Ever wonder what would happen if you put mandarin oranges in a cake? Well, you are about to find out with this mandarin orange cake with cream cheese frosting. The cake is moist and flavorful and there are only a handful of ingredients in this recipe. So simple and delicious!

A simple dessert recipe that you could impress guests with is this Mandarin Orange Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It starts with a cake mix and a can of mandarin oranges and is topped with an easy to make cream cheese frosting.
The recipe simple; the cake flavorful. Another simple cake recipe is Rainbow Sherbet Cake.
The ingredients
- Yellow Cake Mix
- 1 stick butter (or margarine)
- 3 eggs
- 1 can mandarin oranges, with juice
Does the oranges stay in chunks?
I know you are asking that because I was curious as to how the putting mandarins in would effect the cake. Other cakes have fruit in them, or on them, like this classic pineapple upside down cake, but nobody wants mushy orange pieces in their dessert. I know I don't.
When you use a mixer to mix all the ingredients, the mandarin oranges break up into little pieces and then when cooked, bake almost completely into the cake.
The juice from the oranges and the oranges themselves, have such a great flavor that make the cake soft, moist and delicious!
How to make this cake recipe
To mix this cake up, you just take all these ingredients and put them in a mixing bowl. Then mix them up. Yes, that easy. No adding this, slowly add that. Just put it all in and mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
The mix doesn't look all that appealing at first glance. But don't worry, it gets better the more you mix!
Odds and Ends
:: You can bake this in a 9x13 cake pan or layered (2) 9 inch round pan.
:: The cake is topped with a cream cheese frosting. You can use regular frosting from a can or your own frosting recipe, but the cream cheese frosting really accents the flavors. (You can click on the link to find the frosting recipe I use.)
:: Be sure to add the juice with the mandarin oranges. I know it will go against your instincts, but trust me, it needs the juice to add enough liquid to the batter. It also helps the flavor.
Pin for later!
How to store this cake
If you have leftovers, you can put the cake pan in the fridge with plastic wrap over top. You could also cut out the pieces and place them in an air tight container. Be sure to refrigerate any leftovers.
📖 Recipe
Mandarin Orange Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Print PinIngredients
- 1 pkg yellow cake mix
- ½ cup butter or margarine
- 3 eggs
- 15 oz mandarin oranges with juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer
- Bake in a greased 9x13 cake pan for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- Let cool for 30 minutes then add cream cheese frosting (see post above)
- Refrigerate after spreading on frosting, until ready to serve
- Please note the calories do not include the cream cheese frosting in the total
Virginia May
could you turn this into a poke cake and use some orange juice to pour over? Or do you think it would make it too soggy?
Kim
I've never tried that... I can't say with certainty either way. I would imagine if you didn't use a lot, it would be okay. If you end up trying it, let me know how it goes!