Donauwelle (Danube Wave Cake)
Donauwelle is a popular German cake with layers of vanilla and chocolate cake, topped with tart cherries, rich custard, and a glossy chocolate glaze.
Ingredients
Method
- Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- To make the cake layers: Sift flour and baking powder together into a bowl; set aside. Beat 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in white sugar, vanilla extract, and 5 egg yolks. Stir in flour mixture until just combined.
- Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until foamy; continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the egg whites should form a sharp peak that holds its shape.
- Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, keeping as much volume as possible. Add the remaining egg whites, folding just until incorporated.
- Pour half of the batter into a separate bowl. Sift cocoa powder into one bowl of batter; stir until just combined.
- Pour white cake batter into the prepared baking dish, then spread chocolate cake batter on top. Pat cherries dry with paper towels, and sprinkle them evenly on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes; set aside to cool.
- To make the custard filling: Whisk cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar together in a small bowl. Heat milk in a small saucepan just until hot but not boiling. Whisk in cornstarch mixture until smooth; bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick and easily coats the back of a spoon, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Spread custard filling over cooled cake; press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard filling so it doesn't form a skin. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours to overnight.
- To make the chocolate glaze: Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until just melted and smooth. Stir in oil until glossy.
- Spread chocolate glaze over chilled custard layer. When the glaze has set slightly, about 10 minutes, drag a fork lightly across the surface in wavy lines to create a wave pattern on the chocolate.
- Let glaze set completely before slicing cake into squares. Enjoy!
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