Too many mandarins why not make cake? Mandarins already have a richer flavor, but the poppy seeds add further excitement to this delicately flavored and textured cake. Other than the central pith, mandarins have no pith and once you pick out the seeds the entire mandarin can be utilized.
Poppy Seed Mandarin Cake Bars
Cake:
2 mandarin oranges
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/4 cup 14% sour cream
2 tsp orange extract
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup poppy seeds
Icing:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups icing sugar
juice of 1 mandarin orange
• Preheat your oven to 350F and fully line a square pan with parchment paper.
• Peel two mandarin oranges.
• Place the peel and the orange segments minus the central pith into a food processor.
• Add 1/4 cup sugar and process to smooth consistency. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside
• In a smaller bowl combine milk sour cream and orange extract. Set aside.
• Beat the butter and the oil with the sugar until fully combined.
• Add the eggs one and the time beating after each addition.
• Continue beating until very light.
• Add the orange mixture to the egg mixture.
• Alternating add from the flour mixture and the milk mixture until everything is combined.
• Finally add the poppy seeds and whip to combine.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
• Place cake on a wire rack to cool.
• Meanwhile combine icing ingredients and whip until very fluffy.
• When the cake cooled to room temperature spread the icing on the top.