Name: Pig Pickin' Cake Roll
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 box yellow cake mix with “pudding in the mix”; 6 eggs; 1 (15 ounce) can of mandarin oranges; 1/4 cup water (as needed); 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil; 1 (4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix; 1 (20 ounce) can of crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved; 1 (9 ounce) carton of Cool Whip, thawed; 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut; 1/2 cup chopped pecans to garnish

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This Pig Pickin’ Cake Roll is the perfect summer dessert! It starts with a cake mix, is loaded with mandarin oranges, pineapple fluff, coconut, and chopped pecans. The perfect addition to your next summer cookout.

My birthday is right around the corner and I know you are all chomping at the bit to celebrate with me, right?

Pig Pickin Cake is my FAVORITE birthday cake. I request it almost every year because my mom still bakes us all birthday cakes and sings like as if we are 5. Because she is FABULOUS.

I usually make and request the layer cake version, and I even have a cheesecake cake version, but I had a moment of inspiration and thought a Pig Pickin CAKE ROLL would be the epitome of amazing, and I was not wrong.

Rolling a cake gives you the optimum ratio of cake : frosting. Since the “frosting” in a pig pickin cake is really just pineapple fluff (a.k.a. delicious stuff mixed with Cool Whip), it makes this version of a pig pickin cake nothing short of perfect.

What is a Pig Pickin’ Cake?

I should probably back up and explain a little bit here because 2/3 of you are probably thinking “W-T-F is a pig pickin’ cake?”. It’s a southern thing. More specifically southern where BBQ is pork. Pig-Pickin’ = BBQ.
Cookout.
Picnic.

The pig pickin’ cake is what you serve after you’ve eaten all the pulled pork, best easy 5 bean salad, and slaw. It’s fruity, cool, and sweet – but not too sweet! It’s a cake that tastes like summer.

How to Make a Cake Roll from a Box Mix

Let’s talk technique before I send you on your merry baking way here because the actual recipe for the cake part is not that different.

First! The Prep.

You will need a 15 X 10 X 1″ baking sheet to make this. I’m always a fan of OXO Good Grips’ pans and I really like this jelly roll pan for this recipe. You need to spray the bottom of the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Then, line it with parchment paper, spray the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray, and flour the pan.

I know this seems excessive, but it’s the same preparation I call for with most of my brownie recipes, because nothing is worse than baking and then having the final product stuck in a pan.

You will also need 6 paper cupcake liners for the extra batter (YAY! TASTE TEST.)

Next! The Cake.

To make a cake roll up and not crack, it needs to be spongy. The traditional version of this recipe already calls for 4 eggs, but to make a cake roll out of this box mix you need 6.

1 box yellow cake mix with “pudding in the mix”
6 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges
water (if needed)
1/4 cup vegetable oil

This is basically a dump cake recipe where you can just throw everything in the bowl and mix with no fancy technique required. But first I need you to humor me with one thing:

Drain the juice from the mandarin oranges into a measuring cup. Depending on the brand, mandarin oranges are packed in more or less juice. For the cake you will need a 1/2 cup of liquid. So drain the juice into a liquid measuring cup and if you have less than 1/2 cup, add water to make up the difference.

Bake and Roll

Okay so you’ve mixed up your cake and are ready to bake and get this roll party started. To the prepared pan you only need to add 3 1/2 cups of the batter. Divide the rest between the paper muffin cups. While your cake roll is baking, make sure you have a nice clear counter space for working, and lay a clean kitchen towel flat. Dust the towel with a little powdered sugar.

When you take the cake roll from the oven, turn it IMMEDIATELY out onto the prepared towel. Peel off the parchment paper, and while the cake is still hot, starting at the short end, roll the cake up. I like to wrap the edge of the towel over the edge of the cake and then g-e-n-t-l-y roll it up. The towel is like the stand-in for the filling here, and even though I hold my breath EVERY TIME I do this, you will be surprised at how spongy the cake is.

Cool and Chill.

Your cake roll needs to cool at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Then you need to refrigerate it for an hour. Use this opportunity to make sure your Cool Whip is thawed, clean up your mess, and have a glass of Sweet Tea Sangria. You deserve it.

Get your serving dish ready – you’ll assemble the cake roll right on it – and go ahead and make the filling.
Unroll the refrigerated, cooled cake roll, spread the pineapple fluff filling evenly across it, about 1″ thick. Then CAREFULLY re-roll, this time without the towel, and gently lift the whole thing onto your serving plate.

WHEW! You did it! The rest is a piece of cake. {sorry, not sorry}

Looking for a few more fun desserts to serve at a cookout? Look no further.

Little Red, White, and Blueberry Poundcakes are perfect for Memorial Day, the 4th, or really anytime you want little lemon cakes topped with whipped cream and berries.

Cherry Cola Slab Pie is one of my personal favorites. You soak fresh cherries in your favorite cola and then bake them in an all-butter pie crust. DELICIOUS.

makes 1 large cake roll; serves 12 - 16