I think we all need a little more cake these days.

Blending whole oranges into a thick puree to add to cake and muffin batter isn’t new – I have a recipe for a whole orange cake on an old recipe card I’ve had since childhood (yes, I was a kid who wrote and collected recipe cards) and the Sunshine Muffins in the Best of Bridge are made with whole oranges whizzed with everything else in a blender. Food 52 has a recipe for a whole orange bundt from Sunset Magazine in their book, Genius Desserts. W made it awhile ago, and it occurred to me that such a cake would make perfect use of those inevitable squidgy mandarin oranges I always seem to wind up with, whether I buy them by the box or bag. (We talked about other things to do with mandarins on this week’s Eyeopener!)

The great thing about all mandarin oranges – which includes Clementines, tangerines and satsumas – besides the fact that they taste amazing and are easy to peel – is that they don’t have a lot of white pith, so are perfect for blending whole to mix into things. I quartered 5 or 6 (I had some small ones, but they were intensely flavoured!) for this cake (about a pound) – you’ll need about 1 1/2 cups of chunky puree. You’ll need an average or slightly smaller bundt pan, and make sure you spray it well with nonstick spray – or you could bake this batter as cupcakes/muffins instead – fill paper-lined muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes. If you love the combination of chocolate and orange, try stirring in 1/2-1 cup chopped dark chocolate – the batter is nice and thick, so it shouldn’t sink to the bottom. (I’m trying this next!)

Mandarin Orange Bundt Cake

AuthorJulie

Yields16 Servings

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup canola or other mild vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1-2 tsp vanilla

5 mandarin oranges, washed (about 1 lb)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Glaze:

1 — 1 1/2 cups icing sugar

1 Tbsp butter, melted

1 Tbsp mandarin orange juice, cream or milk

Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a Bundt pan very well with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one, along with the vanilla.

Wash and quarter the mandarin oranges and pulse in a food processor until mostly puréed — it will still be chunky, and that’s a good thing. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating on low or stirring just until combined, then add about 1 1/2 cups of the orange pulp (don’t worry if it’s a bit more or less), then the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape into the bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, until deep golden and springy to the touch. (If you like, stick a bamboo skewer in — it should come out without crumbs sticking to it.)

Let cool for about 20 minutes, then turn out onto a plate or wire rack while still warm. Whisk together 1 cup of the icing sugar, melted butter and mandarin juice (or milk/cream) until you have a drizzling consistency — add a bit more sugar if it’s too thin. Drizzle over the warm or cooled cake. Serves 16.

Categorycake

Ingredients