💡 At a Glance
- •The Cake: A fruity classic packed with juicy mandarin oranges, a rich sour cream filling, and a buttery streusel crumb topping.
- •Time Needed: Super quick prep, though it needs time to bake and chill thoroughly.
- •How It’s Made: The streusel comes together in seconds in your Thermomix®, while the creamy filling gets whisked together in a bowl.
You know those weekends when you want to bake a gorgeous dessert that looks like a total showstopper, but you don’t want to spend all day prepping? That’s where this Mandarin Sour Cream Streusel Cake comes in!
Thanks to the Thermomix®, the buttery streusel topping comes together in literally seconds while you quickly stir together the sweet, creamy filling in a separate bowl.
Before you know it, you’ve got an absolute classic ready for the oven that the whole family will love—and trust me, everyone will be going back for a second slice!
Why you’re going to love this recipe:
- Quick and completely fuss-free to prep
- Bursting with juicy, sweet mandarin oranges
- Incredibly rich and creamy thanks to the sour cream filling
- A total crowd-pleasing classic for afternoon coffee or weekend get-togethers
- Super beginner-friendly (especially if you’re using a Thermomix®!)
- Features a buttery crumb topping for the ultimate crispy contrast
- The perfect make-ahead cake for easy entertaining
- Made with simple, budget-friendly pantry staples
My Top Tips for Success
Make sure your butter is ice-cold, straight out of the fridge! Using chilled butter is the real secret to getting perfectly golden, crumbly streusel in your Thermomix®.
Drain those mandarin oranges really well, and give them a gentle press with a paper towel or the back of a spoon. Getting rid of that extra liquid keeps your cream filling nice and thick while it bakes.
Gently fold the mandarins into the sour cream mixture with a spatula. Taking a soft touch keeps the delicate fruit slices intact, making every single cut slice look gorgeous.
Press the first half of the crumble mixture firmly into the bottom of your springform pan. Creating a solid crust base ensures your cake won’t crumble or fall apart when you serve it.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! In fact, this mandarin sour cream crumb cake is the ultimate make-ahead dessert—it tastes even better after chilling overnight in the fridge!
To make sure the filling sets up nice and firm for easy slicing, the cake needs to cool completely after baking. Honestly, it’s best to make it a day ahead and let it chill overnight in the fridge so the flavors can really come together.
Kept in the fridge, it’ll stay fresh for a few days—and it actually tastes even better well-chilled!
Fun Variations & Baking Tips
The Crumb Topping: Feel free to make your streusel crumbs as chunky or as fine as you like before scattering them over the filling, depending on the look you prefer.
The Springform Pan: If you don’t have a 10-inch (26°C (80°F)m) springform pan, a slightly smaller pan works great too—your cake will just turn out a little taller. Just keep an eye on the bake time toward the end!
Ingredients for Mandarin Sour Cream Crumb Cake
For the Streusel (Crust & Topping):
- 350 g (approx. 12.5 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 egg (medium or large)
- 150 g (approx. 5.5 oz) granulated sugar
- 150 g (approx. 5.5 oz) cold butter, diced
- 2 level teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
For the Mandarin Sour Cream Filling:
- 3 small cans mandarin oranges, thoroughly drained
- 4 tubs sour cream or Schmand (200 g (approx. 7 oz) / 7 oz each)
- Juice of 1 small lemon
- 100 g (approx. 3.5 oz) granulated sugar
- 1 packet cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
How to Make Mandarin Orange Sour Cream Streusel Cake
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 325°F convection (or 350°F conventional). Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides well. This guarantees the cake releases like a dream later!
Add all of your streusel ingredients—the flour, egg, sugar, cold butter cut into small cubes, baking powder, and salt—right into the mixing bowl.
Pop the lid on and mix for 10 sec / speed 6 until delicious, crumbly streusel forms. Pro tip: make sure your butter is ice-cold—that’s the real secret to getting perfect streusel crumbs every time!
While that’s mixing, make sure your canned mandarin oranges are drained super well. I like to gently press them with a spoon or paper towel to remove any excess juice so the filling stays nice and rich instead of watery.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sour cream (or crème fraîche), fresh lemon juice, sugar, and dry vanilla pudding mix. Whisk everything together (or use a sturdy rubber spatula) until completely smooth and creamy.
Gently fold the drained mandarin oranges into the cream filling. Be careful not to crush the orange segments—you want them to hold their shape!
Take about half of your crumb mixture and spread it evenly over the bottom of your prepared springform pan. Press the crumbs down firmly to create a solid crust.
Now, gently pour the mandarin sour cream filling over the crust. Smooth out the top using a spoon or a spatula.
Finally, generously scatter the remaining streusel crumbs all over the top. Make sure it’s evenly distributed and covers the filling completely.
Place the springform pan on the middle rack of your preheated oven. Bake at 340°F (170°C (340°F) convection) for about 60 minutes, until the streusel topping is golden brown and crispy and the filling is set.
Once the cake is done, pull it out of the oven and let it cool completely right in the pan. This step is super important—if it’s still warm, the creamy filling will be too soft! For the best results, chill it in the fridge for a few hours before serving. It’ll taste even better and slice like a dream.
Enjoy!
Now it’s your turn—I hope you have so much fun baking this!
Looking for more baking inspiration? Check out another favorite recipe here: Mandarin Meringue Cheesecake
Happy baking,
Christoph
Mandarin Orange Sour Cream Crumb Cake
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Start cookingIngredients
For the streusel (crust & topping)
- 350 g All-purpose flour (approx. 12.5 oz)
- 1 piece Egg (medium)
- 150 g Granulated sugar (approx. 5.5 oz)
- 150 g Butter cold, cubed (approx. 5.5 oz)
- 2 gestr. tsp Baking powder
- 1 pinch Salt
For the mandarin sour cream filling
- 3 kl. Dosen Mandarin oranges well drained
- 800 g Sour cream 4 containers (approx. 28 oz)
- 1 piece Juice of 1 small lemon
- 100 g Granulated sugar (approx. 3.5 oz)
- 1 packet Vanilla pudding mix cook-and-serve (not instant)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F) convection. Line the bottom of a springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides really well.
- 350 g (approx. 12.5 oz) All-purpose flour, 1 piece Egg (medium), 150 g (approx. 5.5 oz) Granulated sugar, 150 g (approx. 5.5 oz) Butter, 2 gestr. tsp Baking powder, 1 pinch SaltAdd all the streusel ingredients to your mixing bowl and process for 10 sec. / speed 6 until crumbly.
- 3 kl. Dosen Mandarin oranges, 800 g (approx. 28 oz) Sour cream, 1 piece Juice of 1 small lemon, 100 g (approx. 3.5 oz) Granulated sugar, 1 packet Vanilla pudding mixGently squeeze a little excess liquid out of the drained mandarin oranges. In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla pudding mix until beautifully smooth and creamy, then gently fold in the mandarin oranges.
- Press half of the streusel mixture evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan to form the crust. Pour the mandarin sour cream filling over the top, then generously sprinkle the remaining streusel over the filling.
- Bake the cake on the middle rack for about 60 minutes at 170°C (340°F) convection, or until the streusel topping is a gorgeous golden brown.
- Let the cake cool completely in the pan. Ideally, pop it in the fridge to chill for a few hours before slicing into it!
