Tangerine Dream Cake

**Tangerine Dream Cake** is the fifteenth recipe featured in Double Fudge Brownie Murder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

**Hannah’s 1st Note: I think it’s possible to make this cake by hand, but it will take a strong arm to do it. Lisa and I use an electric stand mixer. Some people may still have a food grinder in their kitchen cabinet. If you do, get it out and use it. If you don’t, use a food processor and the steel blade to process the tangerines after you juice them, the raisins, and the pecans.**

## Ingredients

* 3 ripe tangerines ***(choose the ones with perfect skin—you’ll be using that, too!)***
* 1 cup golden raisins ***(Regular raisins will also work, but I think that the golden raisins work best in this recipe.)***
* 2/3 cup pecans
* 2 cups all-purpose flour ***(Don’t pack it down. Just scoop it out and level off the top of your measuring cup with a table knife.)***
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg ***(freshly grated is best)***
* 1 and 1/3 cups white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1/2 cup (***1 stick, 4 ounces, 1/4 pound)*** salted butter, softened to room temperature
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup whole milk
* 2 large eggs
* 1/4 cup whole milk ***(This brings the milk total up to one cup.)***

## Directions

* Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan. ***(Alternatively, you can spray the pan with baking spray, the kind with flour in it.)***
* Wash the outside of your tangerines, then cut them in half and juice them. Save one-third cup of the juice. You’ll be using it in the Tangerine Dream Cake topping. If there is more than cup of tangerine juice, pour the excess into a little container and save it to add to your cake batter.
* Pick out the seeds and throw them away, then cut the pulp and rind into quarters.
* If you have a food grinder, grind the tangerine pulp and rind with the raisins and the pecans. If you don’t have a grinder, simply put the tangerine pulp and rind into the bowl of your food processor with the steel blade in place. Add the raisins and the pecans. Process them with an on and off motion until they’re chopped as finely as they’d be if you’d used a food grinder. ***(They should look as finely ground as hamburger.)***
* Set the ground tangerine, raisin, and pecan mixture aside in a bowl on the counter.
* Leave your steel blade in the food processor and don’t wash the bowl. You’ll be using it to finely chop a quarter-cup of pecans for the topping once your Tangerine Dream Cake has baked.
* If you had any excess tangerine juice ***(anything over the cup you’re saving for the cake topping)*** add it to the tangerine, raisin, and pecan mixture. Stir it in and return the bowl to the counter.
* Measure out one cup of flour and put it in the bowl of your electric mixer. Add the salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and white sugar. Mix them together at LOW speed.
* Add the second cup of flour. Mix that in at LOW speed.
* Add the softened butter, the vanilla extract, and the ¾ cup whole milk. Beat at LOW speed until the flour is well moistened. Then turn the mixer up to MEDIUM HIGH speed.
* Beat for 2 minutes. Then shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
* Turn the mixer on LOW and add the eggs, one at a time, beating all the while. Then beat in the 1/4 cup whole milk. Once the eggs and the milk are incorporated, turn the mixer up to MEDIUM HIGH.
* Beat for 2 minutes. Then shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
* Remove the bowl from the mixer. You’re going to finish the Tangerine Dream Cake by hand.
* Gradually add the ground tangerine, raisin, and pecan mixture to the mixing bowl, folding it in gently as you go. The object is to keep as much air in the cake batter as you can.
* Pour the cake batter into the pan you prepared earlier. Smooth out the top with a rubber spatula.
* Bake your Tangerine Dream Cake at 350 degrees F. for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a thin wooden skewer or a cake tester that you poke into the center of the cake comes out clean. ***(I started testing my cake at 40 minutes, but there was still sticky batter clinging to the tester. The last time I baked this cake, it took the full 50 minutes.)***
* When your cake is done, take it out of the oven and place it on a wire rack or a cold burner on the stovetop.

### **Tangerine Dream Cake Topping**:

* 1/3 cup tangerine juice ***(from the tangerines you juiced earlier)***
* 1/2 cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

**Hannah’s 2nd Note: You must make the topping and put it on your cake while the cake is still piping hot from the oven.**

* Drizzle the cup of tangerine juice over the top of your hot cake.
* Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the tangerine juice on your cake.
* Finely chop more pecans. Measure out 1/4 cup and sprinkle them on top of the sugar on your cake.
* Let your cake cool to room temperature. Then cover it and refrigerate it. This will keep it nice and moist.
* You can serve your Tangerine Dream Cake at room temperature or chilled. It freezes well if you wrap it in foil and put it in a freezer bag.
* If you’d like to dress it up a bit, cut pieces, put them on pretty dessert plates, and decorate each piece with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.Double Fudge Brownie Murder **Tangerine Dream Cake** is the fifteenth recipe featured in Double Fudge Brownie Murder Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position. **Hannah’s 1st Note: I think it’s possible to make this cake by hand, but it will take a strong arm to do it. Lisa and I use an electric stand mixer. Some people may still have a food grinder in their kitchen cabinet. If you do, get it out and use it. If you don’t, use a food processor and the steel blade to process the tangerines after you juice them, the raisins, and the pecans.**

## Ingredients

* 3 ripe tangerines ***(choose the ones with perfect skin—you’ll be using that, too!)***
* 1 cup golden raisins ***(Regular raisins will also work, but I think that the golden raisins work best in this recipe.)***
* 2/3 cup pecans
* 2 cups all-purpose flour ***(Don’t pack it down. Just scoop it out and level off the top of your measuring cup with a table knife.)***
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg ***(freshly grated is best)***
* 1 and 1/3 cups white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1/2 cup (***1 stick, 4 ounces, 1/4 pound)*** salted butter, softened to room temperature
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup whole milk
* 2 large eggs
* 1/4 cup whole milk ***(This brings the milk total up to one cup.)***

## Directions

* Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan. ***(Alternatively, you can spray the pan with baking spray, the kind with flour in it.)***
* Wash the outside of your tangerines, then cut them in half and juice them. Save one-third cup of the juice. You’ll be using it in the Tangerine Dream Cake topping. If there is more than cup of tangerine juice, pour the excess into a little container and save it to add to your cake batter.
* Pick out the seeds and throw them away, then cut the pulp and rind into quarters.
* If you have a food grinder, grind the tangerine pulp and rind with the raisins and the pecans. If you don’t have a grinder, simply put the tangerine pulp and rind into the bowl of your food processor with the steel blade in place. Add the raisins and the pecans. Process them with an on and off motion until they’re chopped as finely as they’d be if you’d used a food grinder. ***(They should look as finely ground as hamburger.)***
* Set the ground tangerine, raisin, and pecan mixture aside in a bowl on the counter.
* Leave your steel blade in the food processor and don’t wash the bowl. You’ll be using it to finely chop a quarter-cup of pecans for the topping once your Tangerine Dream Cake has baked.
* If you had any excess tangerine juice ***(anything over the cup you’re saving for the cake topping)*** add it to the tangerine, raisin, and pecan mixture. Stir it in and return the bowl to the counter.
* Measure out one cup of flour and put it in the bowl of your electric mixer. Add the salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and white sugar. Mix them together at LOW speed.
* Add the second cup of flour. Mix that in at LOW speed.
* Add the softened butter, the vanilla extract, and the ¾ cup whole milk. Beat at LOW speed until the flour is well moistened. Then turn the mixer up to MEDIUM HIGH speed.
* Beat for 2 minutes. Then shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
* Turn the mixer on LOW and add the eggs, one at a time, beating all the while. Then beat in the 1/4 cup whole milk. Once the eggs and the milk are incorporated, turn the mixer up to MEDIUM HIGH.
* Beat for 2 minutes. Then shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
* Remove the bowl from the mixer. You’re going to finish the Tangerine Dream Cake by hand.
* Gradually add the ground tangerine, raisin, and pecan mixture to the mixing bowl, folding it in gently as you go. The object is to keep as much air in the cake batter as you can.
* Pour the cake batter into the pan you prepared earlier. Smooth out the top with a rubber spatula.
* Bake your Tangerine Dream Cake at 350 degrees F. for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a thin wooden skewer or a cake tester that you poke into the center of the cake comes out clean. ***(I started testing my cake at 40 minutes, but there was still sticky batter clinging to the tester. The last time I baked this cake, it took the full 50 minutes.)***
* When your cake is done, take it out of the oven and place it on a wire rack or a cold burner on the stovetop.

### **Tangerine Dream Cake Topping**:

* 1/3 cup tangerine juice ***(from the tangerines you juiced earlier)***
* 1/2 cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

**Hannah’s 2nd Note: You must make the topping and put it on your cake while the cake is still piping hot from the oven.**

* Drizzle the cup of tangerine juice over the top of your hot cake.
* Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the tangerine juice on your cake.
* Finely chop more pecans. Measure out 1/4 cup and sprinkle them on top of the sugar on your cake.
* Let your cake cool to room temperature. Then cover it and refrigerate it. This will keep it nice and moist.
* You can serve your Tangerine Dream Cake at room temperature or chilled. It freezes well if you wrap it in foil and put it in a freezer bag.
* If you’d like to dress it up a bit, cut pieces, put them on pretty dessert plates, and decorate each piece with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.