Christmas mandarin cake
Description
Perfectly pairs with tea and coffee. This festive, delicious, and aromatic cake is traditionally prepared in Europe for Christmas. The longer the cake matures, the tastier and more fragrant it becomes. But I'll be honest—we've never waited that long :). Choose dried fruits to your liking: raisins, apricots, pastille. For juiciness and a fresh flavor, add candied mandarin slices to the batter. For all the details, the baking is ready. Serve at the table.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the necessary ingredients. Pour hot water over the dried fruits and let them soak for 5 minutes, then drain.
- 2
Step 2
Peel the tangerines, separate into segments, and set aside to dry for 1 hour. Pour brandy over the dried fruits.
- 3
Step 3
In a saucepan or skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Add the tangerine segments, stir, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- 4
Step 4
In the same pan, heat the dried fruits until all the liquid has evaporated. With this cooking method, there's no need to soak the dried fruits in brandy for 24 hours.
- 5
Step 5
Beat soft butter, sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.
- 6
Step 6
Add the flour and almonds, ground in a blender, and mix with a spatula.
- 7
Step 7
Then — dried fruits.
- 8
Step 8
Grease a rectangular baking dish with butter and dust with flour. Place half of the dough in the dish. Arrange mandarin slices on top.
- 9
Step 9
Cover them with the remaining dough. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 °C for 1–1.5 hours, until a toothpick inserted comes out dry.
- 10
Step 10
Let the cake cool slightly in the pan, then on a wire rack.
- 11
Step 11
Sprinkle the cake with brandy, wrap it in parchment paper and place it in a tin box (or wrap in foil), and let it infuse in a cool place for 1 month. On the designated day, take it out of the refrigerator and unwrap. Allow the cake to come to room temperature.
- 12
Step 12
For the chocolate glaze, combine chocolate pieces and 2 tablespoons of cream in a double boiler, melt over low heat, constantly stirring with a spatula. Cover the top of the muffin with the glaze and decorate as desired. This can include fresh cranberries and white chocolate.
- 13
Step 13
Merry Christmas!