Ingredients
- For the Cake:
- 15.25 ounces vanilla cake mix
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup milk (or vanilla almond milk)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 3.4 ounces orange JELLO
- 1 ¼ cups boiling water
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- For the Frosting:
- 15 ounces can of mandarin oranges (do not drain)
- 3.5 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix
- 8 ounces Cool Whip (or whipped cream)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven and prepare the cake mix according to the package directions for a 9×13-inch baking pan. Use vanilla almond milk (or regular milk) instead of water and add orange zest to the batter.
- Bake according to package directions. After baking, let the cake cool on a rack for about 10 minutes.
- Once the cake has cooled slightly, use a skewer to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
- In a heatproof bowl, dissolve the orange JELLO in the boiling water, whisking until completely dissolved.
- Stir in the fresh orange juice.
- Slowly and carefully pour the JELLO mixture over the top of the cake, ensuring it seeps into the holes.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours to allow it to set.
- In a bowl, beat together the mandarins (with juice) and the vanilla pudding mix until well combined.
- Gently fold in the Cool Whip or whipped cream until fully incorporated.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the frosting to set.
- Serve chilled and enjoy the delightful combination of vanilla and orange flavors!
Notes
- You can substitute the mandarin oranges with fresh orange segments if desired.
- For a more intense orange flavor, you can add extra orange zest to the frosting.
- This cake can be made a day in advance to allow more time for the flavors to meld together.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 172 kcal
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
