This post is dedicated to Su, one of my readers from Australia. Several years back, Su and her mother (a huge Elvis fan) came to the US to visit Graceland and I went and met up with them during their time here and we all had a grand day together!
This cake is said to have been one that Elvis’s cook made for him on a regular basis. Apparently, his favorite ingredient was the crushed pineapple. The cake is made from a vanilla pudding and yellow cake mix and you actually poke holes in the cake to let the sweet and juicy pineapple and sugar mixture soak right in. The cherry on top is a cream cheese and pecan icing. In the end, you have a deliciously sweet and moist cake that will probably become your favorite as well!
This is what we call an Ice Box Cake. Many in the greatest generation still refer to their refrigerators as iceboxes. Ice Box Cake recipes and pies are good any time of the year because they keep so much longer than regular cakes.
Ingredients
CAKE:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box vanilla pudding 3-ounce box that’s not sugar-free
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup milk
1 can crushed pineapple 16 ounces, undrained
1 cup sugar
FROSTING:
1 package cream cheese 8 ounces, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup butter softened to room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans optional
(You can also add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the frosting if you like)
Instructions
Please cake mix, pudding, eggs, oil, and milk in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for one minute. Scrape down sides and beat again for about two minutes, or until smooth.
1 box yellow cake mix,1 box vanilla pudding,4 eggs,1/2 cup oil,1 cup milk
Pour batter into greased 9×13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, place pineapple and sugar into a medium saucepan on the stovetop. Bring just to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
1 can crushed pineapple,1 cup sugar
Once the cake is done, remove the dish from the oven and poke holes all over the top with a fork. While the cake is still hot, pour the hot pineapple mixture over the top and spread to cover. Let cool.
For frosting, place the butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add confectioner’s sugar gradually, scraping down sides as needed, while beating with an electric mixer. Stir in pecans, if desired.
1 package cream cheese,1/2 cup butter,3 cups confectioner’s sugar,1/2 cup chopped pecans
Drop dollops of the icing onto the top of the cooled cake. Slowly spread the dollops together to cover the cake, being careful not to disturb the pineapple topping. Sprinkle the finished cake with additional pecans, if desired.