Mandarin Orange Pig Pickin' Cake

Ingredients

[Cake:
1 box of butter style yellow cake mix
1/3 cup of vegetable or canola oil
3 large eggs
1 (11 or 15 ounce) can of mandarin oranges, undrained]
[Frosting:
1 (4-1/2 serving size) package of instant vanilla pudding
1 (20 ounce) can of crushed pineapple, undrained
1 (16 ounce) carton of whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
Sprig of fresh mint, for garnish,] (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 8 or 9 inch cake pans and flour or line with parchment paper; set aside.

Add the cake mix, oil and eggs to the bowl of a mixer and mix on low until blended. Reserve a couple of the oranges for garnish if desired. Add the remaining oranges with their juice, blend in on low then mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Divide evenly into the three prepared cake pans and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes back clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cake rack to cool completely.

Blend together the instant pudding and crushed pineapple; set aside for 5 minutes. Gently fold in the whipped topping and spread in between the layers, and frosting the sides and top of the cake. Garnish the top with a sprig of mint and the reserved orange segments, if desired. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Store any leftovers in the fridge.

Notes

KLH: Need less vanilla pudding and cool whip than called for in recipe

Notes: While any butter style yellow cake mix will work, Duncan Hines butter recipe was the traditional cake mix used back in the 70s, and will give you the best result. Make sure you are using instant pudding and not the cook and serve variety. I actually use just a little bit less than the full 16-ounce Cool Whip. Add 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract to the batter for more orange flavor. Although there are some brands still offering standard sized (18.25 ounce) cake mixes, the traditional Duncan Hines brands used for this cake have been reduced. To compensate, the "cake mix lady" Anne Byrn, who has multiple cookbooks with recipes based on the old box size, suggests whisking in 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with the cake mix, then proceed with recipes as before.

Pan Cake: To prepare in a 9 x 13 inch pan, increase eggs to 4, use 2 cans of mandarin oranges, draining one, and use an 8 ounce whipped topping, regular vanilla pudding and about a 15 ounce or slightly smaller, crushed pineapple for the topping. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 35 to 40 minutes.

For Garnish: To garnish, use 2 cans of oranges, but set aside about 20 orange segments from one can to decorate the top of the cake. Use all of the remaining oranges and the juice from only one can in the batter. A light garnish on the top with toasted coconut and maraschino cherries is also very pretty.

Variations: Coconut is a great flavor addition to this cake. Add 3/4 cup of coconut to the cake batter, and 1/2 cup to the frosting. For a different variation, follow the layering directions on my Fresh Citrus Cake.