Oh Cutie! Coconut Cake with Mandarin Reduction

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First ... an admission.  I'm susceptible to advertising.  (Isn't everyone?)  Well, all those commercials for Cuties, the easy-peeling mandarins, have made me want to eat all sorts of small, orange, citrus fruits.  Bring on the mandarins or clementines or tangerines.  And, let me tell you, my mind has not been satisfied with just eating the fruit.  Oh no... I needed to cook with it.

Fortunately for me, Megan was in need of a treat to eat with her mother-in-law while watching the royal wedding.  Say no more!  How about a coconut cake infused with the lovely flavor of reduced mandarin juice?

The result is a delicious cake with no need for frosting.  The juice provides a softer, flavorful top layer to the cake that makes it almost like it has a built-in frosting.  

Coconut Cake with Mandarin Reduction

Makes an 8- or 9-inch cake

Ingredients:

1/3 cup shredded coconut

1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur Flour blend)

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup sugar

1 cup coconut milk (light is ok)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

juice from approximately 8 mandarins (1/2 cup)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375.

Oil an 8- or 9-inch square pan.

Lightly toast coconut in  a dry skillet over a medium-low heat.  Remove from heat when first pieces turn golden brown. Remove from heat, and set aside

In a medium bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt.  Stir with a whisk.

In a large bowl, combine melted coconut oil, sugar, coconut milk and vanilla.

Add in shredded coconut.

Mix dry ingredients into wet.

Stir apple cider vinegar into batter.

Pour batter into oiled pan.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

While cake is baking, in a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup juice to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the juice is reduced by half to a quarter cup.

Pierce cake with a toothpick approximately 15 times once it's on the cooling rack.  Pour reduced juice over the cake.  Serve and Enjoy!

This post was shared as part of Cybele Pascal's Allergy Friendly Fridays and Real Food Weekly at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang, and Amy Green's Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.  We also shared it with Allergy Free Wednesdays. Please visit to check out some other great recipes. 

Happy Cooking!

Kim & Megan

Find more tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen and Gluten-free Vegan Recipes.