Pig Pickin' Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 18, 2017
Time
1½ hours, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Serves 12
Ingredients
Cake
1 (15-ounce) can mandarin orange segments in light syrup, drained4 large eggs, room temperature½ cup whole milk, room temperature2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups (8 ounces/227 grams) plus 2 tablespoons cake flour 1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces/298 grams) sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened1 teaspoon orange extractFrosting and Garnish
1 (20-ounce/567-gram) can pineapple rings in syrup, drained3 cups lightly sweetened whipped cream, whipped to stiff peaks1 cup store-bought vanilla pudding (about 3 snack cups)Before You Begin
To quickly bring the eggs and milk to room temperature, combine them in a measuring cup and set it in a bowl of hot water. Stir until the mixture feels cool rather than cold, about 65 degrees. Adding the butter to the mixing bowl one piece at a time prevents the dry ingredients from flying up and out of the bowl. Use our recipe for Lightly Sweetened Whipped Cream, or you can use your own.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Set aside 19 orange segments for topping.
- For Cake: Whisk eggs, milk, and vanilla together in 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute. Add half of egg mixture, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low, add remaining egg mixture, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds (batter may look slightly curdled). Add orange extract and remaining oranges and beat on medium-high speed until oranges have broken down, about 1 minute. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Let cakes cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, discarding parchment, and let cool completely on rack, about 2 hours.
- For Frosting and Garnish: Cut 4 pineapple rings into quarters and set aside. Chop remaining pineapple fine and place in bowl (you should have about 1 cup). Fold whipped cream into pudding. Gently fold 1 cup pudding mixture into chopped pineapple.
- Place 1 cake layer on plate or pedestal. Spread pineapple mixture in even layer over top. Top with second cake layer. Spread top and sides of cake with remaining pudding mixture. Alternate reserved pineapple quarters and 16 reserved orange segments around outside edge of top of cake. Place remaining 3 orange segments in center of cake. Serve.
Time
1½ hours, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Serves 12Ingredients
Cake
1 (15-ounce) can mandarin orange segments in light syrup, drained
4 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup whole milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (8 ounces/227 grams) plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces/298 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
1 teaspoon orange extract
Frosting and Garnish
1 (20-ounce/567-gram) can pineapple rings in syrup, drained
3 cups lightly sweetened whipped cream, whipped to stiff peaks
1 cup store-bought vanilla pudding (about 3 snack cups)
Ingredients
Cake
1 (15-ounce) can mandarin orange segments in light syrup, drained
4 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup whole milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (8 ounces/227 grams) plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces/298 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
1 teaspoon orange extract
Frosting and Garnish
1 (20-ounce/567-gram) can pineapple rings in syrup, drained
3 cups lightly sweetened whipped cream, whipped to stiff peaks
1 cup store-bought vanilla pudding (about 3 snack cups)
Ingredients
Cake
1 (15-ounce) can mandarin orange segments in light syrup, drained
4 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup whole milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (8 ounces/227 grams) plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces/298 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
1 teaspoon orange extract
Frosting and Garnish
1 (20-ounce/567-gram) can pineapple rings in syrup, drained
3 cups lightly sweetened whipped cream, whipped to stiff peaks
1 cup store-bought vanilla pudding (about 3 snack cups)
Why This Recipe Works
For an easy pineapple custard filling, we stirred chopped pineapple into store-bought pudding and lightened it with homemade whipped cream. We used the same winning combination of pudding and whipped cream to frost the top and sides of the cake. Arranging canned fruit delicately around the edge of the cake turned this barbecue favorite into a pretty, polished dessert.
Before You Begin
To quickly bring the eggs and milk to room temperature, combine them in a measuring cup and set it in a bowl of hot water. Stir until the mixture feels cool rather than cold, about 65 degrees. Adding the butter to the mixing bowl one piece at a time prevents the dry ingredients from flying up and out of the bowl. Use our recipe for Lightly Sweetened Whipped Cream, or you can use your own.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Set aside 19 orange segments for topping.
- For Cake: Whisk eggs, milk, and vanilla together in 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute. Add half of egg mixture, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low, add remaining egg mixture, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds (batter may look slightly curdled). Add orange extract and remaining oranges and beat on medium-high speed until oranges have broken down, about 1 minute. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Let cakes cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, discarding parchment, and let cool completely on rack, about 2 hours.
- For Frosting and Garnish: Cut 4 pineapple rings into quarters and set aside. Chop remaining pineapple fine and place in bowl (you should have about 1 cup). Fold whipped cream into pudding. Gently fold 1 cup pudding mixture into chopped pineapple.
- Place 1 cake layer on plate or pedestal. Spread pineapple mixture in even layer over top. Top with second cake layer. Spread top and sides of cake with remaining pudding mixture. Alternate reserved pineapple quarters and 16 reserved orange segments around outside edge of top of cake. Place remaining 3 orange segments in center of cake. Serve.
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