This is my version of Krantz cake, inspired by the cakes my grandmother used to make for me for my birthday. I made this cake last week and today I’m sharing it, as today it’s my birthday. My grandmother made this cake for me since I was a small child and until my 18th birthday.

She was making a cake inspired by the Frankfurter Kranz Cake. The original Frankfurter had a layer of jam along the buttercream and walnut brittle on top. My grandmother made the krantz cake with the walnut brittle incorporated in the sponge and in the buttercream inside the cake. She made a chocolate buttercream to cover the cake.

I modified her recipe slightly by making a mascarpone cream to cut down on the fat. I used a similar recipe for my Orange and chocolate cake and I loved it. The rest is very similar to what I remember.

Ingredients:
– 75g walnuts
– 300g plain white flour
– 3 eggs
– 150g sugar
– 1 tsp baking powder
– 5 drops of hazelnut flavouring
– 100g soften butter
– 100ml oil
– 50ml milk
– 250g full-fat mascarpone
– 100g icing sugar (for the cream)
– 1 spoon of cocoa

Make the Krantz by putting the walnuts and 70g sugar in a saucepan. Heat them over medium heat until all the sugar has caramelized. Take off the heat and tip it over on baking paper. Leave to cool completely. Put the walnuts in a plastic bag and crush them with the rolling pin. This is the krantz. Keep a few bigger pieces for decor.

Preheat the oven at 180C or 160C fan. Make the sponge by mixing with a hand mixer the flour, eggs, baking powder, 80g of sugar, 50g of the butter, the oil, milk and the hazelnut flavouring. Add 50g of the krantz and mix by hand. Scoop the cake batter in an oiled baking tin. Bake for 1 hour. Use a wooden skewer to make sure the middle of the cake is baked. Leave the sponge for longer in the oven if it’s necessary. The cooking time can be different if you are using a bigger baking tin. When the sponge is baked, take it out of the oven. Leave the sponge in the tin for a couple of minutes and then remove from tin. Leave to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Make the cream by mixing with the hand mixer the rest of the butter with the icing sugar and the mascarpone. When the cream is ready, split it half. In one half add 50g of krantz and incorporate it with a spoon. Cut the sponge in half. Put the mascarpone cream on the first layer and spread it evenly with a knife. Put the second layer of the cake on top.
Add the cocoa in the rest of the mascarpone cream and mix with the hand mixer until is incorporated. Spread the cocoa cream evenly over the cake.

Decorate with the pieces of krantz. The cake is ready to be served.

Do you have a cake recipe or any kind of recipe that makes you remember your childhood and your birthdays? Please do share your thoughts in the comments, I would love to read your stories.