Baumkuchen (Treecake) or Schichttorte (Layered Torte)

 

Baumkuchen (Treecake)

Baumkuchen is a kind of layered cake which is grilled instead of baked. It is a traditional dessert in many countries throughout Europe. The characteristic rings that appear when sliced resemble tree rings, and give the cake its German name,Baumkuchen, which literally translates to "tree cake".
Baumkuchenspitzen, German for "tree cake points", are miniature versions of Baumkuchen that are created from the cake when it is cut in slices and then into pieces that are referred to as "Spitzen". These pieces are typically coated in chocolate.
It is sometimes used as a base for Wedding Cakes and can be flavoured to your own liking.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 9 Eggs (medium)
• 375 g soft unsalted Butter
• 375 g Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilia Sugar
• 3-4 tbsp Rum 
• 225 g Flour 
• 150 g Cornflour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder

To Cover cake:

• 200 g Orange Marmalade 
• 300 g Dark Chocolate
• 20 g unsalted Butter 

Method:

1. Separate 6 Eggs, add yolk into one bowl and egg whites into another. Whisk egg whites for 4-5 minutes until they peak.
2. In a separate bowl add butter and mix until smooth, then add the sugar mixing for another minute.
3. Add 3 full eggs one by one while you continue mixing, then add the 6 egg yolks.
4. Add 3-4 Tbsp Rum and Vanilla Sugar and mix for max of 1 1/2 minutes.
5. Sieve the flour, cornflour and baking powder into a bowl and add to the mixture, mixing just so it is all combined.
6. Fold the peaked egg whites into the mixture.
7. Use a round 9'' baking tin and cover the base with baking paper.
8. Add 2-3 tbsp of mixture into the tin and spread evenly
9. Put the tin under the pre-heated grill and bake for 2-3 Minutes until golden brown.
10. Take the tin out and add another 2-3 tbsp of cake mix, spreading evenly.
11. Return tin under the grill, again for 2-3 min until golden brown. Make sure to keep your eye on it.
12. repeat until all cake mix is used.
13. Leave the cake to cool in the tin and then remove the ring of the tin.
14. Turn onto a cooling rack and leave until completely cooled.
15. In the meantime, gently heat the marmalade  and pass through a sieve to remove any lumps.
16. Cover the sides of the cake with the marmalade. If you like, you can cover the whole cake with it.
17. Leave to cool and dry for about 30 min.
18. Chop the Chocolate and with the Butter add into a bowl and melt in a bain-marie. Make sure no water gets into the chocolate!
19. Cover the cake with the melted chocolate and smooth over with a palette knife.
20. Leave to cool and set.

Enjoy!