How to Make a Pig Pickin Cake (2024)

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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.

Recipe ingredients

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

1. 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.

2. Pour batter into baking dish.

3. 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.

4. 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.