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Tangerine Layer Cake With Tangerine Curd And Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe – decadent and festive cake, which is perfect for the holidays!
Flavorful and tangerine cake layers, covered with a thin layer of tangerine curd, with sweet cream cheese frosting. These winter flavors come together perfectly in a beautiful cake. Topped with sugared cranberries and candied oranges for the ultimate holiday look!
I have another layer cake recipe for you today. It will be the last one for the year. I wish I posted it earlier, so you can see it and include it in your holiday menu.
Tangerine cake layers, made from scratch, with fresh tangerine juice.
How is this Tangerine Cake Made?
Tangerine curd to enhance the flavor.
Sweet cream cheese frosting. This frosting goes well with citrusy flavors.
This cake makes a beautiful holiday centerpiece.
If you are a fan of tangerines, you will most likely like this cake.
I made the sugared cranberries and candied tangerine slices, but you can use a different decoration of your choice.
The cake layers in this Tangerine Layer Cake are made with oil, this way they are spongy, but not too crumby.
Preparing (Baking) Cake Components in advance:
You can bake the layers in advance.
You can actually make everything in advance – cake layers, curd, frosting and decoration. Then assembling the cake should’t take more than 10 minutes.
Actually I would suggest you make most of the components in advance (as much as you can).
Refrigerated cake layers are a lot easier to cut.
As you know, I prefer cakes with thin layers and this one is not different.
The recipe is good for any winter gathering, not just Christmas/New Years!
Have a blessed Christmas everyone! Hope you get to try this Tangerine Layer Cake.
TANGERINE LAYER CAKE WITH TANGERINE CURD AND CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Ingredients
FOR THE TANGERINE CAKE LAYERS:
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup tangerine juice, (fresh)
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp tangerine zest
FOR THE TANGERINE CURD:
- 3 large egg yolks
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup tangerine juice
- 1 tsp tangerine zest
- 3 tbsp cold butter
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE ICING:
- 1 (4 oz/112 grams) stick butter, softened
- 8 oz (225 grams) softened cream cheese
- 6 cups powdered sugar, (sifted)
- 4 tbsp fresh tangerine juice
- 1/2 tsp tangerine zest, (optional)
Instructions
FOR THE TANGERINE CAKE LAYERS:
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Spray two 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Spray over the paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together eggs and sugar for 4-5 minutes, until thick. Add oil and Greek yogurt and mix to combine. Add tangerine juice, mix.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
- Add dry to wet ingredients and beat until just combined. Add zest and beat to combine.
- Divide mixture between the two pans.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, until cooked and toothpick inserted in the middle, comes out clean.
- Let cake cool inside the pans for 5 minutes.
- Then remove from the pans and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- You can wrap and refrigerate cakes for up to 3 days.
FOR THE TANGERINE CURD:
- Whisk together egg yolks, tangerine juice, sugar and zest. Set up a double boiler, I prefer using metal bowl.
- Add mixture to the bowl and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon (spatula).
- Set a side. Add butter, cut into pieces and stir to incorporate.
- Let it cool completely.
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE ICING:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together cream cheese and butter, until incorporated (2 minutes). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Add tangerine juice and zest (optional), beat to incorporate.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
- Using a serrated knife, cut off the dome from both cakes, then slice each one in half horizontally.
- Place the first layer on a platter. Spread 1/3 of the tangerine curd on top, leaving about 1 cm around the edges. Add cream cheese frosting (about 1/5 of the total amount made) and spread carefully over the curd.
- Top with the second layer and repeat the process. Top with the third layer and repeat. Add the fourth layer and cover with cream cheese icing, but skip the tangerine curd. Crumb coat the outside of the cake with cream cheese icing, scrape with a spatula to smooth and achieve the “semi-naked” look.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Holiday Cake Recipes:
Strawberry And White Chocolate Charlotte Cake
No Eggs, No Milk, No Butter Cake
Gender Reveal Surprise Cake Recipe
Mira, you are the queen of cakes! You seriously make the most beautiful ones…better than a bakery! I’m loving this tangerine layer cake. Such a great idea to use tangerine curd, and with your sugared cranberries, too! So stunning and just perfect for the holidays!
Such a pretty and delicious looking cake, Mira. Tangerine, curd and cream cheese sound like a lovely pairing. Wish you a lovely holiday.
This cake is so stunning Mira, I love the sound of the tangerine flavours! The curd sounds so delicious! Pinned <3
This tangerine layer cake looks BEYOND delicious. And I love the little toppings you added!
Esta torta es realmente espectacular !! La hice y ya quedara entre mis favoritas . gracias desde Argentina ❤
This cake is really spectacular !! I made it and its already one of my favourites. Thanks from Argentina ❤
Thank you so much Mily!
Beautiful cake! Will be making it for the holidays!
SO SO SO Pretty!!!!
Beautiful and colorful cake, everything looks yum!
Hi Mira , your cake looks so beautiful & decadent . Thinking of making it for the coming Chinese New Year .is it ok to make it with mamderines instead of tangerines as during Chinese New Year it is traditional to have manderines.
Can you tell me how do you make the candied tangerines slices for decoration?
Also , do you need to cool the cake inverted ? I always have problems of cake sinking & damp tops.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes, looking forward to your comments.
Hi, here is a tutorial how to make candied blood oranges, it will be the same with fresh mandarins: https://cookinglsl.com/easy-candied-blood-orange-slices-recipe/. I don not cool the cake inverted, this type of cake, never sinks on me, it is moist, but at the same time dense. Let me know how it turns.
I’d love to try this recipe. Is it possible to make it with whipping cream and gelatine rather than cream cheese?
Yes, stabilized whipped cream with gelatin will work