Last week the dear husband and I went to east Texas to see my mom. It happened to be his birthday and she baked his favorite cake, a mandarin orange confection that’s light and sweet with just the right balance of tang from oranges and pineapple. It’s quick and easy and as we all get busier in the fall and there is less time to cook,  I thought you might like the recipe. Here goes:

Mom’s mandarin orange cake

Grease and lightly flour two 9 inch round cake pans. Preheat oven to 325.

Combine 1 box of yellow cake mix ( Mom uses Duncan Hines Butter recipe) with 1/4 cup oil, 1 medium can of mandarin oranges, juice and all, 3 eggs and one tsp vanilla. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or till the cake tests done.  COOL COMPLETELY before frosting.

For the frosting: Combine 1 medium carton of Cool Whip with 1 med can of crushed pineapple, juice and all, 1 package of vanilla pudding mix, and 1 tsp vanilla.OPTIONAL: another can of mandarin orange segments for garnish.

Frost the cake and decorate with additional orange segments if desired.  Store in the fridge in an airtight container.  Enjoy.