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Mandarin Orange Almond Cake

This Mandarin Orange Almond Cake, is the perfect Italian cake to serve any time during the day. Fresh Mandarin Oranges and a simple glaze will make this cake a delicious dessert.

Mandarin cake with two slices cut on black plates.


 

This is a popular cake that is made during the colder months and the holiday months, from Christmas to Easter. With the Easter Season just around the corner, we will be celebrating with such dishes as Lasagna, Homemade Crepe Cannelloni, Roast Lamb, Roasted Potatoes and Roasted Onions. We would eat a Rollè, tossed salads, fennel salads or even Baked Fennel and Peas.

Just when you didn’t think you good eat anymore, out would come the Italian Playing Cards and the Tombola Board (Italian Bingo). And of course somebody would ask “who wants coffee”? And here comes the Colomba, Panettone, Torrone or chocolate eggs depending on the season.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Flour – all purpose
  • Corn starch
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Eggs – large eggs room temperature)
  • Egg yolk – room temperature
  • Sugar – granulate sugar
  • Yogurt – greek yogurt
  • Almonds – finely chopped almonds, not almond flour
  • Oil – vegetable oil I use sunflower or corn oil you could also use melted butter or a light olive oil
  • Mandarin juice –
  • Lemon zest
  • Mandarin orange zest
  • Powdered sugar
  • Cream – or milk

Why Add Yogurt In A Cake

Yogurt makes cakes moist and give it a delicious flavour, because of the acidity in yogurt it helps to activate the baking soda which will make your cake light and fluffy.

Why Use Room Temperature Ingredients?

When at room temperature, eggs, butter, and other dairy ingredients form an emulsion which traps air. While baking in the oven, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy baked good. So be sure to remove the ingredients from the fridge 45-60 minutes before baking.

Mandarin orange cake on a black wire rack.

How to make a Mandarin Orange Cake Recipe

In a medium bowl whisk the flour, corn starch, baking powder and baking soda and salt.

Whisking the dry ingredients in a silver bowl.

In a large bowl or stand mixer beat until fluffy the eggs and sugar, gently stir in the yogurt, then fold in the flour mixture, add the almonds, oil, juice and then zest and gently combine.

Mixing the wet ingredients.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a tooth pick comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached.

The unbaked cake in a bundt pan.

Let cake sit approximately 15 – 20 minutes, then remove from pan. When completely cool drizzle with the glaze or dust with powdered sugar.

Baked cake on a wire rack.

What Makes A Cake Fall?

  • There are a lot a reasons a cake may fall, but the most common ones are, your oven temperature is off, you can always check it with an oven  thermometer to check this. You open the oven door too early.
  • Once the batter is mixed it should be baked, letting a cake batter sit too long can cause it to fall. The baking powder or baking soda usually start acting immediately and will only last for a very short period of time, therefore if the cake batter is left to stand before baking then there is always a risk that the baking powder or soda will have expired by the time that the cake goes into the oven.
  • Your baking powder or soda has expired and is no long active.
  • The pan size might not be the correct size, sometimes using a bundt pan will help.

How to store the Orange Almond cake

Most covered cakes, including this cake either frosted or unfrosted, cut or uncut, are perfectly fine at room temperature for about 2-3 days. It can also be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The cake can also be frozen. Wrap the completely cooled unglazed cake tightly in plastic and place in a freezer safe  bag or container. It will keep for up to three months in the freezer.

Fast and easy to make, this Mandarin Orange Almond Cake is perfect anytime and any celebration, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Enjoy.

A slice of cake on a black plate.

More Delicious Italian Cakes to try

Mandarin Orange Almond Cake

Rosemary Molloy
This Mandarin Orange Almond Cake, is an easy Breakfast or Snack Cake, fresh Mandarins and a simple glaze is all you need. Delicious.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Italian
Servings 10 servings
Calories 317 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

FOR THE CAKE

  • cups all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
  • ¾ cup + 2½ tablespoons sugar (granulated) (181 grams total, if you double the recipe double this amount)
  • ½ cup greek yogurt
  • cup finely chopped almonds (not almond flour)
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil ( I use either sunflower or corn oil)
  • cup mandarin juice (approximately 5-7) (fresh mandarins)
  • ½ tablespoon lemon zest
  • ½ tablespoon mandarin orange zest

MANDARIN GLAZE

  • cups icing / powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons Mandarin Orange juice (fresh)
  • 1-2 tablespoon cream or milk

Instructions
 

FOR THE CAKE

  • Pre-heat oven to 340° F (170°C). Grease and flour a 9 inch (22 centimeter) bundt pan.
  • In a medium bowl whisk the flour, corn starch, baking powder and baking soda and salt.
  • In a medium bowl beat until fluffy the eggs and sugar approximately 2-3 minutes, gently stir in the yogurt, then fold in the dry ingredients, add the almonds, oil, juice and then zest and gently combine.
  • Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.
  • Let the cake sit approximately 15-20 minutes in the pan, then move to a wire rack to cool completely. When completely cool drizzle with the glaze or dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

MADARIN GLAZE

  • In a small bowl add icing / powdered sugar, juice and 1 tablespoon cream or milk, stir together until smooth, if too thick then add a little more cream or milk, if too thin add more icing / powdered sugar.

Notes

For room temperature ingredients, remove from the fridge 45-60 minutes before needing.
For the vegetable oil, I use sunflower or corn oil or you could also use melted butter or a light olive oil.
Most covered cakes, including this cake either frosted or unfrosted, cut or uncut, are perfectly fine at room temperature for about 2-3 days. It can also be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The cake can also be frozen. Wrap the completely cooled unglazed cake tightly in plastic and place in a freezer safe  bag or container. It will keep for up to three months in the freezer.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 317kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 214mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 26.1mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1.3mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

Updated from December 19, 2016.

52 Comments

  1. Is it possible to add chopped up pieces of chopped mandarins to the batter? I am wondering if it this would work or change the integrity of the cake too much? Thank you!

  2. 5 stars
    I received fresh mandarins from California and needed to use them. I found your Italian Glazed Mandarin Orange Almond cake recipe. I made it for my husband’s birthday! It was a huge hit! Love the texture and the flavor was amazing! I made it again the next day for an event at my house and again it was a fovorite. Thank you!

  3. 5 stars
    Hi, so glad I found you. I am no baker but am willing to try my luck with this Italian
    bundt cake. This cake looks delightful! My only worry is the almonds .Three if my four grandchildren are allergic to nuts. I’m wondering what I can substitute for the almonds.
    Grazieee
    Rita

    1. Hi Rita, thanks so much, how about dark chocolate mini chips (1/4 – 1/3 cup should do)? Toss the chips with a teaspoon of flour first so they don’t sink to the bottom. Let me know how it goes. Merry Christmas.

  4. This sounds like a winner to me! Wondering, could chopped walnuts replace the almonds? Do you think it would change the taste very much?
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Bob, thanks, and good question, I think the combination of mandarin and walnut would work, although I have never tried it, almonds are just more popular in Italy. If you do try it let me know.

  5. Hi rosemary,
    What part of Italy 🇮🇹 are you living in.
    My dad was stationed in Gaeta,Italy
    Grew up there for 6 years and then left
    For two and we came back for 4 more years.
    I had a lot of friends and loved eating there
    Food and they use to bring food to my mom all the time.
    I would love to own your cook books to make
    Some of those delicious recipes that I miss from the bottom of my heart ❤️. See my moms friend
    Adopt me as her grand daughter even if we
    Where no blood related and she came to visit
    Ya 27 years ago and I was so happy to see my Nonna
    . Sadly she passed away in 95 and I miss her dearly.
    But your book I can make some authentic Italian
    Food.
    I was wondering if Barnes and Nobles would
    Carry it.
    I saved a couple recipes in my Pinterest but would
    Rather have the actual book..
    Ciao!!
    Maria Mercedes Cromley

    1. Hi Maria, I live just outside of Rome and thanks so much, my book is available at Barnes and Nobles and even on Amazon. Thanks so much. 🙂

    1. Hi L I have never doubled it so to tell the truth I can’t say how it would turn out. If you want to give it a try, let me know. Happy Easter.

  6. The instructions failed to mention adding the corn starch, baking powder, soda and salt even though they were on the ingredient list. Unfortunately cake was in the oven before I realized this!

  7. 5 stars
    Baked this yesterday and it was so good. Definitely adding this recipe to my collection. I had to make substitutions based on what I had available with great success. Instead of yogurt, I used full fat sour cream and I used almond meal instead of finely chopped almonds. The cake was super tender and delicate and isn’t overly sweet. I am drowning in mandarins right now, so I think I will be making a number of these as Christmas gifts for my co-workers so they can have a fresh baked treat at breakfast or tea time during the holiday madness. Thank you for the recipe!

  8. Can you use sour cream for the Greek yogurt?
    Also can you make this in mini bunt size pans I’m going to take to neighbors as gifts for Christmas. Will be using our fresh picked mandarins.

    1. Hi Glenda, sour cream should work fine, and yes mini bundt size are good too, just check the baking time sooner, maybe after 20 minutes start to check. Hope that helps. 🙂

    1. Hi Marikyn, to tell the truth I have never seen canned mandarins. Fresh really are better. But if you do use canned let me know how it is. Hope that helps.

  9. I will have to make this one. The mandarin oranges are so delicious here and we have lots. We will be away from family this year because we are living in Italy for 18 months but next year I will have my family around me.

  10. 5 stars
    This is a gorgeous cake! I have made many of your recipes but I am not convinced that this is EASY. I will have to think this one over. My children cannot be home either & they are keeping my grandchildren as hostages. 🙂 So, I will wait until we are all together to try this cake. (My husband and I don’t need to eat the whole thing!) Enjoy the holidays.

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