FRANKFURTER KRANZ TORTE

Happy Birthday Shirley, a beautiful 85 young sweetheart, cherished mother of my best friend Cindy and surrogate mother to all of Cindy's friends. She deserved a special cake and a favorite celebration cake in our house is this German Frankfurter Kranz Torte. The origin comes from the city of Frankfurt Germany and Kranz means wreath, henceforth, I baked it in a bundt cake form. It does take a little time to assemble but well worth the effort.


Frankfurter Kranz Torte

1/2C butter
3/4C sugar
3 large eggs
rind of 1/2 lemon
3/4C sifter flour
1/3 C Corn Starch
2 tsp Baking Powder
1&1/2 C Butter cream frosting (recipe follows)

Praline, made with
1 T butter
1/4 C sugar
1 C blanched and chopped almonds or hazelnuts


Pre-heat oven to 350. Cream butter & sugar until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time incorporated them into the mixture. Mix in lemon rind, sift flour, cornstarch and baking powder and gradually stir into batter. Pour into a ring cake mould and bake 45 - 60 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Prepare frosting and praline.

Praline:

Melt butter and sugar in a frying pan. When browned add nuts and pour onto a buttered plate. When cooled take a rolling pin and further crush the praline into smaller bits.

German Butter Cream Filling:

Six lg egg yolks at room temp.
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C water
1/2 T cornstarch
1/4 C soften butter
3-4 T flavoring to taste (vanilla, rum etc)

Over very low heat cook sugar, water and cornstarch until dissolved. Bring to a boil. Syrup should be 238F on a candy thermometer. Whisk egg yolks. VERY SLOWLY STIRRING CONSTANTLY in a thin stream add syrup to the egg yolks. DON'T do this quickly or you will scramble the eggs. Beat until mixture is smooth and creamy. Cool thoroughly. To make frosting beat soften butter to the cream mixture adding 3 or 4 tablespoons of your desired flavoring.

To Assemble Cake:

Cut cake either in half or 3 layers, lightly spread butter cream on each layer. Assemble layers and cover entire cake with remaining butter cream. Slowly coat outside butter cream layer with the candied nut praline. Refrigerate cake but take out 30 Min's prior to serving.