INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup milk
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 1½ cups flour
• 1¾ tspn. baking powder
• ½ tspn. cinnamon
• ¼ tspn. salt
• 3 tspn. mandarin orange zest
• 3 eggs
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup orange marmalade
• 2 Tbs. orange liqueur or whisky cream
• ¾ cup amaretti cookies; finely crushed
• 6 small-medium mandarin oranges; separated with as much white pith removed as possible

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a large (11″) round springform pan. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter together until it simmers. Take off heat. Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and zest together. Set aside. In another bowl, using a mixer, cream the eggs until pale and fluffy. Slowly beat in the 1½ cups sugar and continue to mix until almost frothy. Beat the milk into the egg mixture and then add the flour blend. It will have a thin consistency. Pour into the buttered pan and bake for 30 minutes. In a saucepan over med-high, whisk together the sugar and water until sugar dissolves and it starts to turn caramel-colored. Add in the marmalade. Stir another few minutes until thickened. Take off heat and add in the liqueur. Cool for 10 minutes, then chill for 20 minutes in the freezer. When cake is done, and cooled a bit, spread half the caramel topping over cake. Sprinkle most of the crushed amaretti cookies, and lay the mandarin segments on. Sprinkle with the rest of the amaretti, and pour the remaining topping over top as well.