Lifestyle
Soft and airy mandarin orange cake
When winter days feel a little too grey and sluggish, a bright, citrusy dessert can bring just the lift you need.
This mandarin orange cake is beautifully light and soft, with a sponge that’s airy enough to melt in your mouth. It carries a gentle vanilla flavour that complements rather than competes with the fruit, letting the citrus shine through. The glossy orange jelly topping adds a sweet, tangy contrast, while the slices of mandarin on top bring a hint of juiciness. You can make this cake with fresh mandarins (currently in season), or with tinned mandarins.
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
- 1 packet orange jelly
- 1 cup mandarin orange segments (fresh or tinned, drained)
- Toasted flaked almonds (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a round cake tin.
- Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Gently fold in flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix milk, oil, and vanilla; fold into batter.
- Pour into tin and bake for 20–25 minutes. Cool.
- Prepare jelly as per packet instructions. Cool slightly.
- Pour jelly over cooled cake, arrange mandarins on top.
- Chill until set. Top with almonds if using.
