Did you know that a pound cake is called a pound cake because it traditionally uses a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of flour, and a pound of eggs? Our version here is a little lighter on the flour and sugar but has all the buttery goodness of the original (and as far as we’re concerned you can never have enough butter). We love this version so much because of the subtle tang of sweet mandarin oranges. It would work with any kind of fruit, but we love mandarins because we have them around in the pantry any time of year. Plus, you don’t have to peel any fruit!
Around here, we love desserts that are simple and uncomplicated but don’t skimp on flavor. This is such an easy cake to whip up, it takes all of ten minutes, and the ingredients are things we always have on hand. Gosh, it’s so fast, you could even toss this together when friends show up on your doorstep unannounced. You might call it an everyday cake! Cake every day is an idea we can get behind.
1 hour 15 minutes to prepare serves 8-10
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained and juice reserved
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter or non-stick spray.
- In a medium bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in vanilla and salt.
- With mixer on low, add half of the flour and beat until just combined. Add 4 tablespoons of reserved mandarin juice, beat until combined. Repeat with remaining flour.
- Pour into floured loaf pan and arrange mandarins over the top.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Let cool completely and enjoy!
Adapted from Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen.
