Donauwellen ("Danube Waves")

I have made this cake many times, there are so many recipes out there, but now I got the Dr. Oetker German Baking Today cookbook, and decided to try this recipe. It is really great! Very rich cake, interesting, and delicious. I love how the batter turned out, just perfect!

I have used a 9 inch round spring form pan, normally this cake is made in a rectangular shape, and served as slices, or cubes. Because of that I have used less chocolate topping.
Also, I make the chocolate topping by melting chopped chocolate pieces with heavy cream. I just keep adding heavy cream (not whipped) until I am pleased with the texture.
I only had frozen tart cherries, fresh (jarred or canned) would make for much nicer appearance, and create perfect waves between the two batter layers. Google it for better images of what it should look like.

My family was very pleased, the only critique they had was that perhaps more butter cream would make it even better : )

Donauwellen (“Danube waves”)

Makes about 20 pieces

For a baking sheet (40 x 30 cm) which is about 16 x12 inches:
some fat
aluminum foil (if using a baking sheet, not pan)

Batter:
2 jars or cans of sour cherries (drained weight approx. 350 g each), or fresh, pitted
250 g/9 oz soft margarine or butter
200 g/7 oz sugar
3 drops vanilla extract in 1 tbsp sugar
1 pinch salt
5 medium eggs
375 g/13/½ oz AP flour
3 level tsp baking powder
20 g / ¾ oz cocoa
2 tsp milk

Butter Cream:
40g/ 1 ½ oz custard powder 9or 1 packet Dr. Oetker vanilla pudding)
100 g/ 3 ½ oz sugar
500 ml/ 17 fl oz milk
250 g/ 9 oz soft butter

Topping:
200 g/ 7 oz plain chocolate
4 tsp oil (cooking)

Preheat oven to about 180° C/ 350 °F. Grease the baking sheet. Thoroughly drain the cherries. To make the cake mixture, stir the softened margarine or butter with a hand mixer with a whisk, until it becomes smooth and homogenous. Gradually add the sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt, stir until mixture thickens. Add 1 egg at a time, whisking each one for about ½ minute at the highest setting.

Mix together the flour and baking powder, sift and add to margarine or butter mixture in two stages, briefly stirring with a mixer at the medium setting. Spread 2/3 of the mixture on the greased baking sheet. Sift the cocoa powder and add with the milk to the rest of the batter, and spread it on top of the light batter. Place a strip of aluminum foil along the open end of the baking sheet to form and edge (no need for this if you are using a pan). Dry the sour cherries quickly on kitchen paper, then arrange them on the dark colored cake mixture, pressing them lightly into place. Bake for about 40 minutes.

Take the cake of the baking sheet and place on a cooling rack, or if using a pan, just cool it in a pan.
Make the butter cream filling, make the custard with the custard powder, sugar and milk, following the instructions on a packet. Leave the custard to cool down (don’t refrigerate), and stir occasionally.
Stir the softened butter with a hand mixer with whisk until it becomes smooth and homogenous. Stir in the cooled custard, by the spoonful, making sure that the butter and the custard are both at room temperature because the butter cream could curdle otherwise. Spread the butter cream on the cooled cake, and smooth out the surface. Refrigerate for about an hour.

To make the chocolate topping, coarsely chop the plain chocolate and melt it with the oil in a double boiler, or however you usually do so ( I did it in microwave). Pour the chocolate coating over the set butter cream, and decorate with a baking comb or a fork, creating waves. Enjoy!