Honey Mandarin Orange Butter Cake

Honey mandarin orange butter cake is the kind of bake that brings a little sunshine to a gray day. It is tender, buttery, and loaded with bright orange flavor from fresh juice, zest, and chopped mandarins. A simple honey orange glaze on top makes it shine.

This one bakes up in a bundt pan, so it looks impressive with almost no effort. The batter comes together in a stand mixer, and the glaze is just a quick stir of a few ingredients.

Zest your mandarins before you juice them; it is far easier to grate a whole fruit than a squeezed one.

Why You’ll Love This Orange Butter Cake

• The crumb is soft and buttery with a gentle honey sweetness
• Fresh mandarin zest gives it a bright, citrusy aroma the second it comes out of the oven
• This honey mandarin orange butter cake tastes like edible sunshine, perfect for chasing away a dreary day

Ingredient Notes

A quick rundown of the players here. The exact measurements in the recipe card below have everything you need, so this is just to explain why each one matters.

• Butter, softened, gives the cake its rich, tender crumb
• Honey sweetens the cake and adds a warm, floral depth
• Eggs add structure and a soft, even rise
• Mandarin orange juice and zest bring the bright citrus flavor front and center
• Diced mandarin oranges add little pockets of fresh fruit throughout
• Confectioners sugar and honey make the simple glaze that finishes the cake

For equipment you will want a stand mixer, a bundt pan greased well, a microplane for the zest, and a cooling rack. A small bowl handles the glaze.

How to Make Honey Mandarin Orange Butter Cake

Making this honey mandarin orange butter cake follows the classic creaming method, with the citrus folded in at the end. Here is how it goes.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a bundt pan generously
2. Cream the butter and honey together, then beat in the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla
3. Whisk the dry ingredients separately, then mix them into the wet until just combined
4. Add the juice and milk and beat for about 3 minutes to smooth the batter
5. Stir in the orange pieces and zest by hand, then pour into the pan and bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean
6. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, flip onto a rack, and cool fully before glazing

This makes about 8 servings in a standard bundt, and the batter also fills mini bundt molds nicely; just shorten the bake time and start checking around 20 minutes. You can bake the cake a day ahead and glaze it just before serving.

Storage Options

This orange cake keeps its moisture well thanks to the honey and butter. Store it covered so the crumb stays soft.

1. Keep it covered at room temperature for up to 3 days
2. Refrigerate, well wrapped, for up to 1 week
3. Freeze the unglazed cake for up to 3 months, then thaw and glaze before serving

Variations & Substitutions

This cake is easy to make your own. The orange flavor plays well with all sorts of small tweaks.

1. Use any orange variety you like; navel or blood orange both work in place of mandarin
2. Add a splash of orange liqueur to the glaze for a grown up version
3. Stir in a handful of dried cranberries for a tart contrast
4. Swap a little of the honey for maple syrup for a different warmth

What to Serve with Honey Mandarin Orange Butter Cake

This honey mandarin orange butter cake is lovely on its own, but a few simple pairings make it feel like a real treat. Keep things light so the citrus stays the star.

1. A scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream
2. A cup of coffee or black tea to balance the sweetness
3. Fresh berries or a few extra mandarin segments on the side
4. If you are baking for a crowd, pair it with a showstopper like this fun ice cream cone cake for variety

Before you preheat the oven, here are a few common questions answered.

This cake is proof that you do not need a special occasion to bake something cheerful. The honey, butter, and bright orange come together into a slice that feels like a little ray of sun. Make it on a gloomy afternoon and watch the mood lift.

A Beautiful Bite

Honey Mandarin Orange Butter Cake

4.84 from 6 votes

A cake full of zippy orange flavor sweetened with all natural honey. Guaranteed to brighten winter weary palates.

Prep:20 minutes mins

Cook:40 minutes mins

Total:1 hour hr

Servings:8 slice

Author:A Beautiful Bite

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Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup butter softened
• ▢ 1½ cups honey
• ▢ 4 eggs
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 3 cups flour
• ▢ 2 tsp baking powder
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ ½ cup fresh pressed mandarin orange juice or any other type of orange
• ▢ ½ cup milk
• ▢ ½ cup mandarin oranges finely diced
• ▢ 2 Tbsp mandarin orange zest
• ▢ 1 cup confectioners sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup honey
• ▢ ½ Tbsp melted butter
• ▢ 2 tsp mandarin orange zest
• ▢ 1½ tsp fresh pressed mandarin orange juice

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350º. Generously grease a bundt pan.
• Cream together the butter and honey in a stand mixer. (it might not be entirely smooth and that’s ok)
• Add eggs one at a time and beat over medium speed until incorporated.
• Add vanilla.
• In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well and add to the wet ingredients in the stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until it comes together.
• Add juice and milk and beat over medium speed for three more minutes.
• Remove from stand and by hand stir in the orange pieces and the zest.
• Pour into greased bundt pan and bake at 350º for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Let pan sit for ten minutes and then flip onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
• For the glaze, mix all glaze ingredients together and spoon over cake.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 409kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 7.9gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 6.8gTrans Fat: 0.9gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 337mgPotassium: 89mgFiber: 1.3gSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 41400IUCalcium: 940mgIron: 0.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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