Mandarin Orange Sponge Cake, #TheCakeSliceBakers
Everywhere you turn a Mandarin orange perches atop two mochi (pounded rice) rounds during the Japanese New Year season. The Japanese mikan (aka Mandarin orange) symbolizes longevity and good health. Rounds of mochi represent the mirror that coaxed the cranky Japanese sun goddess, Amaterasu, out of her cave. Amaterasu, by the way, is the mythological mommy of Japan’s first emperor and birthed light into Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun...Japan was plunged into darkness as Amaterasu delivered the famous line...
