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A legendary dessert that’s plated up at pig roasts throughout the South, Pig Pickin Cake, aka Pig Cake, is as fluffy, fruity, and fabulous as it gets. And good news: This sunshiny orange and pineapple cake is the easiest thing in the world to make.
Ultra moist and irresistibly fruity, Pig Pickin cake has lot of other names: Pig Cake, Pig Lickin’ Cake, Pineapple Orange Dump Cake, Picnic Cake, Orange Delight, Orange Sunshine Cake, and Mandarin Orange Cake.
The Pig Pickin part is in reference to Pig Pickins, or Pig Roasts, where a whole pig is roasted over a fire and shared picnic-style. Along with the roasted pig, serve Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, Braised Cabbage and plenty of Applesauce. Hawaiian Macaroni Salad would taste great too!
Round out the menu with a delicious Fruit Platter with plenty of tropical offerings like pineapple, mango, apples, oranges, and papaya.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Oranges: To substitute fresh oranges, tangerines, or clementines (more work than canned oranges), cut the segments from their membranes into supremes, and squeeze the extra juice from the fruit for making the cake.
- Whipped topping: To substitute homemade whipped cream for the Cool Whip, whip 3 cups of heavy cream with 6 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract. For best results, chill metal mixing bowl and metal whisk in freezer for 10 to 15 minutes for before whipping. Whipped cream can be stored covered, in the refrigerator, for 10 hours.
- Pinapple: To substitute fresh pineapple, pulse chunks of pineapple in a food processor. Drain well and reserve the juice for the frosting. Note: Do not use fresh pineapple with a gelatin-based pudding. Bromelain, the natural enzyme found in fresh pineapple, will break down gelatin, which can soften the frosting if you use a gelatin-based pudding.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and oil together until well blended or use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer). Whisk in the cake mix until smooth. Carefully fold in the mandarin oranges and their juice.
- Pour batter into baking dish.
- Bake 25 to 35 minutes (check at 25 minutes). Let the cake cool completely, at least 30 minutes. When the cake is cool, blend whipped topping and instant pudding mix in a large bowl (do not prepare the pudding mix into pudding). Carefully fold in pineapple and juice. Spread the frosting in a thick, even layer on the cake.
- Cover and refrigerate to chill cake at least 30 minutes before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Recipe tips and substitutions
- Yield: This recipe makes one 9-inch by 13-inch cake. I usually cut 20 generous slices, but you can cut them bigger or smaller depending on your preference.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: You can bake the cake up to 2 days in advance and store covered in the refrigerator. Frost the cake up to one day in advance. The frosting stays on the cake better when it is completely cool, but after that, pop it in the fridge again to let the frosting bond with the top of the cake. That’s where the magic happens.
- Toppings: Add shredded toasted coconut, toasted walnuts, toasted pecans, or maraschino cherries on top of the frosting.
- Pig Pickin Trifle: This is a great cake for a trifle dish! I recommend lining the cake pan with parchment so you can easily lift the entire cake out. Then, cut it into cubes and layer with pineapple and the whipping topping/pudding mixture. I wouldn’t add the pineapple to the frosting for the trifle because you need more things to layer. Adding some maraschino cherries on top would also be stunning.
- Pig Pickin Layer Cake: To make a layer cake (I recommend a naked-style cake where you don’t frost the outside), divide the cake batter evenly among three 8-inch cake pans, lined with parchment paper or greased well. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cakes completely on a wire rack. Make the frosting, then divide evenly among the layers, stacking the cake. Garnish with toasted coconut or mandarin orange slices on the top of cake.
- Low-sugar cake: Make it with sugar-free vanilla pudding mix, sugar-free whipped topping, and sugar-free cake mix.
- Cupcakes: Not recommended. If you frost a cupcake with the whipped topping mixture, it won’t cover enough surface area to really soak in the citrus flavor of the cake, the way it’s supposed to.
Frequently Asked Questions
This cake is frequently served at Pig Roasts, also called Pig Pickins, in the south.
A Pig Pickin is another name for a Pig Roast, where whole pigs are roasted on a spit.
This cake is also known as Pig Cake, Pig Lickin’ Cake, Pineapple Orange Dump Cake, Picnic Cake, Orange Delight, or Orange Sunshine Cake.
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Pig Pickin Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 15 ounces mandarin oranges and juice (see note 1)
For the frosting:
- 16 ounces whipped topping thawed (see note 2)
- 3.4 ounce instant vanilla pudding mix
- 15 ounces crushed pineapple and juice (see note 3)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and oil together until well blended. Whisk in the cake mix until smooth. Carefully fold in the mandarin oranges and their juice.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 25 to 35 minutes (check at 25 minutes). Cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
- When the cake is cool, blend whipped topping and dry vanilla pudding mix in a large bowl (do not prepare the pudding mix into pudding). Carefully fold in pineapple and juice. Spread the frosting in a thick, even layer on the cake.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Oranges: To substitute fresh oranges, tangerines, or clementines (more work than canned oranges), cut the segments from their membranes into supremes, and squeeze the extra juice from the fruit for making the cake.
- Whipped topping: To substitute homemade whipped cream for the whipped topping, whip 3 cups of heavy cream with 6 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract. For best results, chill metal mixing bowl and metal whisk in freezer for 10 to 15 minutes for before whipping. Whipped cream can be stored covered, in the refrigerator, for 10 hours.
- Pineapple: To substitute fresh pineapple, pulse chunks of pineapple in a food processor. Drain well and reserve the juice for the frosting. Note: Do not use fresh pineapple with a gelatin-based pudding. Bromelain, the natural enzyme found in fresh pineapple, will break down gelatin, which can soften the frosting if you use a gelatin-based pudding.
- Yield: This recipe makes one 9-inch by 13-inch cake. I usually cut 20 generous slices, but you can cut them bigger or smaller depending on your preference.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I have a question I want to make a mandarin pig picking cake but how can I make it without pineapple because my little one is allergic to pineapple
Hi Christina! The good news is, the pineapple goes in the frosting, not the cake. So you could simply leave it out entirely and still put the oranges in the cake. I’m sure you could substitute a different canned (drained) fruit in the frosting if you wanted to, whatever sounds good. It would need to be finely crushed though, and it would change the flavor, but anything that sounds good to you is fair game! I hope they love it! – Meggan
This is an absolutely delicious cake!! I took it to a pig pickin and it was a huge hit. So much so that I have been invited to another one 2 weeks later and ask to please bring another pig pickinn cake. Thanks for the recipe, it will be going in my favorites album.
You’re so welcome, Stacy! Thank you so much for sharing this, I’m glad it was such a hit! – Meggan
Have you heard of any one making this cake & breaking the layers up placing in a punch bowl & putting a layer of the frosting on top then alternating layers until it is full enough for a crowd. Am attending a family reunion this next weekend & want to take it. Any feedback would be appreciated..
Johnetta Burns
Carolina Girl ‘65
Hi Johnetta! Thank you so much for your question. I think this would absolutely be delicious as a trifle. I haven’t done it myself, but hopefully if another reader has, they will write. I hope you have a wonderful time at your reunion! – Meggan