Mandarin Orange Cake

Have you ever had one of those weeks where every single night is filled with something, and you don't quite know how it happened? I just finished one of those. All of the days were fun and things I wanted to do - my arm wasn't twisted on any of them - but it was a very full, very busy, very exhausting week. But now the house is quiet, and the events are over, and I don't have anything planned until Tuesday. Sweetness.

One night this week, my family took food over to some friends' house and had dinner with them. Of course the dessert was my favorite part to make. I decided on a Mandarin Orange Cake, which reminded me of my mom. It's something I remember her making several times growing up, and I never really liked it back then. And now, here I am, picking it over the rich, chocolaty, sweet desserts that I normally make. I must be going through a phase. Or am I growing up? Oh dear. Let's hope it's a phase.

Either way, it was really good. And I actually felt good about eating a big piece, because it did have fruit in it, after all. Two kinds of fruit, if we're counting.

The cake batter is very thin and runny because you mix the juice from the oranges into the batter - not what I had expected. I re-read the recipe several times just to make sure I was doing it right. But it made the cake so light and fluffy!

Mandarin Orange Cake
adapted from Recipe Hall of Fame Quick & Easy Cookbook

1 package yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup cooking oil
11 ounces mandarin oranges, cut up and undrained
8 ounces whipped topping
3 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix
20 ounces crushed pinapple, drained

Cake: Mix together the cake mix, eggs, cooking oil and oranges (yes, that does say UNdrained - pour the whole can in). Do not use a mixer. Pour into a 9x13" greased and floured pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

That's my daughter's hand because she gets so excited seeing "pretty" things come out of the oven.
Shortly after this picture I was nursing burned fingers because she didn't think I really meant "no touching."
When will she learn???

Topping: Mix together the whipped topping, pudding mix and pineapple (this time drain the juice off first). Spread over the cooled cake. Store cake in refrigerator until ready to eat.

More blogs to come from today's fun - I helped throw a baby shower this morning, and I've got lots to share! But for now, I'm going to relax the rest of the day.