A crown-shaped ring of sponge layered with buttercream and jam, armoured in caramel brittle Krokant and topped with cherries. Frankfurt's imperial cake, built to be shown off.

The Frankfurter Kranz is said to date to the 18th century, its ring shape and golden Krokant crust designed to evoke a crown honouring Frankfurt's centuries as the coronation city of Holy Roman emperors. The construction is fixed: a firm ring sponge split into three, buttercream and a sharp red jam between the layers, the whole clad in hazelnut or almond brittle with buttercream rosettes and glacé cherries on top. It remains the benchmark of a Frankfurt Konditorei's buttercream work, and the centrepiece of family birthdays across Hessen.

Where to eat Frankfurter Kranz in Frankfurt

The editor picks for Frankfurter Kranz in Frankfurt are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Frankfurt signature-dishes index or the Frankfurt food guide.

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Make it at home

Serves Serves 123 hrAdvanced

Ingredients

  • For the sponge: 250g butter, 250g sugar, 5 eggs, 300g flour, 100g cornflour, 1 packet baking powder, zest of 1 lemon
  • For the buttercream: 500ml milk, 1 packet vanilla pudding powder, 60g sugar, 250g soft butter
  • 150g redcurrant or sour cherry jam
  • For the Krokant: 150g chopped hazelnuts, 100g sugar, 20g butter
  • Glacé cherries to finish

Method

  1. Cream butter and sugar, beat in the eggs, fold in the dry ingredients and lemon zest, and bake in a ring tin at 175 degrees Celsius for about 50 minutes. Cool completely.
  2. Cook the pudding with milk and sugar, cool to room temperature, then beat into the soft butter a spoon at a time for the buttercream.
  3. Caramelise the sugar with butter, stir in the nuts, and cool the Krokant on parchment before chopping fine.
  4. Split the ring into three layers. Fill with buttercream and jam, coat the outside in buttercream, and press the Krokant all over.
  5. Pipe rosettes on top and finish each with a glacé cherry. Chill an hour before slicing.

Editor tip. Pudding and butter must both be at room temperature or the buttercream splits; if it does, warm the bowl briefly and beat again.

Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Milk, Tree nuts.