Frankfurter Kranz: German ring cake with buttercream, jam and crunchy hazelnut brittle

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Mix the batter

   20 min

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Grease a 24–26 cm ring cake pan with butter and dust with flour. Beat the softened butter with the sugar, vanilla sugar and salt until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the lemon zest. Sift together the flour, cornstarch and baking powder, then briefly fold them into the batter with a wooden spoon.

2. Bake the cake

   55 min

   Spread the batter in the pan and bake at 180 °C (350 °F) for 40–45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let stand in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

3. Cook the pudding

   10 min

   While the cake bakes, cook the pudding mix with the milk and sugar according to the package directions to make a thick pudding. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and let cool to room temperature, not in the refrigerator.

4. Make the hazelnut brittle

   10 min

   Melt the sugar in a dry skillet until it forms a light caramel. Stir in the butter and hazelnuts and toast for 1–2 minutes, stirring. Pour onto parchment paper, let harden, then chop finely.

5. Let the cake cool

   1 hr

   Let the cake cool completely on the wire rack, about an hour.

6. Whip the buttercream

   10 min

   Beat the softened butter until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the pudding a spoonful at a time. Make sure the butter and pudding are at the same room temperature, or the buttercream may curdle.

7. Fill the cake

   20 min

   Slice the cake horizontally twice to make three layers. Spread the bottom layer with half the jam and a layer of buttercream. Add the middle layer, spread with the remaining jam and more buttercream, then add the top layer. Cover the entire cake with buttercream, reserving a little for decoration.

8. Decorate and chill

   2 hr 15 min

   Coat the cake all over with the hazelnut brittle. Pipe 12 rosettes on top using the reserved buttercream, place a candied cherry on each, and refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours to set.

Tip: Use butter with at least 82% fat for the buttercream. The cake keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days; let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving to soften the buttercream. Read more: Frozen lemons: why to freeze them and use the peel

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Nadýchaný Frankfurter Kranz s maslovým krémom: tri vrstvy s džemom a navrchu chrumkavá griláž