Pig Pickin' Cake

Hmm... I was reminded of a recipe today. I haven't made it in a year or so. It is a good summer cake. I was reminded of it after I read this angel food cake icing recipe and then again after eating my creamy fruit salad. This recipe is similar to both...

It came from my mom, who had it at a luncheon. She sent me the recipe, but we didn't know the name of it. One time, when I couldn't find the recipe, I did my beloved ingredient recipe search on Allrecipes.com and discovered it is called Pig Pickin' Cake. I used to live in the South, and it is supposedly a southern recipe, but I still don't know what that means. Should I know??

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 c. oil
1 can mandarin oranges with juice

Blend together those 4 ingredients and bake in 3 round cake pans 15 - 20 minutes or more at 350 degrees. Cool on wire rack.

Icing
1 8 oz tub of cool whip
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
1 small box instant vanilla pudding

Mix together well. (Don't make the pudding, just mix in the powdered form.)

Frost in between each layer of cake to make a torte. (Don't frost the sides.) Chill until ready to serve.

More options:

If you want to be creative, find some fresher alternatives for the processed ingredients! I bet substituting a cake from scratch and some fresh whipped cream would sure be good! I'd love to hear if you have any success with this.

You can also bake the cake in an angel food cake or bundt cake pan (be aware of changes in the baking time, of course) and then use a cake leveler to slice it into layers. I have one from when I thought I wanted to be a cake decorator. It actually works really well for making nice, flat layers so you don't have a lopsided, slippery cake. I also hear you can use dental floss, but have never tried it. That would be frugal, though! Or the easiest option (now that's my style) would be to just bake it in a 9x13 pan.

Enjoy!