pig pickin' cake

even though hardly any of the folks down here make this cake, it's supposed to be a southern classic. as i'm on a mission to conquer southern desserts AND as i'm going to a bonafide country pig pickin' tomorrow, i'm trying my hand at this southern cake.
if i was really going to do it southern style, it would have been a lot easier, but i have a vendetta against both cake mix and cool whip. therefore, i am pretending it is the 1940's and making it from scratch. yes, i'm wearing an apron aunt bea would be jealous of. now, i know using jello pudding mix and canned fruit is a little unorthodox for me. certainly you could use fresh pineapple and those lil cutie tangerines, and make a batch of vanilla egg custard to mix with the cream. maybe next time.

make a double batch of my yellow cake recipe, but substitute the milk for an equal quantity of canned mandarin oranges (with juice) that have been run through a blender. make up any difference with orange juice. add some zest, if you have any around. if i had orange extract i'd have added a bit of that, too. this will make 2 rather tall 9" layers, which i sliced in half after chilling.

for the frosting you'll need:

1 1/2 pints heavy whipping cream
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 16oz can crushed pineapple
1 large box instant jello pudding

mix the jello powder with the pineapple and stir until blended. whip the cream, adding the sugar in the process. gently fold in the pineapple mixture.

i used a small can of mandarin oranges and a small can of pineapple rings for decoration. i also drained the juices from the cans, mixed them together and brushed some of the resulting liquid onto the cake layers for added moisture and flavor. another excellent decoration is crushed pecans.