Ready for day two of my guest posting saviors? Please welcome Vicki from Wilde in the Kitchen! She became a master of homemade candy last year, and this year has been tackling a list of homemade items which you would normally buy at the grocery store – called the “Why Bother? Challenge”. It is really amazing how easy it is to make so many things we buy on a regular basis instead. She’s also a science nerd like me so be sure to check out her blog!

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I’m thrilled to be doing my first ever guest post here on The Spiffy Cookie! I’m always so impressed with Erin’s posts and the fact that she puts up a new and delicious recipe every day of the week! I graduated with my phd a few years ago and I can totally relate to all of her posts about spending the weekend in the lab and explaining to your family that you are in school but you don’t take classes! I don’t know how she manages to post everyday, I was lucky if I had time to feed myself in grad school, not to mention feed the internets!

I decided to share this recipe with you today because of how it was received at work. I baked this cake over the weekend and cut a slice to photograph and then subsequently eat. On Monday I brought it in and set it in the lunchroom with a simple note “Tangerine pound cake”. Upon returning thirty minutes later, I found an empty cake platter with much of the icing scraped off too. Aww, I wanted some…

I just had to laugh. I work with many formed grad students and you never lose the grad student mentality of “free food is always welcome”. I’m sure Erin is also aware of this mantra. If you get an email mentioning free food, you better get there fast or it will be gone!

Tangerine Pound Cake

Luckily, you can make your own tangerine pound cake, although I wouldn’t be upset if there were a free one sitting in front of me right now! If you have access to tangerines, you should use their rind and juice. If you can’t find them at the store (like me) feel free to substitute orange peel and tangerine juice from the bottle.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter, melted
6 ounces, less-fat cream cheese
2 eggs
1/4 canola oil
2 tbsp grated orange peel
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup tangerine juice

1/2 cup tangerine juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Coat a bundt pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl, beat together sugar, butter, cream cheese until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Add oil, vanilla extract and orange peel.

Add 1/3 flour mixture to the sugar mixture.  Add heavy cream.  Add 1/3 more flour.  Add tangerine juice.  Add final amount of flour and beat until smooth.  Pour cake batter into the bundt pan and smooth the top.

Bake cake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Test cake with a toothpick, it should come out only with crumbs clinging.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove pan and allow to cool completely right side up.

Prepare the glaze once the cake is cool.  In a small saucepan, bring tangerine juice to a boil and cook until reduced by half.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.  Add salt and whisk to dissolve.  Add powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.  Pour over the cake and allow it to pool in the middle.