I have made this type of cake several times, for family as well as friends. I make fresh pineapple sauce for the cake layers and drench the cake layers in fruit juice reserved from the pineapple chunks can for added flavor. This cake reminds me of ‘Pineapple Pastries’ we used to get in India. Always brings back happy memories!

You need:

1 box cake mix – I prefer White cake mix for this cake (Betty Crocker/Pillsbury)
1 tub whipped cream topping 16oz (thawed)
I can mandarin oranges, fresh strawberries, pineapple chunks – any or all of these to decorate. For the one in picture I just used pineapple chunks and fresh strawberries

For Pineapple sauce:

1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple with juice (if you don’t have crushed pineapple, puree a can pineapple chunks with its juice)
2 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or margarine

Pineapple Sauce:
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in crushed Pineapple with juice, water and lemon juice; add butter or margarine. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Simmer over low heat 2 minutes.
The sauce should be thick and not runny, so if it looks runny, simmer little bit more/adjust corn flour. let it cool

Cake:
1. Prepare two 8-9 inch cakes according to the directions on the box. let them cool.
2. Prepare pineapple sauce, let it cool
3. Cut each cake horizontally with a knife to divide in two halves.
This way you should have 4 layers of cake. don’t worry if its not too even, the filling will cover everything.
4. Prepare syrup – mix the pineapple juice, mandarin oranges syrup from the respective cans. Add some sugar if needed
5. Take one cake’s bottom most layer, poke holes with a fork, spread some syrup with a tablespoon. add enough syrup that cake looks
soaked. Now spread a layer of pineapple sauce.
6. Put the top layer of this cake on this layer. even it a bit by removing top crust. poke holes, soak with syrup. Spread a layer of whipped cream topping.
7. repeat this process for the next cake. But this time, put the bottom layer of the second cake on the whipped cream layer of first cake.
8. once the layers are ready, spread the sides and top with whipped cream topping. decorate with pineapple and orange fruit chunks and remaining sauce.

Variation: I have also tried it with mixed fruit jam instead of pineapple sauce.