Egg sunny-side up Cake (Spiegeleierkuchen)

This cake is another children's favorite. It usually uses canned apricots halves, but I am trying out fresh apricots on one half of the cake because they are currently in season. This cake has four layers: a regular cake batter on the bottom, a cheesecake-like layer with vanilla custard or pudding, sour cream and yoghurt, apricot halves and a clear glaze. Because of its appearance as an egg sunny-side up this cake is known as Spiegeleierkuchen (fried egg cake).

Ingredients:

Baking sheet (deep) or two 9x13" Pyrex dishes

Some grease

Cake batter:

150 g butter or margarine (1 stick)

150 g sugar (113 g)

3 eggs

1 package vanilla sugar or some vanilla aroma

1 pinch of salt

300 g flour (225 g)

2 leveled teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons milk

Cheesecake topping:

2 packages 'cook and serve' JELL-O vanilla flavor (or 2 packages Dr. Oetker Vanilla Pudding powder) - (enough for 1 quart or 1 liter milk)

750 ml milk (3 cups)

80 g sugar (when using Dr. Oetker Vanilla Pudding powder, JELL-O is sweetened already)

2 cans apricot halves (or one can and about 15 fresh apricots)

250 g Crème fraîche or sour cream

250 g fat free Greek Yoghurt (Fage or Chobani brand)

For the glaze:

250 ml (2 cups) liquid (liquid from canned apricots filled up with water)

50 g sugar (optional, when using water, not syrup or juice)

1 package Dr. Oetker clear cake glaze (see comments how to make it)

1. For the cheesecake topping cook vanilla pudding according to the instructions using 80 g of sugar when pudding mix is unsweetened and only 750 ml milk (instead of 1 liter or 4 cups) to make it a little thicker. Let pudding cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a milk skin to form.

2. Grease baking sheet and preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F).

3. Drain canned apricots and collect juice. If using fresh fruit, wash apricots, cut them in half and remove pit.

4. Fold Crème fraîche or sour cream and yoghurt under pudding. Don't stir the mixture too much or it'll become too liquid.

5. Using an electric hand mixer beat butter or margarine until fluffy. Mix in sugar, vanilla sugar or aroma and salt. Add 1 egg at a time and mix on for about 1/2 minute per egg.

6. In a separate bowl mix flour and baking powder. Add flour mixture in two portions to batter alternating with milk.

7. Spread batter on baking sheet. Add cheesecake topping and spread evenly. Put apricot halves with the round side facing up on top leaving some space between the apricots.

8. Bake cake for about 35 min or until toothpick comes out clean at 180 degrees Celsius (350 F).

9. Remove cake from oven and let cool.

10. For the glaze, heat up 500 ml liquid (juice from canned apricots filled up to 500 ml with water) until boiling. Stir in clear cake glaze mix and coat cooled cake. Let glazed cake cool until glaze has solidified, then cut a d serve cake.

Comments:

1. To prevent a milk skin on the pudding/custard place some plastic wrap directly on top of the surface.

2. I used light sour cream instead of Crème fraîche and fat-free Greek Yoghurt. The original recipe uses 500 g Crème fraîche. Exchanging some of the Crème fraîche for fat-free yoghurt makes this cake a lot lighter, less greasy. Sour cream is also less fatty compared to Crème fraîche, but bears a risk of curdling when baking.

3. The fresh apricots worked great. I was concerned they might become too tart during baking, but not at all!

4. To make your own glaze use the following recipe:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon potato starch
2 tablespoons sugar
250 ml water, fruit juice or water mixed with some fruit syrup
Preparation:
Mix 1 tablespoon potato starch with 2 tablespoons sugar and a few tablespoons water until no clumps remain and sugar is dissolved. Boil remaining water or juice. While stirring slowly add starch mixture. Let boil for another 1/2 minute while stirring. Immediately pour glaze over cake. Let cool until glaze has solidified.
The glaze becomes clear when potato starch is used, with corn starch the glaze isn't clear. Using fruit juice or the syrup canned or jarred fruits are stored in will add some color and taste to the glaze.