Pig Pickin

Back in the day when I was young and ignorant about the fact that gluten was sending my body into an inflammatory tail-spin, I would from time to time make cake.  My desert of choice was and continues to be ice cream.  But a good refrigerator cake was always in second place. 

I must have a thing about cold deserts.

Southern cooks have a different outlook on life than northern cooks.  They appreciate the fact that there's nothing better on a sweltering hot Summer day than a cold, fruit based, whip cream cake.  And since most of the US is having a heat wave this week, I thought I'd surprise SM with a refrigerator cake.

Enter the Pig Pickin Cake.

I'd never heard of this cake until I moved down here to NC.  Miss Susan, my genteel southern friend for the past 13 years gave me this recipe several years ago.  (*She also gave me something I call Susan's Cake that I make only once a year at Easter.  It's THAT good.  I'll try to post about that cake over the next few weeks.)

But let's get back to the pickin of the pig. 

I googled it to see if this cake is well known and boy is it ever!  Turns out that there's a whole page of recipes available that are similar enough to the recipe Susan gave me.  So go Goggle it and pick your favorite.  You really can't go wrong.

As to why they call it a Pig Pickin Cake it's because it's a cake that's often served during summer BBQ's where they would cook a whole hog over a pit.  Everyone would then "pick" at the pig.  I also think that once you start to eat this cake you just can't stop so you keep picking at it, making a pig of yourself.

Whatever.  It's cold and light and not too sweet and creamy and fluffy and .....

Oh, just go make it for yourself and see what I mean OK?