Pineapple Dream Cake

For a while now, I've been looking for an easy dessert recipe using pineapple. Something that wasn't heavy, instead light and airy. I found this recipe for Pineapple Dream Cake on FruitCake Recipes.

Their recipe called for yellow cake, I used a white cake mix. Theirs called for Cool Whip but I whipped my own from heavy cream. The end result was very good! Both the cake and icing are light and airy.

This recipe would be great to make a trifle--bake the cake and cube it, and then layer it with vanilla pudding and the whipped cream/pineapple mix. :) Add in some blueberries and/or strawberries for color and you'd have a pretty springtime dessert!

Here is my version:

Pineapple Dream Cake

1 box white cake mix
3 eggs
1 -11 oz can of mandarin oranges, undrained
1/2 C. oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 cake pan with cooking spray.

Stir together all ingredients and pour into greased cake pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean --my cake baked for 30 minutes. Cool completely then top with pineapple frosting recipe. (below)

Frosting

12 oz heavy cream
2 TBSP sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, undrained
1 lg. box of instant vanilla pudding.

To whip cream, chill a metal bowl and beaters for a few minutes before using. Pour the heavy cream into the bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Add in sugar and vanilla and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

To the whipped cream, add the crushed pineapple and dry vanilla pudding. Mix together until everything is well blended.

Spread frosting on cake. For the best taste, refrigerate for at least 2 hrs. Keep the leftovers refrigerated.

UPDATE: This cake was nice and moist the first day but after refrigerating it, it wasn't exactly dry but it wasn't as moist as I like a cake to be. So...I will definitely make this again but the next time I'm going to add one more can of mandarin oranges -that have been drained (reserve juice)-to the cake mix. Then, once the cake has cooled after baking, I'm going to poke some holes in it with a fork and pour the leftover mandarin orange juice over the cake, then frost it. I think that this will help to keep the cake a bit more moist. If you try this, please let me know how it works out.