Pig Pickin' Cake is a southern recipe that's a favorite for taking to barbecues, potlucks, and church suppers. Bright mandarin oranges and sweet pineapple combine with boxed butter cake mix (or use this homemade mix) for a dessert that goes together quickly and just couldn't be easier.
Or, try this easy peach dump cake! It's always a favorite!
Jump to:
The biggest difference in Gramma GiGi's recipe (story at the end) and the others that I've seen is that hers contains a splash of spiced rum and uses real whipped cream that's been stabilized instead of whipped topping.
It's made in a 13x9-inch pan so it's easy to grab and go for potlucks and such - it's always one of the first things to disappear.
š„ Ingredients
Pig Pickin' cake is truly one of the easiest desserts in the world. I love it for potlucks and church events because it always is a big hit.
- Yellow butter cake mix
- Butter
- Mandarin oranges
- Eggs
- Spiced rum (optional)
- Vanilla
- French vanilla instant pudding mix
- Heavy whipping cream
- Confectioner's (powdered) sugar
- Crushed pineapple.
šŖ Instructions
- Place the butter and cake mix in a bowl.
- Add the vanilla.
- Add the eggs.
- Mix well.
- Add the oranges and mix.
- Pour into a prepared pan and bake.
- Cool and frost with the topping (step by step images below).
- Chill.
- Enjoy!
- Add the pudding mix and powdered sugar to a bowl. Pour in pineapple juice.
- Mix until smooth. Set aside.
- Add Confectioner's sugar to chilled heavy cream in a large bowl
- Whip until fluffy.
- Fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture.
- Add pineapple and spread on top as directed.
š Tips
Expert Tip: Make sure the pineapple is drained very well and patted dry with paper towels before folding into the topping otherwise it will get watery.
- ALWAYS use room temperature ingredients unless otherwise noted in the recipe... except whipped cream, of course - that should be ice cold.
- This works really well with a homemade cake mix if you don't want to use boxed.
- You can also use my homemade whipped topping instead of whipped cream. š It's especially good if you are making it ahead of time or it will be outside in warm weather.
- Bourbon is a nice substitute for the rum.
- Add a teaspoonful of frozen orange juice concentrate to the reserved mandarin orange juice for more orange flavor.
- Substitute white chocolate instant pudding for the vanilla.
- Stir in some sweetened, flaked coconut to the topping.
- You can freeze this cake without the topping.
- You can make this into 2 8-inch layers and fill and frost it with the topping.
- Drizzle some of the pineapple juice over the warm cake to make it extra moist and give it more pineapple flavor.
- This dessert is better the second day.
- PS...there probably won't be any leftovers for the second day.
Related recipes
- White Texas Sheet Cake - if white fudge and brownies had a baby it would be this.
- Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake - layers of moist, fudgy chocolate cake with thick layers of creamy dark chocolate frosting between them -so good you'll wish you had two stomachs.
- Holy Cow Cake is a poke cake soaked in 3 different syrups, sprinkled with Butterfingers, and lavishly topped with whipped cream
- Here are over 65 of the best cupcake recipes I could find plus tips and FAQs to make sure yours come out perfect!
š½ Equipment
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!
This cake is so easy - there's no special ingredients at all. However, a covered baking pan makes it SO much easier to take to those potlucks!
Whatās new? Check out my Restless Chipotle & Co. Store on Amazon where you'll find all kinds of nostalgic goodness! Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!
When I was a teenager I dated a guy who's great grandmother just absolutely adored me.
Every time I went to see her (even after we'd broken up) she had a Pig Pickin' Cake on the table. She'd smile and cut a big square of it, put it on one of her pretty bone china plates and push it to my side of the table.
She had a soft voice with a thick southeastern accent and she'd alway say she needed to "put some meat on you, honey!". I was pretty picky about what I ate but I absolutely could not resist that plate of goodness.
Apparently I still can't.
I hadn't thought about it in a long time... then a month or so ago my son was eating mandarin oranges and I had a flashback of her sweet smile and that luscious cake and I knew I had to find her recipe for it.
It was written in faded, shaky handwriting on the back of an electric bill envelope and I hadn't made it in probably 20 years or more.
Don't wait too long to make this cake! Invite some friends over for coffee and put this on the table - you'll definitely win the good neighbor award!
Looking for something deliciously different? Try this Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake!
š Recipe
Gramma GiGi's Pig Pickin' Cake
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 box yellow butter cake mix
- Ā½ cup butter, softened
- 14 ounces mandarin oranges, Ā½ cup juice reserved
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons spiced rum, optional
- Ā½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- 4 ounce French vanilla instant pudding , dry - just use the powder
- 20 ounces crushed pineapple, juice reserved
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Ā¾ cup Confectioner's sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 13x9-inch pan - set aside. Remove 2 tablespoons of the mandarin orange liquid and replace with 2 tablespoons of spiced rum (optional).
- Add the cake mix, butter, vanilla and eggs to the bowl of an electric mixer and blend on low for about 1 minute.
- Add the oranges and the reserved juice to the bowl. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
- Spoon into the prepared baking pan. Bake at 350F for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
Frosting
- Blend the instant pudding mix, Ā½ cup Confectioner's, and reserved pineapple juice - set aside.
- Whip the cream with the remaining Ā¼ cup Confectioner's sugar until soft peaks form.
- Gently fold into the pudding mixture. Pat any remaining moisture off the pineapple with paper towel - fold into the topping.
- Spoon on the top of the cake. Refrigerate at least 4 hours - overnight is better. Be sure to keep leftovers in the fridge!
Notes
- ALWAYS use room temperature ingredients unless otherwise noted in the recipe... except whipped cream, of course - that should be ice cold.
- This works really well with a homemade cake mix if you don't want to use boxed.
- You can also use my homemade whipped topping instead of whipped cream. š It's especially good if you are making the cake ahead of time or it will be outside in warm weather.
- Bourbon is a nice substitute for the rum.
- Add a teaspoonful of frozen orange juice concentrate to the reserved mandarin orange juice for more orange flavor.
- Substitute white chocolate instant pudding for the vanilla.
- Stir in some sweetened, flaked coconut to the topping.
- You can freeze this cake without the topping.
- You can make this cake into 2 8-inch layers and fill and frost it with the topping.
- Drizzle some of the pineapple juice over the warm cake for a moister cake with more pineapple flavor.
- This cake is better the second day.
Debbie
BEST CAKE EVER!!! First time making it and it was awesome! This one gets a gazillion stars!!
Lana Drake
It's called Pea Pickin' Cake, I've known it as this for a while, all my life š„°
Marye
There are a lot of names for it. š Here it's pig pickin' cake. A friend knows it as pig cake... LOL!
Barbara Tignor
Never heard of the Holy Cow Cake. Want to try it too !!!
MARYE AUDET-WHITE
It is SO good! Let me know what you think!
Laila Soubra
Can't wait to try this cake, looks addictive.
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
I don't think I'd be able to resist it either. And only an Italian mamma would say I need to put some meat on my bones -- although I was very thin at one time. Now, I'm waiting for the Holy Cow cake.
Marye Audet
LOL! She was not Italian - I think ALL southern mama's have some Italian genes
Lea Ann (Cooking on The Ranch)
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It's one I need to try soon. Pinning.
Marye Audet
Thanks! It's one of my favorites