Lilienthal Love Cake

A small yet fancy cake for festive opportunities. Like all family occasions, this will take a a delicate touch, open hearts and minds plus a little patience. (Rcp# 28)

Ingredients for ‘Lilienthal Love Cake’

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Ingredients for the Second Layer
(‘cake base’, prepare first, needs overnight settling)

• 100 g blanched and chopped almonds
• 5 tablespoons fine oat flakes
• 1 piece of vanilla pod (about 15 cm long = half of a medium sized pod)
• 5 heaped teaspoons white almond butter (blanched and ground almonds, stored at room temperature!)
• 1 overripe banana (tiger look)
• 5 teaspoons lime juice
• 3 tablespoons rice syrup

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Ingredients for the First Layer
(needs about 2 hours to cool and rest before baking)

• 350 – 400 g red carrots
• 150 g sweet chestnuts (pre-cooked)
• 100 g buckwheat flour
• 100 g amaranth flour
• 100 g sweet potatoes
• 100 g hoccaido pumpkin (flesh, no seeds, no peel)
• 3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
• 1 overripe banana (tiger look)
• 3 tablespoons date sweet (pure grainy date sugar, not syrup)
• 5 tablespoons apple pulp
• 1 package dried raspberries
• 2 red berries (red peppercorns)
• 5 teaspoons baking powder

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Ingredients for Frosting and Decoration
(prepare last, while cake layers bake or ahead together with the second layer dough)

• 3 tablespoons cream cheese (cooled, plant-based, made from almonds, for example)
• 5 tablespoons oat yogurt
• 1 pinch of vanilla powder (pure bourbon vanilla, no added sugar)
• 3 tablespoons date syrup
• 2 tablespoons rice syrup
• 2 teaspoons lime juice (pure, no sugar added)
• 1 teaspoon locust bean gum
• 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
• 100 g dark chocolate (non-dairy, minimum 75% cacao)
• Raspberry Flakes (dried raspberries thickened with cornstarch, no added sugar)

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Preparations for ‘Lilienthal Love Cake’

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Preparations and Baking Instructions for the Second Layer (‘cake base’, prepare first, needs overnight settling) and for Joining of the Final Cake (four layers plus frosting)

1. Scald the chopped almonds with hot water in a saucepan so that they are covered three times, then simmer for 10 minutes over a medium heat. Turn off the heat, add the fine oat flakes and stir well.
2. Add another 100 ml of boiling water and the vanilla. Allow to cool completely and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove the vanilla pod from the pot and scrape the vanilla from the pod (dark little seeds inside the pod) into the almond and oat mixture. Blend well (using a hand blender) and return to the refrigerator.
   —— Prepare and bake the first cake layer before proceeding ——→ see below
4. Mix the mashed overripe banana, lime juice and rice syrup and add to the cooled mixture for the second layer.
5. Mix 1 teaspoon locust bean gum with 3 tablespoons cold water and stir well. When the locust bean gum has absorbed the water and you have a smooth paste, stir it into the mix. Stir the almond butter in its jar thoroughly before removing the 5 teaspoons. To do this, it must be at room temperature (if stored in the refrigerator, take it out at least 2 hours before use). Add the almond butter last and stir well until you have a smooth dough.
6. Pour the dough for the second layer onto the baked and cooled first layer, spreading it out as thinly as possible.
7. Place the baking sheet with both layers in the oven and bake at 175°C in a preheated oven (convection only, no extra top or bottom heat).
8. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely (at least 2 hours in a cool place).
9. Slice the cake into two equal halves on the baking sheet (they will cover each other later, so you have to be precise here). Then carefully take one half, flip it (light side down) and place it on another cold and covered (good baking paper) baking sheet. Flip the other half from the original baking sheet and place it on top of the other half. You should end up with four layers on top of each other, starting with a light layer on the bottom and ending with a dark layer on top (from the bottom: light second layer – dark first layer – light second layer – dark first layer).
10. Gently press the layers together and leave to cool for 20-30 minutes, then cut the cake into pieces (about 6 cm x 12 cm each) and cover each piece with frosting (note that you need to let the cake and frosting set before you can apply the decorations, see ‘Preparations for frosting and decorations’ below).

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Preparations and Baking Instructions for the First Layer

1. Peel or brush the red carrots (if you peel them, you will need about 1/5 more carrots). Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut both into pieces about 2-3 cm in diameter/length.
2. Quarter the chestnuts and add to the carrots, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. Place in a saucepan with enough hot water to just cover, then bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes over a medium heat, then turn off the heat and allow the chunks to cool completely in the liquid.
3. Pour out all the stock from the pot of carrots and other except for a small amount that you will need to blend it (blender bowl and hand blender or integrated blender). Then add the dried raspberries and the 2 red berries (red peppercorns) and blend until there are no pieces left. Place in a cool place and allow to cool completely (2 – 3 hours).
4. After steps 2 and 3 are complete: Heat 1 liter of water in a kettle to 60°C (or use hot water from your tap if it is about the same temperature), then pour the hot water into a saucepan. Place a smaller pot inside the saucepan so that the smaller pot is inside the saucepan but no water can get in (be careful to keep it upright and make sure that everything is standing safely). Then place the paste-like virgin coconut oil in the smaller pot. Gently allow the coconut oil to liquefy. Save the used pot for later.
5. Mash the banana and mix it with the apple pulp and the date sugar, then add it to the cooled blended carrots and sweet potato, etc., then blend everything again.
6. Add the liquid coconut oil to the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. The heat must be evenly distributed so that the entire mixture is just slightly lukewarm.
7. Mix all the flours and add the baking powder (put in a small hole). Pour the mixture from the bowl into a larger bowl and carefully stir in the flour. Stir well, then let stand in a cool place for 1 – 2 hours.
8. Place the dough on a baking sheet lined with a good quality baking paper that extends to the edge of the baking sheet (the dough will run at first). Lightly grease if necessary. Spread the dough evenly with a spoon or spatula.
9. Preheat the oven to 160°C (pure convection, no added top or bottom heat) and bake for 30 minutes, then remove and let cool (can be lukewarm at most)
10. Continue preparing the second layer and final cake (see above from step 4).

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Preparations for Frosting and Decoration
(prepare last, while cake layers bake or ahead together with the second layer dough)

1. Take the used pot from warming the coconut oil for the second layer (step 4) and repeat the process with two tablespoons of coconut oil.
2. Mix the oat yogurt with the rice syrup, vanilla, and lime juice.
3. Carefully add the locust bean gum and stir well. You need to get an even cream.
4. Mix the warm coconut oil with the date syrup and cream cheese. Stir well until you get a cream.
5. Mix both creams evenly, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The frosting must be applied to the completely cooled cake. After frosting, wait 1 to 2 hours before adding the chocolate decorations.
6. For the chocolate ornaments:
   1. Take the used pot from the coconut oil heating and add the chocolate broken into pieces. Allow the chocolate to melt in the same manner as the coconut oil. Be careful not to overheat the pot with the chocolate or it will stick and disintegrate.
   2. Place a clean sheet of baking paper on a cool (room temperature or less) baking sheet. Spread the melted chocolate in thin lines on the paper. If the mixture forms too many large blobs, use a spoon to spread the liquid and create patterns.
   3. Allow the chocolate to cool completely (it should come off the paper easily).
7. Cover the cake with the frosting (use a regular breakfast knife or spatula). When the cake is cooled and covered with frosting, you will need to store it in a cool place for about an hour to allow the frosting and cake to bond. Then you can decorate the cake with chocolate ornaments and raspberry flakes.

Serve within 3-4 hours after decorating.

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Side Notes:

• A little more than 175 years ago, a man was born who became known as one of the most important early pioneers of aviation. Growing up in the great plains near the Baltic Sea, he was fascinated by the flight of birds. He and his brother watched them tirelessly and began experimenting with gliders. These experiments, which he intensified and meticulously documented throughout his adult life, were part of the foundation on which later aircraft were designed and built. But Otto Lilienthal, who inspired the Wright brothers, had more than fame and fortune in mind. He had a dream: If people could only travel by air, they could easily cover greater distances. They could get to know each other, discover their common culture, and live in peace. This cake is dedicated to you, Otto, a wonderful scientist, inventor, and even greater dreamer.
• If you are interested in the original text of the letter in which he expressed his dream 130 years ago, in January 1894, look up the Otto Lilienthal Museum, Anklam (Anklam is the name of the town where he was born, the museum has a website) and go to ‘Briefwechsel’ (you will have to translate it into English, but that ocean of knowledge has been crossed long ago, right … ;-)) .
• Of course, the only dish really worth celebrating the visit of loved ones and the importance of culture is a cake. I chose the name for the cake because I wanted to make people aware of the fact that as we travel a lot these days and in the coming months to visit and celebrate with our loved ones, many of us are flying and thus actually gliding on ‘The Gliderman’s’ dream. And perhaps as we do, we are also thinking of those who cannot be with their friends and family right now.
• This recipe may seem complicated at first, but it gets quite straightforward after you have made it once. You can make it a little easier by preparing the frosting and chocolate ornaments the day before, when you make the second layer dough. Store the frosting in the refrigerator and the chocolate ornaments in a cool place. Gently stir the frosting with a tablespoon to an even consistency (too much will cause it to disintegrate) before applying to the cake if you are making and storing it ahead of time. I would not make the first layer (with carrots) too much beforehand because it might turn sour. It’s best to finish the baking process in one go. Then you can refrigerate the two layers for a few hours. So if you are making this for guests, finish everything the day before, except the decorations, and store the cake in the refrigerator. You can also do the preparations for the second layer in the morning before you need the cake, and continue with the rest eight hours later in the afternoon. You can then refrigerate the cake with the frosting overnight and decorate it an hour before you set the table and refrigerate it until you are ready to serve.
• The really interesting thing about this cake recipe is that it combines cooking and baking. Again, not a single standard flour or egg is needed. The use of oil and sugar is minimal. And the most important ingredient is time.
  Background on that: [‘NoegkX no Fun?‘], [‘Using up the Flour‘], [‘Bye-bye Sugar’] and [‘Another Secret Ingredient’].