Best German Coffee Sponge Cake Recipes

THE BEST HOMEMADE COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Get all of the ingredients out and easily available
• Scald the Milk. This can be done on the stove or in the microwave. You want the milk to have a film on top. For the microwave: Put the milk in for 2 minutes for 1 cup or 3 minutes for 2 cups. For the stovetop: Stir the milk and then let it sit. Eventually a film will develop. Do this on medium heat. PRO TIP: If you blow on the milk, you will be able see a film when the milk has scalded.
• Mix warm water with the yeast. The water needs to be warm (but not hot!) in order to activate the yeast. Stir in the yeast. If the water is hot, it will kill the yeast which will make the bread fail to rise. PRO TIP: Add a pinch of sugar if the yeast is not activating within the first two minutes. The extra sugar will allow the yeast to activate. If this does not work, likely the water was too hot or too cold, and it would be best to do this step over again.
• Mix sugar, salt, scalded milk, and Crisco (or butter) to create a batter.
• Add a cup or two of flour until you have a thick batter. You only add enough flour to make the batter thick typically no more than 2 of the 5 cups of the flour.
• Beat the two eggs together in a separate container.
• Add the yeast in water mixture and beaten eggs into the thick batter.
• Add the remainder of your flour slowly. (Subtract the number of cups you added previously from 5 to get the number to add here). Add cup by cup. By the last cup, you may want to put some flour on the countertop and put the batter on top; then, you can need the last cup of flour into the dough.
• Knead until smooth and holds a ball shape. (However, do not knead past this point, this may cause the dough to fail to rise).
• Grease the edges of a large bowl with butter. Then, place the dough in the bowl and lightly coat the dough with butter.
• Allow the dough to rise until it has roughly doubled in size. Cover the bowl with a towel. This should take an hour to an hour and a half. PRO TIP: If you do not have a proofing setting on your oven, turn the oven on low and put your bowl with dough on top of the oven - NOT IN IT! The warmth coming from the empty oven will come up as hot air rises and create a warmer environment around the oven for your dough to raise. Bonus: This image is after the dough has been pushed down slightly. It will raise to be larger than this.
• Then punch the dough to get the air out. Take the dough and divide it into two large pans or three circular pans.
• Spread the dough so that it covers the entire pan. Cover it with a towel and allow it to rise (proof) a second time. Again this should be about an hour to an hour and a half.
• Melt some butter. Take sugar and add cinnamon until you get a darker mixture, cinnamon sugar.
• Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
• Take the melted butter and brush it onto the newly risen dough. Then, liberally sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top.
• Open up on of the containers of sweetened condensed milk. Using the back of the spoon create a divet and fill it with sweetened condensed milk. Do this across the dough. PRO TIP: You can never have too many sweetened condensed milk holes!
• Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. PRO TIP: If you put the pan to close to the top of the oven, it will brulee the cinnamon sugar. You do not want this to happen, so it is best if you bake the pans on the bottom rack of the oven. PRO TIP: You do not want to overbake. If the bread looks done, take it out!! Overcooked coffee cake is much worse than underdone coffee cake. If it is underdone, you can always put it back in.
• ENJOY!! Eat the coffee cake with friends, family, share a pan with a neighbor, or eat the entire thing by itself straight out of the oven. PRO TIP: It is best right out of the oven!

GERMAN COFFEE SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar and Karo. Beat well. Add salt, flour, baking powder, vanilla, and coffee. Beat well. Add nuts.
• 2. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into batter.
• 3. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x13-inch pan or two 9-inch round cake pans. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
• 4. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting: 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/2 stick butter 1 box powdered sugar 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/3 cup chopped pecans Combine all ingredients, except nuts, and mix well. Frost the top of a 9x13-inch cake, or if making layers, frost between each layer, as well as top and sides. After frosting, sprinkle nuts over cake.

TRADITIONAL GERMAN OBST KUCHEN - FRESH FRUIT FLAN (SPONGE CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In large bowl, beat yolks. Add sugar, softened margarine and yeast. Mix well.
• Add flour, then vanilla and mix well.
• In separate bowl beat egg whites until stiff. Add egg whites to flour mixture - then gradually mix in enough milk to give a soft dropping consistency.
• Grease German flan pan. Add dough to greased pan, spreading evenly with a spatula.
• Bake at 350F degrees for about 20 minutes until tests done with a toothpick.
• Remove from oven. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert on a cake plate or other large plate.
• Arrange fresh berries or other fresh or canned fruits (kiwi slices, pineapple, gooseberries, apricots, and cherries are nice) on top of the inverted sponge cake (note: you may add a thin custard layer prior to filling with fruit, if you wish). Spread your favorite fruit glaze over the top of the fruit (may use a clear glaze or use strawberry or red currant jelly, or apricot jam). Chill until serving time.
• Serve with dollops of fresh whipped cream, and a cup of coffee. Enjoy!