Orange Pineapple Layer Cake

Orange Pineapple Layer Cake

Orange pineapple layer is so easy to make. Uses a boxed cake mix plus a few other simple ingredients. The cake is so incredibly moist, light, and fresh tasting. The frosting is a simple pudding mix with crushed pineapple plus freshly whipped cream. This is the perfect dessert for Easter or summertime.

It’s Easter Sunday! I always love this day because it’s the start of Spring, flowers blooming, sun shining, and green grass. It makes me feel so refreshed and rejuvenated. Which is a must needed feeling after this last week of spring break for my kids.

It’s been rough…… our schedule has been thrown off, my kids have been living on candy (all those egg hunts & parties) which makes them super irritable, and when they get bored or are stuck in the house too long there is always lots of arguing and fighting. I love my kids but this mom needs her schedule back and I need my kids to be busy.

I don’t mean to make it sound like the whole week was bad. We actually took a short little trip up to New York City. My oldest has been learning about the Statue of Liberty in school and he’s been talking about wanting to go see it. So we packed up and headed off for a short trip. The last time I was in NYC I was 16 years old and it was the summer before my Senior year of high school. It was also just 1 month before 9/11 happened…. it was surreal and so sad seeing that skyline without those towers.

This cake really is so easy and simple to make. It starts with a boxed cake mix and then you add in eggs, oil, sour cream, and a can of mandarin oranges. If you’re anything like me then you’ll be tempted to drain the mandarin oranges because there is lot’s of liquid. But don’t do it! Please. This cake is so incredibly moist. It’s unreal.

Just add all those ingredients in a bowl and blend together until combined. It’s that simple. Pour into 3 9″ cake pans and bake it in the oven.

Be sure and spray your cake pan generously with cooking spray and dust it with flour. This cake is so moist that it sticks very easily. After cooking, flip the cake upside down onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

Once the cakes are cooled completely you can go ahead and mix up the frosting. Just 3 ingredients! Well, actually 4 because there is powdered sugar added into the whipped cream for a sweetener.

This frosting is amazing. I am not a huge frosting fan. Like at all. I am one of those people that scrapes off the frosting and just eats the cake plain. Even on cupcakes too. But I am in love with this frosting. It is so light, fresh tasting, and creamy smooth.

Frost between the layers and then finish off by frosting the top and the sides. That’s it! You can either eat right away or keep it in the fridge for 2-3 hours before serving. It’s good both ways but I think it’s really good when it’s cold after sitting in the fridge for a couple hours.

Slice it up and serve! This dessert screams Easter dessert to me or it would also be perfect for a summer BBQ or potluck. It is not a heavy dessert. It tastes so light and is crazy moist. You must try it!

I hope you enjoy this one! And I hope you enjoy your Easter Sunday.

Serves 8-10

ORANGE PINEAPPLE LAYER CAKE

Orange pineapple layer is so easy to make. Uses a boxed cake mix plus a few other simple ingredients. The cake is so incredibly moist, light, and fresh tasting. The frosting is a simple pudding mix with crushed pineapple plus freshly whipped cream.

Ingredients

cake

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges, undrained
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream

frosting

• 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 package (3.5 oz) instant vanilla pudding
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 (8 or 9 inch) round cake pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, oil, oranges, eggs and sour cream until well blended.
3. Evenly divide the batter among the 3 cake pans.
4. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Let cool in the cake pans for 20 minutes and then turn the cake pan upside down onto a cooling rack (to release the cake) and let the cakes cool completely.
6. To make the frosting: Beat the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a handheld blender, unil stiff peaks form.
7. In a separate bowl combine the crushed pineapple and instant vanilla pudding (just the dry powder, do not prepare). Stir together until combined.
8. Add the whipped cream into the pineapple/pudding mixture and stir together to combine completely. If you are having trouble combining it then use a handheld blender to blend it up and mix together.
9. Place your 1st cake layer on your serving plate of choice. Frost in between each layer, and the top and sides of the cake with the pineapple whipped cream mixture.
10. Serve right away or refrigerate cake until ready to serve. It's best refrigerated. Overnight is my preference or refrigerate at least 4-6 hours.

Notes

The cake mix I used was about 15.75 oz. I saw other cake mixes that were closer to 18 oz. Use a regular boxed cake mix between 15-18 oz.

We much prefer this cake cold. I think it's best to make it in the morning of the day you need it and then let it sit in the fridge all day. You can also make the 3 cake layers the night before and let them sit out over night (covered) so that way they will be completely cooled and ready to use. Make the frosting in the morning, frost the cake, and then let sit in the fridge all day. This is how make the cake and how we prefer it. Or, just make it all the day you need it and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. Either way it's yummy. It gets better as it sits in the fridge. So leftovers are amazing!

recipe adapted from Let’s Dish Recipes

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