FRANKFURT WREATH♦

(FRANKFURTER KRANZ)

Cake:

1  1/3   cups flour

    1/2   cup cornstarch

3          teaspoons baking powder

12        tablespoons butter or margarine

    3/4   cup sugar

4          eggs

3          tablespoons rum

            apricot preserves

Topping:

1          cup walnuts (finely chopped)

1          tablespoon sugar

1          tablespoon butter

Butter Cream:

1 3/4     cups milk

1           package vanilla pudding (4 oz.)

   1/3     cup sugar

18         tablespoons butter (at room temperature

             (Margarine cannot be substituted for butter)

Cake:  Combine flour, cornstarch and baking powder and set aside.  Beat butter or margarine until creamy.  Gradually add sugar and eggs beating for 8-10 minutes.  Add flour mixture and rum beating until mixed.  Spread batter into a well greased bundt pan (10” X 4 1/2”).  Bake in a preheated oven at 375° for 30-40 minutes.  Take the pan out of the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes.  Invert the cake onto a platter and let it cool at least for 4 to 5 hours. 

Topping:  While letting the cake cool prepare the topping.  Mix the tablespoon sugar with the nuts.  Place the butter in a frying pan, add nuts and sauté until roasted which is about 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously.  Set the nuts aside to cool at room temperature until the cake is cool enough to be sliced.

Butter cream.  Do not begin preparing the butter cream until you are ready to slice the cake.  Prepare pudding with the milk and the sugar following the direction on the package.  Set aside to cool stirring once in a while to prevent the skin from forming.  Beat butter until foamy.  Add pudding by the tablespoon, beating continuously.  (To prevent curdling make sure the pudding and butter are at room temperature when beating together.)

After the cake cools slice it into 3 layers.  Place the bottom layer on a platter, spread apricot preserves over the top and then spread the butter cream over the preserves.  Top the first layer with the second and repeat the spreading of preserves and cream.  Lay the third layer on top.  Frost the entire cake with all the remaining butter cream.  Sprinkle nuts all over the cake and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Makes one cake.