Colorful Easter Cake

The main day of German Easter celebrations is Easter Sunday. For Christians it is a time for the whole family to get together to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the end of the Lent with a festive meal. A more festive breakfast is often on the menu since families have more time to relax and enjoy a more leisurely brunch-type meal after the children have exhausted themselves looking for Ostereier from the Osterhase!

A traditional Easter meal consists of lamb, which represents innocence and humbleness, accompanied with fresh vegetables and potatoes. Festive cakes are, of course, also a staple ingredient for a Easter Sunday afternoon "Kaffee und Kuchen."

Ingredients:

Cake:

10 ounces ground almonds
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
peel of one lemon
2 medium-sized carrots
2 small apples
6 fresh eggs
10 ounces sugar
1 pinch salt

Decoration:

4 ounces marzipan
2 1/2 ounces confectioners' sugar
red and yellow food coloring
1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder
egg white from 1 egg
5 ounces confectioners' sugar
green decorative leaves
decorative sugar flowers

Preparation:

Mix together the almonds, bread crumbs, cornstarch, baking powder cinnamon and lemon peel. Peel the carrots and the apples and grate them finely.

Separate the eggs. Beat together the egg yolks with 4 ounces of the sugar. Beat the egg whites together with the salt and the rest of the sugar. Mix the grated carrots and apple with the egg yolk and carefully fold in the egg white mixture and the almond mixture.

Line a 10 inch spring form with baking paper and pour in the batter. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees F for 45 minute. Remove from the oven, loosen the cake from the form and allow to cool on a baking tray.

For the decoration, break up the marzipan and knead it together with the confectioners' sugar. divide into 3 portions and color each portion pink, yellow and brown (using the cocoa powder for brown). Place the marzipan between two layers of plastic wrap, roll out and cut out Easter eggs shapes and branches.

For the glaze mix the egg white with the confectioners' sugar. Put the glaze in a plastic sandwich bag and cut a tiny corner. Use the glaze to decorate the marzipan eggs with fine lines.

Sprinkle the cake generously with confectioners' sugar and decorate with the marzipan eggs and sugar flowers and leaves.