Donauwelle
Donauwelle, the “Danube wave”, is a hugely popular cake in German pastry shops and homes. The name comes from the wave pattern that appears twice: inside, where light and cocoa batters swirl between the cherries, and on top, where the chocolate glaze is combed into waves with a fork. Between them sits a thick layer of buttercream made with vanilla custard. It takes several stages and some chilling, but each is simple. The golden rule: the custard and butter must be the same temperature, or the cream splits.
Your own work in that: 50 min.
- Custard 15 min
- Batter 20 min
- Baking 35 min
- Cooling 60 min
- Buttercream 15 min
- Chilling the cream 30 min
- Glaze 15 min
- Setting 60 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneCook the custard
Take about 100 ml of the milk and whisk the custard powder into it. Bring the rest of the milk to the boil with the sugar, pour in the powder mixture and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute until thick. Tip into a shallow dish and press cling film onto the surface. It must cool to room temperature before the buttercream — it will while the cake bakes and cools.
Ingredients: 500 ml milk · 40 g unsweetened vanilla custard powder (1 sachet) · 80 g sugar · 250 g butter, soft
Make the batter
Heat the oven to 180°C and line a deep tray of about 30 × 40 cm. Cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy, add the eggs one at a time, then the flour sifted with the baking powder. Spread two thirds of the batter in the tray.
Ingredients: 250 g butter, soft · 250 g sugar · 5 pcs eggs · 380 g plain flour · 1 tbsp baking powder · 3 tbsp milk · 2 tbsp cocoa powder · 350 g jarred sour cherries, drained
Add the cocoa layer
Stir the cocoa and milk into the rest of the batter and spread it over the light layer. Press the drained cherries into the batter — they sink as it bakes, creating the waves.
Ingredients: 250 g butter, soft · 250 g sugar · 5 pcs eggs · 380 g plain flour · 1 tbsp baking powder · 3 tbsp milk · 2 tbsp cocoa powder · 350 g jarred sour cherries, drained
Cherries pressed in make the waves.Bake
Bake the cake 30–35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
Ingredients: 250 g butter, soft · 250 g sugar · 5 pcs eggs · 380 g plain flour · 1 tbsp baking powder · 3 tbsp milk · 2 tbsp cocoa powder · 350 g jarred sour cherries, drained
Cool
Cool the cake completely in the tray, about 60 minutes. Cream spread on warm cake slides off.
Ingredients: 250 g butter, soft · 250 g sugar · 5 pcs eggs · 380 g plain flour · 1 tbsp baking powder · 3 tbsp milk · 2 tbsp cocoa powder · 350 g jarred sour cherries, drained
Make the buttercream
Beat the soft butter for 5 minutes until pale. Whisk the custard smooth, then add it a spoonful at a time, beating constantly. The custard and butter must both be at room temperature — otherwise the cream splits.
Ingredients: 500 ml milk · 40 g unsweetened vanilla custard powder (1 sachet) · 80 g sugar · 250 g butter, soft
Custard and butter at the same temperature.Spread and chill
Spread the buttercream evenly over the cake and refrigerate 30 minutes until firm.
Ingredients: 500 ml milk · 40 g unsweetened vanilla custard powder (1 sachet) · 80 g sugar · 250 g butter, soft
Glaze
Melt the chocolate with the butter over a water bath, cool 5 minutes and pour over the cold cream. Comb waves with a fork. Chill 60 minutes and cut with a knife dipped in hot water.
Ingredients: 200 g dark chocolate · 20 g butter
Waves combed with a fork — the second Danube wave.
Before you start
Split buttercream
If the cream splits (lumps and weeping liquid), the ingredients were at different temperatures — usually the custard was too cold. Warm the bowl briefly over hot water or with a hairdryer and keep beating. If instead the cream is runny, it was too warm — chill it for 10 minutes and beat again.
The cherries
The cherries must be well drained, ideally patted dry — their juice soaks the cake. Fresh pitted cherries work just as well in summer.
Storage
Keep the cake refrigerated for up to 4 days. Take it out 20 minutes before serving so the buttercream softens.
