This Mandarin Orange Cake Recipe is the stuff of legends. Everyone who tries this cake needs the recipe and then is shocked by how few ingredients you need to make it. Only SEVEN ingredients to make this orange pineapple cake, and that includes the frosting! If you are a fan of easy cake recipes, you also need to check out this poke cake recipes post!
I think it has become clear with all of my whining over the last several weeks that I am DONE with winter. I feel like all of my readers are going to get together and hold an intervention, the focus of which will be me coming to terms with what winter in Wisconsin means. Guys, don’t do it. It won’t work. I think the alternative would be for me to just post all of the tropical things I can think of. We can start by making Pina Coladas and then moving on to a Pina Colada Lush (think amazing no bake dessert) and then we will wrap it up with a Tropical Banana Split. Do you see how none of that is dinner? You want to know why? Because when you aren’t thinking about winter it is okay to live on just alcohol and sugar.
Add another one to the list! This amazing Mandarin Orange Cake Recipe.
MANDARIN ORANGE CAKE RECIPE
This is a simple and easy recipe brought to you, via me, from my super awesome neighbor who also gave you the Three Ingredient Pink Party Punch and the Frozen Moscow Mules. Guys. She’s on fire. Don’t tell her this, but she should be the food blogger, not me. Until she realizes that, I will just keep posting amazing recipes she gives me. She says that this cake is known as the “O Cake.” I’m pretty sure O stands for Orange, right?
Anywhere she takes this cake people need the recipe. And for good reason. It is moist, packed with flavor, and best of all it is super easy to throw together. You need this orange cake in your life asap!
INGREDIENTS FOR THIS ORANGE CAKE RECIPE
One of the best parts about this cake is how few ingredients you need to make it!
- yellow cake mix
- mandarin oranges
- oil
- eggs
- cool whip
- vanilla pudding mix
- crushed pineapple
OTHER EASY DESSERTS YOU WILL LOVE
It is for sure true that I love baking from scratch. I made a cookie version of these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars recently, and I literally made them three or four times without blinking because it’s relaxing for me and because I wanted them to be perfect. (Ooooo! My Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are another great example!) But! I know that not everyone feels that way, and there are also plenty of times that I love a good easy recipe. This orange pineapple cake is that FOR SURE. But here are some other really easy desserts that you will love.
Mandarin Orange Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 box yellow cake mix (just the dry cake mix)
- 1 15 ounce can mandarin oranges (undrained)
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
For the Frosting
- 12 ounces cool whip
- 1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple undrained
- 1 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix (just the pudding mix)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl mix together the yellow cake mix, the can of mandarin oranges, the eggs and the vegetable oil. Pour into the prepare pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs, being careful not to over bake.
- Let the cake completely cool.
- In a large bowl whip together the cool whip, pineapple, and vanilla pudding mix. Spread over the cooled cake and serve!
Nutrition
If you can’t get enough doctored up box mix recipes:
Salted Caramel Crock Pot Brownies
Nickie Stoffers says
Hi Lisa!
I think this sounds amazing. Oddly enough, some people like chocolate and orange. Have you tried it with chocolate chips cake and pudding? I know it will be great with whipped cream in place of Cool-Whip.
k ,
Lisa Longley says
I haven’t tried it that way yet! If you do let me know how it goes, I love chocolate and orange!
Linda Myatt says
I have used this recipe many times. Always comes out delicious! The guys go crazy over it. The only thing I do differently is buy two cans of mandarin oranges, one to go into the cake and one can for the top to decorate with. Sooo good.
Lisa Longley says
I love the idea of decorating the cake with one!
Michelle says
Oranges/pineapple in juice or syrup
Lisa Longley says
I did in juice! But if you can only find in syrup, that will be fine.
Mo says
This recipe was awful. The batter had too much liquid. I followed the directions exactly. The first fine I
Made it I thought maybe I set my timer wrong and baked it too long. But no, the second time I made it it was again flat and over cooked. I then looked at other recipes and found half the liquid as this recipe calls for. So it was a flop, it was expensive, and I am so disappointed. I had to go out and buy a cake as I ran out of time.
Lisa Longley says
I’m really sorry you didn’t like it, Mo. This is a tried and true recipe so I’m not sure what went wrong.
Shan says
Hi. I haven’t made this cake yet but I plan to today actually. I’m replying because I have made cakes before where I used jarred fruit. What I do is I make the cake up exactly how the box says but use the liquid from the fruit instead of the water that most boxed cakes require. I drain in a measuring cup to the exact amount and discard the rest. I do hope this is helpful. I love baking from scratch but sometimes I need something simpler because of time. Sorry you’ve had such a bad experience.
Alice says
Really Delicious! The cake sounded good so I thought I’d
try. Had everything but the cool whip, so we ate the cake
just to try and we weren’t disappointed ????. Next time
will try with the topping! It’s a keeper ????????. Thanks!
Lisa Longley says
So glad you guys liked it Alice!