Flickr: Helena Jacoba

Pig Pickin' Cake, Just Like Mama Used to Make

There are a ton of cake recipes out there, but have you ever tried to make pig pickin' cake? Also sometimes known as pineapple mandarin cake, this mandarin orange cake is surprisingly pretty simple, especially if you use yellow boxed cake mix in place of making a yellow cake mix from scratch. They're great to bring to a potluck, BBQ, or pig roast — or your average birthday party, if someone requests it.

How to Make Pig Pickin' Cake

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All you need to make the cake is vegetable oil, a box of yellow cake mix, four eggs, and a can of mandarin oranges. Make sure you get the kind with juice!

For the cake frosting for the top of the cake, you'll need Cool Whip whipped topping, undrained crushed pineapple, a package of instant vanilla pudding mix, and mandarin orange slices to make the cake even prettier.

Making the cake is super simple. First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While it's heating up, mix the oil, cake mix, and eggs in a mixing bowl until they're all combined, using an electric mixer if needed. Next, add the mandarin oranges and stir.

You're going to bake the cake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes after pouring the cake batter into a cake pan or baking pan until you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean.

While you're letting the cake cool (on a wire rack or you can refrigerate it if you want to serve it extra chilled), you can whip together the frosting. First, add the pudding to the Cool Whip and beat until it's all blended. Add in the pineapple.

Finally, frost the cake and refrigerate. Once it's to your desired temperature, you can serve the cooled cake after adding the mandarin oranges as a garnish. Since mandarines are a good source of vitamin C and have vitamin A, too, you don't have to feel TOO guilty about snacking on this delicious cake.

Watch: Which Birthday Cake Recipe Pairs With Your Birth Month? 

Pig Pickin' Cake

Pig Pickin' Cake is a delicious cake that isn't all that difficult to throw together. And with the mandarin oranges, it's semi-healthy, too!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Vegetable oil
  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 can mandarin oranges - with juice
  • 8 ounce Cool Whip
  • 1 can crushed pineapple - undrained
  • 3 ounce instant vanilla pudding
  • mandarin orange slices - as many as you want for a garnish

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Mix the oil, cake mix, and eggs in a mixing bowl until they're all combined. Add the mandarin oranges and stir.
  • Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes after pouring the cake batter into a cake pan, until you can insert a toothpick in the middle and have it come out clean.
  • While you're letting the cake cool, whip together the frosting by adding the pudding to the Cool Whip and beat until blended. Add in the pineapple.
  • Frost the cake and refrigerate.
  • Add the mandarin oranges on top and serve the cooled cake.