You may have enjoyed Pig Pickin Cake yourself, at a Southern church potluck supper, a family reunion, or Sunday dinner. If you have not, then you should: the dessert is the epitome of southern hug-in-a-mouthful. Although the thing is called a pork cake, it does not contain any pork. It attained its name, however, through Southern pig roasts or pig pickins where roasted pork would be followed by a cool fruity dessert such as this.
It is the light fluffy consistency with the fresh mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple that make this Pig Pickin Cake irresistible. The bottom cake is moist but light and the frosting which consists of whipped toppings, pineapple, and vanilla pudding is chilled, creamy, and not overly sweet.
It is a simple-to-make cake, serves a lot of people, and works great in warm weather. It can be made easily using pantry staples with just a dash of southern flair.
Ingredients
To make the Cake:
1 pkg (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
3 eggs, large
1 cup of water
1/3 vegetable oil (or canola oil)
A can (11 oz) of drained mandarin oranges
1 additional can (11 oz) mandarin oranges, as garnish
To
1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant pudding, vanilla
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple (not drained, keep the pineapple juice)
1 tub ~ (16 oz ) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat-Prepare
Heat oven to 350 o F (175 o C). Beat coconut milk, eggs, vanilla extract and sugar until it is well blended. Set aside.
Step 2: Baking with the Cake Batter
Place the package of cake mix in a large mixing bowl, along with eggs, oil and water. Blend in hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed 2 minutes until they are smooth and creamy.
Well, now take 1 can of mandarin oranges, pour out the syrup, then put the oranges into the batter. Beat again – the oranges will burst a bit releasing their juice and citrusiness in the batter. This process makes the cake tender and moist as is characteristic of it.
Step 3:Bake the Cake
Pour the batter into the pre-pared dish. Apply it with a spatula.
Bake in the heated oven at 330-350 for 20-35 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick put in the middle draws out clean.
Put in the oven and allow the cake to cool entirely in the pan on a wire rack. Never frost warm.
Step 4: Make Frosting
Add in a bowl:
The pressed pineapple (together with the juice)
The vanilla pudding mix
Stir and the pudding will begin to thicken a little. Next, fold in the whipped topping that has thawed with a spatula. Once again, do not mix too hard – just enough to get the frosting light and fluffy.
Instead step 5: Frost and Garnish
When the cake is well cooled, have finely chopped pineapple and pudding filling spread over the surface in any desired pattern.
Decant the contents of your second can of mandarin oranges, and fit the pieces, one above the other, in neat lines or circles on the top of the frosted cake to give a pretty finish.
Step 6: To Chill and Serve
Put the cake in the refrigerator, and wait at least 30 minutes before cutting. This cold period causes the frosting to become firm and the citrus flavours are enhanced.
Cut in squares, and serve cold. The leftovers may be stored in the fridge, covered, within a timeframe of 3 4 days.
Hacks & Differences
Make Ahead: This cake is actually best when it sits overnight. The flavours combine and the frosting firms lovely overnight.
Add Texture: Add scallions and pile it on with shredded coconut or chopped pecans to make it all Southern.
Layer cake choice: If you have two round cake pan, you can separate the batter and make a layered Pig Pickin Cake as a special treat.
Low-Sugar: Use sugar-free pudding and light whipped topping to cut down on the sweetness should one want it that way.
It is a Southern Favorite Because of
And this cake takes Southerners back in time, it is nostalgic, unsophisticated and full of sunshine flavor. These mandarin oranges in the batter provide natural sweetness and dampness, and the pineapple-pudding topping gives it a fruity creamy finish that you just can not find in store bought or frosting.
This cake is a big hit whether you are going to a backyard BBQ, potluck or have a quick dessert that you can make to your family.
The Pig Pickin Cake is a type of recipe which is inherited generation-by-generation. It is not about how delicious it is, but about its associations in people. This dish can be shared by everyone who wants to create a tiny part of Southern culture on his or her table but wants to make it with minimum fuss and maximum taste.
