and delicious! Looking forward to trying it.
Nart | Cooking with Nart
April 15, 2020 at 8:28 pmWow, pineapple and mandarin – such a great tropical combination!! I can easily find both fruits where I live so will definitely be trying the recipe!
Anita
April 15, 2020 at 9:08 pmThis is such a simple cake to bake, and even the frosting is very easy to put together. š