Frankfurter Kranz Cake Recipe

If you ever have visited Germany’s awesome bakeries or the “Konditorei”  (confectionery or pastry shop) you probably tasted or saw a piece of this cake:  Frankfurter Kranz. Find out now how to make it. This Frankfurter Kranz Cake recipe cake was created by a sugar baker in 1735 whose name is unknown. The Kranz or “wreath” in English cake is a round cake and is made in a special form. The recipe in written form had been found beginning of the 20th century. It can be made out of different dough but this one is using the biscuit dough.

The Frankfurter Kranz Cake is wrapped with a butter cream and Krokant  which is a brittle that had been cut into very small pieces to make it
“sprinkle-able”. Krokant is not available in the USA, so you need to make it. It is recommended to be an experienced baker. The typical baking pan is round and reminds of a savarin or angel cake form. See below the original Frankfurt ring form and a substitute. Happy Baking!

Ingredients Frankfurter Kranz Cake Recipe

4 eggs separated
4 tbsp cold water
200 g sugar
80 g potato starch
120 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
250 g butter – 2 sticks – unsalted
1 package vanilla pudding Dr Oetker or make the pudding – How to make Vanilla Pudding –
Krokant for decoration – How to Make Krokant –

– Find Krokant here – 
1 jar black currant, sour cherry or raspberry jam, preferably jelly jam
Maraschino cocktail cherries for decoration
Frankfurter Kranz form Kaiser (see below)
butter and flour for the form or use a non-sticking cooking spray taste neutral

A Little Treat  Made in Germany – Classic Pancakes, so Easy to Make

Baking Instructions Frankfurter Kranz Cake

For the Biscuit Base Cake
You can make this base cake the day before if you like.

– Pre-heat oven to 390 F (convection 370)
– Beat the 4 egg whites with 4 tbsp of cold water until foamy then add 200 g sugar, afterwards add the egg yolks.
– Mix starch, baking powder and flour, sieve it.
– Add to eggs spoon by spoon (not at once).
– Grease a Frankfurter Kranz form (diameter 26cm) very thoroughly (use butter or spray) and dust the form very well with flour (this is important because you want to get the cake out of the form without damaging it).
– Bake the cake for about 25 min.
– Let cool off completely (that’s why it is convenient to bake it the day before). Should the cake be still warm, wrap it into a kitchen cloth to let it cool off completely.

For the Filling
Butter should have room temperature,  take it early enough out of the fridge.
– Make the vanilla pudding per instructions, place a piece of plastic foil directly on the pudding surface, otherwise skin is building.
– Let cool off to room temperature.
– With a hand mixer beat the butter until creamy then add the pudding bit by bit with a spoon. The filling is ready.
– Remove the cake from the form. You can use a dough scraper and scrape along the edges to find out if the cake sticks to the form. Hold the form upside down so the cake can fall out from the form on to a kitchen cloth.

– Next step is to cut the biscuit cake twice horizontally. The best is too use a special cake slicer that can cut 2 layers. Remember this cake has 2 layers! (see below).

– Now make the Krokant per instructions.
– Remove the upper layer by going with a cake board directly under the upper layer.
– Spread the jelly on the lower part of the cake.
– On top of the jelly layer add now a thin layer of the filling.
– Place the second part of the cake on top then remove the upper part so you can spread the filling (only) on the second layer.
– Place upper part on the cake. The 2 layers are filled now.

– Place the cake on a cake stand.
– Spread the filling evenly all around the cake.
– Place the cake for 5-10  min in the fridge before you add the second layer on top.
– Spread the second cream layer around the cake.
– Now it gets a bit messy! You need to get the Krokant all around the cake. Solution: You can use a adjustable and tilt-able cake stand which makes it easier or gently throw the Krokant on the cake. Don’t touch it with the hands.
– Place some of the filling into a decorating bag.
– With a plastic spoon make small molds on top of the cake where you will squirt in each one a little heap of filling.
– Stick in each heap a candied cherry or alternatively small strawberries.

TIPS:
Sprinkle some cherry brandy on top of each layer before you spread the filling. Adds  some nice taste to the cake.
Use Maraschino cherries because the candied cherries from the USA contain a lot of chemicals, and we recommend not to use the ones with the chemicals as they might alter the taste.

VIDEO
Watch this Video to make the Frankfurter Kranz Cake (in German but the steps can be followed easily)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMXRhTj0ROw

ALTERNATIVE to the Kaiser form