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  grated zest of 1⁄2

  untreated lemon

  3 medium eggs

  250 g/9 oz (21⁄2 cups)

  plain (all-purpose) flour

  1 level teaspoon baking powder

  Per piece:

  P: 6 g, F: 13 g, C: 32 g, kJ: 1119, kcal: 269

  1. Preheat the waffle iron, at the highest setting.

  2. To make the waffle mixture, whisk the crème fraîche briefly in a mixing bowl, using a hand mixer with whisk. Gradually add the sugar, vanilla sugar and grated lemon zest and stir until the mixture thickens. Add 1 egg at a time, whisking each one for about 1⁄2 minute at the highest setting.

  3. Briefly mix together the flour and baking powder, sift and stir into the crème fraîche mixture in 2 stages, using the mixer at the medium setting.

  4. Lower the waffle iron setting to medium and grease the waffle moulds. Spoon the mixture into the moulds in portions that are not too large and cook the waffles until golden brown. Leave to cool on a rack but do not stack them.

  CAKE MIXTURE

  6 | Waffles with whipped cream (Hard waffles)

  For guests (8–10 pieces)

  Preparation and baking time: about 60 minutes

  For the waffle mixture:

  whites of 4 medium eggs

  250 g/9 oz (11⁄4 cups) soft margarine or butter

  100 g/31⁄2 oz (1⁄2 cup) sugar

  2–3 drops vanilla essence in 1 tablespoon sugar

  yolks of 4 medium eggs

  175 g/7 oz (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

  75 g/3 oz (3⁄4 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)

  2 level teaspoons baking powder

  200 ml/7 fl oz (7⁄8 cup) whipping cream

  some icing (confectioner’s) sugar

  Per piece:

  P: 4 g, F: 33 g, C: 20 g, kJ: 1630, kcal: 389

  1. Preheat the waffle iron, at the highest setting. To make the waffle mixture, beat the egg whites until they are stiff enough for the mixture to hold its shape. Stir the softened margarine or butter in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer with whisk until it becomes smooth and homogenous. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla sugar and stir until the mixture thickens. Whisk in 1 egg yolk at a time using the mixer at the highest setting.

  2. Mix together the flour and baking powder, sift and stir briefly into the margarine or butter mixture in 2 stages, alternating with the whipping cream. Finally, fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.

  3. Lower the temperature to medium and grease the moulds using a baking brush. Spoon the waffle mixture onto the waffle iron in portions that are not too large. Cook the waffles until golden brown and put them on a rack to cool dow(without stacking them). Dust with icing sugar before serving.

  CAKE MIXTURE

  7 | Eiserkuchen

  Classic (about 25 pieces)

  Preparation and baking time: about 60 minutes

  For the waffle iron:

  some cooking oil

  For the waffle mixture:

  125 g/41⁄2 oz (5⁄8 cup) butter, 250 g/9 oz (11⁄8 cups) sugar

  2–3 drops vanilla essence

  in 1 tablespoon sugar

  2 medium eggs

  250 g/9 oz (21⁄2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

  500 ml/17 fl oz (21⁄4 cups) milk

  Per piece:

  P: 2 g, F: 5 g, C: 18 g, kJ: 556, kcal: 133

  1. To make the mixture, melt the butter in a pan. Then transfer the melted butter to a mixing bowl and put in a cool place to set. Heat the wafer waffle iron, to the highest setting.

  2. Add the sugar and vanilla sugar to the slightly set butter. Using a hand mixer with whisk, whisk until the sugar and butter mixture becomes white and foamy. Add 1 egg at a time, whisking each one for about 1⁄2 minute at the highest setting. Sift the flour and stir into the egg and butter mixture in 2 stages, alternating with the milk, using the mixer at the medium setting.

  3. Lower the temperature to medium and grease the waffle iron. Spoon the cake mixture onto the iron in portions that are not too large and cook until golden brown. Quickly remove the thin "leaves" from the iron and roll into small tubes or cornets, using the handle of a wooden spoon.

  Tip: Store the eiserkuchen in an airtight tin. Use a special waffle iron to make very thin waffles.

  CAKE MIXTURE

  8 | Amerikaner

  For children (12 Pieces/2 baking sheets)

  Preparation time: about 30 minutes, excluding cooling time

  Baking time: about 20 minutes

  For the baking sheet:

  baking parchment

  For the mixture:

  75 g/3 oz (3⁄8 cup) soft margarine or butter

  100 g/31⁄2 oz (1⁄2 cup) sugar

  2–3 drops vanilla essence in 1 tablespoon sugar

  5 drops vanilla essence

  1 pinch salt

  2 medium eggs

  250 g/9 oz (21⁄2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

  3 level teaspoons baking powder

  100 ml/31⁄2 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) milk

  For the coating:

  about 4 teaspoons milk

  For the icing:

  200 g/7 oz (11⁄3 cups) icing (confectioner’s) sugar

  about 2 tablespoons lemon juice or water

  150 g/5 oz plain chocolate

  2 teaspoons cooking oil

  chopped blanched almonds

  chopped pistachios

  sugar crystals

  desiccated coconut

  Per piece:

  P: 5 g, F: 12 g, C: 47 g, kJ: 1309, kcal: 312

  1. Preheat the oven. Line the baking sheet with baking parchment and cut out a second piece of the same size.

  2. To make the cake mixture, stir the softened margarine or butter with a hand mixer with whisk until it becomes smooth and homogenous. Gradually add the sugar, vanilla sugar, vanilla essence and salt and stir until the mixture thickens. Add 1 egg at a time, whisking each one for about 1⁄2 minute at the highest setting.

  3. Mix together the flour and baking powder, sift and add to the margarine or butter mixture in 2 stages, alternating with the milk, stirring briefly with the mixer at the medium setting. Spoon half the mixture in 6 small heaps, not too close to each other, onto the baking sheet, using 2 tablespoons. Then shape using a moistened knife. Put the first baking sheet in the oven.

  Top/bottom heat: about 180 °C/350 °F (preheated),

  Fan oven: about 160 °C/325 °F (preheated), Gas mark 4 (preheated),

  Baking time: about 20 minutes.

  4. After about 15 minutes in the oven, brush the top of the pastries with milk. With the rest of the dough make 6 more heaps on the second piece of baking parchment. Slide the baking parchment with the baked Amerikaners onto a rack and leave to cool. Then slide the second batch of Amerikaners onto the baking sheet and bake in the same way as the first batch.

  5. For the icing, sift the icing sugar and mix with lemon juice or water to make a thick mixture. Coarsely chop the chocolate and melt together with the vegetable oil in a bain-marie over low heat. Coat the underside of the Amerikaners with the icing. Sprinkle with almonds, pistachio nuts, sugar crystals and desiccated coconut.

  CAKE MIXTURE

  9 | Baumkuchen (Layered cake)

  Takes a little while (about 20 Pieces)

  Preparation and baking time: about 80 minutes, excluding cooling time

  For a rectangular tin (30 x 11 cm/12 x 41⁄2 in):

  some fat baking parchment

  For the cake mixture:

  whites of 4 medium eggs

  250 g/9 oz (11⁄4 cups) soft margarine or butter

  250 g/9 oz (11⁄8 cups) sugar

  1 sachet vanilla sugar or 2–3 drops natural vanilla essence in 1–2 tablespoons sugar

  1 pinch salt

  2 medium eggs

  yolks of 4 medium eggs

  4 tablespoons rum

  150 g/6 oz (11⁄2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

  100 g/4 oz (3⁄4 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)

  3 level teasp
oons baking powder

  For the chocolate coating:

  200 g/7 oz plain chocolate

  4 teaspoons cooking oil

  Per piece:

  P: 4 g, F: 17 g, C: 27 g, kJ: 1177, kcal: 281

  1. Preheat the oven grill. Grease the rectangular tin and line the bottom with baking parchment.

  2. To make the cake mixture, beat the egg whites until stiff. Stir the softened margarine or butter with a hand mixer with whisk until it becomes smooth and homogenous. Gradually add the sugar, vanilla sugar and salt, and stir until the mixture thickens. Add 1 egg at a time, whisking each one for about 1⁄2 minute at the highest setting. Then stir in the yolks and the rum.

  3. Mix together the flour, cornflour and baking powder, sift and stir into the butter and egg mixture in two stages with the mixer set at the medium setting. Then carefully fold in the beaten egg whites using a flexible spatula or wooden spoon.

  4. Using a brush, spread a heaped tablespoon of cake mixture on the bottom of the greased tin. Put the tin on a shelf in the oven (the distance between the grill and the layer of cake mixture at the bottom of the tin should be about 20 cm/8 in). Grill for about 2 minutes under the preheated grill until golden brown.

  5. Take the tin out of the oven and spread another layer (1–2 tablespoons of cake mixture) on top of the already baked layer. Put the tin under the grill again and continue in this way until all the cake mixture is used up. This means that the shelf on which the tin is placed will have to moved downwards to maintain a distance of 20 cm/8 in between the grill and the layer of cake mixture.

  6. Carefully loosen the cake from the tin with a knife, remove from the tin and put on a rack. Remove the baking parchment and leave to cool.

  7. To make the chocolate coating, finely chop the chocolate and melt with the oil in a bain-marie over low heat, stirring continuously. Then coat the cooled-down cake with the melted chocolate mixture.

  Tip: To beat the egg whites very stiff, it is important that the bowl and whisk be completely fat-free and that the egg whites do not contain any trace of egg yolk.

  Variation: To make Grillstangen, put a baking frame (25 x 25 cm/10 x 10 in) on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Use 11⁄2 times the quantities given in the recipe above. Make the cake in layers as described above but with 3 tablespoons of cake mixture per layer. The cake mixture can then be spread with a wide baking brush or cake slice. After baking, the baking frame can be loosened using a knife and removed. Remove the layered cake with the baking parchment from the baking sheet and place on a rack to cool down. Then cut the cake into six sticks 4 cm/11⁄2 in wide. Melt 300 g/10 oz plain chocolate with 2 tablespoons oil as described in the recipe above and coat the sticks with the melted chocolate. Wrap the sticks in aluminium foil so that they remain fresh, or freeze them.

  CAKE MIXTURE

  10 | Red wine cake

  Easy (about 20 pieces)

  Preparation time: about 20 minutes

  Baking time: 70–75 minutes

  For a rectangular tin (30 x 11 cm/12 x 41⁄2 in):

  some fat

  plain (all-purpose) flour

  For the cake mixture:

  250 g/9 oz (11⁄4 cups) soft margarine or butter

  125 g/41⁄2 oz (5⁄8 cup) sugar

  2–3 drops vanilla essence in 1 tablespoon sugar

  1 pinch salt

  4 medium eggs

  4 tablespoons rum

  250 g/9 oz (21⁄2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

  3 level teaspoons cocoa powder

  1–2 level teaspoons ground cinnamon

  3 level teaspoons baking powder

  150 g/5 oz grated chocolate

  100 g/31⁄2 oz (3⁄4 cup) chopped blanched almonds

  125 ml/4 oz (1⁄2 cup) red wine

  Per piece:

  P: 5 g, F: 17 g, C: 20 g, kJ: 1074, kcal: 256

  1. Preheat the oven at the top and bottom. Grease the tin and dust with flour.

  2. To make the cake mixture, stir the softened butter or margarine with a hand mixer with whisk until it becomes smooth and homogenous. Gradually add the sugar, vanilla sugar and salt and stir until the mixture thickens.

  3. Add 1 egg at a time, whisking each one for about 1⁄2 minute at the highest setting. Then stir in the rum. Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and baking powder, sift and add to the butter and sugar mixture, alternating with the grated chocolate, almonds and red wine, whisking briefly with the mixer set at the medium setting. Put the cake mixture in the greased, floured tin and put the tin on a shelf in the oven.

  Top/bottom heat: about 180 °C/350 °F (preheated),

  Fan oven: about 160 °C/325 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 4 (not preheated),

  Baking time: about 70-75 minutes.

  4. Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes after taking out of the oven, then remove from the tin and put on a rack to cool down.

  Tip: Instead of rum, 5–6 drops rum essence can be used.

  CAKE MIXTURE

  11 | Frankfurter Kranz

  Traditional (about 16 pieces)

  Preparation time: about 60 minutes, excluding cooling time

  Baking time: about 40 minutes

  For a gugelhupf or ring mould (diameter 22 cm/81⁄2 in):

  some fat

  aluminium foil

  For the cake mixture:

  100 g/31⁄2 oz (1⁄2 cup) soft margarine or butter

  150 g/5 oz (3⁄4 cup) sugar

  2–3 drops vanilla essence in 1 tablespoon sugar

  4 drops lemon essence

  1 pinch salt

  3 medium eggs

  150 g/5 oz (11⁄3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

  50 g/2 oz (1⁄2 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)

  2 level teaspoons baking powder

  For the praline:

  10 g/1⁄3 oz (2 teaspoons) butter

  60 g/2 oz (1⁄4 cup) sugar

  125 g/41⁄2 oz chopped blanched almonds

  For the butter cream:

  40 g/11⁄2 oz (41⁄2 tablespoons) custard powder, vanilla flavour

  100 g/31⁄2 oz (1⁄2 cup) sugar

  500 ml/17 fl oz (21⁄4 cups) milk

  250 g/9 oz soft butter

  Per piece:

  P: 5 g, F: 25 g, C: 33 g, kJ: 1593, kcal: 380

  1. Preheat the oven top and bottom. Grease the ring mould.

  2. To make the cake mixture, stir the softened margarine or butter with a hand mixer with whisk until it becomes smooth and homogenous. Gradually add the sugar, vanilla sugar, flavouring and salt, and stir until the mixture thickens. Add 1 egg at a time, whisking each one for about 1⁄2 minute at the highest setting.

  3. Mix together the flour and baking powder, sift and stir briefly into the butter and egg mixture in 2 stages, using the mixer at the medium setting. Spoon the cake mixture into the ring mould, smooth out the surface and put on a shelf in the oven.

  Top/bottom heat: about 180 °C/350 °F (preheated),

  Fan oven: about 160 °C/325 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 4 (not preheated),

  Baking time: about 40 minutes.

  4. Leave the cake in the mould for 10 minutes after taking it out of the oven, then remove from the tin and leave to cool.

  5. To make the praline, stir together the butter, sugar and almonds over low heat until the mixture turns brown, pour onto a piece of aluminium foil and leave to cool.

  6. To make the butter cream, make the custard following the instructions on the tin but with 100 g/31⁄2 oz (1⁄2 cup) sugar and milk. Let the custard cool (do not refrigerate), stirring occasionally. Whisk the softened butter with a hand mixer with whisk until smooth and homogeneous and stir into the cooled custard a spoonful at a time, making sure that the butter and custard are both at room temperature, or else it may curdle.

  7. Whisk the jelly until it is smooth or rub the jam through a sieve. Cut the ring cake horizontally twice to make three layers and spread the jam or jelly on the bottom layer. Spread half the butter cream on the 2 lower layers, then pu
t the top layer in place, thus reassembling the ring cake.

  8. Now coat the ring cake with the remaining butter cream (reserving 1–2 tablespoons) and sprinkle the praline all over the cake. Put the reserved butter cream in a piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle and decorate the cake. Finally, garnish with candied cherries. Refrigerate for about 2 hours.

  CAKE MIXTURE

  12 | Marble cake

  Classic (about 20 pieces)

  Preparation time: about 30 minutes

  Baking time: about 60 minutes

  For a gugelhupf mould (diameter 24 cm/91⁄2 in):

  some fat

  For the cake mixture:

  300 g/10 oz (13⁄8 cups) soft margarine or butter

  275 g/10 oz (11⁄4 cups) sugar

  2–3 drops vanilla essence in 1 tablespoon sugar

  5–6 drops rum essence

  1 pinch salt

  5 medium eggs

  375 g/13 oz (33⁄4 cups) plain (all purpose) flour

  4 level teaspoons baking powder

  about 2 tablespoons milk

  20 g/3⁄4 oz (2 tablespoons) cocoa powder

  20 g/3⁄4 oz (2 tablespoons) sugar

  1–2 tablespoons milk

  For dusting:

  some icing (confectioner’s) sugar

  Per piece:

  P: 4 g, F: 15 g, C: 30 g, kJ: 1135, kcal: 271

  1. Preheat the oven at the top and bottom. Grease the mould.

  2. To make the cake mixture, stir the softened fat with a hand mixer with whisk until it becomes smooth and homogenous. Gradually add the sugar, vanilla sugar, rum flavouring and salt, and stir until the mixture thickens. Add 1 egg at a time, whisking each one for about 1⁄2 minute at the highest setting.

  3. Mix together the flour and baking powder, sift and add to the fat and egg mixture in 2 stages, alternating with the milk, stirring briefly with a mixer set at the medium setting.

  4. Spoon two-thirds of the cake mixture into the greased gugelhupf. Sift the cocoa powder and add to the rest of the cake mixture together with the milk and sugar. Spoon the dark-coloured cake mixture on top of the light-coloured cake mixture and drag a fork through the two layers in a spiral movement to create a marbled pattern. Put the gugelhupf on a shelf in the oven.