Frankfurter Kranz with homemade vanilla buttercream

Ingredients for 16 servings:

• 200 g butter, soft
• 250 g sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 2 tbsp liquor (arrack), to taste
• 300 g flour
• 100 g cornstarch
• 3 tsp baking powder
• e.g. milk
• 500 ml milk
• 1 vanilla pod(s), slit
• 4 egg yolks
• 50 g cornstarch
• 100 g sugar
• 400 g butter, soft, room temperature
• 200 g powdered sugar
• 250 g brittle
• 16 cherries, candied, or chocolate decoration
• Fat, for the shape
• Flour , for the shape

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

Grease and flour a 22 cm ring tin. Preheat the oven to 180-190°C. Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and eggs, whisking until foamy. Add the salt and flavorings. Sift the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder over the tin and fold in loosely with a wooden spoon; stir in a little milk if desired. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 50-60 minutes. When a knife or skewer inserted into the tin comes out clean, the cake is done. Briefly cool the cake in the tin, then turn it out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely. Meanwhile, for the buttercream, heat the milk with the split vanilla pod, bring to a boil (but don’t stir, as it will burn), and let it stand for 5 minutes after boiling. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth, then gradually add to the vanilla milk with a whisk until thickened. Stir constantly, or the pudding will burn. Remove the vanilla pod. Let the pudding cool to room temperature, stirring frequently to prevent a skin from forming. Strain the pudding through a fine sieve. Cream the butter with the powdered sugar until fluffy, then stir in the vanilla pudding a spoonful at a time. If the cream curdles when mixing the butter and pudding, you can save it by stirring in a few tablespoons of hot coconut oil drop by drop. Or you can steam it until smooth. Cut the wreath in half horizontally three times. Fill with two-thirds of the buttercream and assemble. Spread the outside of the wreath with the buttercream, smoothing the applied cream with strips of paper. Reserve some of the cream for decoration. Sprinkle the wreath densely with brittle. Pipe 16 small buttercream rosettes onto the surface and decorate each with a candied cherry or a chocolate ornament. Refrigerate the Frankfurter Kranz. Tip: For the vanilla buttercream, use a real vanilla pod to achieve the optimal flavor.