Marzipan cake Lübeck style

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 175 g wheat flour
• 75 g sugar
• 100 g butter or margarine
• 1 egg(s)
• 4 eggs
• 4 tbsp water, hot
• 130 g sugar
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• 100 g wheat flour
• 2 tsp, leveled baking powder
• 100 g cornstarch
• 200 g walnuts
• 100 g marzipan paste
• 60 g sugar
• 5 cups of sweet cream, 200 g each
• 2 packs of instant gelatin
• ½ jar apricot jam, for spreading
• 1 marzipan cover

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 4 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 5 hours 50 minutes

For 16 pieces

Shortcrust pastry: Knead all ingredients and let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 200°C (top/bottom heat). Roll out the dough on baking paper and carefully prick with a fork. Bake on the second rack for 15-20 minutes. While the shortcrust pastry is still hot, cut it to the desired diameter using a springform pan or cake ring. This dough may be enough for two layers, as the base should be as thin as possible. In this case, reduce the baking time. Sponge cake: Beat the eggs and hot water in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer (whisk) on high for 1 minute. Mix the sugar and vanilla sugar, sprinkle in the mixture for 1 minute while stirring, and beat the mixture for another 2 minutes. Do not overmix, or the dough will collapse. Mix the flour with the baking powder and cornstarch, sift, and briefly stir in on the lowest speed. Grease the springform pan and line it with baking paper. Smooth the dough in the springform pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (top/bottom heat) for about 35 minutes. Remove the cake base from the tin, turn out onto a wire rack lined with baking paper, and allow to cool. Carefully peel off the baking paper and cut it in half. Filling: Set aside 16 walnuts for decoration. Finely chop the remaining walnuts and caramelize them in a pan. Melt about 30g of sugar in the pan, add the chopped walnuts, and toss them in the caramel mixture. Tear 100g of marzipan into small pieces and add to the walnuts. Allow the nut mixture to cool, breaking up any remaining pieces. Whip 4 cups of sweet cream until stiff peaks form. At the same time, mix the instant gelatin with 30g of sugar and beat together according to the instructions. Fold in the cooled nut-marzipan-sugar mixture. Assemble the cake: Heat the apricot jam, possibly in the microwave, strain it through a sieve, and spread it over the shortcrust pastry base. Place an adjustable cake ring around it. Place a sponge cake layer on top and spread it with about 1/2 of the cream and nut mixture. Place another sponge cake layer on top and spread with the remaining cream and nut mixture, then place the third sponge cake layer on top. Chill the cake for a few hours (or overnight if necessary), then loosen and remove the cake ring. Whip the remaining whipped cream with 10g of sugar and instant gelatin and spread it all over the cake. Place the marzipan lid on top and carefully pull it over. Carefully smooth the sides with a spatula. Using the back of a wet knife, mark the cake into 16 pieces, decorate with 16 cream dots, and place a walnut in each piece. I baked this cake for my son’s 40th birthday. It was his favorite cake, which he ate at Niederegger’s in Lübeck. Lübeck is far from us, so I got to work.