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I´m back with one of my German baking classics! A classic “Himbeerschnitte”, a raspberry sponge cake that is beautifully light and “summery”! A fluffy sponge cake topped with German custard and finished with a layer of juicy raspberries in a jelly!
You will find this Himbeerschnitte in any good German café or bakery in the summer – it´s a classic and can sometimes also be found made with a strawberry or tropical fruit topping instead of raspberries. But they are all equally delicious!
Check out the video here:
How do you make a “Himbeerschnitte”? German Raspberry Sponge Cake
This raspberry sponge cake isn´t especially easy or difficult to make – I´d say it´s somewhere in between – intermediate difficulty.
To make this cake you need to make three main elements. First, a light sponge cake that is made using the creaming method. This means that you first whisk together the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until the mix is really pale and fluffy. You then gradually at the eggs, a little at a time, before carefully folding in the dry ingredients at the end.
Whilst your cake you can make the buttercream. German buttercream is made by whisking a thick custard mix into some butter. It doesn´t look the nicest or taste particularly great on its own which is why it isn´t necessarily used for icing. Instead, it is used in German layered cakes, where it provides a nice smooth texture in between layers and some moisture to the slice of cake! You won´t want to leave it out!
Finally, the cake is finished with a layer of raspberries (you can use fresh or frozen) suspended in a thick jelly made with red cherry or raspberry juice! Delicious and a slightly tart/acidic addition to the cake which balances out the sweetness of the sponge and buttercream!
Perfection, in a slice of cake! So German! 😉
What equipment will you need?
I usually try to keep the amount of equipment needed in my recipes to minimum, or at least try to use equipment that most people are likely to already own. This Himbeerschnitte recipe uses a traybake tin (30x23cm) which at least in the UK is a staple piece of baking equipment to have. I use Mary Berry’s by Lakeland which I think is very good and perfect for traybake recipes.
The one slightly unusual piece of equipment this recipe does require, is an adjustable rectangular cake rim. These are great for making layered cakes and even better, can double up as a cake tin as well (meaning you don’t necessarily need the traybake tin above). I treated myself to an adjustable rectangular and round cake ring this Christmas and have used them a lot since – both for assembling and for baking cakes. So definitely a worthy investment in my opinion, and not too expensive either.
Apart from that, this recipe uses a lot of staple baking equipment every baker should own: An electric hand-whisk, a silicone spatula, and my favourite – an angled palette knife.
More German Baking Classics
If you want to try out some of the other classic German cakes out there, why not check out some of the other recipes on my blog?
- Black Forest Gateau | “Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte”
- Laugenbrezeln | German Pretzels
- Baked Chocolate Cheesecake | “Russischer Zupfkuchen”
- Seeded and Carrot Loaf | “Muntermacher”
- Strawberry Flan Cake | “Erdbeerboden”
- Marbled Traybake with Cherries and Chocolate | “Donauwellen”
- Beesting Cake | “Bienenstich”
- Enriched Dough Plait filled with Chocolate and Nuts | “Nusszopf”
- German Baked Cheesecake | “Käsekuchen”
- Bauernbrot | Classic German Bread Baking
- “Haselnussbrot” – Hazelnut Shortbread Biscuits dipped in Chocolate
- Chocolate-Orange Crescent Biscuits | Schoko-Orangen Kipferl
- Plum Crumble Cake | Zwetschenkuchen mit Streuseln
- Kirschlikuchen | Cherry and Chocolate Cake
- Neujahrsbrezel | Enriched Dough Plait for New Year’s Day
- Laugenzöpfe | German Breakfast Rolls
- Chocolate and Hazelnut Bundt Cake | Nusskuchen mit Nussglasur
“Himbeerschnitte” – Raspberry Traybake | German Baking Classics
Recipe
Ingredients:
FOR THE CAKE:
- 150g caster sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 3 medium eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100ml sunflower oil
- 100ml sparkling water
- 50g cornflour
- 100g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
FOR THE GERMAN BUTTERCREAM:
- 500ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/vanilla bean paste
- 40g caster sugar
- 50g cornflour
FOR THE RASPBERRY TOPPING:
- 750ml cranberry juice (or other red juice)
- 40g caster sugar
- 60g cornflour
- 750g raspberries, frozen or fresh
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
- 30x20cm traybake tin
- Adjustable square cake rim
- Electric hand whisk
- Silicone spatula
- Small pot
- angled palette knife (optional)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C and lightly grease and flour the 30x20cm traybake tin.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, caster sugar, salt and vanilla extract using an electric hand mixer for 5-6 minutes until the mixture is pale, frothy and has reached the ribbon stage (see video).
- Carefully pour in the two liquids and mix in for 10 seconds until combined. Sift in the flour, cornflour and baking powder and then carefully fold in using a silicone spatula, trying to knock out as little air as possible.
- Carefully pour the cake mix into the prepared tin and level the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Once you have removed the cake from the oven, cover with a clean dish towel and turn onto a wire rack to cool it upside down (this will prevent the cake from sinking as it cools and maintain its airy texture).
- Once the sponge has cooled completely, carefully remove it from the tin and place onto a large chopping board. Then use the adjustable square cake rim and tighten it around the sides of the sponge.
- To make the custard (“Pudding”) filling, use about ¼ of the milk to dissolve the caster sugar and cornflour, then pour the remaining milk and vanilla into a small saucepan. Place the pan over a medium heat and bring it just below boiling point, then pour in the cornflour and caster sugar mix. Whisk for about 1-2 minutes until thick before pouring it over the cooled sponge. Spread the custard in an even layer over the cake, then chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
- Once the custard has cooled, scatter the raspberries over the top of the cake. Then dissolve the cornflour and sugar for the jelly mix in ⅓ of the cranberry juice, then combine with the remaining juice in a saucepan. Set the pan over a medium heat once again, and bring to the boil to thicken. The mixture will initially form little dark “specks” before turning into a thick jelly.
- Leave the jelly to cool for a minute before pouring it over the raspberries. Level the surface, then return the cake to the fridge for at least 2 hours (or longer, I leave it overnight) to set completely.
- Once set, carefully remove the square cake rim and use a large sharp knife to cut the Himbeerschnitte into 12 squares.
