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Tasty retro desserts sometimes have a somewhat grotesque name. There’s frog eye salad and shoofly pie, neither of which thankfully contains any frog parts or flies. The same is true for Pig Pickin Cake — it’s pig-free and vegetarian-friendly. However, the gathering where this cake was served, and how its name came about, is not.
Pig Pickin’ Cake is typically made from a yellow cake mix with canned mandarin oranges folded in for a citrusy twist. The frosting consists of whipped topping — normally Cool Whip — vanilla pudding, and crushed, canned pineapple. Like many iconic desserts from the past, it’s tricky to pinpoint the exact origins and creator of the Pig Pickin Cake. Despite this, it is undeniably a Southern dessert, with strong roots in North Carolina. It gets its strange name from the event where it has traditionally been served: A hog roast. During this barbecue tradition, guests eat meat off the bones — “pig pickin” — and then eat this light, citrusy cake for dessert.
There’s a vegetarian version of the name if you prefer; other Southerners refer to the cake as Pea Pickin Cake, which we would assume comes from the idea of eating the cake after a long day of picking peas. Because of the vibrant colors, it’s sometimes called Sunshine Cake. Whatever you call it, and whether you eat it at the end of a barbecue or not, this cake is a fruity, refreshing dessert that’s perfect for warm-weather events.
Considerations for making Pig Pickin Cake
This is one of those recipes that helps make boxed cake mix taste homemade. One of the most common mistakes when making a boxed cake mix is using the recommended addition of vegetable oil — we suggest butter for more flavor. Instead of water, you could use the juice or syrup from the canned mandarins. Like adding bananas to boxed cake mix, the mandarin orange slices will provide moisture to the cake’s texture.
Chances are you already have a box of yellow cake mix in the pantry, but you could also try to search for an orange-flavored cake mix, like the Duncan Hines Signature Orange Supreme Cake Mix, to amplify the citrus flavor. Can’t get enough of it? Throw in some orange zest. If you’re a DIY person through and through, you could of course make your own cake base from scratch.
What form this cake takes is up to your creative whims — it’s often made as a layered cake, but it would also make for cute springtime cupcakes. A single-layer cake is just fine, too. Whichever style, just be sure the cake is fully cooled before adding the fluffy frosting. Mandarin orange slices make for a bright, festive topping, and a few springs of mint go nicely with the already refreshing flavors. To add a bit more crunch and substance to the topping, go for shredded coconut and chopped, toasted pecans.
