Pig Pickin’ Cake is a classic Southern dessert—light, fruity, and perfect for warm weather. Despite the name, there’s no pork involved! It’s traditionally served at barbecues and “pig pickin’” cookouts.
Here’s the classic, easy version:
🥥🍍 Pig Pickin’ Cake (Classic Southern Recipe)
Ingredients
For the cake:
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1 box yellow cake mix
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4 large eggs
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1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges with juice
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½ cup vegetable oil
For the frosting:
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1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip (thawed)
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1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice, undrained
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1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
Instructions
1. Make the cake
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
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In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, eggs, oil, and mandarin oranges with their juice.
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The oranges will break apart as you mix them—this is expected.
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Pour batter into a greased 9×13 baking pan.
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Bake 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
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Let the cake cool completely.
2. Make the frosting
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In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed pineapple (with juice) and vanilla pudding mix.
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Fold in the Cool Whip until smooth and fluffy.
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Chill the frosting for about 20 minutes to thicken.
3. Frost & chill
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Spread the pineapple frosting over the cooled cake.
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Chill at least 2 hours (or overnight) for best flavor.
🍰 Serving Tips
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Traditionally cut into squares and served chilled.
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Great for potlucks, picnics, and BBQs.
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Optional: Add toasted coconut or chopped pecans on top.
If you’d like, I can also give you:
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A from-scratch version (no boxed mix or Cool Whip)
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A layer cake version
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A lighter or gluten-free variation
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A batch-scaled recipe for big cookouts
Just let me know!
