Blog-Event 3-Jahres-Jubiläum: Krantz Cake

One of the most popular Swiss food bloggers, Zorra from kochtopf, celebrates the joy of blogging continuously throughout the year with her monthly “Blog-Event” - an informal cyber-gathering of people around the world, writing about preparing food their way. The current one marks its 3rd birthday…Choir: “Happy blogday to yoooouuuu, happy….” This month is all about cake.

I chose a cake based on a recipe in “Baking with passion”. It is a sweet and rich yeast dough, moist, delicate and originally paired with a chocolate-walnut filling. I made an almond-marzipan inlay instead as a slight variation. A tasty cake, which in my case came out a little undone in the center.

Krantz Cake

Dough

• 250g strong white flour
• 1/2 sachet of instant yeast or 10g fresh yeast
• 3-4 tbsp warm water
• 75g cream cheese
• 75g sour cream
• 75g soft butter
• 75g sugar
• 2 egg yolks (keep the egg whites for the filling)
• a pinch of salt

Filling

• 50g sugar
• 50g marzipan
• 100g ground whole almonds
• 2 egg whites

Egg wash

• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp milk

Sugar glaze

• 25g sugar
• 25 water

Make the sponge: Put the flour into a bowl, make a well in the center of the flour and crumble (or sprinkle) the yeast into it. Add 3-4 tbsp of warm water, stir together and let rest covered for 2 hours.

Make the dough: Mix together the cream cheese, the sour cream, the sugar, the butter, the egg yolks and the salt and add this to the yeast sponge. Mix to a soft and sticky dough. The dough will be wet and impossible to handle or knead by hand. You did not mess up, this is desired, do not add more flour. Put the dough into the fridge overnight.

Make the filling: For the filling, mix together all ingredients.

Bake the cake: The next morning, get the dough out of the fridge and let stand for about 10 minutes. Then roll out on a floured surface to a rectangle measuring approx 20cm x 15cm. Distribute the filling on the dough. Roll up to a sausage starting at the long side. Cut lengthwise and twist the two strands together. Put it into an oiled oblong cake tin. Let stand in a warm spot for 2 hours.

Heat oven to 180°C. Brush the surface of the dough with the egg wash, then put the tin into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 160°C and bake for further 25-30 minutes. (Hint to myself for next time: Turn off oven and let the cake rest in the oven for 20 more minutes to stabilize)

For the sugar glaze, bring sugar and water to a boil, then brush onto the still warm cake. Let cool on a wire rack.