Eierlikörtorte (German Egg Liqueur Cake)

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Chilling Time 4

Total Time 5 30

Servings

Author Margaret Bose Johnson

Ingredients

for the cake batter:

6 tablespoons (80gms) soft butter, salted
6 tablespoons (80gms) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup (60ml) egg liqueur (like Bols Advocaat) or another cream liqueur, like Bailey's
4 large eggs, separated
1¾ cups (180gms) almond flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
3.5 oz. (100gms) grated dark chocolate - 70% cocoa (1¼ cups grated)

to finish and decorate the cake:

3 tablespoons strained apricot jam
½ cup (120ml) egg liqueur (Bols Advocaat) or another cream liqueur, like Bailey's
3 tablespoons water
1½ teaspoons powdered gelatin
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream (whipping cream)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

to make the cake batter:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 10-inch (26cm) springform pan and line the bottom with a circle cut out of parchment paper.
Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until light-coloured and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the liqueur.
Grate the chocolate on the large holes of a box grater. Stir together the almond flour, cornstarch, baking powder and grated chocolate. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. The batter will be quite stiff.
With clean beaters, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stir ¼ of the beaten whites into the batter to lighten it. Then carefully fold in the rest of the beaten whites, being careful not to overmix the batter. It's okay if a few small streaks of unmixed egg whites remain visible.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared springform pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed down in the center.
Let cool for 10 minutes, then release the sides of the cake pan. Brush the top and sides of the cake lightly with the strained apricot jam. Allow the cake to cool fully. Once cooled, the cake can be covered with plastic wrap (stick a few toothpicks into the cake to keep the plastic from sticking to the top) and refrigerated for 1 to 2 days before decorating.

to assemble and decorate the cake:

Measure out the egg liqueur and have it ready in a spouted measuring cup.
Heat about 1-inch (2.5cm) of water to simmer in a small saucepan. Pour the 3 tablespoons of water into a metal or glass bowl large enough to fit over the saucepan like a double boiler. Stir in the gelatin. Set the bowl over the saucepan and let the water heat up until the gelatin dissolves and the liquid is clear. Remove from the heat.
While the gelatin is dissolving, put the whipping cream, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla into a mixing bowl and beat until soft peaks form.
When the gelatin has dissolved, scoop out 1 tablespoon of the gelatin solution and stir it into the measured-out egg liqueur. Set it aside at room temperature while you prepare the cake.
Turn on the beaters again and pour the rest of the gelatin solution into the whipped cream while beating it. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Set the cake on a serving plate. Use about ⅔ of the whipped cream to completely cover the cake with a ¼-inch thick layer. Spread the cream as smoothly as possible (but doesn't have to be perfect). Just make sure the top is level so the egg liqueur layer will lay flat.
Scrape the remaining whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle (or if you don't have a piping bag, put the cream into a ziptop plastic bag. Seal the bag and snip off a corner about ⅓-inch.) Pipe rosettes all around the edge of the cake, making sure the rosettes are touching each other with no gaps, to form a 'wall' to keep the liqueur layer contained. (If using a plastic bag, squeeze out uniform little mounds shaped like Hershey Kisses.) If you have any leftover cream, pipe small designs around the bottom edge of the cake to cover any messiness.
Pour the gelatin & egg liqueur gently into the center area of the top of the cake. If it has gelled and is too thick to pour evenly, reheat it gently over hot water in the bowl you dissolved the gelatin in. Let it cool to room temperature before pouring it over the cake.
Sprinkle the border of the cake lightly with chocolate shavings. Tuck in a few fresh edible flowers, if desired.
Chill for 3 to 4 hours, uncovered, or covered with a large cake dome, until the gelatin layer has set to a soft texture.
Serves 12.