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German Buttercream Cake

This 4 – layer German pudding buttercream cake is our all - time family favorite. The beautifully fluffy and moist vanilla flavored sponge cake is filled with jam, chocolate pudding – buttercream and vanilla pudding – buttercream. The buttercream made with regular sugar is beautiful, not overly sweet like regular buttercream and holds like magic.
Prep Time1 hour 45 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Chill Time1 hour
Total Time3 hours 20 minutes
Course: Cakes, Dessert
Cuisine: European, German
Keyword: baking, birthday, Buttercremetorte, cakes and coffee time, cakes and tea time, Christmas, family cooking, four layer buttercream cake, German buttercream with instant pudding, how to, kid-friendly, mother's day, pudding buttercream, special occasion desserts, sponge cake, Thanksgiving, treats
Servings: 18 Servings
Author: Ester | esterkocht.com

Equipment

  • 26 cm(10 inch) spring-form (or cake tin with removable base)
  • Cake keeper
  • Cake board/ platter
  • large knife
  • Whisk
  • 3 bowls
  • spoon
  • Medium pot
  • Wooden spoon
  • cling film
  • Parchment paper

Ingredients

Ingredients for German sponge cake

  • 5 medium eggs Germany, large US 
  • 150 g (5.3 oz/ ¾ cup) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • zest from ½ lemon
  • 3 tablespoons cold tap water
  • 100 g (3.5 oz/ 1 cup – 2 tbsp) plain flour (all purpose flour)
  • 100 g (3.5 oz/ 2/3 cup) cornstarch corn flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

Ingredients for pudding buttercream filling

  • 1200 ml (40.6 fl oz/ 5 ½ cups) milk
  • 93 g (3.3 oz/ about ¾ cup) vanilla pudding powder (custard powder) SEE NOTES
  • 250 g (8.8 oz/ about 1 cup) butter room temperature
  • 200 g (7.1 oz/ 1 cup) sugar
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa powder unsweetened

For the jam filling

  • 6 tablespoons jam of your choice

Instructions

  • Line the 26-cm (10.2 inches) spring-form cake tin with removable base with a parchment paper and divide the eggs into two separate bowls. Preheat the oven to 180 ° C (356 °F), with both top and bottom heat. Separate the eggs into two separate bowls. Add salt to the bowl with egg whites and beat until light and fluffy. Next add regular sugar, vanilla sugar and water to the bowl with egg yolks and beat until creamy. Add lemon zest and baking powder to the egg yolk mixture and whisk. Mix plain flour (all purpose flour) with cornflour (cornstarch) and add to the bowl with egg yolk mixture. Without mixing add the egg whites top of the plain and cornflour mixture (not yet incorporated into the batter) and fold gently the flour and egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Transfer the batter to the prepared spring - form cake tin lined with a parchment paper and bake for 35 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Remove the cake from oven and let cool completely (preferably overnight).
  • First of all bring about 1 Liter (33.8 fl oz/ 4 ½ cups) milk to a boil. In the meantime add vanilla pudding powder (custard powder) to the jar with the remaining milk and stir well. Once the milk starts to boil stir in pudding - milk mixture. Keep stirring until the pudding starts to bubble and has thickened. Remove from the heat, stir well once again and transfer the pudding to a chilled bowl. Cover with cling film and let cool to room temperature. In the meantime cut the cake into layers and fill with jam.
  • While the pudding is cooling to room temperature, cut the completely cooled sponge cake into four layers. Simply put the cake on a cake board/ platter. While holding a long knife with the right hand, place your left hand on the cake to hold it, while lightly applying pressure and split it in half. Put the top half onto another cake board/ large plate or platter and then cut each half into two layers. Such that in the end you have four layers. Lift up the cake layer from the bottom layer and put it aside. You could also use a thread to split the cake. Spread the bottom cake layer with jam or jelly of your choice. If you're using jam just make sure to heat it for few seconds in the microwave or over a water bath so that it will become easier to spread. Next, cover with the next middle cake layer.
  • Once the pudding has cooled to room temperature it's time for the next step. It's very important that the pudding and utter are at room temperature!! Otherwise the cream will not emulsify!!
    In a bowl combine sugar and butter cut into chunks and beat well. Now stir the pudding very well and take one tablespoon of pudding (at room temperature) at a time and add to the sugar and butter mixture while whisking. Repeat the process until you've had used up all the pudding.
    Next take one-third of the pudding buttercream and put it into an extra bowl. Add 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder to the bowl with one-thirds pudding buttercream and combine well to make chocolate pudding. Spread about two-third of chocolate cream evenly over the cake, leaving one-third behind for decorating. Cover with the next layer. Then spread half of the remaining white pudding buttercream on top. Cover with the top cake layer with cut side facing down. Using your hands gently press the cake layers nicely together. Cover with a cake keeper and chill for 1 hour.
  • After at 1 hour remove the cake from the fridge. Using a knife frost the cake with the remaining pudding buttercream. First coat the top of the cake with white pudding cream and the sides with the chocolate pudding buttercream. If you still have some pudding buttercream left and some chopped nuts lying around, then decorate the cake the way you like. Serve the cake immediately after final touches. If you're not eating the cake immediately, simply cover it with a cake cover and put it in the fridge. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. When making this buttercream torte it's very important all the ingredients are at room temperature.
  2. This cake becomes easier every time you make it.
  3. Feel free to use your favorite jam.
  4. Serve the cake immediately after final touches. If you're not eating the cake immediately, simply cover it with a cake cover and put it in the fridge.
  5. This recipe calls instant vanilla pudding powder. If you don't have access to it, just use cornstarch (corn flour) of the same amount and add about 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean pod.
    Follow the same steps of making the pudding. Once you have removed the pudding from the heat, add an egg yolk and stir well. Then transfer to a bowl.
  6. The original recipe uses rum, which normally comes in the pudding and sprinkled on cake layers. But this time we left it out because of the kids.