Our spin on the classic German Fruit Cake “Obstkuchen Obsttorte”. It has a super soft cake base, is loaded with glazed berries and a secret ingredient stabilized whipped cream frosting!
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My only complaint about this berry cake cake is that it dissapears fast! My children especially loved it.
German Fruit Cake
What is Stabilized Whipped Cream?
Regular whipping cream has a reputation of not staying put over time, especially when piped. This can be due to under-beating the whipped cream, or purchasing the wrong cream. For whipped cream, make sure the package says HEAVY whipping cream as opposed to plain whipping cream. The HEAVY cream has a higher fat content (36% fat), whips faster and is more stable.
Adding the instant pudding powder stabilizes the whipped cream, adds great flavor and makes the frosting easy to pipe. It is similar in consistency to a buttercream but tastes lighter and is lower in fat than a buttercream. We used half of a 3.9 oz package of Godiva White Chocolate flavor but vanilla instant pudding mix would work as well for this fruit cake.
Easiest Fruit Glaze:
The 2-ingredient fruit glaze is a nice touch on this cake. All you need is:
- Seedless raspberry jam
- Hot water
You can serve the fruit cake without the glaze, but it makes the cake more moist, preserves the fruit and makes the cake look like it came out of a fancy bakery. It makes your mouth water just looking at it.
Can I Add a Simple Syrup to Make it More Moist?
- YES! The glaze from the berries adds moisture to the cake as it is sliced but if you prefer a moist cake, you can add this simple syrup. We double the ingredients when making a 2-layered cake.
- Ingredients for Simple Syrup: 1/4 cup water, 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- How to Make Simple Syrup: Stir the ingredients together until sugar dissolves. Brush cooled cake, focusing on the outer edge and moving towards the center.
Watch How to Make German Fruit Cake!
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German Fruit Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For Sponge Cake:
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For Fruit and Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups mixed berries
- 3 Tbsp seedless raspberry jam + 1 1/2 Tbsp hot water
For Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 4 Tbsp white chocolate instant pudding powder, (45 grams)
- 3 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk, or to reach desired texture
Instructions
How to Make the Sponge Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F and line the bottom of a 9" round cake pan (or springform pan). Chill a large mixing bowl in the freezer. A chilled mixing bowl will make it easier to beat the whipping cream.
- Add 3 eggs to the bowl of your mixer and beat with whisk attachment on high speed 1 minute. Gradually add sugar and continue beating 8 min.* It should be whipped and form a thick ribbon when you pull up on the whisk.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder then sift it into the whipped eggs in thirds, folding between each addition. Fold in 1/2 tsp vanilla just until blended (do not overmix).
- Bake at 350˚F for 25 min. Let cake rest 3 min in pan then run a thin spatula around the edges too release from the pan. Invert cake onto a wire rack, peel back parchment paper and let cool completely to room temperature.
How to Make Fruit Glaze:
- In a measuring cup, combine 3 Tbsp raspberry jam with 1 1/2 Tbsp hot water and stir until completely smooth. If glaze seems lumpy, heat slightly to loosen it up.
How to Make Stabilized Whipped Cream:
- In your chilled mixing bowl, add 1 cup heavy whipping cream and beat on high speed (1-2 min) just until stiff peaks form.
- Add 4 Tbsp instant pudding and 3 Tbsp powdered sugar, adding them 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing with each addition. Beat on med/high speed until fully incorporated. If frosting seems too thick, add milk 1/2 Tbsp at a time (I added 2 Tbsp milk). Beat until the pudding mix is fully dissolved and frosting is smooth (2 min).
How to Assemble the Fruit Cake:
- Transfer half of the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip (Wilton 2D) and set aside. Dollop and spread half of the frosting over the top of cake.
- Arrange fruit over the frosting, leaving a 1" border. Brush all of the glaze over berries then pipe the second half of frosting around the top border of the cake. Serve right away or refrigerate until serving.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
This post contains Amazon affiliate links for tools we used to make this cake.
German Recipes to Explore:
- Black Forest Cake – Layers of cream, chocolate and cherries
- Pork Schnitzel – crispy on the outside, juicy inside
- German Creamy Cucumber Salad – easy, excellent salad
Q: Have you tried any German or European cakes? They are such a treat! This fruit cake and most European desserts are typically lower in sugar than American desserts and they will always excite your taste buds.
