Mandarin Orange Cake

Okay, here's what you need to do to perfect this recipe.... Add 1 teaspoon orange extract to the cake mix and cut the oil down to 3/4 cup. Other than those couple of things, follow the rest exactly and trust me, you will not be disappointed! I made two of these for a luncheon of 40 ladies and it was a huge hit. Several women asked me for the recipe and I was almost embarassed to let them know how easy it was! The topping is heavenly and could be used for lots of different things... maybe a big dollup on a slice of angel food cake or pound cake??? Yummy! Thanks for this wonderful recipe; I will be making it again and again!

This showpiece cake has been a favorite for more than 25 years! It makes for a particularly perfect cake for spring or summer get togethers. The way I make it varies only a bit, but may be enough of a difference to be helpful. I use a 15-1/2 oz. can of pineapple, or the equivalent if that size can is not availabe, and I combine it with the pudding mix before folding in the whipped topping. I bake this in 3 9-inch layer cake pans (layers will be thin) for 20-25 minutes, and spread the frosting between the layers and on top and sides of the cake. This makes for a very impressive presentation. Absolutely delicious, refreshing, and beautiful cake, great for birthdays!

I made this cake with Betty Crocker Super Moist butter yellow cake and I got awesome response. My sister who never asks for a recipe asked for this one. The only difference was instead of beating all the topping ingredients together I mixed the pudding and the pineapple together and completely folded in the Cool Whip so it didn't break down. Put in fridge for 3 hours before serving. Keep refrigerated and it is good for 3 days easy. Awesome cake. Plan on using often. One thing that gets me is some folks completely change the ingredients or pan size and complain that it's not awesome like those of us who follow the recipe.

I make this cake every Sunday for our pool party. Everyone LOVES it! I use only 3 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, and TWO cans of oranges. Sometimes I even add coconut to the whipped cream to make it more tropical! Also, I reserve 18 orange segments to arrange on the top of the cake to resemble suns and call it "Sunshine Cake". :)

Edited due to smaller cake mixes. The Duncan Heinz website has a recipe for a cake mix extender. Cake mixes are now 15.25-16.25 ozs instead of 18.25 ozs. Rather than make 2 separate mixtures and mixing them together like the recipe states, I mix all dry ingredients together, then the wet and follow the cake mix recipe. My oranges come in a 20 oz can, rather than 11 ozs. I use all the oranges and pour out a little of the juice and it's just fine. I mix in the oil and eggs, then lightly mix in the oranges. I like a few chunks of orange in my cake. I mix the pineapple and dry pudding together and let it sit for a few minutes to thicken a bit. Then I gently fold in the cool whip, frost the cooled cake and chill for a few hours before serving. A lot of the cake mix recipes online have baking times for the larger mixes so it all works out, just test cake to be sure it's done. I adjust flavorings for the recipe, such as adding a tablespoon cocoa powder for chocolate cakes, or an extra 1/4 teaspoon orange or coconut extracts, etc, depending on what kind of cake I'm making. Duncan Heinz makes an Orange cake that I prefer over the Yellow cake. I like making 9" layer cakes and using the extender makes for a taller, prettier cake. Thank you Ellen!

I've been making this for a long time under the name of "sunshine cake" or "pig lickin cake" I have a gal at work that asks for it every year for her birthday. She asks that I make it low cal/low fat for her. I use applesauce for the oil, egg beaters rather than whole eggs, fat free cool whip and sugar free pudding. She just loves it.

YUMMMM!!! I made a few changes tho. I made a Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Yellow Cake, forgot to add the oranges to it, but made it a bundt style cake. I used a 20oz can of crushed pineapple (with juice) and 1/2 of a 10 oz can of mandarin, whipped it up in the blender. I poured that into a bowl and added vanilla pudding mix. Then I took someone elses advice and added the cool whip after everything else was mixed. (that mixture in itself is delicious!) Then, using a rubber spatula, started at the top of the bundt and spread the frosting all around in swooshy patterns. I took the remainder of mandarin oranges and spread them around the top. Then sprinkled about 2 cups of coconut all over everything. Not only did it look pretty, but the taste was outstanding! I would do it again this way in a heartbeat!

This is a great cake for spring/summer occasions but I made this for my husband's birthday with a few variations. I made this using 2 9 inch cake pans (greased and floured). For the middle layer spread a thin layer of orange marmalade and brush with pineapple juice (saved from the can you will use for the frosting. I used the drained pineapple for the frosting because the juice makes the frosting consistency too thin for my liking), repeat this on the top layer if desired. For the frosting used drained pineapple, 12 ounces of cool whip topping and the pudding. Fill and spread over entire cake, then add some chopped nuts (any kind) on the top for a really decorative touch. For best results, cover and put in the fridge overnight before serving. 5 spoons up!!!

Made just like the recipe stated, however used two 9 inch rounds and placed topping in center. There was PLENTY of topping for the cake! For a teacher event I will dress it up a bit on the outside with toasted coconut. I like the idea of using the orange cake mix next time. I had a hard time finding just yellow! Made for two events and they were both a HIT! Love this recipe. It's easy and Yummy! We are not cake lovers here, but his is a hit!

This cake was a hit! I made a double layer with 2 round cake pans adding some topping/frosting in between the layers. I also added coconut to the sides of the cake. Delish!

I have been making this cake for the last 6 years now. My bf shared his recipe with me. We use 1 box of DH yellow cake mix, 3 eggs, 1 stick of butter, 1 (11 0z) can of mandarin oranges with juice and 1 tsp vanilla as the cake batter. Mix well with a blender. Pour into 2 9'' greased cake pans. For the topping We use 1 Large tub and 1 smaller tub of Cool Whip, 1 Large box instant vanilla pudding mix, 1 Tsp vanilla, and 1 (20oz) can crushed pineapple without the juice. We reserve the juice and add a few tablespooons as needed for the topping. I just stir all the topping ingrediends with a large spoon. Let is set up for about 10 minutes prior to frosting the cake. It turns out very moist, flavorful, and light everytime! If you have not tried this cake yet then we highly recommend it! Enjoy!

This cake is so very good! I added an extra can of oranges (minus the juice) and some vanilla to the cake batter and used fresh whipped cream, rather than cool whip. I mixed the pineapple with the pudding mix and then stirred that into the fresh whipped cream. The topping came out super thick, rich, and delicious (and yes I used the juice from the can of crushed pineapple). Super moist cake. Simply yummy :)

This turned out great! In order to get a little more of an orangy flavor, I drained the mandarin juice, and replaced it w/ pure orange juice. Very very good, will keep this recipe. It will make a great summer recipe! (or winter if you too are from so. Cal)

So amazing! Maded this for Mother's Day and everyone loved it. Even my brother who doesn't like sweets ate 2 slices! I added 1 extra can of mandarin oranges, drained, a splash of vanilla, and a splash of orange extract to the batter. I also drained the pineapple and mixed it with the pudding, then added the juice back until I liked the texture. Best cake I've had!

Very good. I made some adjustments to the cake mix: 1 t orange extract, 3/4 oil & 3 eggs. It came out very moist. For the topping I blended together the pineapple and pudding before folding in the Cool Whip. I refrigerated over night before serving.

My late grandmother made a recipe similar to this that our family still loves to this day (in fact, I introduced my hubby to it & he has declared it his new favorite cake!) To make the moistest cake ever... Combine 1 box yellow cake mix, 4 eggs, 1 cup oil, 1 package instant vanilla pudding & juice from 2 small cans of mandarin. Bake in 2 round pans, so you can slice those with thread to make 4 layers. It's beautiful! Icing: Mix with a blender...1 large Cool Whip, 1 pack of instant vanilla pudding, 1 can pineapple with juice & 2 cans of mandarin (juice has already been used for cake batter...reserve a few for decorations). Ice this baby up & store in fridge until ready to serve. It will be the moistest thing you've ever eaten!! Delicious!!

I have used both orange and yellow cake mixes on this recipe. I like yellow better. If you're wanting to make a layer cake out of this, 20 oz of pineapple is a bit too much. It won't be thick enough to spread on the sides. Either add a bit more pudding mix or cut back on the pineapple/juice. Sometimes I use coconut cream pudding in place of the vanilla and put toasted coconut on the top. I don't think the whole cup of oil is necessary if you're wanting to cut back. I usually use somewhere around 1/2 cup.

I've been making this wonderful cake for many years. I refrigerate mine and I always make the cake the day before serving. The colder, the better.

This is the BOMB! I make it in a Bundt pan, add a tablespoon of orange zest, Grand Marnier instead of juice and real whipped cream instead of topping...blows the guests in my restaurant away!

Very good. Moist. I added orange extract to both cake and topping to intensify the orange flavor. My family and co-workers loved it.

Based on previous reviews, I used orange cake mix instead of the yellow! It was fabulous! No leftovers with this cake. I plan to try pineapple cake mix next time. It was hard to stay out of the yummy topping! I find this to be a great summer cake; light, moist, chilled and topped with fluffy frosting! Thank you Ellen for sharing!

I have made this cake many times - it is not necessary to use this much oil. You can easily cut it to 1/2 cup and you can also eliminate one egg without a noticeable difference!

IF THIS RECIPE HAD A SIX STAR CATEGORY THAT'S WHAT IT WOULD GET FROM ME. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY SCRUMPTOUS. MADE IT FOR MY GRANDSON'S 9TH BIRTHDAY AND EVERYBODY JUST RAVED OVER IT. THE ICING WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD. WILL DEFINITELY MAKE THIS ONE AGAIN. THANKS MUCH.

loved it....i added a box of vanilla pudding mix and a box of orange jello, 1 and a half cups milk and decreased the oil to 1/2 a cup...kept the 4 eggs...it was moist and yummy!...great cake, this will be refreshing for my 4th of july party!

Excellent, excellent, excellent. I did follow reviewer's suggestions and used 2/3 cup oil and 1/2 tsp. orange extract. This cake is so moist,so light and so delicious I will be making it often. Thanks Ellen.

I'm so glad to find this recipe again. I used to make it years and years ago and it was always a HUGE hit! I agree with the others to reduce the oil to at least 3/4 cup or more and perhaps make up the difference with orange juice.

This was awesome! My son and husband made this cake disappear in just 2 days! I am making it again for a party and have given out the recipe to many people. Thank you for sharing!

this recipie is so much fun! at first it looks like there is not enough moisture, but keep mixing, and magicaly, there is! my friend dave liked it so much he huged me the next time i made it, and has since asked me to marry him several times.

This was pretty good, next time I will add the juice from the mandarin oranges, mix, then fold in the pieces. Mixing them in at the same time incorporates it into the batter, and you can't taste it. Also mix the pudding into the pineapple before adding it to the whipped topping. I made fresh sweetened whipped cream and used that instead of the frozen whipped topping.

This cake was fine. It was very moist, but you couldn't really taste the oranges very much. I probably won't make it again, although, my husband did like it. It was quick and easy...this bumped it from 3 to 4 stars.

So fresh and delicious! I made it as written the first time and it was very good. But on my second cake, I reduced the oil to 3/4 cup, added a tsp. of orange extract and a bit of orange zest and it was much better! On my third try I eliminated the oil all together and added 1 cup of apple sauce instead. Super yummy and a lot healthier as a bonus (plus less calories - a HUGE bonus!). The apple sauce fits right in with the fruity quality of this cake and makes it super moist too. So I've made it three different ways now and it was excellent in its own way each time. (Oh, and I don't use Cool Whip for the frosting - can't stand the taste - just a personal preference - so I use real whipped cream or Dream Whip.)

I have made this cake in the past and it is fabulous! Even as a borderline chocoholic, I requested THIS for my wedding cake. It is moist and tender and fluffy and you just have to try it. A word of caution, though. You must use restraint before shoveling in too much and ruining the experience.

Wow! What a yummy, easy cake. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to try making a box cake taste like something unique. It was moist and the topping wasn't sugary sweet like other frostings. I can see this recipe expanded, just by using different cake mixes, fruit or pudding! Yum!

I made this cake for my dad's birthday and it was a total hit! So moist, and yummy! I did use a Duncan Hines butter recipe cake mix and used 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup applesauce instead of the 1 cup of vegetable oil. I also used the zest of an orange in the cake batter and some of the juice of that orange for an added pop of flavor. When making the topping, I mixed the pudding mix with the pineapple juice which I had strained to avoid having a lumpy topping.

This is my favorite cake. As someone who doesn't care too much for sweets, I could eat the topping all by itself! And this cake is very easy to make.

This cake was absolutely wonderful, especially on a warm day. I did reduce the eggs to only 3 and reduced the amount of oil to about 2/3 or 3/4 of a cup ( i added in a little water to make up for this) and it still turned out wonderful!! ( except a little lower in fat and cholesterol) Thanks so much for such a wonderful recipe!!

Kinda disappointed in this cake. The topping was wonderful, however; the cake had no orange flavor whatsoever! It was very moist, but didn't taste any different than your regular boxed yellow cake. Next time I will try adding some orange extract.

This cake was easy to put together,just happened to have all ingredients on hand. This is one cake you can make at the last minute. First time I frosted it as instructed, next time put the frosting on each individual piece. Last time didn't use the frosting at all.The cake on it's own is very moist and really doesn't need the gooey frosting, altho' the frosting is good! Next time will drizzle with a thin powdered sugar and orange juice mix. This will be good for summertime potluck. My rating five stars!

We really enjoyed this cake! The cake is moist and the frosting is a nice change from the traditional frosting. It's definitely a keeper.

Used light mandarin oranges in JUICE (not syrup), use fat free topping, fat free-sugar free pudding. Best served chilled. Light flavor

All I can say is AWESOME ! I decorated with mint leaves, macadamia nuts and mint leaves... I took the advice from a couple of people here ... Didnt use the pineapple juice in the frosting which made it more thicker. and I spread a thin layer of Orange Marmalade in the center before icing and sprinkled a few nuts on the inside as well ... I would have added a bit of coconut but the person I made it for does not like it ... Next time I will add a bit to the top ... 5 star rating for sure

Mmmmm, very moist and flavorful, two thumbs up!!

Mmmm, love this cake! I modified somewhat to use what I had on hand. I made it into a 3-layer cake using Betty Crocker Golden Vanilla cake mix and 3 jumbo eggs, and it turned out great. I am sharing my pic of it. Pretty cake and delicious, you can't beat that!!

Scrumptous!!

This is such a refreshing change from heavy, chocolate desserts. I love it!! Made it exactly as written, but added orange extract to the cake batter. I also didn't use the entire tub of whipped topping. Topped it immediately before taking to a potluck. Wish I would have topped it sooner, the topping sets up nicely, and the leftovers were better after it had chilled and set up some. Wonderful cake and I will make it again!!

Concept of this cake (light & refreshing) is so good! However mandarin oranges are so mild as to impart virtually no appreciable flavor & pineapple is kind of overpowering to me. So, I made a few changes to the author’s wonderful recipe and it worked out well: I omitted the pineapple & mandarin oranges & instead I used frozen mango that I thawed, diced and drained well. Shockingly, frozen mango tastes nearly a good as fresh (plus no need to peel or seed!). I saved the drained mango juice and folded most of it in the cool whip/pudding mixture a little at a time – you don’t want the icing to become runny. It gave it a nice tint of color and added a hint of flavor. As other reviewers suggested, I reduced oil to 3/4 cup and used 1/4 cup OJ. I added zest from one orange to the cake mix and as it baked it smelled soooo good! Another change I made was that after the cake baked/cooled, I brushed each layer with cooled orange syrup made of 3 Tablespoons OJ, 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar, and 3 Tablespoons Triple Sec (bring sugar and OJ to boil & stir 1 minute, remove from heat then add Triple Sec & cool – use for both layers). YUM and it made it moist. I did garnish the center of the cake with a few mandarin orange slices to resemble a sunburst. I took the cake to a dinner party and the people who politely said they'd have “a bite or two” ended up scraping their plates and asking for more! As my teenager would say, “Owned ‘em!”

I'm giving two stars because I followed the recipe exactly and the topping is entirely runny. I don't know why?! Tastes good but looks nothing like the picture (where the topping stays on the cake).

I made this today, and it was awesome apart from one thing: There's definitely too much oil in the recipe. I'll follow the advice of the other commenters next time and cut the oil back to 3/4 cup. EDIT: I've changed my mind about my original review -- there ins't too much oil, I just don't like the taste of it! I hadn't used oil in a cake recipe in so long that I'd forgotten I don't like its flavor. I substituted butter the second time around and it came out much better. After switching to butter, I'm giving this recipe its fifth star. ;)

I would prefer the icing without the crushed pinapple, perhaps with just mandarin orange slices instead, because my cake was super moist and the icing was more like pudding. Still tasted very good, kind of like trifle and ambroisia. Didn't use any oil- substituted apple sauce for all of it. Yummy!

WAIT!!! Read all reviews before making this cake. I had heard how great it was so decided to take it to my family reunion. The problem is that the recipe is not up to date. Cake mixes are smaller now so the one I bought "Duncan Hines:" was only 15.2 OZ. I should have realized this and adjusted the oil and eggs, but I was rushed. THIS IS TOO MUCH OIL for today's cake mixes. The result is a cake that is too heavy and it tastes oily. I should have conferred with other recipes on other websites because most of them have 1/2 C oil, not one full cup of oil. I think this would have improved the cake a lot. All Recipes should update this recipe so that other people do not make the same mistake. It is a five star cake and very popular, but it does not work out well with current cake box packages.

Loved this recipe, easy to make and delicious. I added just for looks some mandarin orange slices and some maraschino cherries to the top of the cake.

M O I S T !!! I made this with 2 9in rounds and turned it into a 4 layer cake. I alternated layers with icing and orange marlamade. Very rich and sweet and moist.

The best cake I've ever made! I made the following changes based on the other reviews: 1) I used only 3 eggs, and 2) I drained the juice from the pineapple, and just mixed the frosting ingredients lightly with a spoon, not beat them. It was the perfect consistency that way. I liked this cake because it was nice and light (I used Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow for the mix)...doesn't really have much orange flavor, though. Next time I might add orange extract or orange juice.

~Wow this is an excellent cake! I did a couple things different, instead of adding the syrup/juice from the can of mandarins I substituted orange juice with a tsp of orange peel. I think it was about 1/2C OJ. ~I was so afraid this recipe would be so incredibly moist it would fall apart but it didn't. ~I liked the cake the best and really wanted something just orange. But with all the reviews about the frosting I had to make it. If I were serving it to guests I would add it! But I just wanted orange cake. YUM! ~Will be staying in my recipe box!

my sister in law makes this all the time so I am making one today for my daughters birthday. if I knew it was so easy I would have made it a long time ago.

I got this recipe from my aunt about 20 years ago. She called it "Summer Cake". One bite and I think you will agree it tastes like summer on a plate. Light and cool, What could be better?

Wonderful recipe and loved by all that tried it today! I used a Duncan Hines Pineapple Supreme cake instead of a yellow cake and a cup of orange-pineapple yogurt instead of the oil. The cake came out denser and extremely moist. This one is a keeper!

This is good, what's not to like about cake and a yummy topping? But my problem with this cake, thus the reason for 4 stars, is that it doesn't have an orange flavor. I replaced the mandarin orange liquid, with straight orange juice and added 2 teas. of orange extract, and I still couldn't taste an orange flavor. I might as well of saved myself some money and omitted the mandarin oranges and extract, and just made the cake mix as is. I reduced oil to 1/2 cup. It tastes great, but that is because the topping is so good. Also, the topping isn't thick, so if you want a thicker icing, I would drain some of the liquid from the pineapple.

Great cake! Made it with an orange cake mix and a little less oil. It was a hit. Will make this again.

Wow this was great. Ok, so I made a bunch of changes like I reduced the oil to 2/3 cup, added 2/3 cup of orange juice instead of the mandarin orange syrup, and I changed the vanilla pudding to lemon pudding but it was WONDERFUL. My husband who isn't a big 'frosting' guy LOVED it. It's definitely a keeper recipe. Thank you Ellen.

This cake was easy, quick and very delicious!!! Not too rich or sweet, it was just perfect.

Try this variation! Here's the whole recipe: use 3 eggs, 1 c applesauce (instead of oil), low fat pudding mix, white cake mix, 2 mangoes instead of pineapple, 15 oz can of peaches instead of oranges, low fat cool whip......3425 calories for the entire cake (285 per 12 servings). I just made the original version 5 days ago and wanted to try it again with the ingredients I already had. Both were 5/5!!

This was made and brought to my work. It was a great hit. I find that it got better over night. So it is agreat "make ahead" cake. Also, I spinkled the top with coconut and pecans, this added a nice flavor and texture. Thank you for a keeper

So good! My kids loved it. Will make for a teacher luncheon at school.

Delicious! Have made this several times, and it's become a family favorite! I've even made a sugar-free version using mandarin oranges in their own juice, sugar-free Pillsbury yellow cake mix, sugar-free instant vanilla pudding and sugar-free Cool Whip. Just as good as the original!

I made this cake for my sisters wedding over the weekend. I was a big hit. Everyone was asking who made the delicious cake. I was very proud and my sister was thrilled. This is absolutely a 5* cake. Put it in the hall of fame!

Excellent, Tasty and Easy Recipe. I reduced the oil in the cake to 3/4 cup and added 1 tsp. orange extract. I also substituted instant lemon pudding for the vanilla (my husbands suggestion),and fat free whipped topping. It turned out perfect, everyone loved it and was definitely bursting with flavor. I will make this again :-)

Oh my, this cake was AMAZING. My guests raved over it, and everyone had seconds and even thirds! It was incredibly quick and easy, too. So moist, flavorful...yet very light. Not heavy and overwhelmingly rich like most cake recipes around. The icing was a big hit too, silky and not too sweet. The only thing I changed about the recipe was to sprinkle shredded coconut over the icing. Great for presentation and it enhanced the subtle fruitiness of the cake.

I have made this several times for my family and they love it. It works especially well for those in my family with hypoglycemia.

This cake was great! With the topping however, with the comments about it being messy, I did not use the pineapple and instead used more mandarins. I used about a quarter of the juice from the can, a few oranges and added that to the whip cream and dry pudding mix. It turned out fantastic,not messy at all, and i sprinkled the remaining orange segmets (minus the juice) on top of the cake.

It was very simple to make, had a lot of flavor, and stayed really moist. A new favorite for me!

Loved it! Followed others suggestions and used orange cake mix, and substituted OJ for mandarin syrup. And reduced oil to 2/3 plus 1/3 OJ. At the risk of OJ Overdose, I also zested one entire orange and added it to the cake mix. For frosting, I drained the pineapple as suggested, but the pudding had nothing to set with - was powdery. I had to mix some liquid with the pudding for the frosting- the cool whip and Drained pineapple was not enough. I added back in about 1/2-3/4 c of pineapple juice. Made 3 layer cake, and used orange marmalade between layers. It was great! Brought it to work, and everyone ate it by noon.Will make it again, likely before the week is out:)

I followed the suggestions of other reviews, used only 1/3 cup of oil and three eggs. I think the recipe still turned out well. It's a good recipe, but not fantastic.

i made this recipe and found the topping to be gritty tasting. the next time i made the pudding as directed on the box of pudding then added the cool whip and pineapple. it was great!!

I made this a few years ago, and my brother loved it so much that he used to make it on a regular (weekly/biweekly) basis! Everyone in my family loves this; this is the only cake I can say I love eating. My Dad saw me baking his Father's Day cake, which WASN'T this one, and said "That cake your brother makes is really good..that orange one." Well I couldn't start over and now I know just to make this one always. It's moist but not too sweet, and the topping makes is soo good. The topping is even better than other whipped toppings that include cream cheese. If you're looking for a fruity cake, THIS IS IT. My brother, the Mandarin Orange Cake Lover, recently became a father so I baked him this cake without using the box mix--big mistake! Follow the recipes as is and it will be great. My family is very picky but this one is a favorite.

I was served this cake a few weeks ago by a co-worker. I couldn't believe the topping was so good,as I don't really care for icing. I loved it. I now just finished making it for a dinner I am planning for my husband and adult chilren tomorrow along with my 2 year old grandson. I am so sure that everyone will like it & I will copy the receipe for them. My co-worker added only 3 eggs as I did but like I said it was the BEST cake I have eaten for along time. I give this cake a 5 star. Thanks.

Everyone loves this cake. Whenever I have some kind of work party my co-workers always ask for this dessert. But most of the time I do not use as much oil. I usually follow the cake box directions and add all the extra ingredients from this recipe.

I grew up on this cake except our family called it Pig Pickin Cake. The only difference in recipe is that we add 6 tbsp of cocoa to the frosting. YUM! What a refreshing cake.

I use a small can of pineapple in the frosting, it tastes much better that way, everyone who has ever tried this cake absolutely loves it!

Quick, easy, pot-lucky dessert!

In spite of how easy this recipe is, this cake is excellent. The frosting is my favorite part. My husband and everyone I've served this to has loved it. I like to spruce it up with various fresh fruit slices for decoration.

Easy to make and very tasty! I have taken this cake to several potlucks and it doesn't last long! It might could use some more orange extract to be a little more orangy flavored - but it is very good the way it is here!

I love the iceing but how do you keep it from running or being so runny. Thanks

I made this for a work birthday party and they demolished it. Very good, only thing I did different was I used an Orange cake instead of the yellow, however I am going to try it with the yellow this weekend.

what a refreshing cake!! it was the topping that really made this cake delicious. i added the rind of a whole orange to the batter to give it extra orange flavor.

Great! only used 3 eggs,3/4 cup oil turned out wonderful.

I have made this recipe for years.It is very impressive made as a 3 layer cake.It is also better after chilling.The frosting is wonderful also.

I made this for my mom's birthday cake. I put the cake in the fridge overnight. The cake was cool and very moist! I cut the oil down to half a cup and added a half a cup of applesauce. yum.

HOLY COW!!! This is one dee-lish-us cake! I made this exactly per the recipe (well, except I used coconut cream pudding for the topping cuz it's all I had) and it came out sooo yummy that we all had a second piece right after finishing the first. I am not a highly-skilled baker, normally, but this one made me look like a pro! Next to Sam's Famous Carrot Cake, this is definitely the BEST cake I've ever made (and eaten, too). It came out light and super moist and I love the topping, too. I think the orange flavor is just right--I wasn't looking for something over-poweringly orange, anyway, and the coconut cream pudding was the perfect combo for the topping. Thanks, Ellen :-)

this is like a cheap version of the million dollar cake... and you can taste the difference. for someone who has never had the million dollar cake, this cake is "deliCIOUS," as someone told me when i served it (and he took half of the cake). but when you've already tried the competitor, you'll know this cake can't be a replacement.

I made this last night after work - very easy - and it was delicious - very moist. I made it a two layer round cake as there was plenty of cake batter and frosting. I didn't think the frosting would be good but it was perfect with the cake. Would definitely make it again; I might try it with a more mandarin oranges in the batter and in addtion to the pineapple in the frosting. Thanks for a great recipe.

My mother gave me this recipe,a nd i thought it was a bit too heavy. I use white cake mix, 3 eggs,and 3/4 cups of oil and my cake rises twice as much as my moms. It is still moist and delicious and slightly healthier. I found that these are great for cookouts if you freeze it ahead of time . by the time you get to the dessert it will stil be cool. I have NEVER brought any home.

I love this cake! (also known as Pig-Pickin' Cake!) It is delicious...when I made mine, I accidentally bought lemon mix instead of yellow mix. It still turned out delicious. Its really fun to think of all the combinations that can be made with this recipe! (Try lemon pudding or pistachio pudding instead of vanilla...etc!)I wish that I could taste the madarin oranges but I can't...it okay, though b/c the cake is great no matter what! Next time, I may use half pineapple and half mandarins in the icing? I'll let you know how that one works out! **Make sure you keep the cake refridgerated...its great year round, I'm sure, but especially on a hot summer's day!!** **Another hint: Try draining the pineapple juice and use only about 2/3 to 3/4 of it in the icing to keep it from getting runny...ESPECIALLY if you use fat free or light whipped topping!!**

My family says this cake is totally awesome. It has become a family favorite. It's light, refreshing and really easy to make. Thanks for a great recipe Ellen. I think next time I will try making it a layered round cake since I had extra frosting and it may make it look prettier.

Very easy. My Daughter's favorite cake.

This is best refrigerated overnight before serving.....one of my absolute favorites and so refreshing on a hot summer day!

Wonderful cake. I use mandarin oranges in the icing instead of pineapple. Thanks for the recipe!

No matter where I go -- this recipe brings on rave reviews. I also serve the vanilla pudding/pineapple and whipped topping as a desert. I am ALWAYS asked to bring it again. I use low fat pudding, and no fat cool whip which makes the pineapple/pudding/whipped topping desert low fat and low calorie.

Okay, so my stomach kinda turned as I was pouring in a whole cup of oil, but it really made it moist. I added about a cup or so of orange juice too, but the crushed pineapple and whipped cream overpower the orange flavor. Nonetheless, the cake was really good. This one's a keeper.