Pea Pickin Cake Recipe A Southern Favorite
In our family, when it’s someone’s birthday, THEY get to pick what kind of cake they want! And quite often, the cake that is chosen is our Pea Pickin’ Cake. What? What in the world is a Pea Pickin’ Cake?!
I know y’all are wondering…and honestly, I’m not entirely sure the exact history of this cake! Some say it came out of a Methodist Church in Atlanta, some say it came from the country singer Tennessee Ernie Ford, and some say it’s just a traditional southern cake recipe that everyone loves.
There’s even a variation of it called a Pig Pickin’ Cake (which is even more confusing than Pea Pickin’, if you ask me, that includes coconuts and pecans!) So, I’m for sure that there are other Pea Pickin’ Cakes out there, but this is the recipe that our family has used for years…and it’s foolproof, I tell you.
Not to mention DELICIOUS. (And it’s kinda Spring-like…so maybe, just maybe, baking it might urge Spring to hurry up in your neck of the woods!) Let’s dig in!
Pea Pickin Cake Recipe A Southern Favorite
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1 11-ounce can Mandarin Oranges (I half-drained my can)
Pea Pickin Cake Recipe A Southern Favorite
directions
1. Mix all together.
2. Bake in three separate round pans (greased and floured) in an oven heated to 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
3. Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely. You can see that the layers aren’t too thick. That just makes them stack well!
No worries, wait until you see the final result! 4. When the cake is entirely cooled, mix… 1 9-ounce tub of whipped topping, 1 large can crushed pineapple, drained 1 large vanilla instant pudding mix
Can you see how hard it is to drain CRUSHED pineapple?! It still turned out okay, though!
5. Frost to taste and enjoy! I got about halfway-through frosting it and thought that it actually would make a great “naked” cake! The kind that aren’t iced all the way, like this:
The colors are so golden and pretty! But I prefer to ice mine like this:
YES, it IS as good as it looks!
It is SO yummy and light and moist!
Hint: if you think the icing might be too thin after you mix it, chill it in the fridge for a while. That pudding mix will thicken it right up! I sure hope you get a chance to try this one – I promise, you won’t regret it!
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This is one of my favorite cakes. We call it Orange Mandarin Cake. It is truly an amazing cake! I LOVE IT.
Thanks for sharing,
Diane Roark
ouramericantravels
recipesforourdailybread
Do you use this same recipe, Diane? If not, I'd love to see yours! (If you are up for sharing! 🙂 )
Ooh! This looks like such a great Springtime treat. I want to eat this out on the porch on a warm day 🙂
It would be perfect with a cold glass of iced tea, for sure!
I wonder if this is like the Orange Marmalade Cake in the Mitford Series they made for the bake sale each year? I loved that series of books. Thanks for sharing.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda @ Tumbleweed Contessa
I hadn't thought of those books in forever!!! How funny!
This does look yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your comment, Elizabeth! Hope you try it out!
How funny. I wonder why it's called pea pickin cake? In any case, love the ingredients and will try this one. Thanks for sharing.
Hope you enjoy, Erlene! I have no idea why it is called that LOL Crazy!
Yes, this is definitely a southern staple! You see one at every potluck, family reunion and everything in between. Why? Because it's so good! And yours looks incredibly delicious, Kristen! I'm coming over! 🙂 Yum!!!
So then, you might know, Alli: WHY is it called a Pea Pickin' Cake?!
Looks incredibly delicious and sounds that way too! I like your family tradition of choosing the cake.
Oh yes, it's lots of fun for all of us!
Weird name but who cares when it looks FABULOUS !!!
I know it LOL Maybe I should change the name?! Hmmm…
oh my goodness!!! Thank you for sharing this yumminess at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. Watch for you feature on Monday xo
Hi, Katherine! Wohoo!!! Thank you! Headed over there now 🙂
This looks so good! My aunt makes something similar,, I think she calls it hummingbird cake and it's my favorite! Perfect for spring :).
Hi, Amy! I've seen a Hummingbird Cake on Pinterest, I need to check it out!
We have that same tradition in our family too! It should be that way, don't you think? That cake looks yummy! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
Hi, Kelly! It definitely should be! Thanks for the comment!
O…MG! I'm going to head to the store and buy these ingredients today! Will it work in a 9×13 pan too? Do I need to make any adjustments to the baking time? Thanks for sharing this recipe. 🙂
Darlene
http;//whosaprettygirl.com
Hi, Darlene! Yes, do it in a 9X13 pan, definitely! I would just cook it until it's nicely golden brown on the top!
Thanks!
This looks and sounds delicious, ladies! Thanks so much for partying with us over at LLR each week. xoxo
Oh my yumminess! And easy to whip together too.
Thanks for sharing on Tasty Tuesdays. Hope to see you back next week.
I first tried this cake in the late 60s at my Aunt Lora’s house(she was actually my mother’s cousin, but I called her Aunt Lora). It was delicious and said it was a Pea Pickin’ Cake. She said that when it came time to pick peas on the farm, she and her brothers and sisters hated doing that. Their mother said she would bake them a cake if they would do it without argument so they did. Then during the year when she would ask what kind of cake they wanted her to bake, they would say the “pea pickin’ cake”, and that is how the story became known to her.
This is exactly the recipe handed down from my grandmother – who knew nothing of the internet lol. The term “pea pickin” as she had told me, came from when the farm hands were out picking peas in the hot southern Georgia sun, they were treated with what they called “pea pickin cake” as a cool down treat that was greatly appreciated. Always cold from the frig and loved by all! Including my family. 🙂