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Cream Cakes, Whipped Cream Cakes, Layer Cakes

Mandarin Cream Cake

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Pink Easter cake with piped cream bunnies, cocoa cream nests and chocolate eggs
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Prep
1 hr 45 min
Bake
45 min
Total
2 hr 30 min

This Easter cake is an absolute highlight for any Easter celebration! With its moist vanilla lemon sponge layers, a creamy cream cheese filling, fruity mandarins and crunchy almonds, it's the perfect combination of freshness and sweetness. Decorated with chocolate Easter eggs, cream nests and sweet piped cream bunnies, it's not only a treat to eat but a real showstopper on the Easter table!

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This easy Easter recipe is wonderful to make ahead and is perfect as a festive cake for Easter brunch, afternoon coffee or as an Easter dessert. The combination of lemon and vanilla gives the cake a lovely springtime flavor, while the mandarins add a pleasant freshness.

Bake this beautiful Easter cake with me and bring spring to your plate! 🌸🐣

Ingredients

Sponge

  • 4eggs
  • 1 cup200 ggranulated sugar
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • 2 tspvanilla sugar1 packet = 2 tsp (8 g). Sugar flavored with real vanilla, sold in Germany in small packets of about 8 g. In the US use 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar for each 8 g packet; in the UK, vanilla sugar sachets from the baking aisle, or 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar per sachet.
  • lemon zest
  • ¾ cup180 mlcanola oil(UK: rapeseed oil)
  • ¾ cup180 mlmilk
  • 2 ½ cups320 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • 1 tspbaking powderGerman baking powder is sold in 15 g packets, each meant for about 500 g (4 cups) of flour. In the US and the UK, use regular baking powder (1 tbsp plus ¾ tsp per 15 g packet).

Cream cheese filling

  • 14 oz400 gcream cheeseA soft, full-fat fresh cheese. In the US use full-fat cream cheese; in the UK, full-fat soft cheese.
  • 1 ½ cups350 mlheavy creamGerman cream for whipping has about 30 to 32 percent fat. In the US use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream; in the UK, whipping cream (double cream also works but whips faster, so watch it).
  • 1 to 2 tbspgranulated sugar
  • 2 tbspwhipped cream stabilizerA powder of modified starch and sugar that keeps whipped cream firm; one packet is used for about 1 cup (250 ml) of cream. In the US use whipped cream stabilizer powder (sold online and in some baking aisles), or about 1 tbsp nonfat dry milk powder per cup of cream; in the UK, cream stabiliser powder (sold online), or a spoonful of mascarpone whipped in with the cream.
  • 1 canmandarin oranges
  • ½ cup plus 1 tbsp50 galmondssliced (UK: flaked)

Mascarpone cream

  • 18 oz500 gmascarpone
  • 1 ½ cups350 gheavy cream
  • 1 cup plus 1 tbsp130 gpowdered sugarVery finely ground sugar for icings and dusting. In the US use powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar); in the UK, icing sugar.
  • 2 tbspwhipped cream stabilizer
  • vanilla

You will also need

  • 1 tbspunsweetened cocoa powderPure unsweetened cocoa powder for baking. In the US use unsweetened cocoa powder (not hot cocoa mix); in the UK, cocoa powder (not drinking chocolate).
  • pink food coloring
  • chocolate eggs

Method

Sponge

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°C) convection (fan). Line the bottom of a springform pan with parchment paper.

  2. Beat the eggs with the sugar, salt, vanilla sugar and lemon zest for about 10 minutes.

  3. Turn the stand mixer to low speed, pour in the milk and oil, then briefly stir in the flour and baking powder.

  4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 45 minutes.

  5. After baking, let the cake cool in the pan.

  6. Once the sponge has cooled completely, release it from the ring and cut it into 5 layers. Alternatively, 3 layers work great too.

  7. Put the bottom layer back into the pan so it's ready for the filling.

Cream cheese filling

  1. Drain the mandarin oranges, saving the juice to soak the sponge layers.

  2. Stir the cream cheese with the sugar, then pour in the cream.

  3. Whip the mixture until stiff. Just before it's done, sprinkle in the whipped cream stabilizer and briefly whip it in.

  4. First soak the bottom layer in the pan with some of the juice, then spread a portion of the cream over it. Scatter a few mandarins over the cream and cover with another layer. Keep filling the cake like this until the cream, mandarins and layers are used up.

  5. Now chill the cake in the fridge for at least three hours.

Mascarpone cream

  1. Stir the mascarpone with the powdered sugar, adding a little vanilla if you like.

  2. Gradually pour in the cream and whip everything until stiff. Just before it's done, sprinkle in the whipped cream stabilizer again and briefly beat it in.

  3. Now use the cream to frost the cake, but first set aside two small portions: one for the bunnies around the edge and another for the cream nests. "Color" the nest portion with a little sifted cocoa powder.

  4. Tint most of the cream pink with a little food coloring and frost the cake generously and smoothly with it.

  5. Pipe the dark cream into nests with a grass piping tip, and pipe the white cream into bunnies with a small star tip.

  6. Fill the leftover cream from the bunnies and nests into a piping bag and pipe it around the edge as a border.

  7. Finally, place the chocolate eggs on top.