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ein Stück Mohnkuchen mit Mandarinen und Streuseln auf einem Holzbrett

German Poppy Seed Mandarin Orange Cake Recipe

German poppy seed mandarin orange cake with a creamy poppy seed filling, juicy canned mandarins and buttery almond streusel. An easy make-ahead cake that tastes like it came from a German Bakery!

Makes: one 10-inch / 26 cm cake

Course Dessert
Cuisine German
Keyword Cake with mandarin oranges, German Poppy Seed Cake
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

For the Crust and Almond Streusel

  • 310 g 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 40 g about 1/3 cup finely ground almonds or almond flour
  • 80 g 6 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 175 g 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 large egg
  • A few drops almond extract optional

For the Poppy Seed Filling

  • 750 ml 3 cups + 2 tbsp whole milk
  • 80 g about 2/3 cup cornstarch
  • 150 g 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 200 g about 1 3/4 cups ground poppy seeds
  • Finely grated zest of 1 organic orange
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
  • 1 generous pinch salt
  • 1 –2 tbsp dark rum or Amaretto

For the Mandarin Layer

  • 1 can mandarin oranges about 300 g / 10–11 oz, drained very well
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Make the crust and streusel: Combine the flour, ground almonds, sugar, and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until crumbly. Add the egg and almond extract, if using, and quickly work everything together into a crumbly shortcrust dough.
  2. Grease a 10-inch (26 cm) springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside about one-third of the dough for the streusel.
  3. Press the remaining two-thirds of the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan. There is no need to roll it out. Take small portions of dough, roll them into ropes between your palms, and press them against the inside of the pan to create a rim about 1 1/4 inches (3 cm) high.
  4. Cover and refrigerate the remaining streusel dough while you prepare the filling.
  5. Make the poppy seed filling: Add the cold milk, cornstarch, sugar, ground poppy seeds, and salt to a saucepan. Whisk thoroughly while everything is still cold so there are no cornstarch lumps.
  6. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue cooking until the mixture has thickened considerably. Remove from the heat.
  7. Stir in the orange zest, vanilla, and rum or Amaretto. Let the filling cool for about 10 minutes.
  8. Meanwhile, drain the mandarin oranges very well. Gently toss them with the lemon juice.
  9. Pour the poppy seed filling into the prepared crust and smooth the top. Arrange the mandarins evenly over the filling, pressing them very lightly into the surface.
  10. Crumble the reserved almond streusel dough evenly over the top.
  11. Bake in a preheated oven at 320°F (160°C), conventional/no fan, for about 60 minutes. Baking at the lower temperature allows the thick poppy seed filling to set gently while the crust and streusel turn golden without becoming too dark.