Käthe's checkerboard cake

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 6 eggs, size M or L
• 180 g sugar
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar or vanilla extract or vanilla pulp
• 80 g flour
• 60 g cornstarch
• 60 g cocoa powder
• 750 g low-fat curd cheese or 20% – 40% fat
• 500 g yogurt, 1.5% or 3.5% fat
• 200 g cream, nB otherwise replace with yogurt or quark
• 1 pack of cream stabilizer, if cream is used
• 3 packs of white gelatin powder or equivalent amount of leaf gelatin
• 1 lemon(s), juice and zest
• 2 packets of vanilla sugar or some vanilla powder or vanilla pulp
• e.g. sugar or sweetener
• 2 cans of tangerine(s) or other fruit, fresh or frozen
• possibly cream
• possibly chocolate shavings

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 1 hour 15 minutes

For a 26 cm springform pan, makes about 12 pieces, chocolate sponge cake with quark-yogurt-lemon cream and optionally fruit

Line the bottom of a 26 cm springform pan with baking paper and stretch the rim around it. If you don’t have any baking paper, you can also brush the bottom (but not the sides) with butter and sprinkle with flour or breadcrumbs. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Separate the eggs. Briefly beat the egg whites, then add half of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Beat the egg yolks with the other half of the sugar and the vanilla sugar until frothy. Using a spoon, fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then sift the flour, cocoa powder, and cornstarch over the mixture and fold in with a spoon until a smooth batter forms. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan, smooth it out, and bake on the middle rack for about 25-30 minutes. Check the base for the first time after about 25 minutes to see if it’s done. Do not open the oven door beforehand, as this may cause the batter to collapse. Remove the finished base from the oven, let it rest in the tin for about 10 minutes, then remove the tin and let the base cool completely on a wire rack. It’s best to bake it the day before, as it’s easier to slice after a longer resting time. Then cut the base horizontally three times. Set the bottom and top pieces aside, place the two middle pieces on a non-stick surface, and use a sharp knife to cut them into even rings. The rings should be at least two centimeters wide, otherwise they’ll break too easily. If you want to use cream, whip the cream with cream stiffener until stiff. Mix the quark and yogurt with the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla sugar, and as much sugar as you like. Dissolve the gelatin powder according to the package instructions. I always use half water and half fruit juice, if available, and heat it up. Gradually stir a few tablespoons of the cream into the gelatin, and when it’s cooled down a bit, stir the gelatin into the rest of the cream. Fold in whipped cream, if desired. Place the bottom layer of the sponge cake on a cake plate and place a cake ring around it. Spread a very thin layer of cream over the base, then alternately place rings on top, filling the spaces with fruit and cream. First, place an outer ring, the third ring from the outside, and the inner circle. Then place fruit and cream in the spaces. Place the second ring from the outside on top of the cream, and the fourth ring from the outside. Add cream in the spaces again, and repeat. Finally, place another thin layer of cream over everything and the top layer of the base. You can also omit this part and cover the cake directly with cream. Then you just cut the base into three pieces, and the rings will be slightly taller. Cover the entire cake with the remaining cream and decorate with fruit, chocolate shavings, cream, or anything else you like. Refrigerate until ready to serve. For those interested: The 350 calories per piece (based on 12 pieces) are calculated with canned mandarins, 10% quark, 1.8% yogurt, cream, and a total of 300g of sugar. However, this can vary greatly depending on what you use.