German pot luck at work

[mnieto 2]

DONAUWELLEN!

"Very popular German cake recipe with cherries, vanilla pudding and chocolate! The Donau is a river, and Welle is the German word for wave."

PREP TIME 1 Hr

COOK TIME 40 Min

READY IN 1 Hr 40 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING

Original recipe yield: 20 serving

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/8 cups margarine or butter, softened

* 1 cup white sugar

* 5 eggs

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 3 cups all-purpose flour

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1 tablespoon baking soda

* 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

* 1 tablespoon milk

* 3 cups canned pitted sour cherries, drained

*

*

* 3 tablespoons cornstarch

* 1/2 cup white sugar

* 2 cups milk

* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* 7 1/4 ounces semisweet chocolate

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar using an electric mixer. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda; quickly fold into the egg mixture.

3. Spread 2/3 of the batter in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Stir the cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of milk into the remaining batter just until blended. Spread evenly over the vanilla layer. Pat the cherries dry with paper towels, and sprinkle them evenly over the top.

4. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs. Let cool.

5. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir in 3 tablespoons of milk. Heat remaining milk in a small saucepan just until hot but not boiling. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, and remove from the heat. Let cool for 5 minutes while stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla. Spread over the top of the cooled cake when cool.

6. Chop chocolate, and place in a microwave-safe dish. Heat at 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until just melted and smooth. Stir in the oil, and let cool. Spread over the custard layer, and chill. When set, cut the Donauwellen into about 20 squares to serve.

[Mrs.J06 4]

What about a Weihnachtsstollen?

Ingredients:

Dough:

4 1/3 cups flour

1 to 1 1/2 cups milk

2.5 ozs. yeast

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. margarine or butter

3/4 cup sugar or honey

1 tsp. salt

Flavoring:

1/2 cup candied lemon peel

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1 lemon, grated for rind

1/4 cup rum

1 3/4 cups raisins

Topping

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup Confectioner's sugar

Make a soft, pliable yeast dough from ingredients listed in the first section and let stand in bowl for 10 minutes.

Knead the spices, except the raisins, into the dough. When all other ingredients are equally distributed, add the raisins. Roll into an oval and place on a greased baking sheet. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Still on baking sheet, wrap dough well in aluminium foil and store in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator and take off foil. Sprinkle flour around the loaf to prevent the dough from spreading. Place loaf in a pre-heated 350-400° oven and bake 50-60 minutes, till pale gold in color. Remove from oven. Brush with melted butter and dust with Confectioner's sugar. Repeat until butter and sugar are used up. Stollen should have a thick, white layer.

It's really not difficult and perfect for the season. The only disadvantage is the fact that it needs to rest quite a while - overnight if possible!

[RaspberrySwirl 20]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone!

I think I'll try the black forest cake with a cake mix. Seems the easiest. I'm not much of a kitchen princess.

[Marilyn. 340]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone!

I think I'll try the black forest cake with a cake mix. Seems the easiest. I'm not much of a kitchen princess.

good choice

[Jenn! 918]

Is German Chocolate cake really German?

[RaspberrySwirl 20]

Is German Chocolate cake really German?

No, I think the name comes from the brand name of baking chocolate used in the recipe. I read it somewhere while looking for German recipes.

ETA: History of German Chocolate Cake

Edited November 29, 2007 by RaspberrySwirl