Barbara Mandrell's Pig Out Cake

It’s a fact: cakers love country. I’m talking hair piled high as a three-tier wedding cake, rhinestone-crusted polyester and pilgrimages to Branson, Missouri. In fact, many caker kids grew up dreaming that our Dolly Parton impersonations would one day make it all the way to The Tommy Hunter Show. Well, one of us did, anyway.

So naturally when I came across this recipe for Barbara Mandrell’s Pig Out Cake, I immediately put down my banjo, spit out the wheat sheaf and set to work. Not that there was a lot of work involved. Barbara’s a simple country gal, after all. And a helluva baker to boot. Her Pig Out Cake had me squealing in all the right ways.

I ate it while watching episodes of The Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters Show (now there’s a mouthful) and wondered three things: Was Barbara related to Donna Mills? Was Louise related to Katy Perry? And does Irlene ever regret not putting out an album of her greatest xylophone hits?

1 box yellow pudding cake mix (see note)

½ cup oil

4 eggs

2 cans mandarin oranges, drained (save the juice)

Add enough water to the mandarin orange liquid required for the cake mix, add oil and eggs. Mix well, fold in oranges. Bake in 9 x 13 inch pan at 325° for 35 minutes.

Frosting

1-20 ounce can crushed pineapple with juice

1-4 ounce pkg. instant vanilla pudding

1-8 ounce Cool Whip

Mix and spread over cooled cake.

Note: I accidentally bought the non-pudding kind. Don't tell Barbara. I don't know if it made a difference.

Source: National Mfg. Co. 1901-2001 Centennial Cookbook