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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Desserts

    Orange Pineapple Pig Pickin Cake Recipe

    Published: Apr 12, 2022 ยท Updated: Jul 5, 2025 by Tammilee ยท This post may contain affiliate links

    This easy Pig Pickin Cake has an unusual name, but rest assured, it tastes fantastic! Made with a boxed cake mix, you will love how easy this dessert recipe is to whip up. Itโ€™s perfect for summer barbecues, picnics, church potlucks, or family dinners.

    Pig Pickin Cake over a glass baking dish next to a white plate with a slice of cake on it

    Pig Pickin Cake Recipe

    Contents show
    Pig Pickin Cake Recipe
    Preparation and Storage
    Recipe Variations
    Tips for the Best Pig Pickin Cake
    What to Serve with Pig Pickin Cake
    When to Serve
    Great Dessert Recipes
    Pig Pickin Cake Recipe
    Ingredients
    Pig Pickin Cake
    Icing/Topping
    Instructions
    Kitchen Tools
    Nutrition

    I have no idea how this cake earned the name Pig Pickin, but it is one of our favorite summer recipes. The combination of mandarin oranges, pineapple, and cake is delicious.

    I read an article in Southern Living that said the name comes from traditional classic southern pig roasts.

    Another article said the cake originated in North Carolina and was a staple with American South Pork Barbecue. Pig Pickin is a potluck with friends and family enjoying great food, including barbecue.

    โ€‹This light cake pairs perfectly with a heavy Southern barbecue meal.

    Everyone loves this cake! It is so easy to make and tastes like summer. The combination of whipped topping, drained pineapples, mandarin oranges, and yellow cake layered in a cake pan is delicious!

    This cake is also called a Mandarin Orange Cake, pea pickin' cake, pig eatin' cake, pig cake, sunshine cake, orange pineapple layer cake, summer cake, and celestial snow cake. Oh my!

    What do you call this cake?

    One thing to plan for this recipe is to give it a couple of hours to rest in the refrigerator to allow all of the flavors to meld together.

    Send leftovers straight to the refrigerator due to the Cool Whip whipped topping on the top. Don't worry; this cake tastes so good the next day!

    teenage boy with a spatula and glass bowl

    This was one of the first recipes I made with my husband's nephew while he was here for a month.

    My goal was to teach him easy recipes he would be able to make on his own when he flew back to Alabama. I have to admit it was so much fun having someone in the kitchen with me.

    Pretty sure he had no complaints over being the taste tester for recipes for an entire month.

    glass baking dish with vanilla, butter, cake mix, mandarin oranges, and eggs in it

    Cake Ingredients

    Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients for making an epic Pig Pickin Cake! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.

    • Yellow Cake Mix
    • Unsalted Butter
    • Mandarin Oranges
    • Eggs
    • Vanilla Extract

    Optional Add-Ins: Add toasted pecans or walnuts if you want a crunch in your cake. Maraschino cherries work great to garnish the top.

    Frosting Ingredients

    • Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
    • Crushed Pineapple
    • Powdered Sugar
    • Cool Whip/Whipped Cream
    • Mandarin Orange Slicesย 

    Equipment Needed

    • 9x13 Baking Dish
    • Hand Mixer/Electric Stand Mixer
    • Two Large Mixing Bowls: We are big fans of this glass batter bowl with a handle. It makes it easy to mix ingredients and keeps the mixing bowl steady on the counter.
    • Spider Strainer: I love using a spider strainer to drain the mandarin oranges.
    • Wire Racks: If you plan to serve this cake from the baking dish, you'll need wire racks.
    square of cake on a white plate next to a baking dish of pig pickin cake

    Preparation and Storage

    Make-Ahead: This cake is make-ahead-friendly! It tastes best when given a few hours to rest in the fridge.

    Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy them within five days.

    Freezing/How to Freeze: Freeze leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe container and enjoy them within three months.

    How to Reheat: Let any frozen cake portions thaw overnight in the fridge before serving to keep the Cool Whip frosting fresh.

     

    Recipe Variations

    Substitutions:

    Add tropical sweetness and flair by mixing coconut flakes into the topping.

    Spread the batter across two nine-inch round cake pans to make a layered Pig Pickin Cake.

    Vegetarian Option: This mandarin orange and pineapple cake is vegetarian.

    Vegan Option: Swap the yellow cake mix, butter, eggs, instant vanilla pudding mix, and Cool Whip with plant-based alternatives to make this recipe vegan.

    Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free cake mix to make this recipe safe for a gluten-free diet.

    Smaller Serving Size + Larger Group/More Servings: The written recipe makes 12 servings. Scale it up or down to your desired yield.

    Sugar-Free: The written recipe contains 43 grams of sugar per serving. Use sugar-free yellow cake mix, instant vanilla pudding mix, confectionerโ€™s sugar, Cool Whip, and canned fruit with no sugar added to make this recipe sugar-free.

    Pig pickin cake in a glass baking dish next to a bowl of mandarin oranges, a stack of plates and forks, and a blue cloth towel

    Tips for the Best Pig Pickin Cake

    • Donโ€™t forget to preheat the oven to 350ยฐF before your cake goes in.
    • You will need to hold onto the pineapple juice to make the frosting!
    • We use a toothpick to ensure the cakeโ€™s doneness. You can also use a cake tester.
    • Cool the cake completely before frosting it so the whipped topping does not melt into the cake. Adding the frosting before it cools only makes a mess.

     

    What to Serve with Pig Pickin Cake

    This light and citrusy Pig Pickin Cake has a healthy dose of mandarin oranges and pineapple in every bite and begins with pantry staples that may already lurk in your cabinets. Here are some pairing suggestions to inspire your menu planning.

    Sides: Broccoli Casserole, Apple Stuffing, Funeral Potatoes, BLT Pasta Salad, Southern Fried Cabbage with Bacon, Air Fryer Baked Potato, Jiffy Cornbread with Sour Cream, Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Yams, Southern Style Green Beans, CrockPot Bourbon Baked Beans

    Main Dishes: Cracker Barrel Broccoli Cheddar Chicken, Stovetop Meatloaf, Chicken Casserole with Ritz Crackers, CrockPot Rosemary Pork, Cracker Barrel Chicken & Dumplings, CrockPot Macaroni & Cheese with Ham, CrockPot Salisbury Steak, CrockPot Ham & Cheese Grits

    Desserts: Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake, Lemon Bars, Lemon Icebox Pie, Best Rice Krispie Treats, Bisquick Blueberry Cobbler, Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding, Bisquick Apple Cobbler, Bisquick Peach Cobbler, Molasses Cookies, Banana Bread, Classic Chocolate Brownies

    Drinks: Coke Slushie, Red Robin Freckled Lemonade, CopyCat McDonald's Sweet Tea

    When to Serve

    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Potlucks
    • Cookout Dessert
    • Family and Friend Gatherings

     

    Great Dessert Recipes

    Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

    Butterfinger Poke Cake

    Apple Snickers Salad

    Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

    Salted Caramel Popcorn

    Oreo Milkshake

    Check out all of our Yellow Cake Mix recipes!

    Do you love recipes? Check out our copycat recipes, dessert recipes, and our CrockPot Recipes.

    Follow Tammilee Tips on MSN, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for our recipe posts.

    Square of pig pickin cake on a white plate in front of the baking dish and a stack of plates

    Pig Pickin Cake Recipe

    Easy Pig Pickin Cake recipe made with a boxed cake mix. The perfect combination of mandarin oranges and pineapple with a great icing.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 365kcal
    Author: Tammilee Tips

    Ingredients

    Pig Pickin Cake

    • 1 yellow cake mix
    • ยฝ cup Butter softened
    • 14 oz Mandarin Oranges
    • 4 Eggs
    • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

    Icing/Topping

    • 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
    • 20 oz Crushed Pineapple
    • ยฝ cup Confectioners Powdered Sugar
    • ยพ tub Cool Whip
    • mandarin oranges garnish

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
    • Combine yellow cake mix, butter, ยฝ cup mandarin orange juice, eggs, and vanilla extract with a hand mixer.
    • Add drained mandarin oranges and stir to combine
    • Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool
    • Once the cake is completely cooled! Drain pineapples keeping the juice so they are in seperate containers
    • Combine pineapple juice with vanilla pudding mix. Stir in powdered sugar and then fold in Cool Whip.
      Stir in crushed pineapple.
    • Spread over the cake and then top with mandarin oranges for garnish.

    Kitchen Tools

    • Large Mixing Bowl
    • Hand Mixer
    • 9X13 Pan

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Pig Pickin Cake Recipe
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 365 Calories from Fat 99
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 11g17%
    Saturated Fat 6g38%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Cholesterol 77mg26%
    Sodium 464mg20%
    Potassium 174mg5%
    Carbohydrates 63g21%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 43g48%
    Protein 4g8%
    Vitamin A 589IU12%
    Vitamin C 13mg16%
    Calcium 137mg14%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    About Tammilee

    Lifestyle blogger who travels the world and drinks too much Chai tea. Travel blogger, award winning photographer, sunset hunter, Birkenstock girl, bird nerd
    You can find Tammilee on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Keri Lyn

      April 12, 2022 at 8:14 pm

      5 stars
      Was perfect for Easter dessert!!

      Reply
    5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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