1-1/8 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
12 Tablespoons (6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
2-1/4 cups (15.75 oz) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/8 cups (9 oz) sour cream
3 (11 oz) cans mandarin oranges, drained
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
slivered almonds and 2 extra (11 oz) cans of mandarin oranges for garnish
Whipped Cream Frosting:
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
8 teaspoons cold water
2 cups heavy whipping cream (36% is best)
1/2 cup (2 oz) confectioners' sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet (12 x 18 inches) with butter and flour. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Using a stand or hand-held mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar until light colored (about 3 minutes). Mixture will be grainy. Add eggs, sour cream, mandarin oranges and lemon juice until well-combined. Add dry ingredients and mix only until just combined. You do not want to overmix here. (This is where a stand mixer really comes in handy with the stir function.) Add the cake batter to prepared baking sheet and smooth the top. Bake in the oven for 28-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle returns clean. (Remember, all ovens vary in temperature so cooking times will vary. Always check on your cake early.) Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. For the whipped cream, in a small pan, combine the gelatin and cold water, stirring to incorporate. Place pan over low heat, stirring constantly until the gelatin dissolves into the water. Remove from heat and let it cool, but do not let it set. In a stand mixer, whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar until slightly thick. Slowly add the cooled but liquidy gelatin to the whipping cream. Whip at high speed until stiff. If you are looking for an overwhelmingly orange flavored cake, add 1-2 teaspoons of orange extract to the cake batter.