This is the best mandarin cake recipe. It's a delightful German-style cake with tinned mandarin oranges, whipped cream, and almond meringue. Everybody just loves this cake!
This mandarin cake is another mother-in-law typical German recipe, just like the Beef Roulades, German Cabbage Salad, or the Salad "Torte".
This mandarin cake with whipped cream was one of the first cakes I ate in Germany. Heaven! It's one of the best cakes ever! The mandarin oranges made it sweet yet refreshing, and the almond meringue made it creamy yet crunchy. So good! You would love it, I am sure!
Mix a few ingredients, whip some heavy cream, and fill the cake; if you leave out the 20 minutes of baking and the short cooling time, you will not need more than 30 minutes to make this mandarin orange cake.
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The ingredients
Mandarin oranges from a can: Fresh mandarins or clementines would not work unless you want to spend hours removing the white skin from every mandarin segment.
- I use lightly sweetened canned fruit, but you can also choose the unsweetened version; the cake is sweet enough to take that.
Almonds: I use almonds for the meringue.
Cream stabilizer: To help stabilize the cream, I use Sahnesteif or whipped cream stabilizer (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab). One packet weighs 8 g/ 0.3 oz and is enough for 250 ml/ 1 cup of heavy cream. A similar product is more easily available in your country, but make sure to read the packet's instructions to determine how much you will need for the required amount of cream.
The cream stabilizer isn’t always necessary; decide if the whipped cream is stable enough. You can substitute it with a 1:1 mix of icing sugar and cornstarch - combine 3 teaspoons each and use as directed in the recipe.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Try more German bakery-style cakes like German Plum Cake, Blitzkuchen, or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.
How to make mandarin cream cake?
Meringue: Separate two eggs; you will need the whites for the meringue and the yolks for the cake. Beat the egg whites with sugar and vanilla extract to make the meringue. Set aside. The meringue will come on top of the unbaked cake batter, and they will be baked in one go.
Cake batter: Beat the soft butter and the sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks. Add a mixture of flour and baking powder. Mix into the butter mixture alternating with the milk.
Bake: Spread the batter onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Spread the meringue evenly on top and sprinkle with the almonds. Bake and let cool completely. It will not take long.
Cut the cake: Cut the cake crosswise in the middle to have two equal parts. Carefully run a long knife under each piece of cake to remove the baking paper more easily.
Make the filling: Beat the heavy cream (and stabilizer if using) until stiff. Drain the mandarin oranges and pat them lightly with kitchen paper to remove excess moisture. Fold the fruit into the whipped cream.
Assemble: Place one slice on a serving platter and cover it with the filling. Place the other cake slice on top and press gently.
Serve and store
The German mandarin cream cake is best served on the day you make it. However, you could prepare the meringue cake base one day in advance. Once the cake is assembled with the whipped cream, keep it refrigerated.
The leftovers are still delicious the next day, but the meringue is not crunchy anymore.
Happy baking!
German Mandarin Cream Cake
Equipment
- Baking sheet approximately 30x40 cm/ 12x15 inches
Ingredients
Meringue:
- 2 egg whites
- 100 g sugar ½ cup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100 g slivered almonds 1 cup
Base of the cake:
- 125 g soft butter ½ cup
- 80 g sugar ⅓ cup
- 2 egg yolks
- 120 g all-purpose flour 1 cup
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 125 ml milk ½ cup
Filling:
- 500 ml heavy cream 2 cups
- 2 cans mandarin oranges ca 10 oz/ 300 ml each can
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/ 370°F. Line the baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.
Meringue:
- Separate 2 eggs and keep the whites and the yolks separated.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff. Slowly add the sugar and beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. Incorporate the vanilla extract. Set aside.2 egg whites + 100 g sugar/ ½ cup +½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cake:
- Beat the soft butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the egg yolks and add them to the batter.125 g soft butter/ ½ cup + 80 g sugar/ ⅓ cup + 2 egg yolks
- Mix the flour and the baking powder. Mix into the butter mixture alternatively with the milk.120 g all-purpose flour/ 1 cup + 2 teaspoons baking powder + 125 ml milk/ ½ cup
- Assemble: Evenly spread the mixture onto the prepared baking tray. Spread the meringue on top of the batter. Sprinkle the meringue with the slivered almonds.100 g slivered almonds/ 1 cup
- Bake the cake base for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer the cake together with its baking paper on a wire rack and let cool completely. It will not take that long.
Fill:
- Cut the cake: When the cake is cool, divide it in the middle crosswise, so that you have two equal halves. Run a long knife underneath the cake base to more easily release the baking paper. Place one half on a serving platter.
- Whip cream: Pour the heavy cream into a mixing bowl and beat until the cream has the desired consistency. Use cream stabilizer or substitute if desired (see note).500 ml heavy cream/ 2 cups
- Drain the mandarin oranges well and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Fold them into the whipped cream. Spread the mixture onto the cake on the platter.2 cans mandarin oranges
- Cover with the second cake half and press gently. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Notes
The cream stabilizer can be replaced with a 1:1 mixture of icing sugar and cornstarch. In this case, you will mix 3 teaspoons of icing sugar with 3 teaspoons of cornstarch. To use it, beat the cream briefly. Then, slowly add the stabilizer or substitute and mix until the cream has achieved the desired consistency.
Sandra Tien says
Wow I can't wait to start this recipe. A nurse of mine let me try her cake . I was hooked instantly.. So thank you so much for this. Here's to happy time cooking!??
Adina says
This is one of my favorite cakes, I think you will love it as well. Happy baking! 🙂
grace says
what a luscious cake!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
What a lovely cake. I especially love that it's a family recipe! I love to bake, but I can't image owning and baking for a bakery! That's a whole lot of baking!
Monica says
Looks great! I love the layers and am particularly happy to see the almond meringue. Lovely recipe!
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
How sad the bakery had to close. It sounds like it had a lot of amazing baked goods. I'm glad you are sharing some the recipes. They are all equally amazing, and I want to try them all! With this one, you got me with cream and then again at almond meringue!
Anca says
The cake sounds delicious, I would love to try it. What a treat to have a mother-in-law from a family of bakers, sharing recipes and talking about baking. Love that.