In honor of our recent(ish) arrival in North Carolina I’m dedicating this first short and sweet post to a sweet and funny cake made in the heat of Alabama summer. The original impetus for a Pea Pickin’ Cake (or a PIG Pickin’ Cake -- we’ll get to that) was simply that Stuart, my husband, doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, so I’m
always excited to bake something that won’t inevitably just linger uneaten in the fridge. This was Stuart’s favorite cake as a child and as a lifelong lover of yellow-box cake I was eager to try it as well. A few friends of ours had invited us over for a pineapple covered ham and this seemed like an ideal accompaniment; easy, tropical and guaranteed to be consumed. The citrus flavors and whipped frosting seemed to me the base for a perfect summer cake.
Well, it was July in Alabama and I, unable to trade my principles for logic, decided to make my own whipped cream rather than using a more stable store-bought variety. Icing this cake quickly became a race against the clock in my sweltering kitchen, cooled only vaguely by the window unit in the other room. This cake ended up as the ending for a lobster roll dinner, rather than roasted ham and, after spending hours regretting the use of my oven, I was glad that our friends had not committed to the same fate, even though a pork product accompaniment would have been more than appropriate.
Pea Pickin’ Cake, I learned, is more often called Pig Pickin’ Cake and it’s odd name refers to its place at Southern social gatherings, such as barbecues and whole hog roasts were tender meat is “picked” off the pig. Pea/Pig Pickin’ Cake is Southern origins and, apparently, very important to North Carolinian's specifically. In 2014, The New York Times spurred controversy when they falsely claimed that “sweet potato cornbread” was North Carolina’s favorite Thanksgiving food. In a major backlash 95% of North Carolinian's DISAGREED. Ninety. Five. Percent. In an effort to save face the NYT called on Google to identify the most “distinct” dish that North Carolinian's googled. What should emerge? The Pig Pickin’ Cake did and in 2014 it found its rightful place on the NYT most googled-Thanksgiving recipe map. I’ve got to say, looking at this map makes me glad we’re remaining in the South (at least for the next five years). “Vegan mushroom gravy,” Oregon? Live a little!
Knowing a little bit more about Pea/Pig Pickin’ Cakes history as a social cake, one shared with friends or family at Thanksgiving celebrations or whole-hog barbecue makes me glad to have shared it with friends in Birmingham in the weeks leading up to our move. As I said, this post is intended to be short and sweet; a simple launchpad for a space I intended to use for the exploration of our new home, new life, and all the new graduate school concepts crowding my brain in the best way I know how; at the kitchen counter.
Links:
“‘Pig pickin cake’ and other most-Googled Thanksgiving recipes in N.C” -- Triangle Business Journal
“The Thanksgiving Recipes Googled in Every State” -- The New York Times
Mandarin Orange Cake (or Pig Pickin’ Cake)
Adapted from The Southern Plate
Note: Make your own decision about whether to whip your own cream or use cool whip. Despite the hassle there’s nothing like homemade whipped cream. It’s hard to estimate how much heavy cream to whip to achieve a 16oz result. I whipped a whole carton of heavy cream with a dash of maple syrup, measured out 16oz using a kitchen scale and saved the rest to have with berries for a simple summer dessert later in the week. Cool Whip is a wonderful modern convenience that is also available.
Cake:
1 box yellow cake
11 oz can mandarin orange (diced, undrained)
4 eggs
½ C canola/vegetable oil
Frosting:
3.4 oz box instant vanilla pudding
16 oz whipped topping of choice (see Note)
9 oz can crushed pineapple (undrained)
½ C sweetened, flaked coconut (extra for topping: optional)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour three round cake pans. If you only have one or two you can bake in rounds. You’ll have to let the cakes cool thoroughly anyway before you frost them, just allot yourself extra time.
2. Beat cake ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Put another mixing bowl in the refrigerator to cool (this will be your frosting bowl).
3. Bake batter in greased and floured pans for 20-25 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when a tooth pick (or chopstick!) inserted in the center comes out clean. Let your cakes cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn them out on a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before frosting.
4. If you’re making homemade whipped cream, take that cooled bowl out of the refrigerator and add your heavy whipping cream, whipping with an electric beater until soft peaks form. Add a dash of maple syrup for sweetness. Use a kitchen scale to measure out sixteen ounces in a separate bowl. Store the leftover whipped cream and return the sixteen ounces to the large mixing bowl.
5. Whip instant pudding, canned pineapple (with juice) and sweetened, flaked coconut into whipped cream or Cool Whip. Beat on low and do not overbeat!
6. When the cakes are cooled, frost them! If you’d like, you can use extra coconut for a topping, both for aesthetic and taste. The coconut isn’t traditional, but it’s tasty!
7. This cake is best refrigerated for a few hours before serving!
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