Mandarin Cake

The mandarin cake is a fragrant and flavorful dessert that celebrates one of the most beloved citrus fruits. Here is an Italian version of the dessert.

Ingredients

• 4 mandarins
• 3 eggs
• 200 g of sugar
• 200 g of all-purpose flour
• 100 g of melted butter
• 1 packet of baking powder
• Powdered sugar, to taste (for decoration)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Thoroughly wash the mandarins and grate the zest of two of them, being careful not to take the white part, which is bitter. Then squeeze the juice of all the mandarins.
3. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Incorporate the mandarin juice and grated zest into the egg and sugar mixture.
5. Add the lukewarm melted butter and mix well.
6. Mix in the sifted flour and baking powder, stirring gently until the batter is smooth.
7. Pour the batter into a previously buttered and floured cake pan or lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes. Do the toothpick test before removing from the oven: if it comes out dry, the cake is ready.
9. Let the cake cool on a wire rack.
10. Once cooled, sprinkle the mandarin cake with powdered sugar.

Curiosity

The mandarin cake is a very versatile dessert: it can be served for breakfast, as an after-meal sweet, or combined with orange or chocolate cream to make it even more delicious. Mandarins, especially if they are untreated and organic, give the cake an intense and natural aroma that makes a difference.