This is the classical Gerbeaud cake. I prepared it in a springform pan, because this way I can present at once the size/quantity proportion, but it can be cut into cake slices and simple squares too. This is a delicious, lasting favourite!

Preparation time: 160 minutes + 1 day cooling

For how many servings?:

Ingredients (1 cake = 10 slices per recipe.
1 serving = 1 slice.)

For the dough:
200 g plain flour
100 g butter
20 g castor sugar
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt
8 g yeast
1 g baking powder

For the filling:
160 g sugar
200 g ground walnut
600 g apricot jam
ground cinnamon
grated lemon rind
vanilla sugar

For the topping:
100 g 65% chocolate

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 185 C (365 F) and paper a 22 cm (8,66 in) diameter springform pan.

2. First prepare the dough. Combine the ingredients in a bowl and knead thoroughly.

3. When ready, form a cylindrical shape from the dough on a floured pastry board, divide it to five equal parts and put in the fridge.

4. You can immediately take out one part and put it on the pastry board. Roll it out to a circle shape that is a bit bigger that the diameter of the pan. Stick the edge of the dough to the inside of the pan.

5. When ready, heap the first amount of apricot jam on it and spread it perfectly evenly on the surface. ( If the jam is lumpy, chop it with a mixer until very smooth. The jam should not contain whole fruit bits!)
Attention! The 600 g apricot jam needs to be divided into exactly 150 g portions!

6. In a different bowl mix the ground walnut, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla sugar and lemon rind.

7. Spread 90 g of the walnut mixture on the top of the apricot jam layer.

8. Take out the second part of the dough from the fridge. Roll it out to a circle shape, this time exactly the same size as the pan, and place it on the top of the walnut layer.

9. Spread one portion of apricot jam (150 g) and one portion of walnut mixture (90 g) on top just as before. Then place the third layer of dough on top.

10. Repeat the act in the same manner with the layer of apricot jam (150 g) and walnut mixture (90 g) and then place the fourth sheet of dough on top.

11. The last repetition is the same as before: apricot jam (150 g), walnut mixture (90g) then comes the last layer of dough.

12. When ready with the five layers, prick the topmost dough layer gently.

13. Put the pan in the preheated oven and bake the dough for 50 minutes at 185 C (365 F).

14. When the cake is ready, leave it to cool down properly, at least for one night. Then cut around the cake with a knife and spring off the sides, then remove the cake.

15. Invert the cake onto a plate, so the bottom becomes the top now.

16. Melt the chocolate in microwave oven or over hot steam, and grease the top of the cake with it thinly.

17. When the chocolate is dried, slice the cake or cut it into squares.