Chocolate Spice Mandarin Orange Pudding Cake

Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour*
- 2/3 cup Dutched cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 cups Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons mandarin orange zest, no white bitter pith
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 2 mandarin oranges
- 1/2 cup Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- Chocolate Ganache or Sauce
- *Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 310°F.
- Butter a 10-inch Bundt cake pan liberally. Let butter solidify and repeat process. When butter has firmed, dust with a tablespoon of flour and shake out excess. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and 2 cups sugar and set aside.
- In a bowl large enough to hold all ingredients, whisk together eggs and buttermilk until well combined. Add oil, vanilla, mandarin zest and salt and whisk smooth.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 cup water until hot.
- Add dry ingredients to buttermilk-egg mixture and whisk smooth. Add hot water in 3 increments, while whisking batter smooth in between additions.
- Scrape batter into pan and place in oven, bake for 60-65 minutes until center of cake bounces back when lightly pressed with a finger or until an inserted toothpick comes clean.
- Allow cake to cool then turn upside down onto a serving platter. Gently remove cake pan and wrap immediately with plastic wrap. Set aside.
- Use a sharp serrated knife to cut mandarin oranges in very thin slices. Dip slices into sugar and place on a non stick silicone mat.
- Place in oven at 150°F for several hours until mandarin slices are nearly crisp. If oven temperature cannot be set below 200°F turn oven on and off to retain an oven temperature between 120°F-150°F.
- Prepare Chocolate Ganache and pour onto cake. Decorate with crisp mandarin slices.
To save time, instead of using the crisp candied mandarin orange slices, you can decorate cake with whole mandarin orange segments or use any type of orange you desire.