Pig Lickin’ Good Cake
I was having breakfast at Bollinger’s in Thurmont and on the menu board was the intriguing special of the day: Pig Cake. It was written on the same board close to the morning scrapple and egg special. A Pig and cake combination? Scrapple with frosting? Maybe a pineapple pork combination? Port fat in the cake recipe? So upon returning home, I looked through my recipe boxes and found this recipe in the cake section of a recipe box from Pennsylvania. It’s a very real cake and finger licking good besides. Some of you might know it as Finger Likin’ Cake.
Pig Lickin’ Good Cake: 1970s
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup Crisco oil
- 1 (11 oz.) can Mandarin oranges with juice
Mix all ingredients together. Bake in greased and floured three 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Note: two 9-inch round cake pans or an 11 x 13 baking dish works.
Icing:
- 1 (9 oz.) carton Cool Whip at room temperature. Note: Today’s containers are 8 oz.
- 1 (5 ¼ oz. package instant vanilla pudding. Note: today’s boxes are 4.6 oz.
- 1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
Mix well. Frost cake and keep in refrigerator.
Brown sugar won’t harden if an apple slice is placed in the container. If your brown sugar is already brick-hard, put your cheese-grater to work and grate the amount you need.
For a fast and simple clean-up of your hand grater, rub salad oil on the grater before using. Treasured Recipes, San Antonio MCO
In the 1960s and 1970s Cool Whip, instant pudding, cake mixes and Crisco were popular combinations for potlucks, family gatherings and teas for committee meetings. Fast and easy, these recipes saved the housewife time in the kitchen. Other quick foods introduced: instant mash potatoes, Bacon Bits, Pop Tarts, and space food. Soda became available in cans for the first time. No more broken glass bottles to sweep up.
Soft Rock Music was popular. Radio stations played the sounds of Chicago, Rod Stewart, The Eagles, Elton John, Billy Joel, Air Supply, James Taylor, Carole King, Neil Diamond, and Bread. Songs reminiscence of good and bad relationships, first loves and softer times.
Ann Marie Bezayiff received her BA and MEd from the University of Washington in Seattle. She is an author, blogger, columnist and speaker. Her columns, “From the Olive Orchard” and “Recycled Recipes from Vintage Boxes”, appear in newspapers, newsletters and on Internet sites. Ann Marie has also demonstrated her recipes on local television. Currently she divides her time between Western Maryland and Texas.