Old German Christmas cake

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 8 eggs
• 12 tbsp water, hot
• 300 g sugar
• 2 packets of vanilla sugar
• 200 g flour
• 200 g cornstarch
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 50 g cocoa powder, slightly defatted (optional for dark base)
• 500 g prunes
• 500 g mascarpone
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 4 pinches of clove powder
• 2 pinches of cardamom powder
• 3 packets of vanilla sugar
• Decor of your choice

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 1 hour 10 minutes

with plums and mascarpone – without alcohol

Beat the eggs on high for about 3 minutes until frothy, adding the hot water a spoonful at a time, then the sugar and vanilla sugar. Mix the flour, cornstarch and baking powder and stir into the egg mixture. The batter for the light base is now ready; for the dark base, stir in the cocoa. Pour the batter into a 26 cm springform pan and bake for about 40 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 °C (top/bottom heat). Allow to cool on a wire rack and cut in half twice. For the cream, puree the prunes and mascarpone together. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and vanilla sugar. Spread the cream a finger-thickness over the first layer, place the second layer on top, press down lightly, spread more cream a finger-thickness over the top, place the third layer on top and press down, then spread the remaining cream over the top layer and around the cake. If you have enough cream left over, you can also place 12 to 16 dots on the cake and decorate them with gingerbread or chocolate balls. The cake should rest for at least 24 hours to allow it to fully set and develop its full flavor. From my own experience, I know that it tastes very good even before that. Tip: If you’re in a hurry, you can buy a ready-made sponge cake base (3 layers), light or dark, as you like.