Aunt Ann's Coconut Orange Cake!

 

This is my Aunt Ann's Coconut Orange Cake.  Aunt Ann is one of my mother's five sisters and she is a really great cook.  My mother and her sisters all get together each month that one or more of them celebrate a birthday for a big lunch and one of them hosts it at their house.  Since there are six of them, this usually takes place about every other month and you would not believe the food.  It would rival any holiday meal.  It's an amazing array of so many good dishes.  Aunt Ann brought this cake to the most recent birthday lunch and we all loved it. It's so easy, but the presentation is really pretty and the cake is moist and delicious, but still light.  

 

We affectionately call my mother and her sisters "The Sisters", because as much as they might fuss at each other and have their squabbles..."The Sisters" are a unit and a powerful unit at that.  If anyone in the family has an illness, a death, needs a shower given (baby or wedding), or has any other blessing or tragedy, "The Sisters" will  activate...sort of like the National Guard...and come to the rescue.  It's good to have them in your corner and they have all been helping me by providing recipes and information for this blog.  I am very thankful for their help and their years of cooking expertise and knowledge! 

 

For this delicious cake you will need:

 

1 orange cake mix and whatever ingredients it calls for (we used Duncan Hines)

1 cup flaked, sweetened coconut

 

Frosting

 

1 15 oz. can mandarin oranges, do not drain and crushed

1 large instant vanilla pudding mix (dry, not prepared)

1 cup flaked, sweetened coconut

1 8 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Spray two 9 inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray. 

 

Prepare cake mix according to package directions adding in 1 cup coconut.

 

Bake cakes according to times on package directions.

 

When the cake layers have cooled, make the frosting.   In a mixing bowl, crush the mandarin oranges with their juices with an electric mixer.  Stir in the instant pudding mix and coconut.  Fold in the whipped topping.  Mix well.  Frost the cake layers.  

 

If you want to garnish the top with the  5-6 of the mandarin orange slices, remove them before you crush the rest.

 

Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.