Posted on April 28, 2023 by admin
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The German cake “Granatsplitter” or in English “Chocolate Mountain” is a typical cake specialty, or you could also call it a pastry.
So what is is exactly?
In the bakeries it is made out of the left overs from cakes and a so called “Tortenboden” (layered cake biscuit). The cake left overs are mixed with a buttery cream, rum and almonds and mounted on a shortcrust cookie bottom piece up to a height of 10cm or 4 inches, so it’s shape reminds of a little mountain.
This little mountain will be completely covered with chocolate. Because the ingredients can vary the Granatsplitter is always different and this makes it so unusual. You can be very creative and use all kinds of ingredients.
In Berlin they call them “Hackstockkratze”, in the Eastern regions it is a “Punschberg” (because of the rum). For the glaze you can use dark, medium or even white chocolate. To make the dough you can use all kinds of cake rests like from a coffee cake, cookies that are left over or a biscuit base cake. The recipe below is original and authentic German. Happy Baking!
Ingredients German Cake Granatsplitter
– Makes 8 Granatsplitter –
Dough
1/2 biscuit base cake (Tortenboden) – Already made or make from scratch (500-600 g)
You can use the recipe for an Obstkuchen (fruit cake) – Find it here –
some baking flavor: rum or vanilla (or Whisky, brandy, Amaretto etc)
75 g almonds chopped coarsely (or hazelnuts, walnuts)
Shortcrust cookies
150g flour
1 tbsp baking powder
50g sugar
1 package vanilla sugar 0.3 oz – How to make Vanilla Sugar –
rum flavor
2 tbsp milk
50g butter
Butter Cream
500 ml milk
100 g sugar
250 g butter
1 package Vanilla pudding or Cream pudding, Dr Oetker
Glaze
150 g chocolate glaze or “Kuvertüre” (if you cannot get the Kuvertüre just melt 1 bar of dark chocolate like from Lindt using the double boiler method, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil and let it melt)
The German Breakfast Box comes with these Items!
Baking Instructions German Cake Granatsplitter
Make the Cookies
– Mix flour with baking powder, and sieve it on a baking board.
– Make a mold into the flour, into this mold add sugar, vanilla sugar, rum and milk, mix with some flour.
– Add cold butter that is cut in smaller pieces.
– Knead until you get a smooth dough.
– On a floured baking board or smooth surface roll the dough very thin.
– Cut out round cookies (diameter 4-5 cm or 2 inches).
Optional: If you have left over dough, you can create fantasy forms which will be used for the topping.
– Bake cookies and fantasy forms for 10 minutes on 180 C or 350 F.
Make the Butter Cream
– Make the pudding per instructions
– Place plastic foil on top to avoid skin build up.
– Let cool off completely.
– When pudding is cooled off beat briefly, then add the butter.
– Mix well until you get a smooth cream.
Make the Dough
– Crumble the cake that you will use, you need very small pieces.
– Combine crumbles with butter cream, not in one time, bit by bit.
– Add rum flavor and chopped almonds.
– If you use the left over cookie dough, cut it in very small pieces and add to the dough. It adds some crunch to the Granatsplitter.
– Knead well until you get a dough that can be formed with the hands.
– Place in fridge for 10-15 min.
Make the Mountains and Glaze
– With a spoon remove some dough, place it on the cookie and form it into a little mountain.
– Place in fridge for 1 hour.
– Melt chocolate with some coconut oil by using the double boiler method.
– Pour chocolate over the mountain, use a BBQ fork or a spatula that has holes (see video). If you try to dip the mountain into the chocolate it might fall from the cookie.
– Place on parchment paper and let dry.
The video below is in German, but you can follow it quite easily. She shows 2 variations to create the little mountain:
Use a frosting bag or place with hand a small portion of the dough on the cookie and form the mountain.
Related
Category: German Recipes, Granatsplitter, Granatsplitter Tags: chocolate mountain, german baking, german cakes, granatsplitter
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2 Comments on “German Cake: Granatsplitter from Scratch”
Oh, Gabriele wie fein, ich liebte diese Punschberge als Kind. Lecker!
Viele Grüße aus Deutschland 🙂
FAQs
Salzwedeler Baumkuchen
This German variety of the spit cake is sometimes called the king of cakes, as it was served at the courts of German royalty. This layered pastry was invented in the old Hanseatic League town of Salzwedel in Saxony-Anhalt some 200 years ago.
Is German chocolate cake originally from Germany? ›
A common misconception is that German Chocolate Cake comes from Germany. In fact, the name comes from American baker, Samuel German, who developed a type of dark baking chocolate in 1852. The baking chocolate was then named Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate in honor of German.
What makes German chocolate cake different? ›
German chocolate cake uses a particular kind of baking chocolate as its base, one which has a milder, sweeter profile thanks in part to lecithin, a fatty substance derived from egg yolks. In contrast, classic chocolate cake recipes often use cocoa powder or darker chocolate for a richer, more intense flavor.
What is the name of the German marzipan cake? ›
Stollen (German: [ˈʃtɔlən] or German: [ʃtɔln]) is a fruit bread of nuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit, coated with powdered sugar or icing sugar and often containing marzipan.
What is a German cake called? ›
Kuchen is the German word for cake, and is used in other languages as the name for several different types of sweet desserts, pastries, and gateaux. Often sold at Christmas fairs and Carnival.
What is the famous dish of German bakery? ›
Brezel (soft pretzel)
A soft pretzel - sliced horizontally and slathered with butter - will inevitably lie next to the beer in any stereotypical image of Bavaria. The southern specialty, known in the south as Brez'n and elswhere as Brezel, can be found across Germany.
Why is there coconut in German chocolate cake? ›
The cake was an amalgam of sweets trends that were popular in midcentury America. Coconut and pecan were common in desserts like Lane cake, a white cake with a bourbon, coconut, pecan, and raisin filling that rose to fame after it was mentioned in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Is German chocolate the same as bakers chocolate? ›
German's sweet baking chocolate is just that, sweeter baking chocolate— at least, sweeter than both semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate. According to MyRecipes, to substitute semi-sweet chocolate for German's sweet baking chocolate you would need to add an additional 1/2 tablespoon of sugar per ounce of chocolate.
What is the frosting on German chocolate cake made of? ›
3. Make the German Chocolate Frosting: Combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, egg yolks, and evaporated milk in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, nuts and coconut.
Should a German chocolate cake be refrigerated? ›
Place the second layer of cake, onto the first cake layer and frost with another one-third of the frosting. Then add the third cake layer and frost the top of the cake with the remaining frosting (sides of cake are left bare). The finished cake can be stored at room temperature for a 2-3 days or it can be refrigerated.
Bienenstich is one of the most beloved German cakes that evokes childhood memories for many people. True, this German classic is neither a quick nor super easy cake to bake with its yeasted dough base, topped with a caramelized almond crust, and filled with creamy pudding made from scratch.
What is Germany's traditional fruitcake called? ›
German Fruitcake
Stollen: Flattened with a chewy crust, Stollen is often baked more like a traditional loaf of sourdough bread. Stollen also forgoes the usual candied cherries and pineapple in exchange for citrus zest, candied citrus peels, raisins, and almonds.
Why do Germans love almonds? ›
Germans love almonds for their taste and the variety of ways they can be used in recipes.
What is the most popular baked good in Germany? ›
German desserts and baked goodies you have to try
- 1Almond and toffee windbeutel. There's more to German food than beer and bratwursts. ...
- 2German custard crumb cake. ...
- 3Baked german cheesecake. ...
- 4Black forest cake. ...
- 5Lebkuchen herzen. ...
- 6Barbara's Ottilienkuchen. ...
- 7Plum and custard streusel cake. ...
- 8Baked cheesecake with brandied oranges.
The world's most famous cake, the Original Sacher-Torte, is the consequence of several lucky twists of fate. The first was in 1832, when the Austrian State Chancellor, Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, tasked his kitchen staff with concocting an extraordinary dessert to impress his special guests.
What is the traditional wedding cake in Germany? ›
Hochzeitstorte aka the Wedding Cake
One popular trend is the Hochzeitstorte or the wedding cake, which has become a staple at German weddings. These cakes typically have almond marzipan as it is believed that almonds are a symbol of good luck.
What is cake in Germany? ›
Fruit pies are all called kuchen. However, the German language has two different words for cakes, and the distinction is important. A Kuchen is usually dry or with a fruit topping or fruit filling, whereas a Torte has a rich filling, such as whipped cream, buttercream, or anything layered.
