German Marzipan Hazelnut Cake
Today I share with you my family recipe for a real German Classic: A festive showstopping German Marzipan Hazelnut Cake filled with Hazelnut Buttercream and Sour Cherry Jam . A nut lover’s delight !!
Ingredients
For the custard
- 220 ml + 3 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 20 g cornstarch or vanilla custard powder
- 2 tsp vanilla essence 1 long vanilla bean
For the sponge
- 4 eggs separated
- 100 g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 40 g cornstarch
- 60 g flour
For the hazelnut buttercream
- 150 g Nougat (see notes)* or high quality hazelnut spread
- 75 g softened butter
- 120 g cream cheese at room temperature
- 50 ml rum mixed with 100 ml orange juice
- 6 tsps sour cherry jam or raspberry
Decoration
- 150 g marzipan
- 80 g dark cocolate
- powdered sugar
- cling film
- parchment paper
Instructions
For the custard
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If using a vanilla bean, halve it and scratch out the seeds. Pour milk into a pot, add the vanilla pulp (or essence) and 1 tbsp of sugar. Bring to a boil. Add 3 tbsp of milk to the cornstarch and stir to get a smooth slurry. Add the slurry to the boiling milk and let cook for 1 minute on low heat, stirring constantly. Take off the heat, pour into a bowl and cover with cling film. Let cool to room temperature.
For the sponge
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Preheat the oven to 350 F or 175 C
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Separate the eggs and whisk the whites with 100 g of sugar until stiff. Add in the vanilla and the lightly whisked egg yolks. Fold carefully to combine using a rubber spatula. Mix cornstarch and flour and sift on top of the egg mixture. Fold into the light egg mix without deflating the batter. Pour batter into a 20 cm springform and bake at 350 F or 175 Celsius for about 20 minutes. Take out of the oven, remove the springform and let the sponge cool on a cooling rack.
For the hazelnut buttercream
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Melt Nougat or hazelnut spread over a baine marie and let cool down. With your whisk attachment whisk butter until light and fluffy and slowly add the cream cheese in small additions. Add the cooled down Nougat in small additions while continuing to whisk on low speed. Add the custard, a tbsp at a time, and continue whisking just until smooth.
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Cut the sponge horizontally and put the bottom half on a plate or cake stand. Brush the bottom layer with half of your soaking liquid and spread half of the cherry jam on top, then 1/3 of the hazelnut buttercream. Lay the second sponge on top and repeat. Put the cake in the fridge for about 1, 5 hours.
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Roll out marzipan in a surface dusted with powdered sugar. You are aiming at a circle of 27 cm Ø. Chop the chocolate and melt over a water bath. Cover the sides of the cake with the rest of the buttercream and put the marzipan on top, smoothing it out around the edges with your hands and cutting off the excess at the bottom. Decorate with the molten chocolate using a piping bag to create a "chocolate web" on top of the marzipan.
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Store at room temperature if you want to eat it the same day. If stored in the fridge, make sure to take it out about 2 h before you eat it.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
* you can order nougat online or ask for it at the European Deli. If you can't find it, make it yourself using my recipe in this post. Alternatively, you can use nutella or a high-quality hazelnut spread