Zebra cake with brittle buttercream

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 6 eggs
• 1 pinch of salt
• ⅛ liter of lukewarm water
• 350 g sugar
• 375 g flour
• 1 packet of baking powder
• ⅛ liter of oil
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 500 ml milk
• 1 packet of vanilla pudding powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 150 g butter
• 200 g almonds, chopped or hazelnuts
• 100 g sugar
• 1 tbsp butter

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 2 hours

for a 26cm springform pan

Line the bottom of a 26cm springform pan with baking paper. Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form. While stirring, add 175g of sugar and continue beating until the sugar is completely dissolved. Beat the egg yolks, 1/8l lukewarm water, and the remaining sugar until fluffy. Sift together the flour and baking powder, then fold into the egg yolk mixture along with the oil. Fold in the beaten egg whites in portions. Divide the batter in half and mix the cocoa powder into one half. Spoon the batter alternately into the middle of the pan, layering it exactly on top of the other. This will cause the batter to spread out, creating the zebra pattern. Bake in an oven preheated to 150°C (fan-assisted) for about 1 hour on the middle rack. Allow to cool, then cut the sponge cake horizontally once (or twice if you prefer). For the brittle, melt the sugar in a pan with a little butter, if desired. Add the nuts and let everything brown or caramelize nicely. Allow to cool on baking paper and crush if necessary. For the buttercream, cook a vanilla pudding according to the package instructions and allow to cool. Remove the butter from the refrigerator. Let both stand until they are the same temperature, otherwise the cream will curdle. Cream the butter until creamy and then gradually stir in the pudding until a smooth cream forms. Finally, carefully fold as much of the completely cooled brittle as you like into the cream. Now place the first layer on a cake plate and spread with the brittle cream. Place the second layer on top and spread again, repeating if you have three layers. Spread the remaining cream evenly over the outside of the cake. Sprinkle with the remaining brittle and decorate with chocolate shavings or something similar. Refrigerate. Tip: If you prefer something simple, you can also use a packet of vanilla cake cream powder for the filling and prepare it with milk and butter according to the package instructions. Proceed with the brittle as described above. It also tastes very good. Note: The amount of brittle is generous; the whole batch would probably be too much for the cake, otherwise it would be overly sweet. But I always like to make a little extra. I like to enjoy the leftovers with ice cream, vanilla pudding on quark, yogurt, or fruit salad.