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    Home » Recipes » Cakes

    Easy Mandarin Orange Bundt Cake

    Published: Dec 17, 2022 by Jere Cassidy · This post may contain affiliate links. · 35 Comments

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    mandarin cake.
    Pinterest image for an orange bundt cake with text overlay.

    Don't you just love them, the sweet little mandarins you see piled high in the store's produce bins. They are so good! Not only are mandarins good for snacking on but they are perfect for adding to desserts like this Easy Mandarin Orange Bundt Cake

    moist with a dense tender crumb

    A mandarin orange cake on a cake stand.
    A fresh mandarin orange cake

    This orange bundt cake recipe bakes up moist and deliciously rich, dense, and buttery, similar to a pound cake. The best part of this cake is the bits of fresh mandarins baked in the batter for a delightful citrusy flavor.

    But, we all know fresh mandarins are not available everywhere, and maybe you want a delicious orange citrus cake in the summer, so I've included a canned mandarin orange cake recipe, that is just as tasty.

    Bundt cakes, oh how we love these made-from-scratch simple cakes with decorative flutes and icing dripping down the sides.  Bundts are easy to make, no messing with layers and loads of icings.  Sometimes a simple dusting of powdered sugar is all that is needed for decoration, after all, why cover up such a pretty molded cake?

    Jump to:
    • 🍊Recipes with fresh mandarin oranges
    • 🧾Cake Ingredients
    • Bundt pan tips and tricks 
    • Gold Nugget Satsuma Mandarin Oranges
    • What are Mandarins?
    • 🍰Let's bake a cake
    • Cake FAQs
    • Bake this cake with canned mandarins
    • Baking essentials
    • Favorite cake recipes
    • Recipe

    🍊Recipes with fresh mandarin oranges

    • For a rich and creamy dessert, this Mandarin Orange Creme Caramel is easy to make, it's a bit elegant, and best of all the taste is amazing.
    • Sweet Mandarin Orange Scones are a family favorite with Satsuma mandarins baked right in. Tender and delicious.

    🧾Cake Ingredients

    Ingredients to make an orange cake.
    Satsuma Orange Cake Ingredients
    • Cake flour for a tender crumb
    • Baking soda and salt
    • Satsuma Mandarin Oranges, zest, and juice for a wonderful mandarin flavor
    • Sugar - white sugar brings out the citrus flavor of the mandarins
    • Butter and Sour cream - both add flavor and moistness
    • Eggs - I always use large eggs
    • Powdered sugar for the icing drizzle

    Bundt pan tips and tricks 

    • It is best to use a good quality bundt pan.
    • Bundt cake pans have a lot of nooks and crannies plus the center tube so make sure you thoroughly grease and flour the pan, otherwise, your cake may get stuck. Use either cooking spray or vegetable shortening for the best results.  After you dust the pan with flour if there are any areas not covered with flour simply redo these areas.
    • Instead of flour, you can dust the pan with sugar which leaves a nice flavor and crunch on the crust of the cake. I always use sugar.
    • Bundt pans come in many sizes, this recipe is for a 10-cup bundt pan.
    • After you fill the bundt pan with the batter make sure to tap it several times against the countertop to get rid of any air pockets in the batter
    • Bundt cakes have a long baking time and this cake takes 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 minutes to bake. Test the cake with a cake tester and when it comes out clean it is done.
    • Once your cake is baked let it sit for 15 minutes then flip it over onto a cooling rack.   You want the cake to still be warm when you flip it since it will release better. If you let the cake completely cool in the pan it just might get completely stuck.
    • Before flipping your cake over jiggle the pan a little to loosen the cake, and if necessary slide a knife down the sides to coax it loose and jiggle the pan.  Let the pan sit on the cake upside down for about 5 minutes before removing again until the cake releases.

    Gold Nugget Satsuma Mandarin Oranges

    Grown in Northern California

    Satsuma mandarin oranges.
    Satsuma Mandarin Oranges

    What are Mandarins?

    Mandarins are a smaller type of orange with thin skins that are easily peeled. The inside fruits are segments that are usually seedless.

    There are over 200 varieties of Mandarins.

    The Mandarine flavor is sweeter and less acidic than an orange.

    These three types of  Mandarins are the most popular and easy to find in stores

    Ever wonder about the names of winter fruits, you can read about that in the guide and our favorite Mandarins are one of those fruits.

    • Satsumas (a personal favorite) These are the juiciest of the Mandarins and usually the fruit that you find canned. The thin, leathery skin is easy to peel.  These fruits are in season from October - February and are grown in Northern California and Southeastern U.S.  With their sweet flavor and juiciness, Satsumas are not only perfect for snacking but can be added to both sweet and savory baked goods, dishes and drinks. Satsumas bruise easily so they don't travel well and are really found in more local growing areas.
    • Clementines - Known as Cuties or Smarties by their brand names, they are the smallest and sweetest of the Mandarins.  These tiny little seedless fruits can be found in bags in the markets and make a great snack.
    • Tangerines - Honey Tangerines are the most popular. They are in season from January through April, this super juicy fruit contains some seeds with a thicker bright orange-colored peel that is less sweet and a bit more tart.

    🍰Let's bake a cake

    Step 1. Start by zesting the mandarins over the sugar with a Microplane citrus zester,  then mix the zest and sugar together. Mixing the zest in the sugar brings out the oils in the mandarin zest and flavors the sugar in a glorious way.

    Zesting mandarins into sugar.
    Zest the mandarin
    Mixing sugar and orange zest.
    Mix the sugar and the zest

    Trust me, this orange-scented sugar is a game changer, and I do this when I make this Lemon Bundt Cake, it just adds more citrus flavor.

    Orange scented sugar in a granite pie plate.
    Orange scented sugar

    Step 2. Next, separate the segments and using a serrated knife cut the segments into small slices.  I suggest doing this on a rimmed plate to catch all the juice.

    Baking tip - Another way to cut the mandarins, because it can be a bit tricky, is to cut the slices with scissors. You will have less juice, but you can also cut the slices into pretty small pieces.

    Cutting mandarin slices with scissors.
    Dicing the fresh mandarin oranges

    Step 3. Make the cake batter by beating the butter, adding the sugar/zest mixture then the eggs one at a time.

    Mixing an egg into a cake batter.
    Mix in the eggs
    A cake batter in a silver bowl.
    The egg batter

    Step 4. Mix in the dry ingredients followed by the sour cream.

    Step 5. The last step is mixing in the mandarin slices and the juice, stirring in with a spatula.

    A cake batter in a silver bowl.
    A nice thick batter
    Adding oranges to a cake batter.
    Add the mandarins

    Step 6. Pour the batter into the greased and sugared bundt pan, tap it on the counter to remove any air bubbles, and bake for 1 ¼ to  1 ½ hours.  Always test with a toothpick, and in the case of a bundt cake, you may want to use a skewer because it's longer.

    Step 7. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then remove it from the bundt pan and place on a cooling rack. See above for my Tip on removing the cake from the pan.

    Cake batter in a bundt pan.
    Bundt ready to bake
    A baked bundt cake on a cooling rack.
    Baked and beautiful bundt cake

    You have options for finishing your cake because options are always good.  You can give your cake a light dusting of powdered sugar or add a little bling to your cake with a little drizzle of icing or a glaze.  I'm going for the icing drizzle today because I like icing!!

    Step 8. Mix the powdered sugar and orange juice to make a smooth consistency, then spoon the icing over the cooled cake.  

    You can add a little or a lot of icing, it's up to you. 

    Here is a tip when icing a bundt cake, to keep your cake plate clean tuck some wax paper underneath, and simply remove it when the icing is set.

    Drizzling icing on a bundt cake.
    Drizzle with icing
    A mandarin orange bundt cake on a glass cake stand.
    Fresh mandarin cake

    Bundt cakes are simply elegant and perfect for parties, they are easy to slice and serve. Set on a pedestal cake plate for a lovely presentation. However, if you have a family like mine, they just start slicing the cake on the cooling rack. 

    A slice of orange pound cake on a white plate with a fork.
    Orange Mandarin Cake

    Cake FAQs

    Can I use canned Mandarin oranges for this recipe?

    You can however the taste will not be as fresh as using fresh mandarins and you will not have the added benefit of the orange zest.

    Why do bundt cakes take so long to bake?

    Because a bundt cake pan is so large and the batter for the cakes are usually very dense it will take at least an hour to bake.

    Do bundt pans come in different sizes?

    Yes, bundt pans vary in size. The standard size is a 10-inch bundt pan that holds 10 to 12-cups of batter. Some of the more decorative bundt pans are smaller and hold 6 cups of batter.

    Bake this cake with canned mandarins

    A couple of notes for using canned mandarins in this recipe.

    • Because you will not have zested mandarins, just use plain granulated sugar. And because of this, your cake will not have as much mandarin flavor as using fresh mandarins.
    • You will not use all the drained syrup, the rest can be discarded
    • You will have some leftover mandarins since you only need 6 ounces or 1 cup. Keep the rest to decorate the cake.

    Step 1. To make this cake use a 15-ounce can of mandarins. I used Dole Mandarin Oranges in Light Syrup.

    Step 2. Drain the mandarins, and keep the juice from the can.

    Peeled and a can of mandarins.
    Fresh and canned mandarins
    Dishes with mandarin oranges and mandarin juice.
    Drain the mandarins

    Step 3. Dice the mandarins into smaller pieces. It's really easy to do with a pair of scissors. Keep out some of the mandarins to decorate the top of the cake. I used one cup, about 7 ounces.

    Step 4. Mix ¼ cup of mandarin juice and the diced mandarins. Once the cake batter is made, you will stir this into the batter and bake.

    Cutting pieces of mandarin oranges with scissors..
    Cut the mandarin segments
    A clear glass measuring cup with mandarin oranges.
    The diced mandarins

    Step 5. Now that the mandarins are ready, prepare the cake as instructed above.

    A baked orange cake and a slice of cake.
    Canned mandarin orange cake

    Baking essentials

    When it comes to pans I have found a good anodized aluminum heavy bundt pan that will bake the best cake and a nonstick surface helps the cake release with ease. Perfect for pound cakes too!

    This Nordic Ware Stained Glass Bundt Pan is my favorite. It holds 6 cups of batter and looks so pretty with a light icing.

    This microplane citrus zester is my favorite tool and makes zesting so easy.


    Favorite cake recipes

    • A slice of choclate cake on a white plate
      Beer Cake
    • A slice banana cake roll with icing on top.
      Banana Roll
    • Apple spice cupcakes with a foil cupcake liner.
      Apple Cupcakes (with Maple Buttercream)
    • Black cocoa cupckes.
      Black Cupcakes

    Like what you see? Make sure you are following One Hot Oven for more tasty sweet and savory recipes! Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter |

    Recipe

    An orange poundcake on a clear glass cake stand,

    Mandarin Orange Bundt Cake

    Jere' Cassidy
    Moist and citrusy this Mandarin Orange Bundt Cake is buttery rich with bits of mandarin pieces baked in the batter for delicious bursts of flavor.
    4.63 from 29 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 15 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 45 mins
    Course Cake
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 491 kcal

    Equipment

    • Citrus Zester
    • Bundt pan
    • Cooling Rack

    Ingredients
      

    Cake Ingredients

    • 4 Tangerines Satsumas washed and dried. About 8 ounces, and 6 ounces peeled.
    • 3 cups Cake flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup butter softened, 2 sticks
    • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
    • 6 eggs
    • 1 cup sour cream

    Mandarin Orange Icing

    • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
    • 2 tablespoons milk

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 325° F. Thoroughly grease and sugar the bundt pan.
    • Zest the four mandarins over a piece of waxed paper or a small plate, using a microplane grater.
    • Remove the peel from the zested mandarins and clean off most of the white pith. Separate the sections. Using a rimmed plate to catch the juices, cut each section into small slices with scissors. You should have about 1 ¼ cups of slices and juice.
      Try to make the mandarin pieces pretty small to avoid large wet spots in the baked cake.
    • In a small bowl combine the sugar and the mandarin zest. With your fingers mix the sugar and zest until well combined and the sugar has turned orange.
    • In a large mixing bowl beat the softened butter for two minutes. Add in half the sugar/zest mixture, beat again for two minutes then add the remaining sugar/zest mixture and beat for four minutes. Scrape the bowl occasionally.
    • Add the eggs one at a time, beating each until just combined.
    • On the lowest mixer setting beat in the cake flour, baking soda, and salt, then scrape the bowl.
    • Beat in the sour cream and scrape the bowl again.
    • With a rubber spatula, fold in the mandarin segments and the juice.
    • Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
    • Bake about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours until a cake tester at the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes then turn out the cake on a cooling rack to cool.
      See the tips below for removing the cake from the pan.

    Icing the Cake

    • Mix the powdered sugar and milk together until smooth. Spoon the icing over the cooled cake

    Keeping the Cake

    • This cake can be kept covered on the counter for 3 days.

    Notes

    Zesting the mandarins - the peel to the mandarins is very loose and soft.  This is easier to do if the fruit is cold and just go slowly when zesting. Using a microplan/citrus zester is easier.
    Mixing the sugar and the mandarin zest - releases the citrus oils and flavors the sugar.
    Dicing the mandarins - It helps to cut the mandarin slices into pretty small pieces.  If the pieces are large they could cause areas of the cake to be too wet and not get baked properly. 
     

    Making the cake with canned mandarins

    • For this method, use a 15-ounce can of mandarins.
    • You will be using just granulated sugar, unless you have an orange to zest into the sugar as directed above.
    • Drain the mandarins and then measure out a heaping 1 cup (7 ounces), you will have a few mandarins left. 
    • Cut the mandarin segments into smaller pieces.
    • Add ¼ cup of the drained mandarin juice and the diced mandarins together.  This is what you will add in the last step after the batter is mixed.
     
    Removing the cake from the pan
    If you are using a really good bundt pan, like a Nordic Ware pan, these cakes usually fall out of the pan easily.
    • Once your cake is baked let it sit for 15 minutes then flip it over onto a cooling rack.   You want the cake to still be warm when you flip it since it will release better. If you let the cake completely cool in the pan it just might get completely stuck.
    • Before flipping your cake over jiggle the pan a little to loosen the cake, and if necessary slide a knife down the sides to coax it loose and jiggle the pan.  Let the pan sit on the cake upside down for about 5 minutes before removing again until the cake releases.
    Try this Fresh Lemon Bundt Cake for another citrusy flavored cake. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 12Calories: 491kcalCarbohydrates: 69gFat: 22gCholesterol: 131mgSodium: 300mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    First published: Dec. 18, 2019. Last updated: Dec 17, 2022, for better readability.

    About Jere’

    From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending.  Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady

      December 05, 2021 at 1:38 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a beautiful cake. I bet the flavour of the madarin oranges adds such a fresh burst of flavour!

      Reply
    2. Jean

      December 04, 2021 at 7:36 pm

      5 stars
      Love the addition of mandarin oranges, this cake is simply perfect.

      Reply
      • Jere Cassidy

        January 15, 2022 at 4:11 pm

        Thank you so much. I think this cake is perfect too.

        Reply
    3. Giangi Townsend

      December 04, 2021 at 1:34 pm

      5 stars
      Looks amazing! I love mandarins and they are so underrated. Love how easy it is to make. Perfect for the holidays baking. thank you for sharing

      Reply
    4. Yq

      February 10, 2021 at 5:54 pm

      Hii, somehow the parts of the cake surrounding the mandarin orange seemed a bit undercooked - though the toothpick came out clean. Issit a matter of just baking it for longer? I baked for abt close to 1.5hrs. Any tips?

      Reply
      • Jere Cassidy

        February 11, 2021 at 10:57 am

        Hi Yg, Sorry the cake didn't turn out like it should. It does take a long time for this cake to bake. I do think the mandarin pieces need to be fairly small and I will update the post to reflect that. If the mandarin pieces are too big the juice in them could be causing the problem.

        Reply
    5. Rafaela Maldonado

      July 29, 2020 at 6:59 pm

      Hi! Can I change the Sour creme for yogurt? When you tell cake flour, do you mean all purpose? Thank you

      Reply
      • Jere Cassidy

        July 30, 2020 at 1:02 pm

        Hi Rafaela, you can definitely use yogurt instead of sour cream in this cake. Aa cake flour and all-purpose are two different types of flour. I like to use cake flour in recipes like this one which makes the cake more tender and not as dense or chewy as using all-purpose flour. But by all means you can substitute all-purpose flour if you can't find the cake flour.

        Reply
    6. Lino Aji

      June 11, 2020 at 2:50 pm

      5 stars
      Citrus cakes are so good, we made it yesterday, used APP instead of cake flour and made the cake in a pan, cake was so yum, thank you for sharing this recipe.

      Reply
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    Jere Cassidy owner of One Hot Oven.

    Welcome, I am Jerè. I love sharing recipes both sweet and savory that inspire you to bake at home. Food has a way of bringing us all together, from a simple batch of cookies to a three-tier cake.

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