This sunny Fresh Tangerine Cake is guaranteed to get your morning off to a better start — the cake is moist and buttery and the icing bursts with fresh citrus flavor!

This has to be a quick post — there’s so much to do this week, but I thought you’d appreciate this sunny Fresh Tangerine Cake. It’s got a light pound cake type of texture, and good clear tangerine flavor. Tangerines are one of my favorite citrus fruits, that distinctive aroma hits you the minute you touch one, and we instinctively bring them right up to our nose. Once you break the peel all those essential oils burst out. This cake uses the zest of several fruits to really play up that wonderful tangerine essence.
This easy breakfast cake is great for an almost winter morning pick me up. We’ve got four more days till it’s officially winter, and not many more until Christmas. I’m running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
If you prefer a pound cake texture, try my Tangerine Poppy Seed Pound Cake. And if you are eating gluten free, my Whole Tangerine Cake is epic. It’s made with the whole fruit, peels and all. I also make great Tangerine Poppy Seed Pancakes. (I told you I love tangerines ๐
Tips for success:
- The cake batter comes together best when the ingredients are at room temperature. If your butter is cold you can cut it in three or four pieces and microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds to soften. For cold eggs, submerge them in warm water while you cream the butter and sugar.
- For true orange flavor in baked goods, you need lots of zest, and the orange extract. The juice alone won’t do it. A ZESTING TOOL works better than a box grater for this job. Orange extract has a real fresh orange taste, and is fairly easy to find in good stores. You can also buy it online, HERE.
- This cake is best eaten within a day or two.
more easy breakfast cakes
- Easy Apple Fritter Bread
- Dutch Apple Cake
- Easy Rhubarb Breakfast Cake
- Cranberry Breakfast Cake
- Cardamom Crumb Cake
Tangerine Cake
Equipment
- 8×8 baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, use the fluff, scoop and level method of measuring
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup fresh tangerine juice, about 1
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- zest of 3 tangerines, don’t skimp
- 3/4 tsp orange extract
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
for the frosting
- 1/4 cup creme fraiche
- 1/8 cup fresh tangerine juice
- 1/2 tsp orange extract
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- zest of 1 tangerine
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and the sugar together until fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the zest and extracts.
- Mix the tangerine juice with the buttermilk.
- Add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients to the mixer, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. If using a stand mixer, give it a final stir by hand.
- Turn the batter into a 8×8 square baking pan. I line mine with parchment paper with overlapping edges for easy removal. If you don’t use parchment, lightly spray the pan.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. Let cool before frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat the creme fraiche and tangerine juice together, along with the extract. Add enough confectioner’s sugar to make a nice spreadable frosting. Add more juice if it is too thick.
- Frost the cooled cake and top liberally with the tangerine zest.
Sue, how many servings would you guess this cake makes? Just wondering when making this for the family how many it will serve & if I would need to make two?
I’d say 8 slices Carolyn.
This sounds fabulous, and is so pretty!
I love the pop of color from the orange zest.
Hello from (very snowy) Switzerland. It was my middle daughter’s fourth birthday party this afternoon, and, for some reason, she asked for a tangerine cake. I googled, and came across your recipe, and am so glad I did! Well, except that it’s all gone… my ex-husband, who hates cake, ate the last slice. I shall be keeping the recipe handy. My only change was to use sour milk, since I couldn’t find buttermilk here.
Thank you very much for a great recipe!
You’re so welcome — I’m happy to have helped with that birthday party, and I’m impressed that your daughter would ask for a tangerine cake! Isn’t google wonderful?