Pig Pickin Cake Recipe – Merely Stacie

Pig Pickin Cake is a light-weight, candy, and moist cake excellent for spring or summertime. This sunshine cake is studded with mandarin oranges and a creamy, fluffy vanilla pineapple frosting. Excellent for potlucks, household reunions, BBQs, and picnics.

This easy cake is a standard dessert in style within the American South. It will get its distinctive identify as a result of it was generally served at pig pickin’ occasions. It’s a standard Southern barbecue with pig roasts. Sure, an entire pig is roasted to be loved with household and buddies. I’ve a buddy right here in Canada whose household has pig roasts each summer season.

It’s a delicious fruity cake with a light-weight and fluffy texture and the tropical flavors of mandarin oranges and pineapple. You don’t need to be from the South to get pleasure from it. Make this simple dessert any time your candy tooth comes calling. No big day is required! Who is aware of, it might turn into your new favourite cake.

I keep in mind the primary time I attempted Pig Pickin’ Cake—it was at a summer season potluck once I was a child. I didn’t know what it was referred to as, however I went again for seconds (and possibly even thirds). It was chilly from the fridge, fluffy as will be, and I used to be hooked from that first chunk. Now, it’s a kind of nostalgic recipes I at all times make to deliver slightly sunshine to the desk.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• A Southern favourite: This basic cake is a should at pig pickins’, potlucks, and household get-togethers—it’s nostalgic and at all times a crowd-pleaser.
• Shiny and fruity: The mandarin oranges and pineapple add a recent, juicy taste that retains the cake mild and never overly candy.
• Tremendous easy to make: Because of a boxed cake combine and Cool Whip, you don’t have to be a professional baker to tug this off.
• That dreamy frosting: Cool, creamy, and full of pineapple and pudding—it’s the sort of frosting you’ll wish to eat by the spoonful.
• Excellent make-ahead dessert: It wants a number of hours to relax anyway, so it’s an amazing dessert to prep the day earlier than your gathering.
• Appears nearly as good because it tastes: With cherries and orange slices on prime, it’s a showstopper on the dessert desk.

Substances

The complete printable recipe card with measurements and directions is discovered on the backside of the submit.

• Yellow cake combine: A easy boxed combine is all you want—search for one with pudding within the combine for an additional moist cake.
• Water: Room temperature water blends higher and helps the whole lot come collectively easily.
• Vegetable oil: This retains the cake tender and moist—don’t swap it for butter, otherwise you’ll lose that mild texture.
• Eggs: Allow them to sit out for a couple of minutes earlier than mixing; room temp eggs assist your batter rise extra evenly.
• Mandarin oranges: Drain them properly, however don’t overdo it—you need slightly juice for taste. Set a number of apart for a fairly garnish!
• Crushed pineapple: Ensure that it’s drained so your frosting doesn’t get runny—however save a spoonful of the juice if you need an additional punch of pineapple taste.
• Vanilla on the spot pudding combine: Provides a creamy, thick texture to the frosting and helps it set properly within the fridge.
• Cool Whip: Thaw it within the fridge (not the counter!) for the fluffiest, most secure frosting. Strive my selfmade Cool Whip.
• Maraschino cherries: Completely non-compulsory, however they add a enjoyable pop of coloration on prime—excellent for events.

Find out how to Make This Pig Pickin Cake Recipe

• Step One: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch spherical cake pans.
• Step Two: In a big bowl, add cake combine, water, vegetable oil, and eggs. Combine with a hand mixer or stand mixer till mixed.
• Step Three: Stir in mandarin oranges, however put aside a number of for garnish.

• Step 4: Pour batter evenly into the ready cake pans.
• Step 5: Bake for 25 to half-hour or till a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out clear.
• Step Six: Cool layers in pans for 10 minutes earlier than eradicating them from the pan and funky them on wire racks till utterly cooled.

• Step Seven: Mix the crushed pineapple with the vanilla on the spot pudding combine in a medium mixing bowl. Fold in whipped topping.

• Step Eight: Unfold frosting on the primary cooled cake. Add a second cake on prime of the primary cake and canopy it with frosting, ensuring to cowl the highest and sides of the cake.

• Step 9: Garnish with maraschino cherries and mandarin oranges.
• Step Ten: Chill 4 hours earlier than serving.

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• BBQ classics: Assume pulled pork, ribs, or smoked rooster. The cake’s citrusy sweetness is the proper distinction to smoky, savory meats.
• Southern sides: Dishes like baked beans, coleslaw, mac and cheese, or cornbread pair fantastically with this Southern favourite.
• Grilled the whole lot: From burgers to kebabs, if it’s coming off the grill, it’ll go nice with this cake. Strive my Burnt Ends and Burger Hobo Packets.
• Summer season salads: A lightweight pasta salad, potato salad, or cucumber and tomato salad retains the meal recent and balanced. Strive my Ranch Potato Salad or Herb Potato Salad.
• Iced tea or lemonade: Maintain the Southern vibes going with a tall glass of candy tea or an enormous pitcher of lemonade to clean all of it down. Strive my Glowing Grape Lemonade.

Variations and Substitutions

• Use white or vanilla cake combine: In the event you don’t have yellow cake combine, white or vanilla works simply as properly. It’ll nonetheless be moist and filled with taste.
• Add coconut: Stir some shredded coconut into the frosting or sprinkle it on prime for a tropical twist.
• Swap Cool Whip: In the event you favor selfmade whipped cream, you should utilize that as a substitute—simply be certain that it’s stabilized so it holds up within the fridge.
• Strive completely different fruits: Mandarin oranges and pineapple are the basic combo, however you can experiment with diced peaches, berries and even fruit cocktail for a enjoyable spin.
• Make it a poke cake: Bake the cake in a 9×13-inch pan, poke holes in it, and pour some reserved pineapple juice or orange juice excessive earlier than including the frosting. Further juicy!
• Use a bundt pan: For a extra elegant presentation, bake it in a bundt pan and frost simply the highest.
• Lighten it up: Use a light-weight Cool Whip and sugar-free pudding combine to chop down on sugar.
• Increase the orange taste: Need much more citrusy goodness? Add 1/4 teaspoon of orange extract or recent orange zest to the cake batter. Combine in a bundle of orange Jello (simply the powder—no want to arrange it) for an excellent bolder taste. Garnish with orange slices on prime for a fairly and flavorful completion.
• Add some crunch: Stir a handful of chopped pecans or almonds into the cake batter for texture and nutty taste. It provides a pleasant distinction to the comfortable, fruity cake.
• Change up the pudding taste: Swap the vanilla pudding combine for cheesecake or white chocolate-flavored pudding for a richer, barely completely different twist. Each pair fantastically with the fruit and add a creamy depth to the frosting.
• Strive cream cheese frosting: For a richer, tangier twist, swap the whipped topping combination for cream cheese frosting. It provides a decadent layer of taste that pairs completely with the fruity cake—particularly in the event you love that sweet-tart combo!

Storage Directions

• Fridge: Because the frosting has whipped topping and pudding, this cake have to be stored within the fridge. Retailer it in an hermetic container or cowl it tightly with plastic wrap. It’ll keep recent for as much as 4 days—if it lasts that lengthy!
• Make forward: It is a nice make-ahead dessert. The flavors get even higher after a number of hours within the fridge. Simply wait so as to add the garnish (cherries and orange slices) till proper earlier than serving in order that they keep recent and fairly.
• Freezing: You can freeze it, however the texture of the whipped topping may change barely as soon as thawed. In the event you freeze it, wrap particular person slices in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container. Thaw within the fridge earlier than serving.

Recipe Suggestions and Tips

• Don’t overmix the batter: Combine till simply mixed to maintain the cake mild and fluffy. Overmixing could make it dense.
• Use a superb high quality cake combine: It makes a distinction! I like Betty Crocker—it bakes up moist and flavorful each time.
• Drain the fruit, however not an excessive amount of: Slightly juice from the mandarin oranges and pineapple provides further taste and moisture—however an excessive amount of could make the cake or frosting watery.
• Solely use crushed pineapple: Pineapple tidbits or chunks received’t mix easily into the frosting and may make it runny or lumpy. Crushed is the best way to go!
• Cool utterly earlier than frosting: Ensure that the cake layers are totally cooled earlier than including the frosting so it doesn’t soften or slide off.
• Chill earlier than serving: Letting the cake chill for a number of hours (or in a single day) helps the flavors meld collectively and provides the frosting time to set.
• Use a serrated knife for slicing: This kind of knife cuts via the comfortable cake and creamy frosting with out squishing it.
• Embellish proper earlier than serving: Add the maraschino cherries and mandarin oranges simply earlier than serving in order that they keep brilliant and recent.
• Make it forward for events: That is the last word make-ahead dessert—it really tastes higher the subsequent day!

What’s Pig Pickin Cake?

Pig Pickin’ Cake is a basic Southern dessert that’s as enjoyable to eat as it’s to say! It’s a light-weight, fruity layer cake made with yellow cake combine, mandarin oranges, and a whipped pineapple frosting. It’s cool, creamy, and filled with brilliant citrus taste—excellent for warm-weather get-togethers or anytime you need a dessert that’s slightly lighter than your typical frosted cake.

So, why the humorous identify? Historically, this cake was served at Southern pig roasts—aka “pig pickins’”—the place an entire pig could be slow-roasted and friends would “decide” the meat off. This candy, refreshing cake was the proper approach to finish a wealthy, heavy meal, so it turned a staple at these gatherings. Ultimately, it simply turned referred to as “Pig Pickin’ Cake.”

You may additionally hear it referred to as Mandarin Orange Cake, Pineapple Sunshine Cake, or Pig Lickin’ Cake, relying in your location. It doesn’t matter what you name it, it’s at all times a crowd-pleaser!

Cake Recipes Made With Cake Combine

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Pig Pickin Cake

Created by Stacie Vaughan

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook dinner Time 30 minutes minutes

Chill Time 4 hours hours

Whole Time 4 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Gentle, fruity, and filled with Southern attraction, this Pig Pickin’ Cake recipe is straightforward to make with mandarin oranges, pineapple, and whipped topping. Excellent for potlucks!

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans.

• In a big mixing bowl, add cake combine, water, vegetable oil, and eggs. Combine with a hand mixer till mixed.

• Stir in mandarin oranges, however put aside a number of for garnish.

• Pour batter evenly into the ready cake pans.

• Bake for 25 to half-hour or till a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out clear.

• Cool layers in pans for 10 minutes earlier than eradicating from the pan and funky on racks till utterly cooled.

• In a medium mixing bowl, mix the crushed pineapple with the vanilla pudding combine. Fold in Cool Whip.

• Unfold frosting on the primary cake. Add second cake on prime of the primary cake and canopy with frosting, ensuring to cowl the perimeters and prime.

• Garnish with maraschino cherries and mandarin oranges.

• Chill 4 hours earlier than serving.

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Energy: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 4g | Fats: 12g | Saturated Fats: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 6g | Monounsaturated Fats: 3g | Trans Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 395mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 257IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 1mg

The knowledge proven is an estimate offered by an internet diet calculator. It shouldn’t be thought-about an alternative choice to knowledgeable nutritionist’s recommendation.

Course Dessert

Delicacies American

Key phrase cake, sunshine cake

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