Pineapple Orange Cupcakes Recipe (2024)

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Posted by Aimee 10 comments
Published: Jan 13, 2019 Last Updated: Nov 3, 2023

These Pineapple Orange Cupcakes are a light, fruity dessert topped with whipped cream! Learn how to make the perfect low-calorie cupcakes with this easy recipe.

I’m obsessed with delicious desserts paired with whipped cream. From our easy heaven on earth cake to this classic strawberry jello cake, we love it!

Why these Cupcakes are Best

Have you ever heard of Pig Pickin Cake?

Like almost all decadent cakes, the Pig Pickin Cake came from the South. It got its name because it was very common atpigroasts and barbecues. Guests “picked” the tender meat off the cookedpig, which is how a Southern barbecue became known as a “pig pickin.”

Well now that you know how it got it’s name, you’re wondering. . . What exactly IS a Pig Pickin’ Cake?

Pig Pickin Cake (or cupcakes) is made from white cake mix, combined with a can of mandarin oranges. It’s sweet (but not too sweet) with a light and fluffy texture.

• I turned my favorite Pineapple Orange Cake recipe (aka “Pig Pickin Cake”) into cupcakes!
• They’re a lightened up version of a classic southern recope. Made with applesauce instead of butter or oil!
• Moist, orange cupcakes are topped with a pineapple infused whipped cream frosting.
• Less than 75 calories per cupcake!

Southern or not, you’re going to love these cupcakes! Since they’re so low in calories, feel free to enjoy a second. Or even a third.

Ingredient Notes

Wondering how I make such a great tasting cupcake while keeping the calorie count in the double digits? Here are the magic ingredients.

• White cake mix – Any brand of boxed mix will do.
• Applesauce – The unsweetened kind. It makes the cupcakes moist and tender without adding extra fat and sugar. We love our homemade applesauce.
• Egg whites – Works as a binder with a fraction of the calories of whole eggs.
• Mandarin oranges – You’ll use the whole contents of the can, juices and all to add flavor, sweetness and moisture to your pineapple orange cupcakes.

Making the cupcakes is as easy as mixing the ingredients together and spooning the batter into your cupcake tin. Bake, cool and top with this amazing whipped cream topping.

For that, you’ll need:

• Crushed pineapple – Choose the unsweetened kind.
• Vanilla pudding mix – For flavor and creaminess.
• Light cool whip – Or substitute a batch of my homemade Stabilized Whipped Cream for a less processed option.

Top each dollop of frosting with an extra mandarin orange slice for a perfect finishing touch. So simple and tasty.

Tips and Tricks

• Don’t waste your egg yolks! You can use them in this easy lemon curd recipe.
• Refrigerate the frosted pineapple orange cupcakes for at least an hour before eating. They taste best chilled!
• For more fruity flavor, use orange, pineapple, banana or coconut pudding mix in the frosting instead of vanilla.
• Try our pistachio pie recipe next. Easy, no bake treat!

Recipe FAQs

More Light Cupcake Recipes

• Indulge in one (or more!) of theseSkinny Pineapple Cupcakesfor dessert! Made with only 3 ingredients you can be enjoying one of these no guilt treats tonight!
• Incredibly easy, theseLemon Pudding Cupcakesare moist and delicious! Topped with a creamy, light lemon frosting, you’ll love to sink your teeth into one of these cupcakes!
• Crazy moist and fluffy, theseBanana Pudding Cupcakesare the perfect dessert!