Orange Pineapple Cake Quick And Easy Recipe

This Orange Pineapple cake is a perfect dessert for summer gatherings with family and friends. Light and fluffy lemon cake with citrus orange and pineapple flavors, topped with a fluffy, fruity topping that is always a crowd pleaser. Our dear family friend, Mary Alice, brought this cake to us and we loved it so much I had to get the recipe. It’s our favorite summertime dessert because it’s easy to put together, feeds a crowd, and just tastes fresh and fruity, just like a summer treat should taste on a hot night.

Ingredients in Orange Pineapple Cake

We have made it many times since and it always turns out great every time! It is so light and fruity. This is a versatile recipe that can be made up in several ways. But here’s the original recipe to start:

Lemon or yellow boxed cake mix – You can even use a vanilla or white cake mix, whatever you have on hand. I love the fresh lemon flavor, but any cake mix will work. Eggs – four large eggs works great for this recipe. Vegetable oil – half a cup Mandarin oranges – one 8-ounce can. Do not drain the juice. Vanilla instant pudding mix – one 3.9-ounce box. Crushed pineapple – one 15-ounce can. Again, don’t drain that yummy pineapple juice. Whipped topping or whipped cream – I use a 16-ounce tub of Cool Whip

Tips for Baking Light and Fluffy Cake

Make sure your eggs are room temperature. Use a hand mixer to beat each egg slowly into the cake mixture. Preheat your oven to the correct temperature BEFORE placing the cakes inside. Consider sifting the cake mix before adding it to a large mixing bowl. Sifting adds air into the flour and will make your cake lighter. Grease your baking pans liberally with cooking spray or flour and butter before adding the cake batter. Give the cake plenty of time to cool on a wire rack before assembling and frosting.

How to Adjust the Cake Size

The recipe listed below is for an Orange Pineapple Sheet Cake. It serves a large piece of cake to 20 people! If you need to serve a smaller crowd, it can easily be made as a 9×13 cake or a two layer cake with a simple adjustment to the baking time.

If you prefer to make a 9×13 cake, bake the cake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Use round cake pans for a gorgeous two round layer cake. Adjust the baking time to about 20 minutes.

Tips for Making the Orange Pineapple Cake

I’ve made this cake a time or two (or twenty…) and I’ve got a few tips to help you make this cake perfectly, every single time.

For the cake, you can use either a lemon or a yellow cake mix. I prefer the lemon cake mix because it brings out the citrus flavor of the oranges as well as the lemon in the mix, and I think it is delicious with the pineapple in the frosting. You will know when the cake is done when it is just turning a light brown on top, and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. This recipe makes a ton of frosting! The frosting is not a heavy, rich frosting, but more light and creamy so I generously heap it on the cake. It is a nice touch to add mandarin orange slices, pineapple slices, or strawberry slices to the top of the cake when serving.

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