Gluten-Free Lactose-Free Mandarin Cake Squares
Festive holiday cake with ground almonds and spiced sponge base, topped with mandarin segments and a creamy dairy-free curd mousse. Gluten-free flour blend and lactose-free dairy substitutes throughout. Requires chilling before serving.
Ingredients
- oil, for pan
- gluten-free flour, for panall-purpose wheat flour1:1
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- ½ cups lactose-free sour creamregular sour cream1:1
- 3 eggs
- 0.0 tbsp sunflower or canola oil
- 1 cc lemon zest, finely grated
- ⅓ cups sugar powder
- 3 ½ oz ground almonds, blanchedfinely ground hazelnuts1:1Full guide →
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour blendall-purpose wheat flour1:1
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- ½ sachet baking powder, 7.5 g each
- 1 cc cinnamon
- ½ cc cardamom
- 8 mandarins, approximately 130 g eachclementines1:1
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- mint, for garnish(optional)
- 4 gelatin sheets
- 1 lb lactose-free curdquark or mascarpone1:1adds dairy
- 1 ¼ cups lactose-free plain yogurt
- ¼ cups sugar powder
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F with top and bottom heat. Line pan bottom with parchment, oil and flour the sides.
- 2
Whisk together lactose-free sour cream, eggs, sunflower or canola oil, and lemon zest.
- 3
Combine sugar, ground almonds, gluten-free flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and cardamom.
- 4
Fold dry mixture into wet ingredients and whisk until combined.
- 5
Pour batter into prepared pan, spread evenly.
- 6
Bake in middle of oven for about 20 minutes until set. Remove and poke surface with fork, let cool in pan.
- 7
Cut top and base from mandarins, peel away all white pith. Segment by cutting along membranes, collecting juice. Reserve at least 32 segments and 0.5 dl juice separately. Distribute remaining juice and segments over cooled cake base.
- 8
Soften gelatin sheets in cold water. Whisk lactose-free curd, lactose-free yogurt, and sugar together.
- 9
Heat reserved mandarin juice and dissolve softened gelatin into it. Fold into curd mixture, spread over cake layer.
- 10
Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Unmold and cut into 16 squares. Top each with reserved mandarin segment and mint leaf.
Tips
Poke the warm sponge to help it absorb the mandarin juice.
Collect mandarin juice carefully during segmenting; it flavors the cream layer.
Ensure gelatin is fully dissolved in warm juice before folding into curd mixture to prevent lumps.
Good to Know
Covered, refrigerated up to 3 days.
Prepare sponge base 1 day ahead. Assemble with cream and mandarin layers up to 8 hours before serving.
Serve chilled directly from refrigerator. Garnish with reserved mandarin segments and fresh mint immediately before serving.
Common Mistakes
Fold dry ingredients gently to avoid overworking; rough folding prevents dense crumb.
Heat mandarin juice only until warm, not hot, before dissolving gelatin to prevent uneven setting.
Do not skip the 4-hour chill; insufficient time may result in a soft, unstable cream layer.
Substitutions
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