This sunshine cake will brighten anyone's day and it is so easy to make! All you need are 5 simple ingredients. (see picture below).
Do you like easy cake recipes like these? Try Better than Sex Cake, Strawberry Poke Cake, or Rhubarb Dump Cake.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
The base of this cake is made with only two ingredients which are yellow cake mix and canned crushed pineapple.
My Aunt usually makes this cake for us and brings it to the lake cabin. People will be asking you to bring this cake soon wherever you go!
The frosting is so good you will want to eat it right out of the bowl and not even add it to the top of the cake (I've done that before).
Ingredients Needed
Just by swapping out a few ingredients, this cake can be made lower in calories or more point friendly for Weight Watchers. Look for sugar-free or reduced sugar items at the grocery store.
- Yellow Cake Mix - Can I use sugar-free cake mix? Yes, you can. My stomach cannot tolerate sugar-free products and that is why I used the regular cake mix in this recipe. Please use your WW recipe builder to figure out points for sugar-free cake mix.
- Crushed pineapple (do not drain)
- Container cool whip lite (12 oz is ok)
- Instant vanilla pudding mix - If you want to use sugar-free use the 1oz size. If you want to use regular pudding use 3.4 oz. Both sizes will work for this. 🙂 The recipe below the points listed are for regular pudding. The sugar-free instant pudding boxes are either 1 oz or 1.4 oz. at all if using sugar-free pudding.
- Mandarin oranges, drained (look for cans in the store that say reduced sugar)
How to make Sunshine Cake
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Step 2: Add dried cake mix to a mixing bowl. Add the can of crushed pineapple (including the juice) to the mixing bowl and stir until evenly distributed.
Step 3: Pour the mixture into the greased baking pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Step 4: To make the frosting combine the dry pudding mix with the cool whip and gently fold in your drained can of mandarin oranges. Spread it on to the cooled cake.
🌟 Recipe Tips
Sometimes I just make the frosting for this recipe and eat it out of the bowl, it is so good.
Do not add anything that the box of cake mix calls for on the back of the box. All you do is add the can of crushed pineapple to the box of cake mix and stir. That is IT.
While the cake is baking in the oven prepare the frosting and let it chill in the fridge to set.
Recipe FAQs
This cake is best served cool. The frosting which is instant pudding mix, cool whip, and milk set better in the fridge as well. Do not serve this cake warm!
Bake the cake and let it cool. Wrap it up tightly and store it in the fridge. Make the frosting and wrap that tightly as well. The next day when you are ready to serve it all you have to do is frost the cake.
Yes, Jello makes a ton of sugar-free flavors. Sugar-free pudding comes in 1oz boxes and uses up 2 cups of milk.
I am not affiliated with WW in any way. I am just a member who creates recipes based on their points system. This recipe is based on WW Freestyle program, and SmartPoints are the value system the company bases their foods on. Some recipes will have older points system values listed in them.
More Dessert Recipes to Try
If you tried this Sunshine Cake or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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Sunshine Cake
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 45 min
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Easy
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This sunshine cake will brighten anyone's day and it is so easy to make! All you need are 5 simple ingredients. (see picture below).
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 oz) box yellow cake mix
- 1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
- 1 (8 oz) container cool whip lite (12 oz is ok)
- 1 3.4 oz package instant vanilla pudding mix (see notes above)
- 1 (11oz) can of mandarin oranges, drained
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a bowl, mix yellow cake mix and pineapple. Do not drain the pineapple.
- Spray a 9x13 cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Pour cake mix you mixed together in step 2 into a pan and bake for approx 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- While cake is baking, prepare the frosting by mixing together the whipped dessert topping, the package of instant pudding (dry mix only), and the mandarin oranges(drained). Set frosting in a refrigerator to set. Frost when cake has thoroughly cooled.
- Slice the cake into 24 equal servings. Serving size: 1 slice.
Notes
My WW Personal Points: 7 Click here to see in recipe builder (will have to log in)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 166.6
- Sugar: 19.8g
- Sodium: 228.7
- Fat: 5
- Saturated Fat: 2.9g
- Carbohydrates: 29.9g
- Fiber: .6g
- Protein: 1.6g
Suzannah says
This recipe is amazing!! I made it for my mom and her best friend who are doing weight watchers together. They love that it’s not too sweet, but sweet enough to satisfy cravings. I did two 6”x2” round pans and put them in for 30 minutes. They came out so perfect and moist. I didn’t change anything with the recipe and I’m glad!
Shannon says
I liked this cake. It is the simplest cake I’ve ever made. I ate the whole pan since my sons wouldn’t try it.
Jenna says
Alexis - Freestyle points are still smart points and that is listed in the recipe notes.
Alexis says
You updated the recipe in June 2018. It didn’t calculate the current WW Freestyle point, that’s disappointing.
Debbie says
I made it just like you said! The only thing I changed is I used a pillsbury sugar free yellow cake! It was so delicious still. Thank you for this now I don't feel I have to skip out on something that taste sweet!
Stacey says
I made this cake for first time and it was AMAZING. The cake rised so much and was very moist. I tried it again last night and cake barely rose an inch. So I tried it again, same thing today. So frustrated. I thought it was the amount of pineapple/juice first but when I tried again today it did same thing????
Sherry Christa Willner says
I just made it and it came out pretty tasty for a weight watcher cake - very moist and tastes like I'm biting into a marshmellow fluff - it looks like there are 20 points to a bite but didn't feel guilty about my weigh in tomorrow as the ingredients were low in points. I will definitely make it again. Obviously making the cake from the box you would have to add eggs but if you go by your recipe you can't fail with it!!
Jenna says
Janice you do not need to follow the back of the box cake mix. I would have stated that in my recipe. I don't understand why your cake turned hard? It should have been moist is you didn't over bake it. Sorry the recipe didn't work out for you.
Janice Singer says
I made this per the directions just mixing the cake mix and the pineapple and it was a complete fail, didn't rise, was hard. If you are supposed to actually mix up the cake mix per the box instructions and add the pineapple, your recipe should state so!
Jenna says
Glad to hear Lisa!