Mandarin orange cake is a soft, tender and moist yellow cake filled with a sweet mandarin oranges topped with a creamy pineapple frosting. This mandarin orange cake recipe is quick, easy to make and is the perfect refreshing cake to enjoy all year long.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I have lots of cake mix recipes on the blog that are always great when I want a delicious dessert everyone loves. My Coconut Poke Cake, Pineapple Poke Cake, and Lemon Poke Cake are quick, easy and delicious cake mix cake recipes that are perfect for feeding a crowd. I am so excited to add this mandarin orange cake recipe to the blog and I know you’ll love it too.
- It has the perfect contrast of tropical taste and texture. This easy mandarin has layers of textures filled with sweet and tropical pineapple flavor. The orange cake is fluffy and moist which pairs perfectly with the refreshing pineapple whipped cream topping.
- Easy to make with simple ingredients. This orange and pineapple cake is made with pantry basics such as cake mix, eggs, oil, mandarin oranges, vanilla pudding mix, milk, crushed pineapple and cool whip. What I love most about this mandarin cake recipe is that the entire cake can be made using two bowls and a whisk.
- Perfect for potlucks. This pig pickin cake is perfect for feeding a crowd and tastes just like an orange creamsicle.
Ingredients
This orange cake with mandarin oranges requires only a handful of ingredients to make. Here’s what you will need.
Mandarin Cake Ingredients: Gather all cake mix, oil, melted butter, eggs and canned mandarin oranges.
Pineapple Whipped Cream: Crushed pineapple, vanilla instant pudding, vanilla extract and cool whip.
Substitutions
This mandarin cake is meant to be quick, easy and so delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions for this recipe if you need them:
- Pineapple Cake Mix: I prefer using yellow cake mix, but feel free to use any box cake mix such as vanilla, white cake or pineapple mix.
- Oil and Melted Butter: Any neutral baking oil such as vegetable, canola or grapeseed oil will work well in this mandarin orange cake recipe. Use your preferred butter.
- Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs.
- Mandarin Oranges: This cake recipe uses 15 oz. of canned mandarin oranges. If needed, get two smaller sized cans.
- Crushed Pineapple: The frosting recipe uses (1) 15 oz. can of crushed pineapple. Feel free to use fresh pineapple, but make sure to process the pineapple so it is the consistency of crushed pineapple.
- Vanilla Pudding Mix: For this mandarin cake, I used jello vanilla pudding mix . You could also try other flavors that pair with mandarin oranges such as lemon or coconut cream.
- Cool Whip: This is the recommended topping versus homemade whipped cream. If you prefer a homemade whipped cream, I suggest making stabilized whipped cream.
Variation
Cream Cheese Frosting: Rather than topping the mandarin cake with pineapple whipped cream, top this orange cake with cream cheese frosting. Prepare the mandarin cake as written in the recipe. Make the cream cheese frosting by creaming 8 oz. room temperature cream cheese with ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 3 cups powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
How To Make
Learn how to make mandarin orange cake in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom and long sides of a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with parchment paper. Reserve up to 16 mandarin orange slices for topping. Set aside in a bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, melted butter, eggs, entire 16 oz. can of mandarin oranges (plus the juice) and cake mix until well combined. Pour the mandarin cake into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cake in the cake pan for 30 minutes. Using the parchment paper, gently lift the cake out of the pan, remove the parchment paper and return the cake to the pan or to a large serving platter. Cover and transfer the cake to the fridge to chill for 1 - 2 hours.
- While the cake cools, make the pineapple frosting. Add the crushed pineapple with the juice, vanilla extract and vanilla instant pudding to a large bowl. Mix for about 2 - 3 minutes or until the mixture is fully thickened and combined. Fold in the cool whip to fully combine.
- Top the cooled cake with the pineapple frosting. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. After the chill time top the cake with the reserved mandarin orange slices, slice, serve the cake and enjoy.
How To Freeze and Store and Serve
- Store: Place leftover pieces of orange and pineapple cake in an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Prepare the cake entirely according to the recipe directions. Do not top the cake with the frosting. Wrap the entire cake, while still in the pan, in 2 layers of plastic wrap and then a foil layer. Store the pineapple cake in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Transfer the mandarin cake to thawat room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge overnight. Once the cake is thawed follow the recipe starting with the pineapple frosting step.
M’s Expert Tips
- Prepare the cake according to the box directions. This of the cake mix as the “dry ingredients” and the ingredients listed in the recipe as the wet ingredients. Do not use the ingredients listed on the box, but feel free to refer to the box for instructions on high altitude baking or baking in different sized pans.
- Reserve some mandarin oranges for topping. I like to pull a some oranges out of the same can I use to mix into the cake batter to use as topping. If you prefer, use another can or top with fresh mandarin oranges.
- Don’t drain the mandarin oranges. You need the liquid to mix into the cake batter. Simply dump the entire can into the wet ingredients before mixing in the dry cake batter. If you plan on reserving some oranges for topping, remove some of the oranges and then pour the rest of the entire can, liquid included, into the cake batter.
- Chill the cake. This cake needs some time to chill and is especially refreshing when served cold.
FAQs
Yes, simply use a gluten free cake mix or make your own gluten free cake.
Keep this cake in the fridge for up to 5 days. This cake can be frozen, but I recommend waiting to top the cake with the creamy pineapple frosting until right before serving.
Yes, use the cake pan sizes and baking times listed on the cake mix box. The pineapple frosting will work for most other cake shapes and sizes.
Other Orange Cake Recipes To Try
If you try this Mandarin Orange Cake recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking!
Mandarin Orange Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan
- 1 sheet parchment paper
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 whisk
- 1 spoon
Ingredients
Mandarin Cake
- ½ cup (113 g) melted butter
- ½ cup (120 ml) neutral baking oil
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 15.25 oz. yellow cake mix
- 15 oz. canned mandarin oranges
Pineapple Frosting
- 15 oz. canned crushed pineapple
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3.4 oz. instant vanilla pudding
- 8 oz. cool whip, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom and long sides of a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with parchment paper. Open the canned mandarin oranges. Reserve up to 15 mandarin orange slices for topping. Set the reserved oranges aside in a bowl with a lid.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, melted butter, eggs, entire 16 oz. can of mandarin oranges (plus the juice) and cake mix until well combined. Pour the mandarin cake into the prepared cake pan.½ cup (113 g) melted butter, ½ cup (120 ml) neutral baking oil , 4 large eggs, room temperature, 15.25 oz. yellow cake mix, 15 oz. canned mandarin oranges
- Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.Cool the cake in the cake pan for 30 minutes. Using the parchment paper, gently lift the cake out of the pan, remove the parchment paper and return the cake to the pan or to a large serving platter. Cover and transfer the cake to the fridge to chill for 1 - 2 hours.
- While the cake cools, make the pineapple frosting. Add the crushed pineapple with the juice, vanilla extract and vanilla instant pudding to a large bowl. Mix for about 2 - 3 minutes or until the mixture is fully thickened and combined. Fold in the cool whip to fully combine.15 oz. canned crushed pineapple, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , 3.4 oz. instant vanilla pudding , 8 oz. cool whip, thawed
- Top the cooled cake with the pineapple frosting. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. After the chill time top the cake with the reserved mandarin orange slices, slice, serve the cake and enjoy.
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