As some of
you may know I started a new job earlier this year. Doing PR properly has been
challenging and fun and I have learned a whole lot since graduation. My old
office was the perfect ground for trying new cupcake recipes and I used to bake
at least once a week. Joe in particular was always excited when I turned up to
work with an armful of colourful boxes.
A couple of
weeks ago we had something called “Around the World Lunch” at work. Everyone
was allocated either a starter, a main or a dessert. Fun and games were to
accompany the event. Luckily I got to make a dessert, something that I find
easier to do than a starter or main. Of course I wanted to do something German,
preferably something particular to my hometown of Frankfurt. A long hard think
and some discussions with my friends from home resulted in me asking Google for
a recipe for Frankfurter Kranz.
A
traditional local cake from Frankfurt, Frankfurter Kranz is my Dad’s favourite
and thus holds a special meaning for me. I had never made one before and was
slightly worried about getting hold of all the ingredients but I like a
challenge when baking and thus I went for it.
The GermanDeli in Borough Market had nearly everything I needed and I cannot recommend
them wholeheartedly enough. They are so friendly and it’s got a great selection
of delicacies from around Germany. Also, they are open late, which is handy
when you are part of the working population like myself.
As the
icing for these is a bit complicated and needs to cool, I would recommend that
you do this first before you bake. I did this while I waited for the oven to
warm up to save myself some time.
For the Icing you will need:
- 45g corn flour (I bought original Speisestärke in the Deli – used in the cakes as well so well worth it)
- 500ml fresh milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 100g sugar
- 1tbsp Vanilla sugar (German deli has little packs which are great – again you will need them for the cakes too!)
- 150g soft butter
How to:
- Mix the corn flour with 6tbsps of the milk and the egg yolks. Make sure to mix them properly otherwise you will be left with lumpy icing
- Bring the rest of the milk to the boil together with the vanilla sugar
- Once boiled mix the milk and the corn flour mass together to form a custard like cream and bring to the boil once more
- Let it cool and stir occasionally
- Once cool, beat the butter until smooth and add to the cream before filling into a piping bag to ice the cakes
While the
cream was cooling I got to making the cakes. This is a pretty straight forward
recipe and even if you have no to little experience you should be able to get
these to taste really good.
For the cupcakes you will need:
- 3 eggs
- 170g sugar
- 150g soft butter
- 1tbsp Vanilla sugar (German deli has little packs which are great)
- Grated lemon grind from ½ lemon
- 1tbsp Baking powder
- 90g plain flour
- 90g corn flour (I bought original Speisestärke in the Deli)
- Cherry Jam for the filling (Sauerkirsche in the German Deli worked great for me!)
You will
also need either candied cherries (Tesco sells them) but I used fresh cherries
for better taste and a nicer, fresher look as well as candied hazelnuts. I made
those myself by simple caramelizing the chopped nuts in a pan and letting them
cool. Be careful as the caramel is very hot and its easy to burn yourself – I
have the scars to prove it!
How to:
- Heat the oven to 180 degrees
- Beat the eggs and the sugar together until creamy
- Add the butter and beat together until smooth
- Add the other ingredients and mix thoroughly until you are left with a tasty smelling and smooth mixture (it is delicious so make sure to lick the bowl!)
- Spoon the mix into the cupcake cases (2/3 full as usual) and bake for about 25 minutes (or until your house starts to smell like cake!)
- Leave to cool and then scoop a hole into the middle of the cake to be filled with cherry jam
- Ice them and top with cherries and the candied hazelnuts
Have fun while decorating these and feel free to experiment with both the nuts and the placement of the cherries. I had originally planned to place cut up cherries on the top so people wouldn't have to get rid of the stone but it looked so much prettier with the actual cherry on top that I went for that look.
Voila!
Tasty little German treats that taste as good as they look!
Happy
Baking
x
Picture credits:
Picture of Cupcakes on Plates - Rock the Kitchen
Picture of Frankfurt - Trip advisor
All others my own