What is a Pig Pickin’ Cake? It’s a classic Southern dessert specialty that starts with a yellow box cake mix with mandarin oranges baked into it. Then it’s topped with a creamy whipped pineapple topping. It’s light, fruity and alway moist. It’s like having the taste of summer in every bite.
Cake Mix Recipes
Oh, how we love Cake Mix Recipes! There was a time when I thought a store bought cake mix was only good for following the instructions on the box. But, in reality, there is so much you can do with cake mix other than baking a normal, boring cake!
On this site, we’ve had a ton of fun with cake mix! From this Cake Mix Peach Cobbler to these super easy Snickerdoodles and Red Velvet Cookies, a cake mix is the ultimate shortcut. We’ve also made some pretty fun cakes on here as well, are two most popular are this Ooey Gooey Butter cake and this Crack Cake.
Today, we are gonna add another delicious cake mix recipe to our site. This is the famous Pickin’ Pig Cake, also called a Orange Pineapple Cake! It’s a perfect cake for sun shiny summer weather and good times with friends and family. In fact it reminds me a lot of our Pineapple Sunshine Cake or our Pineapple Pretzel Salad!
Pickin’ Pig Cake
Well, it’s actually called a lot of different things. It’s one of those great recipes that has a somewhat disputed origin story and has morphed into lots of different glorious concoctions over the years. What we do know is that it originated in the South and the common story is that this cake was often served at Barbeques while the guests were “Pickin'” their meat off of the roasted pig.
Put whatever you call it, it’s a delicious chilled cake that fits perfectly into any summer event, from pitch ins to picnics to potlucks! If you’re looking for an awesome summer cake recipe, look no further!
How To Make An Orange Pineapple Cake
This is a SUPER easy recipe. And the great thing is that, especially up here in the north where I live, there is a good chance this will be a new dessert your friends and family hasn’t seen before!
Ready to get started? Here is what you’ll need:
CAKE INGREDIENTS
- 1 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
- 1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, with juice
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup oil
FROSTING INGREDIENTS
- 1 8-ounce container whipped topping
- 1 1-ounce package vanilla pudding
- 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
- 1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Pig Pickin’ Cake Storage and Serving Suggestions
This cake is best served room temperature or cold. Make sure the cake is at least fully cooled before adding the whipped topping!
Leftovers will taste great in the fridge for about 3 days.
Can you freeze this Orange Pineapple Cake? Yep! This cake freezes great! Let the cake fully cool and cover with freezer wrap or a freezer bag. It should be good in your fridge for about 3 months.
Notes, Tips and Variations
- Most recipes (and this one) use Yellow Cake Mix. We like it because it gives this recipe such a sunshiny (is that a word) look. But you can sub for White Cake Mix or even Lemon Cake Mix. Yum!
- Garnish with fruit! We garnished ours with some mandarin oranges. But strawberries would be super cool! Or even some fresh pineapple slices!
I hope you enjoy this Pig Pickin’ Cake Recipe. Let me know how it turns out in the comments!
Pig Pickin' Cake
Ingredients
- CAKE INGREDIENTS
- 1 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
- 1 11- ounce can mandarin oranges with juice
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup oil
- FROSTING INGREDIENTS
- 1 8- ounce container whipped topping
- 1 1- ounce package vanilla pudding
- 1 20- ounce can crushed pineapple drained
- 1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- Storage and Serving Suggestions
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
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In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix, oranges, eggs and oil, until well combined.
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Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
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To make the topping, mix together the whipped topping and vanilla pudding until combined.
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Allow to rest for five minutes to give the topping time to absorb the pudding, then add the pineapple and stir to combine.
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Spread the mixture over the cake after it has completely cooled. Sprinkle coconut over the top of the cake before serving.
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