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This cake comes from our friends at Cooks Country and is a refreshing and lighter spin on a standard white cake. The addition of the mandarins and pineapple lend a fruity flavor and the slightly sweetened whipped cream is light and not too sweet.
After making this a couple of times I found that I liked to stabilize my whipped cream to make it a little more spreadable and allow me to use a piping bag to make it pretty. If you don't have unflavored gelatin, you can certainly make the sweetened whipped cream without it.
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Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Cake
  • 1 15 ounce can mandarin orange segments, in light syrup, drained
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) plus 2 tbsp, cake flour
  • 1 1/2 cups (10-12 ounces) sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 16 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
  • 1 tsp orange extract
Stabilized Sweetened Whipped Cream (makes 3 cups)
  • 1 1/2 cup unflavored gelatin like Knox, found near the jell-o in the baking aisle
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, more or less to taste
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Frosting and Garnish
  • 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple rings, in syrup, drained
  • 3 cups Lightly Sweetened Stabilized Whipped Cream, whipped to stiff peaks (recipe above)
  • 1 cup store-bought vanilla pudding (about 3 snack packs)

Method
 

  1. *To quickly bring the eggs and milk to room temperature, combine them in a measuring cup and set it in a bowl of hot water. Stir until the mixture feels cool rather than cold, about 65 degrees. Adding the butter to the mixing bowl one piece at a time prevents the dry ingredients from flying up and out of the bowl.
    Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Set aside 19 orange segments for topping.
    For Cake: Whisk eggs, milk, and vanilla together in 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute. Add half of egg mixture, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low, add remaining egg mixture, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds (batter may look slightly curdled). Add orange extract and remaining oranges and beat on medium-high speed until oranges have broken down, about 1 minute. Give batter final stir by hand.
    Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Let cakes cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, discarding parchment, and let cool completely on rack, about 2 hours.
    For Whipped cream: Place cold water in small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over it. Let sit for 5 minutes. While it’s sitting, place heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a mixing bowl if using an electric beater. Once gelatin is set, place bowl in microwave and heat until gelatin turns to liquid, about 10 seconds. Turn mixer on to start beating cream. Let it run for about 1 minute and then with the mixer on high, very slowly pour the melted gelatin in, in a small steady stream. Continue beating cream until you reach medium-stiff peaks.
    For Frosting and Garnish: Cut 4 pineapple rings into quarters and set aside. Chop remaining pineapple fine and place in bowl (you should have about 1 cup). Fold whipped cream into pudding. In separate bowl, gently fold 1 cup pudding/cream mixture into chopped pineapple.
    Place 1 cake layer on plate or pedestal. Spread pineapple mixture in even layer over top. Top with second cake layer. Spread top and sides of cake with remaining pudding mixture. Alternate reserved pineapple quarters and 16 reserved orange segments around outside edge of top of cake. Place remaining 3 orange segments in center of cake. Serve.
    HAPPY EATING!!