German Poppy Seed Cream Cake with Marzipan (Mohn Marzipan Torte)
This German poppy seed cream cake with marzipan is light, creamy, and full of flavor. Made with an airy poppy seed sponge, tangy jam, marzipan, and whipped cream, it’s a beautiful make-ahead cake that’s perfect for birthdays and special occasions.
Servings: 16 slices
Equipment
- 26 cm(10 inch) spring-form (or cake tin with removable base)
- Hand mixer with whisk
- Rolling pin
Ingredients
Sponge cake
- 3 medium eggs Germany, large US
- a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 175 g ( about 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons/ 6.2 oz) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , vanilla paste or 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar (If you are using vanilla sugar, simply reduce the amount of sugar by 2 tablespoons of sugar.)
- 120 g (about ¾ cup/ 4.2 oz) poppy seeds , whole
- 125 g (1 cup/ about 4.4 oz) plain flour/ all purpose flour
Filling
- 150 g (about 1 ½ cups/ 5.3 oz) almonds flakes
- 4 - 5 tablespoons red currant jam , or any tangy jam
- 200 g (7.1 oz) Marzipan (raw mass)
- Powdered sugar , for dusting when rolling out marzipan
- 600 ml (20.3 fl oz/ about 2 ½ cups) heavy whipping cream , very well chilled
- 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
- 3 packets San-apart , (or Sahnesteif / Whip-It) ( 1 packet weighs between 8 – 10 g (0.3 – 0.35 oz)), about 6 teaspoons (or gelatin alternative, see notes)
Decoration
- 16 marzipan potatoes
- 200 g (7.1 oz) Marzipan (raw mass) (plus leftover marzipan from filling)
- 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon/ 3.5fl oz) heavy whipping cream , very well chilled
- 50 g (1.7 oz) almond flakes (reserved from above)
Instructions
Make the sponge cake base with whole poppy seeds:
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (356 °F) top and bottom heat (160 °C (320 °F) convection). Line the bottom of a 26 cm (10.2-inch) springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- Mix the flour with a pinch of salt and baking powder in a bowl and set aside. Add sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, and eggs to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer for about 8 minutes until creamy.
- Now use either a scraper or a hand mixer on the lowest speed (!) to carefully fold in the poppy seeds, followed by the flour mixture, into the egg mixture. Do not overmix!
- Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Then let the sponge cake cool completely, preferably overnight.
Prepare the filling
- The next day, roast the almonds in a pan without oil, stirring constantly so they don’t burn. Remove from the heat, transfer to a plate, and let them cool. Set aside 50 g (about 1.76 oz) of the toasted almonds for decoration.
- While the almonds are cooling, roll out the marzipan for the filling. Dust a pastry mat or cutting board with powdered sugar and dust the marzipan as well. Knead it briefly, then roll it out thinly. Make sure there is always powdered sugar underneath so it doesn’t stick.
- Using the springform ring (or freehand), cut out a circle. Trim any excess marzipan and set the leftover pieces aside, you’ll need them later.
Cut and fill the sponge cake
- To assemble the Mohn Marzipan Torte, place the completely cooled sponge cake on a cake board or platter. Using a long knife, mark the cake in the middle so that you end up with two layers.
- Hold the knife in your right hand and place your left hand on top of the cake to keep it steady. Apply light pressure and cut horizontally. Alternatively, you can use a thread to cut the cake.
- Lift off the top layer using a cake lifter or a thin cutting board and set it aside. Spread the bottom layer with jam (tip: slightly warm the jam if it’s too firm).
- Place the rolled-out marzipan “blanket” on top of the jam and press it down lightly.
- Beat the well-chilled whipping cream with vanilla sugar and San-apart until stiff. Remove about 3 tablespoons of the cream and chill for later use.
- Lightly crush the roasted almonds with your hands and carefully fold them into the whipped cream using a spatula.
- Spread the almond cream mixture over the marzipan layer. Place the second cake layer on top and press down lightly.
- Use the reserved whipped cream to spread a thin layer over the entire cake (top and sides). Cover the cake and chill for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
Decorate the poppy seed cream cake with marzipan
- Shortly before serving, roll out the marzipan for decoration just like before. Place a round cake divider on top and lightly press to mark slices. Remove it and cut into 16 pieces (like a clock).
- Place a marzipan potato on the tip of each piece, roll them up, and place them on the cake so that the open seam faces toward the center (see photos). Sprinkle some of the reserved almonds in the middle.
- Roll out the remaining marzipan into a strip, trim the edges, and wrap it around the sides of the cake. Use a knife dipped in water to smooth and seal the edges.
- Lightly brush the bottom edge of the cake with a bit of water. Then press the remaining almonds onto the sides of the cake.
- Whip the cream for decoration until stiff. Using two spoons, place small dollops of cream on top of each marzipan piece. If you still have some almonds left, sprinkle them over each dollop.
- And your German poppy seed marzipan cake is ready, just like my German family-in-law makes it.
Notes
- No need to use a cake ring when assembling the cake.
- Make sure the sponge cake is completely cooled before cutting. You can bake it a day ahead and let it cool overnight, or even freeze it in advance.
- When rolling out marzipan, keep dusting the surface with powdered sugar so it doesn’t stick.
- Soak 6 gelatin leaves in cold water for about 10 minutes, then squeeze out the excess water.
- Whip the very cold cream with vanilla sugar until light and fluffy. Remove about 3 tablespoons and chill.
- Gently heat the gelatin in a saucepan on low heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of whipped cream.
- Carefully fold the gelatin mixture and lightly crushed almonds into the whipped cream. Chill for about 5–10 minutes before using.