Mandarin Vanilla Bean Cake (Vegan)
With a delicate vanilla bean whipped-cream topping, this is a lovely layer cake with a mandarin twist. A tasty, simple dessert that is dairy and egg-free.
This is the perfect summer cake. The layers are light and citrusy, and the whipped cream is sweet and airy. Add in a little mandarin curd and you have an irresistible combination. Ideal for a simple summertime treat or to take along to a get-together.
What you will need:
Make sure you have a bag of mandarins on hand. I ended up using about 6 to 8 mandarins for the cake and the curd. I used a vanilla bean pod to flavor the whipped cream; you can substitute in vanilla extract if you choose. The recipe calls for a half recipe of mandarin curd. If you choose to make more, you will need a few more mandarins. I found it nice to have a little extra curd to drizzle on the cake while eating it. The rest of the ingredients needed are all basic pantry items.
Cake
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- cane sugar
- plant based butter with salt
- oil – I used olive oil
- plant based yogurt
- plant based milk
- vanilla extract
- mandarin juice
- mandarin zest
Whipped Cream
- plant based heavy cream
- cream of tartar
- vanilla bean pod
- powdered sugar
Mandarin Curd
- see recipe on website
How to:
The very first step is to zest and juice the mandarins. The curd and the cake can then be made.
Let’s make the curd first. See the recipe on the website. It takes just a handful of ingredients and 10 minutes of time. It can easily be made ahead of time, stored in the refrigerator, and brought to room temperature when you are ready to assemble the cake.
The cake is quite simple. In a medium bowl, add the sugar and mandarin zest. Combine the two by rubbing the sugar and zest together or mixing carefully with a fork; set the sugar mixture aside. In another medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk the ingredients together, and then set the bowl aside. In the bowl with the sugar/zest mixture add the butter and oil. With a hand mixer on medium speed, blend the ingredients together for 1 minute. To the wet ingredients add the milk, yogurt, mandarin juice, and vanilla extract. Continue blending for another 30 seconds to a minute.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend just until no more flour is seen. Pour the batter into a prepared 8×8 square pan and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Once the oven is ready, bake the cake for 43 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Once the cake is out of the oven, let it rest in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack.
While the cake is cooling, the whipped cream can be prepared. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the heavy cream, cream of tartar, and all the seeds from inside your vanilla bean pod. Mix on high with a balloon whisk attachment for 5 minutes. We are looking for it to thicken and double in size. Now add the powdered sugar and continue whipping on high for another 5 minutes.
Once the cake is completely cool, we can begin assembling it. The first thing to do is to cut the cake into two equal layers. I did this by measuring half way up all four sides of the cake and placing a toothpick into the cake to mark it. Now that each side of the cake has a toothpick marker, take a piece of dental floss (or a strong string) and wrap it around the cake, laying the floss on top of the toothpicks. With the ends of the floss in your hands, cross the dental floss in front of you and start slowly pulling. The floss should cut through the cake, creating an even cut.
Place the bottom layer of cake on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread half of the vanilla bean whipped cream over the top of the layer. Now dollop half of the mandarin curd over the whipped cream, and then swirl it through. Place the other half of the cake on top of the first half. Place the rest of the vanilla whipped cream on the cake and spread it out evenly. Dollop the rest of the curd on top of the whipped cream and swirl it through. A little zest and a few pieces of mandarin can be used to decorate the top of the cake.
Keep the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should stay fresh for 3 to 5 days.
So, let’s get started. Please make, bake and enjoy!
Mandarin Vanilla Bean Cake (Vegan)
Ingredients
Mandarin Cake
- 305 grams / 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp / 225 grams cane sugar
- 4.5 tbsp / 63 grams plant based butter with salt
- 4.5 tbsp olive oil
- 2¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup + 1½ tbsp plant based milk
- 9 tbsp / 135 grams plant based yogurt
- 2½ tbsp mandarin zest
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp mandarin juice
Mandarin Curd
- ½ recipe mandarin curd – see recipe on website (see note)
Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream
- 1 cup plant based heavy cream
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 6 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- optional mandarin zest and mandarin pieces for decoration
Instructions
Mandarin Cake
- Prepare an 8×8 square pan and set aside. Juice and zest the mandarins and set the juice and zest aside.
- In a medium bowl add the sugar and mandarin zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your hands or with a fork and set aside.
- In a medium bowl add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder; whisk to combine and set aside.
- To the sugar/zest mixture add the butter and oil. With a hand mixer on medium speed, blend the ingredients for 1 minute. Add the mandarin juice, vanilla extract, milk and yogurt and continue blending for another 30 seconds.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend until all ingredients are just combined and no more flour can be seen.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and set aside. Pre heat the oven to 350F. Once the oven reaches temperature, bake the cake for 43 minutes or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cake rest in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack.
Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream
- To the bowl of a stand mixer add the heavy cream, cream of tartar and all the seeds from inside the vanilla bean pod. Whip on high with a balloon whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and continue blending on high for another 5 minutes.
Assembly
- Cut the cake in half to create 2 equal layers. Place the bottom layer on a plate or cake stand. Spread half of the vanilla bean whipped cream over the top of the bottom layer. Dollop half of the mandarin curd over the whipped cream and lightly swirl it through. Place the second layer on top of the whipped cream layer and evenly spread out the rest of the vanilla bean whipped cream. Dollop the rest of the mandarin curd onto the whipped cream and swirl it through. For a final look, some zest and a few mandarin pieces can be place on top of the cake.If kept in an airtight container, the cake should stay fresh for 3 to 5 days.
