Known in Germany and Austria as Blitz Kuchen, this cake’s name refers to the fact that you can make two cakes at once as “quick as lightning, (blitz in German),” says Susan G. Purdy. She calls this cake the original “two-fer,” a butter cake and a meringue layer baked on top of each other in the same pans. Filled with whipped cream and berries, one of the meringue layers forms the cake top – covered with cinnamon sugar and almonds, it looks spectacular and needs no further decoration.
Buttermilk’s acidity helps the cake set more quickly, and higher-protein all-purpose flour adds more strength than cake flour.
From “Pie in the Sky,” this recipe is for 5,000 feet and makes an 8-inch 2-layer cake, serves 8-10.
Ingredients
Topping
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup (1 ounce) sliced almonds (not slivered)
Butter cake layer
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
Meringue cake layer
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup superfine or granulated sugar
Filling
1 cup heavy whipping cream (36-40 percent fat), chilled
1 tablespoon superfine or granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 pints fresh raspberries or strawberries
Special equipment
2 8-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pans (9-inch makes layer too thin)
Baking parchment or wax paper
3 plates or 9-inch cardboard cake disks covered with aluminum foil
Directions
Stir sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, and put sliced almonds in another small bowl; set them aside. Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Above 5,000 feet, coat pans with butter-flavor vegetable spray or solid shortening, line with wax paper or baking parchment, then grease and flour paper. Tap out excess flour.
Prepare butter cake layer: In a medium bowl, whisk sifted flour, baking powder and salt.
In large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and 1/2 cup sugar until well-blended. Scrape down bowl and beater. Beat in yolks 2 at a time, and extracts. Scrape bowl again, beat well.
With beater on lowest speed, slowly add dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk. Once batter is blended, increase speed and whip 1 minute, until smooth and creamy.
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and smooth the tops. It will not look very thick, but that is OK. Set pans aside; do not bake yet.
Prepare meringue layer: Test the temperature of the whites; when comfortable (not cold) to touch, add cream of tartar and whip on medium speed just until foamy. Gradually whip in 1 cup superfine or granulated sugar, increasing mixer speed to high, but watch closely. As soon as you start to see beater tracks on top of the whites, stop machine, lift beater and check stiffness of foam. At sea level, you need stiffly beaten whites that stand up in nearly stiff peaks, but at 2,500 feet and above, you want only a soft, droopy peak.
Divide meringue evenly between cake pans, spreading it right on top of butter cake batter. Use spatula or the back of a spoon to pull meringue into peaks all over (OK if they droop slightly). Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar and sliced almonds evenly over both meringue layers.
Bake layers in preheated oven 20-24 minutes, or until meringue tops are a darkened ivory color (not brown) and feel very crisp on top (inside meringue will stay a little soft). The cake will begin to shrink from pan sides, and a cake tester in the middle will come out moist (from the meringue) but should not show any wet batter.
Cool layers in pans on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. While they cool, decide which meringue layer is the prettiest and save it for top of cake; the loser will be upside down on the bottom and the two butter layers will be in the middle with filling between.
Run a knife between cake and pan sides to loosen, then top each layer with a plate or foil-covered disk and invert gently (don’t worry if a little cinnamon sugar falls off). Lift off pans, peel off papers if used, then invert the best layer once again by topping it with another plate or foil-covered disk and inverting again, so the best meringue top is facing up. Cool layers completely while preparing the filling.
Make filling: Using a chilled bowl and beaters, whip cream just until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla, then whip a few seconds longer until cream holds its shape in peaks but is not too stiff.
To assemble cake: Spread filling on butter-cake layer facing up. Sprinkle berries over cream.
Use a broad spatula or pancake turner to help lift up second layer, and place it – best-meringue-side-up – on top of the filling. Do not ice the cake sides. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.
