Vegan Mozartball Cake (Pistachio Marzipan Nougat Cake)
A while ago, while scrolling threw Pinterest, Sarah came across a picture of a (unfortunately not vegan) mozartball cake. Since then, she and I couldn't stop thinking about it – after all, we are the biggest Mozartkugel fans in the office. Unfortunately, we can't eat them anymore because they're not vegan. Yes, we know a vegan version exists, but the filling is completely different and doesn't come close to the original. The original version consists of chocolate, pistachios, marzipan and nougat – a dream combination, right? There are many different versions of the praline. In some, the fillings are arranged circularly, others have two layers with a core in the middle. The arrangement of the layers often varies.
Finally, Sarah and my dream came true: The recipe idea landed right on our wish list for this month, et voilà: Here comes our interpretation in all its glory.
I decided to build the cake like the mozartball from my childhood: The bottom has a marzipan layer. It consists of a marzipan sponge cake to which I added grated marzipan for more flavor. Next, I hollowed out the base and filled it with a creamy, fluffy nougat filling. The nougat is followed by a pistachio sponge cake. I added some spinach to make the cake extra green, which you can't taste after baking, ha! Finally, the cake is covered with chocolate and there you go.
Can you make the cake into muffins?
When developing the recipe, we took you along on Instagram and showed you not a big cake but many small muffins. So if you're wondering whether you can bake lots of little cupcakes instead of one cake, my answer is yes! The baking time is much shorter, of course, so always have an eye on the oven and do the chopstick test.
Can the cake be prepared a day ahead and how long does it keep?
Not only can it be prepared the day before – it is even better to do so. It takes time to prepare the bases and to let them cool completely. Also, the cake has to be assembled and covered with chocolate, which also needs some time to dry. You can tell there's a lot to do. We recommend eating the cake within a week (if stored in the refrigerator). By the way, you can also freeze it without any problems. It still tastes like freshly baked, yay.
How does the nougat cream remain stable?
For the nougat cream, we used coconut oil-based cream cheese, so to make it as stable as possible and not have the filling run out when cutting, we stored the vegan whipped cream in the refrigerator before using it. Using lots of cream stiffener also helps, so feel free to use more if your whip cream is not as stiff as it should be.
Vegan Mozartball Cake (Pistachio Marzipan Nougat Cake)
Ingredients
For the marzipan sponge cake base:
- 250 g (2 cups) spelt flour (type 630) or wheat flour (type 405)
- 120 g (0.25 lb) ground almonds
- 150 g (0.66 cup) sugar
- 10 g (2 tsp) vanilla sugar
- 10 g (2 tsp) baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 225 g (0.5 lb) marzipan
- 75 ml (0.33 cup) neutral vegetable oil
- 300 ml (1.25 cups) sparkling water
- 3-4 drops of bitter almond flavoring
- vegan butter or vegetable oil for greasing
For the pistachio sponge cake base:
- 120 g (1 cup) spelt flour (type 630) or wheat flour (type 405)
- 100 g (0.25 lb) ground pistachios
- 15 g (1 oz) chopped pistachios
- 100 g (0.5 cup) sugar
- 5 g (1 tsp) vanilla sugar
- 10 g (2 tsp) baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 30 g (1 oz) spinach (fresh or frozen)
- 50 ml (0.25 cup) neutral vegetable oil
- 200 ml (0.75 cup) sparkling water
For the nougat filling:
- 150 g (0.33 lb) vegan nougat for baking
- 150 ml (0.66 cup) plant-based cream (for whipping)
- 1 tsp cream stiffener
- 150 g (0.33 lb) plant-based cream cheese (coconut oil based)
- 20 g (0.75 0z) cocoa powder
Also:
- 250 g (0.5 lb) vegan dark chocolate
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (convection heat). For the marzipan sponge cake, combine flour, ground almonds, sugar, vanilla sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Finely grate the marzipan and add it, along with neutral vegetable oil, sparkling water and bitter almond flavoring. Mix the ingredients with a whisk until a smooth dough forms.
Pour the batter into a greased and floured springform pan (∅ 20 cm / ø 8 inches) and bake for about 45 minutes at 180 °C / 350 °F (convection heat). Test with a chopstick whether the cake is ready.
For the pistachio sponge cake, combine flour, ground and chopped pistachios, sugar, vanilla sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Next, puree the fresh spinach with an immersion blender and add it to the bowl along with neutral vegetable oil and sparkling water and mix everything with a whisk until smooth.
Pour the batter into a greased and floured springform pan (∅ 20 cm / ø 8 inches) and bake for about 45 minutes at 180 °C / 350 °F (convection heat). Again, use a chopstick to test whether the cake is ready.
In the meantime, prepare the nougat filling: To do so, melt vegan nougat in a double boiler and set aside briefly to cool. Next, whip the vegan whipped cream with cream stiffener until stiff. Now add plant-based cream cheese and cocoa powder and mix. Finally, add the nougat and gently fold in. Let sit in the refrigerator.
Once the marzipan base has cooled, straighten the top with a cake knife or divider. Then scoop out the inner part. The edge should be about 2 cm / 0.8 inch thick.
Pour the nougat cream into the hollowed-out cake base and smooth it out.
If desired, round the top of the cooled pistachio cake with a sharp knife to resemble a mozartkugel, then place it on the marzipan base.
Melt vegan dark chocolate in a double boiler and use it to cover the cake.
Tip: To avoid wasting chocolate, place the assembled cake on a wire rack and place reusable baking paper underneath. This way, you can easily transfer the chocolate back into a bowl after frosting and continue to use it.
