Pistachio Pineapple Orange Cream Cake

This was one of my earlier posts, originally posted on 10/24/10, I did not have pictures then. Yesterday I baked this cake after very long time with some modification and now re-posting
the recipe with pics.
I had written down this recipe in my cook book long time ago, but I did not write down who gave me this recipe.

All I know that every time I bake this cake with little variation of flavors here and there, it comes out absolutely delicious, light and cool with nice blend of various flavors.

Ingredients:

For Cake:

1 box yellow or white cake mix (I used yellow)
One 15 oz of mandarin orange drained
3/4 cup of oil
4 eggs
1 package of 3.4 ox of instant Pistachio pudding mix
1/4 cup of unsalted chopped roasted pistachios

Ingredients for Icings:
8 oz cream cheese
2 cups milk (I used soya milk)
One 4 oz pack of Instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
2 limes1/4 cup sugar
1 small packet of unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup of water

•  One 8 oz tub of Cool whip
• 1/4 cup of chopped roasted pistachios
• 1 can of well drained crushed pineapple 
• 1 can of mandarin oranges drained 
• 1 teaspoon of ice cream essence or vanilla extract
• Extra cans of pinanpple chunks and mandarin for garnishing if desired. (this time I did not)
• 1/4 cup of roasted pistachios for garnishing if desired

 Method:

•  Preheat the oven at 350.
• Mix all the ingredients for cake.
•  Pour the batter in a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake the cake for 40 min. 
•   When the tooth pick comes out clean from the cake, take the cake out of oven and cool it completely.

While cake is baking prepare the two icing as follows:

•  Beat cream cheese, sour cream, milk and pudding mix together.

• Add juice from 2 limes, sugar, mix well.
• Add roasted chopped pistacios

• Mix gelatin (one small package from Knorr box) in 2 tables spoon of  cold water, than add 1/4 cup of boiling water, mix until gelatin is dissolved
• Add this to the icing.

• Regenerate it for 30 min while cake is cooling. 
• Now prepare the Cool whip topping  as follows:
• Whisk the Coolwhip with wooden spoon until fluffy.
•  Fold in the a can of drained crushed pineapple and drained mandarin orange in whisked Coolwhip.
• Add 1 teaspoon of ice cream essence of Vanilla
• Fold in everything until well incorporated.

• Spread the green cream cheese pudding icing  on cake (when cools down after baking)
•  Spread the Coolwhip with mandarin and pineapple over above pudding spread.
• Sprinkle  chopped roasted pistachio nuts
• You may garnish with  mandarin slices and pineapple rings or bits. (which I didn't this time)
• I also garnished with some left over crumbs of chocolate/almond cinnamon Biscotti that I had in my panty, you may omit this step
•  Refrigerate the cake for 4 hour before serving.

 

Suggestions:
You may omit the nuts if not desired.
You can use vanilla pudding mix instead of Pistachio pudding mix.



Recipe adapted and modified by Surekha from
an  Unknown  source
Photographs: by Surekha.