This one here is an absolute classic of all the classic German cakes – with Austrian roots actually ;) I think it’s safe to say that a cake like this Quark Cream Cake with Mandarin Oranges can be found in any bakery here in Germany – maybe not always with mandarin oranges, but the quark cream cake is basically a standard in bakeries here. It’s loved by some, hated by others. Nevertheless, for decades it has been an indispensable part of the afternoon coffee time with grandma, grandpa, and great-aunt Erna ;)

Saying that… I was never a huge fan of these cakes when I was a kid. In my youth, we always had our traditional Sunday afternoon coffee time aka. “Kaffee und Kuchen” – my mom sometimes baked a cake for that but more often we drove to a popular bakery in a village close by to buy some slices of cake. I normally got some plain cheesecake or maybe a Black Forest Cake – I love both of them. My mom on the other hand often got herself one of these quark cream cakes – most of the time without any fruits or berries inside. I don’t know if she did that because she liked those cakes so much or to make sure I would not eat half of her cake as well… I was very demanding as a kid ;P
Anyway. You still not getting my attention with a plain quark cream cake, but if you add berries or fruits this changes quickly. It took a while for me to like those cakes, but today I really appreciate a slice of this cake here on a hot summer day. However, only a small one, because most bakeries add a lot of sugar to the cake. My recipe here is also not sugar-free, but you could make this cake easily with less sugar or sugar replacements if you like. That’s what I normally do. The cake base and the filling can be made with sugar replacements – the confectioners’ sugar on top should not be replaced though. Powdered erythritol, for example, tastes weird if you get it directly on your tongue. That’s why I never use it to dust a cake and also almost never to make a glaze that goes on top of a cake. It’s just weird. Using it for a cake batter or filling is absolutely fine on the other hand.

Well… a classic quark cream cake usually has two layers of cake and a huge layer of filling in between. Theoretically, you could only use one cake as a base with a thick layer of quark cream and then decorate that cake with whipped cream or something else. But then it would be basically a regular no-bake cheesecake ;) Anyway. In case you don’t like mandarin oranges – try raspberries, cherries or other fruits instead. Should all work well with this cake here.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
4 medium eggs
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2.5 oz. (70g) all-purpose flour
2.5 oz. (70g) cornstarch
4 tsp. baking powder
For the filling:
8 leaves gelatine
17.6 oz. (500g) heavy cream, cold
35 oz. (1kg) low-fat curd (quark), at room temperature
3.5 oz. (100g) confectioners’ sugar
1 organic lemon, zest and juice
1/2 organic orange, zest only
1 tbsp. Limoncello liquor (optional)
1 small can of mandarin oranges (drained net weight about 6 oz.)
some confectioners’ sugar for dusting
4 Eier (M)
150g Zucker
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
70g Mehl (Type 550)
70g Speisestärke
4 TL Backpulver
Für die Quark-Creme:
8 Blätter Gelatine
500g kalte Schlagsahne
1kg Magerquark, Zimmertemperatur
100g Puderzucker
1 Bio-Zitrone (Abrieb & Saft)
1/2 Bio Orange (Abrieb)
1 EL Limoncello (optional)
1 kl. Dose Mandarin-Orangen (Abtropfgewicht ca. 175g)
etwas Puderzucker zum Bestreuen


DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Add the eggs to a large bowl and whisk until slightly foamy. Add the sugar gradually while whisking on high speed until the mixture looks pale and thick (do not overbeat the eggs or the cake will probably collapse when baked). Add the vanilla extract and stir in. Mix the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Sift a small portion onto the egg mixture and fold in very gently. Repeat the process several times until all of the flour mix is incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, give it a small shake to allow air bubbles to rise up, and bake for about 18-20 minutes. The sponge should have risen nicely with a golden brown color. Take out of the oven, loosen the sponge from the edge of the springform tin with a knife and let cool down completely.
3. For the filling let the gelatin leaves soak in a bowl with cold water for about 5-8 minutes. Whisk the (cold) heavy cream until stiff peaks form and set aside. Add the quark and confectioners’ sugar to a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and juice, the orange zest, and limoncello (optional) to the bowl and mix in. Squeeze the gelatin to remove some water and add to a small saucepan. Heat up gently until the gelatin is dissolved completely. Gradually add some of the curd mixture and mix to combine. Remove from heat and stir in some more curd mixture, then transfer to the large bowl and mix until well combined – if the temperature differences are too great, the gelatin may clump. Gently fold in the whipped cream in 2-3 batches. Pour the mandarin orange slices into a sieve and drain well.
4. Remove the top of the sponge cake if is domed or sunken in so you get a straight surface, then cut horizontally in half. Lay one of the cakes on a serving plate and place a cake ring tight around it. Add about 1/3 of the curd mixture on top and spread evenly. Place half of the mandarin orange slices on the filling and top with another 1/3 of the cream. Repeat this step with the remaining mandarin orange slices and finish with the last 1/3 of the filling. Smooth out the top and place the second cake layer on top inside the cake ring. Place the cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Before serving, use a sharp knife to divide the top sponge cake into 12 pieces – try not to cut into the filling. The cuts are just to prevent the filling from being compressed too much when you try to cut into the cake later on. Carefully remove the cake from the ring, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve.
2. Die Eier in eine große Schüssel geben und aufschlagen. Sobald die Masse leicht schaumig ist, den Zucker langsam einrieseln lassen und auf höchster Stufe zu einer hellen und dickflüssigen Masse aufschlagen (nicht überschlagen, sonst fällt der Biskuit später zusammen). Den Vanille Extrakt dazugeben und unterrühren. Mehl, Stärke und Backpulver mischen, dann in kleinen Portionen auf die Eimasse sieben und vorsichtig unterheben. Vorgang mehrmals wiederholen, bis alles verarbeitet ist. Den Teig in die vorbereitete Form füllen, einmal kurz an der Form rütteln, damit Luftblasen aufsteigen können und dann für etwa 18-20 Minuten backen. Der Biskuit sollte schön aufgegangen sein und eine goldbraune Farbe bekommen haben. Aus dem Ofen holen, den Biskuit mit einem Messer vom Rand der Form lösen und komplett abkühlen lassen.
3. Für die Quark-Creme die Gelatine Blätter in einer Schüssel mit kaltem Wasser für etwa 5-8 Minuten einweichen lassen. Die kalte Sahne steif schlagen und zur Seite stellen. Quark und Puderzucker in eine große Schüssel geben. Die Zitronenschale abreiben, die Zitrone auspressen, die halbe Orangenschale abreiben und alles zusammen mit dem Limoncello (optional) in die große Schüssel zum Quark dazugeben und gut verrühren. Die Gelatine auspressen und in einen kleinen Topf geben, vorsichtig erwärmen, bis sich die Gelatine komplett aufgelöst hat. Nach und nach etwas von Quarkmasse dazugeben und alles gut verrühren. Vom Herd ziehen und noch etwas Quarkmasse unterrühren, damit sich die Temperatur noch etwas mehr angleichen kann. Diese Mischung dann in die große Schüssel mit der Quarkmasse dazugeben und gut unterrühren – wenn die Temperaturunterschiede zu groß sind, kann die Gelatine klumpen. Die steif geschlagene Sahne in 2-3 Portionen vorsichtig unterheben. Die Mandarin-Orangen in ein Sieb schütten und gut abtropfen lassen.
4. Die Oberfläche des Biskuit ggf. begradigen und dann horizontal halbieren. Die “weniger schöne” Biskuit-Schicht auf eine Servierplatte setzen und einen Tortenring darum herum spannen. Etwa 1/3 der Quarkmasse auf den Boden geben und verstreichen. Die Hälfte der Mandarin-Orangen auf dem Quark verteilen, dann wieder etwa 1/3 der Quarkmasse darauf verteilen. Die restlichen Mandarin-Orangen auf dem Quark verteilen und mit der restlichen Quarkmasse bedecken. Die Masse glatt streichen und dann die zweite Biskuit-Schicht auflegen und in den Ring einpassen. Die Torte dann für mindestens 4 Stunden (oder über Nacht) in den Kühlschrank stellen. Vor dem Servieren mit einem scharfen Messer den oberen Biskuit in 12 Stücke einteilen, dabei aber nicht komplett in die Torte schneiden – die Schnitte sollen nur verhindern, dass beim Anschneiden später die Quarkmasse zu stark zusammengedrückt wird. Die Torte vorsichtig aus dem Ring lösen, mit Puderzucker bestäuben und servieren.


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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Classic German Quark Cream Cake with Mandarin Oranges
- Prep Time: 00:30
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 05:00
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Cheesecake
- Cuisine: Germany
Description
It’s an absolute classic bake here in Germany: Käsesahnetorte aka. German Quark Cream Cake with Mandarin Oranges.
Ingredients
For the cake layers:
4 medium eggs
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2.5 oz. (70g) all-purpose flour
2.5 oz. (70g) cornstarch
4 tsp. baking powder
For the filling:
8 leaves gelatine
17.6 oz. (500g) heavy cream, cold
35 oz. (1kg) low-fat curd (quark), at room temperature
3.5 oz. (100g) confectioners’ sugar
1 organic lemon, zest and juice
1/2 organic orange, zest only
1 tbsp. Limoncello liquor (optional)
1 small can of mandarin oranges (drained net weight about 6 oz.)
some confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 10-inch (26cm) springform tin with baking parchment and set aside. Remove the curd (quark) from the fridge and let it come to room temperature while the sponge bakes or cools down.
2. Add the eggs to a large bowl and whisk until slightly foamy. Add the sugar gradually while whisking on high speed until the mixture looks pale and thick (do not overbeat the eggs or the cake will probably collapse when baked). Add the vanilla extract and stir in. Mix the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Sift a small portion onto the egg mixture and fold in very gently. Repeat the process several times until all of the flour mix is incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, give it a small shake to allow air bubbles to rise up, and bake for about 18-20 minutes. The sponge should have risen nicely with a golden brown color. Take out of the oven, loosen the sponge from the edge of the springform tin with a knife and let cool down completely.
3. For the filling let the gelatin leaves soak in a bowl with cold water for about 5-8 minutes. Whisk the (cold) heavy cream until stiff peaks form and set aside. Add the quark and confectioners’ sugar to a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and juice, the orange zest, and limoncello (optional) to the bowl and mix in. Squeeze the gelatin to remove some water and add to a small saucepan. Heat up gently until the gelatin is dissolved completely. Gradually add some of the curd mixture and mix to combine. Remove from heat and stir in some more curd mixture, then transfer to the large bowl and mix until well combined – if the temperature differences are too great, the gelatin may clump. Gently fold in the whipped cream in 2-3 batches. Pour the mandarin orange slices into a sieve and drain well.
4. Remove the top of the sponge cake if is domed or sunken in so you get a straight surface, then cut horizontally in half. Lay one of the cakes on a serving plate and place a cake ring tight around it. Add about 1/3 of the curd mixture on top and spread evenly. Place half of the mandarin orange slices on the filling and top with another 1/3 of the cream. Repeat this step with the remaining mandarin orange slices and finish with the last 1/3 of the filling. Smooth out the top and place the second cake layer on top inside the cake ring. Place the cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Before serving, use a sharp knife to divide the top sponge cake into 12 pieces – try not to cut into the filling. The cuts are just to prevent the filling from being compressed too much when you try to cut into the cake later on. Carefully remove the cake from the ring, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve.
Notes
Enjoy baking!
I loved quark while I was an au pair in Munich! My family would mix it with fresh black cherries and sweetener- it was heavenly!! But what is the equivalent product in the US?
Hi. Unfortunately, there is nothing quite similar. I know you can get Quark in some areas in the US, but that does not happen often. You can make it yourself though. YouTube has some instruction videos on that. You might want to check that. It’s not difficult to make ;)
Cheers Marc
Hello, I have one question : 8 leaves of gelatine it makes how many grams ? 16 g ? Thanks for your answer.
Natalia
The one I used was 13.3 grams for 8 gelatin leaves.
The problem is – this can vary. The gelatin leaves here in Germany are measured by how much liquid they can bind. Depending on the brand and how they make the gelatin leaves the weight can differ.
Cheers
Marc
I used this recipe with my kefir cheese. I had thin sliced cooked cinnamon apples so I used these instead of the oranges. Plus, I used two tablespoons of granulated gelatin as I did not have access to the other style. I’m letting it set up overnight in the fridge. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi. The cornflour has made the filling a bit ‘gritty.
How do you stop that? I’m in New Zealand.
Thanks
Lea
There is no cornflower I the filling.