Spiced Mandarin Orange Cake

This is the easiest cake I have ever made!

This spiced mandarin almond cake starts by simmering mandarin oranges with warm winter spices, leaving your kitchen smelling like a citrusy holiday hug. The batter comes together within a couple minutes once the oranges have been cooked and is perfect served with a little Chantilly cream or ice cream. It’s also dairy and gluten free!

Very few people know this, but my Grandma grew up in Nagoya, Japan on a mandarin orange farm. The photo above is from her family’s orange farm when we visited in 2006. It was really amazing to be able to pick oranges straight from the tree and just how sweet and delicious they were.

Spiced Mandarin Orange Cake

Amara Yamamoto

Ingredients

4 Mandarin Oranges

1 Cinnamon stick

6 Cloves, whole

5 All Spice berries, whole

5 Cardamom pods

6 Eggs

1 tsp Baking Soda

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

225g or 1 ¼ cup Granulated Sugar

250g or 2 ¼ cup Almond Flour

Instructions

Wash and place the oranges in a medium sauce pan. Add enough water to cover the oranges (they will float but you want a lot of water in the pan). Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, all spice, and cardamom pods in and place on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Let cook for 1.5-2 hours or until the oranges are extremely soft and can be easily pierced by a spoon. 

Remove the oranges and place in a bowl to cool. Discard the spices. Let the oranges cool fully. 

Preheat the oven to 375º f.

Prepare a 9 inch spring form pan with parchment paper on the bottom and grease the sides. You can also use a regular 9 inch cake pan, just make sure to parchment paper the bottom and grease the pan well. 

Place the oranges into a blender or a food processor. Blend until they are a smooth paste. 

In a bowl whisk the eggs and sugar together. Add the vanilla and baking powder, mix together. Add in the orange purée and mix. Add in the almond flour and mix well. The mixture can not be over mixed as there is no gluten. 

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and then bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. 

If the cake starts to brown too much on top (at around 30-40 minutes), cover with aluminum foil or parchment paper. 

Let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan. 

Pita

Pita Bread 

By Amara Yamamoto

Ingredients 

1 tbsp active dry yeast 

1 tsp sugar

1 ⅓ cups warm water

1 tablespoon kosher salt

3½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for coating the bowl. 

Directions

Place yeast, sugar, and 1⅓ cups warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix together and then  let sit until foamy, 5–10 minutes. 

Place flour, salt, and oil on top of the wet ingredients. 

Start mixing at low-medium speed. The dough will fully come together and start to slap the sides of the mixer bowl. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic, between 5-10 minutes.  (Alternatively, this can also be done in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon and hand kneaded. It will require some elbow grease.)

Place dough in a well-oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1 hour. If you are wanting to make the pitas the next day, it can be refrigerated at this point and then shaped before cooking)

Prepare your barbecue or a frying pan and pre-heat on medium heat. The ideal barbecue temperature you want the barbecue to hold is between 350ºf-400ºf. 

Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces. Using the excess oil to prevent the dough from sticking. 

Flatten the dough into a disc, and then bring the edges in and pinch together. Place the ball seam side down and cup your hand over and roll each dough portion into a tight ball. 

Using a rolling pin, roll the pita into a thin round. They are usually between 6”-8” rounds. 

They can be stacked together if they are well oiled. If there is any sticking just add a little more oil. 

To cook the pita, place directly on the grill or pan. You want it to brown lightly but not get too dark, it will be ready to flip once it doesn't stick any longer and it starts to puff through the centre. It takes usually between 2-4 minutes per side just depending on the thickness and temperature of the cooking surface. 

Once the pitas are done you can enjoy them. They are best served warm and can be used as a side with dips or as a wrap for your favourite sandwich. They also work well to make flatbreads and pizza.

Pictured below, Pita used as pizza crust

Spiced Knots

There is a famous cinnamon bun from Edmonton that everyone should try, its from Sugarbowl in Garneau and its one of my favourite things to share as a sweet treat. These Spiced Buns are an adapted recipe from their recipe in the Edmonton Cooks Cookbook and the first time I tried making them in 2020 I felt the recipe was missing a key ingredient… SALT. I also make them half of the size of a Sugarbowl Cinnamon bun because sometimes you just don’t want to have to share!

Spiced Knots 

Dough recipe

6 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp instant yeast 

⅔ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp salt

2 eggs 

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 

2 cups water 

Sugar and Spice Dip

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

1 ½ cup brown sugar 

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp ground cardamom 

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

Dough 

Place yeast, 1 tsp of the sugar, and 2 tbsp lukewarm water in a small bowl. Mix and let sit until the yeast is foamy. 

Place flour, yeast, remaining sugar, eggs,salt, and water into the bowl of a mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, mix until combined. 

Cut butter into small pieces and slowly add them into the dough.

Continue kneading until well combined and the dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. 

Oil a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover and let dough sit in the fridge overnight. 

The next day, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for one hour. 

Assembly

Place parchment paper on a sheet pan.

Melt butter, place in a bowl or container that will be easy to dip the dough in. 

Place the sugar and spices in a bowl, mix until well combined.

Split the dough into 12 equal pieces. 

Roll into logs, the dough is quite soft and they will stretch. 

Dip each log into the butter to cover completely then dip in the sugar mixture until well coated. 

Tie the log into a knot and place onto the sheet pan. 

Tuck any excess dough underneath. 

Repeat until all 12 buns are completed. 

Preheat your oven to 325°F, placing the buns on top to rise for 20-30 minutes. 

Bake the buns for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 

Allow to cool 20 minutes before enjoying.  They’re best served the same day as baked but they do keep for 2 days at room temperature.