Orange Pineapple Cake (2024)

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Orange Pineapple Cake is an easy cake recipe that starts with a boxed cake mix and canned mandarin oranges. Topped with a delicious and fluffy whipped pineapple vanilla pudding frosting. So moist, light, and refreshing!

ORANGE PINEAPPLE CAKE (PIG PICKIN’ CAKE)

This orange pineapple cake, also called pig pickin’ cake, is one of my very favorite summer desserts! It’s so light, refreshing, moist, and fluffy which makes it perfect for a hot summer day gathering for an easy dessert.

It starts with a boxed cake mix (hello easy!), canned mandarin oranges, and then it’s topped in this deliciously fluffy whipped pineapple vanilla pudding frosting. You will be tempted to grab a spoon and eat the frosting straight from the bowl!

HOW TO MAKE ORANGE PINEAPPLE CAKE WITH CANNED FRUIT AND PUDDING MIX

Yellow Cake Mix – Feel free to substitute with your own homemade yellow cake mix if wanted.
Canned Mandarin Oranges – Do not drain! Just dump the entire can (juice and all) into the bowl.
Sour Cream, Eggs, & Oil
Heavy Whipping Cream– No substitutes. Use the good stuff please.
Crushed Pineapple – If you don’t want chunks of pineapple in the frosting then add the can of pineapple into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Powdered Sugar
Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix

MY TIPS FOR THIS EASY CAKE RECIPE

– This cake is best served cold. I make the cake, cool it completely, and then frost the cake. Cover it with a lid or plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight or at least for 5-6 hours before serving. You can make this cake the night before or in the morning of the day you need it. That way it can refrigerate all night or it can refrigerate during the day for several hours.

– For best taste, richness, and texture use full fat sour cream.

– Dump the can of mandarin oranges and pineapple straight into the mix. Do not drain. It seems weird but trust me!

– I only topped the cake with extra mandarin oranges and piped on leftover frosting strictly for the pictures. It’s easier to take food pictures when it’s not all one color like the frosting is 🙂 I always just frost the cake and serve it that way. If wanted you can decorate the top of the cake with additional mandarin oranges.

– Leftovers just get better and better and will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.

TRY THESE OTHER DESSERT RECIPES THAT USE BOXED CAKE MIX

funfetti cake batter cookie bars
peach cobbler dump cake
chocolate caramel dump cake
easy chocolate cherry cake
red velvet sheet cake
doctored up cake mix recipe
chocolate cream bundt cake

Orange Pineapple Cake

Author Jessica

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Mandarin Orange Cake

▢ 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
▢ 1 can (15 oz) mandarin oranges (do not drain)
▢ 1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
▢ 3 large eggs

Whipped Pineapple Pudding Frosting

▢ 2 cups heavy whipping cream
▢ 1/4 cup powdered sugar
▢ 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple do not drain
▢ 1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by spraying with cooking spray. Set aside.
^{*If wanted, you can make this recipe in 3 (8" or 9") round cake pans for a layered cake. I prefer it in the 9x13 baking dish so that's what I do. The cake is so moist that sometimes it's hard to get the layers to stay together and form. The frosting is also a looser frosting (aka - not stiff like a buttercream frosting) so it's easier to frost the 9x13 cake.}

Make The Mandarin Orange Cake

In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or bowl of a stand mixer, combine the dry cake mix, mandarin oranges (juice and all), oil, sour cream, and eggs. Beat together for 1-2 minutes until completely combined and oranges are broken up.
1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix, 1 can (15 oz) mandarin oranges, 1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola oil, 1/2 cup sour cream, 3 large eggs
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the sides start to pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with moist crumbs only.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely, at room temperature,before frosting.

Make The Whipped Pudding Frosting

Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, crushed pineapple, and instant pudding mix into a mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) and beat until stiff peaks form. This will take about 5 minutes.
^{* Start at low speed, to avoid splashing, and increase as needed. As it thickens you will want to increase the speed higher.}
2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, 1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
Spread the whipped pudding frosting onto the cooled cake.
The cake can be served right away or for best taste/texture cover it with plastic and let the frosted cake refrigerate overnight or for 4-6 hours before serving. It's best served cold but still delicious served right away.

Video

Notes

If you are using round cake pans the cook time will decrease to about 20 minutes. Watch it closely. The cake can be made into a layered cake (I have done it several times) but it's easiest to make the 9x13 cake. The cake is so moist which means that the thinner layers sometimes will fall apart really easily.

When you beat the frosting with pineapple it won't get rid of all the pineapple chunks so if you prefer no chunks then dump the can of crushed pineapple into a blender or food processor and process it until smooth with no large chunks. Add it into the frosting as is, and then beat until stiff according to recipe directions.

This recipe was originally posted (Summer 2017) as a layered cake. I have since had problems, along with many readers, making a layered cake because of the moistness of the cake and the looser frosting. Meaning, the frosting is not thick like buttercream frosting. Because of that, I have been exclusively making this in the 9x13 baking dish with great results each time. The frosting holds up better opposed to the layered cake where the frosting did not do well holding the thinner, moist layers together. The recipe is the same. New pictures and updated post is all that was changed when I republished June 2020.

Nutrition

Did You Make This Recipe?

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