german cake

Danube Waves Cake is a delicious German dessert flavored with chocolate, vanilla, and cherries.

Danube Waves Cake (Donauwellen Kuchen)

sugar

cornstarch

eggs

+ 3 tablespoons whole milk

unsalted butter (at room temperature)

vanilla extract

salt

all-purpose flour

baking powder

baking soda

egg whites (at room temperature)

buttermilk*

cocoa powder

milk

tart cherries

dark chocolate (finely chopped)

heavy cream

corn syrup

Stir 1/4 cup of the sugar together with the cornstarch in a small mixing bowl and set aside.

Crack the eggs into a medium heat-proof bowl.  Whisk the eggs together and and set the bowl next to the stove.

Combine the milk and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a small saucepan set over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Once the milk has come to a simmer, whisk the sugar-cornstarch mixture into the eggs until smooth.

Whisking the eggs constantly, add a scant 1/4 cup of the hot milk to the eggs.  Still whisking constantly, pour the remaining milk into the eggs in a slow stream.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and set pan over medium-low heat.  Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture thickens a bit—it will start to get lumpy.

Turn the heat to low and switch to stirring with a whisk.  Whisk vigorously until the mixture is very thick and smooth—if you don’t get your pudding completely smooth, you’ll have lumps in your frosting.

Remove from the heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons of butter.

Scrape the pudding into a shallow mixing bowl and press plastic wrap directly on the top of the pudding.  Chill in the fridge for 90 minutes to 2 hours (or until thoroughly chilled). &nbsp;You'll finish the frosting later. &nbsp;While the pudding is chilling, make the cake.

German buttercream:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a small mixing bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer set to medium until very smooth.   Beat in the sugar and vanilla until well combined (mixture will be crumbly).  Add the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition.

With mixer on low, beat in half of the flour mixture followed by half of the buttermilk and beat to combine.  Add the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining buttermilk and beat until just incorporated.

Spread three-quarters of the batter into the prepared pan.  Sift the cocoa powder over the remaining batter and add the milk; stir until fully combined.

Dollop the chocolate batter over the vanilla batter and carefully spread into an even layer with an offset spatula (don’t swirl them together, just spread the chocolate batter over the vanilla).  Sprinkle the drained cherries over the cake batter.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove cake from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before adding the frosting.

Once the pudding and the cake are both cooled, finish the buttercream.  Remove the chilled pudding from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.

Transfer the room temp pudding to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium for several minutes, until it’s very light and creamy.

With mixer still on medium speed, add the butter half a tablespoon at a time, stopping mixer to scrape with a rubber spatula every so often.

Once the butter is fully incorporated, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat until smooth.   Spread over the fully cooled cake.  Refrigerate for 1 hour to set the buttercream before adding the chocolate topping.

Cake layer:

Place the chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl.  Heat the cream in a medium saucepan set over medium heat until it just begins to steam.  Pour over the chocolate and allow to sit for 3 minutes.

Add the corn syrup, then whisk the chocolate and heavy cream together until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Remove cake from the fridge and spread the chocolate into an even layer over the buttercream.  Refrigerate to set the ganache, then serve.

Chocolate topping:

Recipe video above. The most German of cakes: Black Forest Cake! You&#039;ll love how this cake&#039;s layers are lovely and moist (too often they are terribly dry!), and how this Black Forest Cake is not too sweet so you can actually taste all the elements. It&#039;s a cake that looks rich and decadent, but is actually not that rich at all – so you can eat plenty!TIP: Though it seems a shame not to use fresh cherries when they&#039;re in season, using jarred or canned cherries in between sponge layers really does work better. They&#039;re softer so texturally they make more sense, plus the flavoured syrup from the jar is perfect to brush the cake layers.You MUST make this cake at least 4 hours ahead or even better, overnight, for flavours to develop!

Black Forest Cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte)

eggs (, at room temperature (Note 7))

tsp vanilla extract

caster sugar ((superfine sugar))

dutch processed cocoa powder ((or unsweetened regular cocoa power, Note 1))

plain flour ((all-purpose flour))

/ 10.5 tbsp unsalted butter

kirsch or cherry liqueur ((optional – sub with more reserved cherry juice, Note 3))

vanilla

icing sugar sugar

/ 3.5 oz dark chocolate / bittersweet chocolate

maraschino cherries

Oven and cake pans: Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan). Grease 3 x 20cm (8”) cake pans with butter, line with parchment / baking paper.

Sift dry ingredients: Combine dry ingredients by sifting the cocoa and plain flour into a bowl. Set aside.

Beat eggs: Beat eggs for 30 seconds on speed 6 of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or hand beater.

Slowly add sugar: With the beater still going, slowly pour the sugar in over 45 seconds, then add the vanilla.

Beat 7 minutes: Beat for 7 minutes more on speed 8, or until tripled in volume and pale in colour. Don&#039;t shortcut this step; this is what makes the cake rise (there&#039;s no baking powder used).

Fold in dry ingredients: Add the flour and cocoa mixture to the batter, folding in with a spatula until just combined (a few streaks of flour remaining is fine). Be gentle here, we don&#039;t want to knock out the air bubbles.

Fold in butter: Add the butter and fold gently through until just combined. Once you can no longer see any flour, stop stirring.

Fill cake pans: Pour the batter into the three prepared pans. The batter should be fairly thin and pourable.

Bake: Place into the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the cake centre comes out clean. (Note 5 regarding shelf placement)

Cool: Remove from the oven. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning the cakes out onto a rack to cool completely.

Chocolate sponge cake layers:

Drain cherries: Drain jar of cherries, reserving liquid.

Cherry cornflour slurry: Measure out 1/4 cup (60ml) of the reserved cherry juice and mix with the cornflour to make a slurry. Set aside.

Make cherry syrup: Place a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add the sugar and another 1/3 cup of reserved juice. Bring to a gentle simmer to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the cornflour slurry and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, until it thickens into a thin syrup.

Soak cherries, cool: Remove from the heat and stir in the kirsch. Pour the syrup over the drained cherries and allow to cool completely before using.

Cherry syrup:

Melt chocolate: Break up the block of chocolate and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Gently melt in microwave by heating over three 20 second bursts, stirring in between.

Spread: Pour the melted chocolate over the back of a baking pan and spread out with a spatula as thinly as possible. Refrigerate for 3 - 4 minutes until the centre is just set.

Scrape curls: Using something with a sharp, straight edge (I use a bench scraper, spatula or the back of a knife also works), hold it at a 45 degree angle and scrape along the tray away from you to create curls. Do a small test patch first. If the chocolate is too hard, the curls may break or flake (leave to soften slightly and try again). If the chocolate is too soft, the curls sag and won&#039;t roll (refrigerate more to harden).

Having problems?? Don&#039;t worry! Just scrape to make shavings instead – it still looks amazing!

Refrigerate: Carefully place curls on a plate and refrigerate until ready to use.

Chocolate curls (Note 8):

Just prior to assembling, place cream, icing sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip into pretty stiff peaks - about 5 minutes on high. Refrigerate until needed.

Whip cream:

Place one cake layer upside down on a serving platter (or cake decorating turn table, if you're a pro! :) ).

Brush with cherry syrup: Brush the cake layer with 1/4 cup of the cherry syrup the cherries are soaking in.

Cream layer: Spread with 1 cup of whipped cream, leaving a 1cm (1/2&quot;) border (the weight of the next cake layer gently pressed will push cream to edge).

Layer cherries: Top the cream with half the cherries (in a single layer), using a slotted spoon to drain well (but don&#039;t pat dry, want the cherries juicy!).

Repeat: Top with another cake layer, brush with 1/4 cup syrup, spread with 1 cup cream, top with remaining cherries, and place 3rd cake layer on top.

Cover with cream: Reserve 1 1/2 cups whipped cream for piping cream decorations. Spread the remaining cream over the top and side of the cake. Pipe dollops around the edge of top using a large star-tipped nozzle. Top each dollop with a maraschino cherry.

Chocolate shavings: Pile large chocolate curls in the middle (I stack in a tent shape like building a fire!). Use the smaller broken shavings to coat the base of the sides of the cake (using cold hands, scoop up shavings, press on side).

Rest 4 hours+: Leave cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, to allow flavours to develop and syrup to really soak into the cake.

Take out of fridge: Remove from fridge 30 minutes prior to serving (but be mindful of cream melting on hot days). Slice and serve proudly!

Assembling:

You'll love this traditional German Bee Sting Cake. The pastry style cake with the pastry cream filling will have your friends and family asking for more!&nbsp; &nbsp;

Bee Sting Cake

milk (whole

tsp pure vanilla

white sugar

liqueur ((Grand Marnier Brandy, Kirsch or Amaretto) (optional))

honey

dry yeast

eggs (lightly beaten)

bread flour (divided)

unsalted butter ((4 tablespoons))

almonds

In a medium-sized heatproof bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks together. (Don’t let the mixture sit too long or you will get pieces of egg forming.) Sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring the milk to a light boil(just until milk starts to foam up.)

Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If you get a few pieces of egg (curdling) in the mixture, pour through a strainer.)

Pour the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, whisk mixture constantly for another 30 – 60 seconds until it becomes thick.

Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the liqueur (if using). Stir in vanilla extract.

Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Cool to room temperature. If not using right away refrigerate until needed, up to 3 days. Whisk or stir before using to get rid of any lumps that may have formed.

Pastry Cream:

In a small saucepan (or a small cup if you want to use the microwave), combine milk and 1 tablespoon honey and heat until it registers between 110 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle over yeast. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes until yeast is creamy/foamy.

Transfer bowl to mixer stand and attach paddle (or hook) attachment. While mixing at low speed, gradually add eggs, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt, and mix until blended.

Gradually add all but 2 tablespoons of bread flour. Mix at medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough should not stick to sides of bowl; if it does, add some of all of the remaining 2 tablespoons of bread flour until dough cleans sides of the bowl.

Add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing at medium speed until it is blended into the dough. (Dough will be very soft.) Transfer dough to a work surface and knead by hand a few times to ensure that butter is completely incorporated into the dough. Shape dough into a ball and transfer it to a medium buttered bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it has doubled in volume.

Punch dough down to deflate it, and knead it a few times. Return dough to the bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to 12 hours). The dough should have doubled in volume. If it hasn&#x27;t, let it stand at room temperature until it has. (NOTE: I made the dough the night before.)

Butter bottom and sides of a 9” spring-form pan. Shape dough into a ball and arrange it, smooth side up, in center of the pan. Flatten ball gently with your palm until it covers the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan and let the dough rise until it is puffed, about 1 hour.

Brioche dough:

Combine the butter, sugar, honey, and salt, and bring to a gentle boil on the stovetop.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the almonds. Evenly pour over the dough and place the pan on a parchment (or foil) covered baking sheet.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F for about 22-25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

Place on a cooling rack, and allow to cool four 10 minutes. Remove from the Springform Pan and allow it to cool completely.

Honey-Almond Topping:

Using a serrated knife, cut the cake in half. I place the cake on a rotating cake stand and being by rotating the cake and creating a cut line midway through the cake. Continue rotating, allowing the knife to cut deeper until the cake is completely sliced in half.

Spread the pastry cream, leaving a narrow edge. Gently replace the top layer of the cake. Serve with coffee or tea.

Assembly:

The Black Forest cake is a traditional German dessert that is a must for many special occasions, from a wedding anniversary to a birthday celebration. It&#039;s traditionally served with whipped cream and cherries on top of a chocolate sponge cake that has been soaked in cherry syrup or kirsch.

Traditional German Black Forest Cake Recipe

unsalted butter, melted

vanilla bean* (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

all-purpose flour,

dutch-processed cocoa powder, spooned and leveled

tsp baking powder

tsp salt

sour cherries

water

kirsch

heavy whipping cream

whipped cream, chocolate shaves, and cherries

Preheat the oven to 320 °F (160°C). Line the bottom and the sides of a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan with parchment paper and set aside. To line a springform pan with parchment paper, the easiest way is to cut out a circle for the bottom and strips for the sides.

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, mix the eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla for about 3 minutes until creamy.

Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt and mix just until well combined, about 1 minute. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Place the drained sour cherries in a heatproof bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the canned sour cherry water and set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring ¼ cup of the canned sour cherry water, kirsch, and sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Once it simmers, add the cornstarch mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens like syrup and covers the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and pour over the sour cherries. Let it cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the whipping cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Then add the sugar and mix until stiff peaks form, about 1-2 minutes. Don&#39;t overmix or it will curdle.

Cut the cake twice horizontally so that you have three cake layers.

Place the bottom cake layer on a cake turner and brush it with cherry syrup. Spread with whipped cream and spread an additional ring of whipped cream around the edges. Use about 1/6 of the cream in total. Then spoon half of the sour cherries and syrup on top of the cream but inside the whipped cream ring. The ring ensures that the cherry filling stays in the cake and that no syrup runs out on the sides. Then spoon more whipped cream onto the cherries and distribute evenly on top (another ⅙ of the cream, so that now a total of about ⅓ of the cream has been used). Place the second cake layer on top and repeat.

Place the third cake layer on top and distribute the remaining ⅓ of the whipped cream over the entire cake and around the sides to lightly frost the outside of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Before serving, decorate with chocolate shavings, cherries, and additional whipped cream to your liking. Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/pvNNZr1O.mp4

The Black Forest cake is a traditional German dessert that is a must for many special occasions, from a wedding anniversary to a birthday celebration. Originating from the Black Forest region in Germany, this cake has been enjoyed by locals and tourists alike for many decades. It's traditionally served with whipped cream and cherries on top of a chocolate sponge cake that has been soaked in cherry syrup or kirsch. In this blog post, you will learn how to make Black Forest cake at home!

Black Forest Cake (Traditional German Recipe)

A soft apple and cocoa cake that displays a lovely wave pattern when sliced. Inspired by the German cake Donauwelle, the Polish recipe calls for apples instead of cherries.

Polish apple cake "Fale Dunaju"

margarine ((room temperature))

eggs ((room temperature))

flour

tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

apples

Peel and slice the apples, and set aside. Don&#039;t worry if they slightly brown as they sit. This will not be a problem once the apples get cooked in the cake.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Beat the whites to soft peaks. While mixing, add a little sugar, then set aside. 

In another bowl, cream the margarine with the rest of the sugar. Add the yolks, one at a time.

Sift the baking powder and half of the flour into the margarine mixture and fold in by hand using a spatula. Once incorporated, fold in the second half of the flour. The batter should be rather firm.

Gently fold in the egg whites making sure not to knock too much air out of them. This will make the batter runnier and fluffier.

Pour half of the batter into a 24-cm round cake pan and spread it all over the bottom, making an even layer.

Sift the cocoa powder into the rest of the batter and fold in. Spread cocoa batter all over the other batter layer in the baking pan.

Press apple slices into the batter, making sure to pierce right through both layers so that the fruits touch the bottom of the pan. 

Sprinkle the cane sugar all over the cake top.

Bake the cake at 180°C (360°F) for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Avoid testing near an apple slice as the cake might be more moist there.

Frankfurter Kranz, aka Frankfurt Crown Cake or German Crown Cake, is a ring-shaped, three-layered sponge cake filled with red jam and delicious German buttercream. 

Oma's Frankfurter Kranz Recipe ~ German Crown Cake

butter

lemon

Shirriff Vanilla Cooked Pudding & Pie Filling (or Jell-0)

cherries

nuts

Bake and Fill

Make cake, buttercream, and krokant according to directions.

It&#039;s so easy to make German Butter Cake (Butterkuchen) at home!  A classic German treat that&#039;s so simple, and yet, so DELICIOUS! Great for snack, dessert or breakfast!

Butterkuchen Recipe (German Butter Cake)

& 1/4 tsp yeast

milk, (warm)

tbsp sugar

tbsp butter ((about 60 grams), unsalted and softened)

egg, (at room temperature and beaten)

cinnamon

almonds, (sliced)

Combine ½ cup of warm milk with yeast. Mix and set aside until foamy.

Using your stand mixer&#39;s bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar.  Use the flat beater attachment to mix.

Add yeast mixture, remaining ½ cup of milk, and egg.  Mix to combine.

Add softened butter.  Mix until a dough starts to form. 

Switch to the dough hook attachment and mix it becomes smooth.

Form your butterkuchen dough into a ball and place it into an oiled bowl.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside until the size has doubled --- generally takes at least an hour.

Take it out of the bowl, and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into the baking tray&#39;s size. (I use a baking tray that&#39;s 14.75 x 9.75-inch.)

Use your hands to even out the butterkuchen dough, then use a fork to prick it randomly.

Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes.

Preparing butterkuchen dough:

Top 7 german cake recipes from across the web

The most viewed german cake recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Danube Waves Cake (Donauwellen Kuch...

Black Forest Cake (Schwarzwälder Ki...

Bee Sting Cake

Traditional German Black Forest Cak...

Polish apple cake "Fale Dunaju"

Oma's Frankfurter Kranz Recipe ~ Ge...

Butterkuchen Recipe (German Butter ...

Top 7 german cake recipes from across the web

The most viewed german cake recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Danube Waves Cake (Donauwellen Kuch...

Black Forest Cake (Schwarzwälder Ki...

Bee Sting Cake

Traditional German Black Forest Cak...

Polish apple cake "Fale Dunaju"

Oma's Frankfurter Kranz Recipe ~ Ge...

Butterkuchen Recipe (German Butter ...

The most viewed german cake recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine