Chocolate Baumkuchen #SundaySupper

It’s that time of year again. You know, Valentine’s Day–when couples go full-on mushy, exchanging cards, candies, and flowers. Here on the interwebs, we like to exchange recipes, so the #SundaySupper crew has compiled dozens of romantically inspired recipes for you to share with that someone special. I figured why not go showy, so my contribution today is this stunning Chocolate Baumkuchen.

While it seems that Valentine’s Day would be a Hallmark creation, it’s not. In fact, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day way back in the 5th century, although it was much later when the love connection was made. There are several legends detailing the holiday’s origins, and there’s probably a hint of truth in them all. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. By the 1800s, paper valentines were all the rage, and today, the U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates a staggering 1 billion valentines will be exchanged.

Now, I’m not much of a greeting card person, but put me in a kitchen, and I’ll whip up something sexy for my man. What better way to show my love? If you ever read Like Water for Chocolate, you know exactly what I mean. Now I probably will pass on recreating the famous Quail in Rose Petal Sauce, especially since I’ve discovered that I really don’t like flowers in my food. Just, yuck. I’ll stick with a tried and true aphrodisiac–chocolate. And this cake is a show stopper.

Baumkuchen is a delicate layered cake, distinctive for its resemblance to tree rings. In German, Baumkuchen literally translates to “tree cake” or “log cake.” Traditionally a Baumkuchen is made on a spit by brushing on layers of batter and rotating it over the heat. Don’t worry, this version doesn’t involve a spit or open flames but rather a springform pan and a broiler. Technically this should be called a Schichttorte.

Are you ready to dirty every bowl in the kitchen? Super, let’s do it!

Since the egg whites will whip better if at room temperature, let’s dirty these two bowls first and separate the eggs.

Melt the chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave–this takes about 45 seconds or less depending on your microwave. Set this aside to cool.

In a mixer bowl, beat the butter, 1/2 cup of the sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Then add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then stir in the flour and cornstarch.

Break out two more bowls and divide the batter in half. Stir the melted chocolate into half the batter.

Beat the egg whites in a fresh mixer bowl until soft peaks form. Then gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form.

Fold half of the egg whites into each bowl of batter. The batter will look a little curdled.

Spread scant 1/2 cup of the chocolate batter on the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until done. Spread scant 1/2 cup of the plain batter evenly over the top of the chocolate layer, and broil 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat this process alternating the chocolate and plain batter, making 10 layers.

Spread the sour cream layer over the top, and broil about 1 minute. Cool the cake for about 15 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan, and cool completely.

While the cake is cooling, wash up a few of those bowls so you can use them again. Melt the chocolate chips and butter in the microwave for about a minute, stirring until smooth.

Transfer the chocolate to a mixing bowl, and stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. Frost the sides of the cake with 2/3 of the frosting.

Wash and halve the strawberries and arrange on top of the cake.

If you’re a little rusty on the piping, do a dry run on a plate first. Note to self: plastic pastry baggie trick requires coupler.

Yah, check out those mad piping skills (ha!)

5.0 from 1 reviews

Chocolate Baumkuchen

 

Save Print

Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 45 mins

 

Paper thin cake layers make the Chocolate Baumkuchen a visually stunning grand finale.

Author: Anne Papina

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: German

Serves: 16

Ingredients

Cake

• ⅓ cup semi-sweeet chocolate chips
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar, divided
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 7 eggs, separated
• ⅔ cup flour
• 3 tbsp cornstarch

Sour Cream Layer

• ⅔ cup sour cream
• 3 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp lemon juice

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

• ⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tbsp butter
• ⅓ cup sour cream
• ¼ tsp vanilla
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Garnish

• Fresh strawberries, halved

Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Melt chocolate chips in microwave and cool.
3. In mixer bowl, beat together butter, ½ cup of the sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir flour and cornstarch into butter mixture.
4. Divide batter equally into two bowls. Stir the melted chocolate into one of the bowls.
5. In a clean mixer bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold half the beaten whites into each half of the batter (batter may appear curdled).
6. Spread scant ½ cup chocolate batter on the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Place pan about 5 inches under broiler and broil 1 to 2 minutes or until baked. Spread scant ½ cup plain batter over the chocolate layer and broil 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat, alternating the chocolate and plain, making 10 layers in all.
7. Spread Sour Cream Layer over the top and broil about 1 minute.
8. Cool for about 15 minutes, then remove sides of pan and cool completely.
9. Frost sides of the cake with ⅔ of the frosting.
10. Arrange strawberries on top and pipe the remaining frosting around the strawberries.
11. Chill before serving.

Sour Cream Layer

1. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, sugar and lemon juice.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

1. In a medium sized bowl, melt the chocolate chips and butter in microwave, stirring until smooth, and cool.
2. Stir in the sour cream and vanilla.
3. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until frosting is smooth and can spread easily.

Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

3.2.1652

Note: This recipe was adapted from the 1984 Nestle recipe book Sweet Celebrations.  Also note, I earn a modest commission on any purchases made via the Amazon.com links in this article.

Be sure you check out the other #SundaySupper participants to see what they’ve made for our Valentine’s Day #SundaySupper!

#SundaySupper Valentine’s Day Breakfasts, Apps & Main Dishes:

• Asparagus, Clam & Bay Shrimp Pasta from Galactopdx
• Bacon Double Cheese Burger Bites from In the Kitchen with KP
• Cheese Stuffed Cannelloni from Curious Cuisiniere
• Garlic Shrimp Bruschetta from MarocMama
• Green Olive, Goat Cheese & Basil Crostini from Hip Foodie Mom
• Indian Shrimp Pulao from Soni’s Food
• Individual Beef “Phyll-ingtons” from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Ranch, Bacon and Cheese Crisps from Daily Dish Recipes
• Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Frosting from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Rissóis de Camarão | Portuguese Shrimp Dumplings from Family Foodie
• Spicy Red Cabbage Quiche | Veggie Quiche Recipe from Masala Herb

#SundaySupper Valentine’s Day Sweet Eats:

• Banana Bourbon Blondies from The Messy Baker
• Banana Cream Napoleon from Food Lust People Love
• Brown Butter M&M Cookies from Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• Brown Butter Rolo Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies from Damn Delicious
• Chocolate Baumkuchen from Webicurean
• Chocolate Bread Pudding from La Cocina de Leslie
• Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Banana Cream from The Lovely Pantry
• Chocolate Covered Bacon from I Run For Wine
• Chocolate Covered Stuffed Strawberries from Country Girl in the Village
• Chocolate Mousse from Mom, What’s For Dinner?
• Chocolate Roll filled with Nutella Cream from Basic N Delicious
• Chocolate Velvet Ice Cream with Cherry Sauce from Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Cinnamon Sugar Tortillas with Chocolate Sauce from The Roxx Box
• Coconut Sweetheart Cookies from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Coeur a la Creme from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Cream Cheese Mints from Simply Gourmet
• Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Mousse with Coconut Cream from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Dark Chocolate Raspberry Torte from Kelly Bakes
• #GlutenFree Chocolate Almond Cloudless Cake from Cooking Underwriter
• Heart Shaped White Chocolate Cakes with Raspberry Cream from Noshing with the Nolands
• Homemade Cherry Mash Candies from Juanita’s Cocina
• Maple-Date Bars from Diabetic Foodie
• Meyer Lemon Marmalade from Shockingly Delicious
• Mini Samoa Bundt Cakes from Ruffles & Truffles
• Molten Chocolate Lava Cake from Gotta Get Baked
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes from The Meltaways
• Pistachio and Chocolate Souffle from Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Raspberry Custard Tart from Kudos Kitchen
• Raw Fudge Love from Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Red Velvet French Macarons with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Red Velvet Ice Cream Sandwiches from Cravings of a Lunatic
• Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies from Magnolia Days
• Red Velvet Sugar Cookie Bars from Chocolate Moosey
• Red Wine Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting from The Urban Mrs.
• Strawberry Shortcake! from The Foodie Army Wife
• Strawberry Valentine Cake Hearts from Ninja Baking
• Tres Leches Tea Cakes with Honey Riesling Soaked Fruit from Neighborfood
• Valentine’s Bakewell Tarts from Happy Baking Days
• Valentines Chocolate Apples from Big Bear’s Wife

#SundaySupper Valentine’s Day Drinks:

• Blood Orange Vodka Martinis from The Catholic Foodie
• Bloody Raspberry Cocktail from My Cute Bride
• Strawberry Gin Fizz from girlichef

#SundaySupper Valentine’s Day Tablescape:  A Romantic Table For Two Please from An Appealing Plan

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter today to talk all about Valentine’s eats and treats!  We’ll tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world.  Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun.  Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat.  Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos!

Tagged as: baumkuchen, cake, Chocolate, holidays, log cake, schichttorte, strawberries, tree cake, valentine