Vegan Sour Cream and Mandarin Cake with Edible Flowers
The other day, we asked you on Instagram whether you are Team Canned Peach or whether that's not an option for you. The majority joined „Team Canned Peach”, but what about canned mandarins? Is that the same category for you, so to say, do you automatically like tinned mandarins if you like tinned peaches? Well, whatever the connection is (or isn't), we really love the two canned fruits because they remind us of our childhood. And that's why the canned mandarins take pride in being on top of our cake today.
You probably all know the classic recipe for vegan peach and sour cream cake: fluffy sponge, peaches (from the tin) and sour cream. Today's vegan sour cream and mandarin cake recipe is very similar but also very different. Instead of sponge, we are baking a shortcrust pastry and use tangerines (from a tin) instead of peaches. The only thing that is the same is the plant-based sour cream. We prepare this with agartine, as gelatine is not used in the vegan diet. If you need further instructions, you can find them here – a detailed article with tips and tricks for ensuring your cake turns out like a dream. Leave your cake in the fridge overnight so that the cream sets properly and doesn't run away.
If you don't like mandarins, you can replace them with almost any other fruit, such as nectarines, peaches, berries, or anything else you like. You can also place the fruit directly on the shortcrust pastry, add the cream, or cut it into small pieces and mix it into the quark. Let your creativity run wild. There is no right or wrong here.
While we're on the subject of toppings: To make your cake look even more beautiful than it already does, we add a whole lot of dried flowers from Tante Fine to the edge. Tante Fine is a small manufactory with its own organic farm. They grow their own produce there, harvest everything by hand and generally make all their products entirely without additives or chemicals. The selection of dried flowers in their online store is huge. So please take a look and use them to spice up your dishes.
Vegan Sour Cream and Mandarin Cake with Edible Flowers
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 250 g (8.75 oz) wheat flour (type 405) or spelt flour (type 630)
- 75 g (0.33 cup) sugar
- 125 g (1 stick) vegan butter (cold)
- 1 pinch of salt
- ice cold water as required
For the cream:
- 200 ml (0.75 cup) vegan cream for whipping
- 16 g (3 tbsp) cream stiffener
- 16 g (4 tsp) vanilla sugar
- 200 ml (0.75 cup) juice from the tangerine can
- 20 g (0.75 oz) agar agar (100%)
- 100 g (0.5 cup) sugar
- 800 g (28 oz) vegan skyr/quark
Also:
- edible decorative flowers (e.g. from Tante Fine)
- 600 g (21 oz) canned mandarins
Instructions
- Knead the flour, sugar, cold vegan butter and salt in a bowl. If necessary, add a spoonful of ice-cold water to form a smooth dough. Place the dough in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes.
- For the cream, whip the vegan cream with the cream stiffener and vanilla sugar and chill.
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F (top and bottom heat). Roll out the dough into a round using a rolling pin and place in a greased springform pan or one lined with baking paper (∅ 22 cm / 8.5 inches) and press down lightly. Prick holes in the pastry with a fork and then bake at 180 °C / 350 °F (top and bottom heat) for approximately 25 minutes until lightly browned. Then, leave to cool completely.
- Pour the juice from the mandarin can into a pan with the agartine and stir with a whisk to avoid lumps from forming. Then simmer for 1–2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar. Then, stir in the vegan skyr spoon by spoon so no lumps form. Finally, carefully fold in the whipped cream.
- Once the cake base has cooled, spread the cream evenly on top. Place the cake in the fridge overnight so that the cream sets completely.
- Before serving, remove the cake ring and decorate the top of the cake with mandarins. Carefully press the dried edible flowers all over the edges of the cake.
