Orange Dandelion Cake

This sweet dandelion cake is like a spring’s love letter — made with wild dandelions, picked by hand, and gently turned into something sweet, fresh, and full of joy. It’s the kind of cake you make for those who are like little dandelions blooming bright in your heart.

No baking is required here. It starts with a buttery cookie crust layered with a sweet and juicy dandelion-orange filling, followed by a creamy mascarpone layer, and finished with a light, floral touch of dandelion and orange on top. Soft yellow petals perfectly pair with the brightness of oranges. It’s a simple, beautiful dessert – tasting like a warm ray of sunshine and holding that quiet kind of love that stays with you long after the last bite.

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Dandelion cake – a slice of spring and love

I can’t wait for spring – those precious days when everything slowly wakes up and bright yellow dandelions start appearing like little suns scattered across the grass. The bees love them. For them, dandelions are a sign of new beginnings, a promise of pollen-filled days, and a future buzzing with life.

Just like love, dandelions arrive quietly at first… and before you know it, they’ve filled every empty corner with something bright, wild, and alive. They speak of new seasons, warmth returning, and hope gently taking root. They hold the promise of tomorrow — warm, gentle, and full of light.

And just like love, they are simple, unexpected, and impossible to control once they’ve found a place to thrive. The kind of love that asks for nothing fancy – just a little sunshine, a little space, and time to grow.

Let this dandelion cake be your golden reminder that the simplest things are often the most beautiful and meaningful.

A cake for happy days. For precious moments. For hope and new beginnings. For people who feel like home. For hearts that keep blooming resiliently, like dandelions in the sun.

It’s addictive

• It’s the kind of cake that’s wonderfully simple to make — no oven needed, no complicated steps. Just three sweet layers coming together with the help of a hand mixer. (ok, maybe with a pinch of love). It’s delicious. And it’s pretty.
• It’s light and gentle. It won’t leave you feeling too full, but it’s just sweet enough to make you smile. It’s the perfect sweet ending to a spring meal like wild garlic pizza or wild garlic pasta.
• It’s budget-friendly – made from simple ingredients you probably might already have at home. This cake also stores beautifully. It keeps well in the fridge for days—and yes, it freezes perfectly, too.
• And it’s easy to make it your own. If you’d like a gluten-free or keto-friendly version, you can simply skip the cookie base or swap it for a mix of dates, nuts, and dried fruit.

The ingredients

DANDELION FLOWER PETALS – Grab a basket and head out into the fields — dandelions love sunny days, and their bright yellow petals will shine even bigger and bolder under the sun. Oh, and please make sure you gather them in places free of weed killers and pesticides.

ORANGES – Two will do just fine for this recipe. I highly recommend using organic oranges for their richer flavor.

ORANGE JUICE – You’ll be surprised how beautifully dandelion petals pair with fresh orange juice — it’s like they were made for each other.

MASCARPONE – Creamy, soft, and melt-in-your-mouth good. It will taste much better than cream cheese.

WHIPPING CREAM – This gets whipped together with mascarpone to create that light, mousse-like layer with a subtle touch of dandelion and orange.

BUTTER COOKIES – Crushed and mixed with butter for the cake base, they fuse perfectly with a dandelion-orange layer. You can use a mix of dates and nuts instead for a gluten-free or refined-sugar-free option.

BUTTER – Just a little is enough to soak into the cookie crumbs and form a firm base once chilled.

SUGAR – Feel free to use honey or your favorite sweetener if you’d like to make this cake a little more natural or keto-friendly.

GELATINE SHEETS – or gelatine powder! This will help set the dandelion-orange layer so it holds its shape and keeps all those pretty dandelion petals floating gently in place like little specks of sunshine.

Orange dandelion cake recipe

STEP 1: First, prepare the crust. Crush the cookies into fine crumbs — you can use a food processor for this, or simply place them in a zip-lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Both ways work just as well.

STEP 2: Pour in the melted butter and mix it well with the cookie crumbs until everything is evenly coated. Transfer the mixture into a round 9-inch springform cake pan. Use the back of a spoon, a glass, or anything flat to firmly press down the crumbs. The more you press, the firmer your crust will be once chilled and the easier it will be to slice the cake later.

Now, pop the crust in the freezer (for 15 minutes) while you prepare the first layer. This will give the butter time to firm up and speed things up!

STEP 3: In the meantime, wash your dandelion flowers and separate the yellow petals from the green parts. You’ll need about a cup of petals for this recipe. I like to use scissors to make this process slightly quicker. Don’t worry if a few tiny green bits slip in; they won’t affect the taste. Just make sure there aren’t too many!

STEP 4: Place your gelatine sheets in a bowl with cold water. The coldest you can get. Adding a few ice cubes is a good trick; it keeps the water extra cold and stops the gelatine from dissolving or getting sticky too soon.

STEP 5: Next, heat the orange juice and half of the sugar in a small pot. It doesn’t need to boil — just warm it up until it’s hot but not bubbling. If it gets too hot, simply lower the heat to medium or low before adding the dandelion petals.

STEP 6: Add the dandelion petals to the warm juice and let them slightly simmer for about 2 minutes. Cool the mixture down a little by adding the oranges, cut into small pieces. Sometimes, I like to blend them first, but leaving tiny chunks gives the cake a lovely texture and a bit of freshness.

Once the mixture has cooled slightly, add the soaked gelatine sheets (about 10). Stir gently until it completely dissolves and melts into the juice.

STEP 7: Once the cookie base has chilled and set, pour about 8/10 of the dandelion-orange mixture over the crust to form the first layer.

Place the pan back in the refrigerator and let it chill until the layer is firm enough to hold the next one without mixing — this usually takes about an hour.

STEP 8: In a bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. It should be thick and hold its shape but still light and airy.

STEP 9: In a small pot, heat 0.4 cup (1 dl) of orange juice (together with the other half of the sugar) over medium heat. Add the soaked gelatine leaves and stir gently until they completely dissolve. In a separate bowl, mix the warm orange juice into the mascarpone cheese until smooth. Finally, fold in the whipped cream—this will create your soft and creamy second layer.

STEP 10: Once the first layer is solid enough, pour the creamy mixture over it and smooth out the top with a spatula (or whatever tool you’ve got handy). There is no need to be perfect—just make it look nice and even.

Pop it back into the fridge and let it chill until firm and ready for the final touch.

STEP 11:  And now for the final touch! Once your second layer has firmed up nicely, gently reheat the remaining 2/10 of the dandelion-orange mixture. It’s probably set by now, but it will melt back down easily. I also gave it a quick mix to break up the larger pieces of orange and make it nice and smooth.

Pour it over the cream layer to create a thin, golden finish with those lovely little dandelion petals peeking through like sunshine caught in jelly. Pop it back in the fridge for its final chill.

STEP 12: Once the cake is fully set, it’s time to remove the springform. There’s a little trick to make it easier. Soak a towel in hot water, wring it out, and gently wrap it around the outside of the pan for a minute or two. This warms the edges enough to help the springform release cleanly and smoothly.

STEP 13: And now for the final step — decorating! Use dandelion flowers, orange slices, and any other beautiful leaves or wild blooms you picked in the field. Just a little note: If you’re adding bellis daisies, keep in mind they tend to close up once they’re indoors, so they might not look quite the same after a little while.

Beautifully done! I hope your cake is blooming with all the beauty of spring.

And don’t forget — you (too) deserve to shine bright like a dandelion in the sun!

Little tips and helpful twists

Pick your dandelion flowers on a sunny day when they’re in full bloom — they tend to close up when the weather turns gloomy. And, of course, make sure to avoid areas treated with chemicals. From about 3.5 oz (100 g) of flowers, you’ll get roughly 2 cups of yellow petals.

This recipe is for a 9-inch springform cake pan. If you’re using a different size pan or a mousse cake ring, adjust the ingredients accordingly.

Be patient with the layers. Let each chill long enough to firm up properly before adding the next. That way, your layers stay clean and won’t mix.

It’s a good idea to lightly grease the springform ring before assembling the cake. Once the cake is set, wrap a warm towel around the pan for a minute to help release it easily. Alternatively, you can use a cake wrap that peels away cleanly.

To make a gluten-free version, replace the cookie crust with a simple mix of blended dates and nuts. For a keto-friendly variation, skip the cookie base entirely and use a sweetener instead of sugar.

This dandelion cake goes well with light spring meals—like baked mullet, cabbage pie, or anything with wild garlic, which pops up right around the same time as dandelions are in full bloom. Wild garlic pasta, risotto, or pizza—all are great matches for this sweet little spring dessert!

How to store your dandelion cake

You can store dandelion cake in the refrigerator, covered or in an airtight container, for up to 3–4 days. A little secret – the flavors even intensify after the first day!

If you’d like to keep it longer, you can freeze it too! Wrap the leftover slices or the whole cake tightly in plastic wrap (and foil). Freeze for up to 2 months.

Avoid leaving it at room temperature for too long, especially on warm days.

Orange dandelion cake FAQs

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