In our family, when it’s someone’s birthday, THEY get to pick what kind of cake they want! And quite often, the cake that is chosen is our Pea Pickin’ Cake.
What? What in the world is a Pea Pickin’ Cake?! I know y’all are wondering…and honestly, I’m not entirely sure the exact history of this cake! Some say it came out of a Methodist Church in Atlanta, some say it came from the country singer Tennessee Ernie Ford, and some say it’s just a traditional southern cake recipe that everyone loves. There’s even a variation of it called a Pig Pickin’ Cake (which is even more confusing than Pea Pickin’, if you ask me, that includes coconuts and pecans!)
So, I’m for sure that there are other Pea Pickin’ Cakes out there, but this is the recipe that our family has used for years…and it’s foolproof, I tell you. Not to mention DELICIOUS. (And it’s the perfect way to say farewell to Summer and look forward to Fall!) Let’s dig in!
Pea Pickin’ Cake
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1 11-ounce can Mandarin Oranges (I half-drained my can)
1. Mix all together.
2. Bake in three separate round pans (greased and floured) in an oven heated to 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
3. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove from round cake pan and cool completely.
You can see that the layers aren’t too thick. That just makes them stack well!
No worries, wait until you see the final result!
4. When the cake is entirely cooled, mix…
1 9-ounce tub of whipped topping,
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
1 large vanilla instant pudding mix
Can you see how hard it is to drain CRUSHED pineapple?! It still turned out okay, though!
5. Frost to taste and enjoy!
I got about halfway-through frosting it and thought that it actually would make a great “naked” cake! The kind that aren’t iced all the way, like this:
The colors are so golden and pretty! But I prefer to ice mine like this:
YES, it IS as good as it looks!
It is SO yummy and light and moist!
Hint: if you think the icing might be too thin after you mix it, chill it in the fridge for a while. That pudding mix will thicken it right up!
If you are interested in pastry classes and to learn more about professional cake baking, visit the website of my dear friends in Culinary Lab School.
- 1 yellow cake mix
- 1/2 cup oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 11-ounce can Mandarin Oranges (I half-drained my can)
- 1 9-ounce tub of whipped topping,
- 1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 large vanilla instant pudding mix
- Mix all together.
- Bake in three separate round pans (greased and floured) in an oven heated to 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely.
- When the cake is entirely cooled, mix whipped topping, crushed pineapple and pudding.
- Frost to taste and enjoy!
Due to the amount of comments from all of my wonderful readers, it is not always possible for me to respond to each one. However, I absolutely do read them all, and if you’d like to address something specific, or have a question for me, please don’t hesitate to email me at Kristen@theroadtodomestication.com. I will respond to your email as soon as possible! Thank you for visiting the blog!
Looks yummy! I am sure my kids will love this <3
If I had all of the ingredients, I’d stop what I’m doing and go make this cake right now. It sounds fabulous. I agree it would be fine as a naked cake but pile on the icing for me!
My mom used to make this when I was little! But she called it pig pickin’ like you mentioned. So good! Glad to have the recipe after all these years!
All good southerners have had more than one slice of Pea Pickin Cake. I wish I had a big slice of yours. It looks so yummy and that frosting – Oh my! Naked may be the trend for cakes, but I like mine with as much frosting as possible – and then a little more. 🙂 Yum!!!
I will take a slice right now. I have never made this type of cake before thanks for sharing the recipe
What an amazing cake idea! I can’t wait to make this for my family to try!
Last year, one of my relatives brought this to our house for Thanksgiving. It was so good!
It looks delish and I just really want a big bite of this!! But what in the world is pea or pig or whatever it’s called cake? lol!! Either way, mandarin oranges, pineapples, whipped cream… such a great combo!!
I’ve never tried Pea pickin cake before, it looks really good and fantastic!
This looks so yummy! I can’t wait to try your delicious recipe.
I always love finding new cake recipes! This is unlike any cake I have ever made and it looks delicious.
Orange and pineapple…yum! This cake looks delicious, and I bet it smells heavenly too. An easy cake recipe is always good to have on hand. 🙂 I love the name. LOL
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
I love cake any time of the year. This looks like a fabulous recipe to try at home.
I’ve made this cake numerous times and it never disappoints! I have also tried it with different fruits… strawberries, oranges, raspberries, you name it. Some work better than others, but each time it’s always been delicious!!!
This is a great cake. Taste is good. I always just used cook whip. Where can I find cool whip frosting. Everyone enjoyed this cake.
can I substitute the pineapples with fresh strawberries?
You could try it, Robert! I’m not sure of the consistency change, but it’s worth a shot!
or maybe the mandarin oranges with strawberries? Which would anyone recommend?
This cake has been part of my “Southern” family forever. Being military I was happy to share the recipe with people from all over our country. (I couldn’t explain where it got its name either)😊
Orange and Pineapple are a great combination. I always look for new recipes for my family, it would be happy if someday I follow your recipe and be praised by your family.
Thank you!