Krantz is a bit of a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. No idea what its name means and no, it’s not the same as Kranz – creamy ‘crown’ cake. I found my recipe in ‘Baking with Passion’ by Dan Lepard and Richard Whittington but all they say is that it’s a ‘festive German cake’.
Another puzzle is the dough – made with cream cheese of all things. I’ve since compared it to Ottolenghi’s Krantz from his ‘Jerusalem’ book, but that is different dough, probably easier to make and rise. Interesting. Might have to write to Dan Lepard.
The other difference between Ottolenghi’s and Lepard Krantz is the filling (there you have it – different dough, different filling and they call it the same cake). The one below is CRUMBLY – no way can you beautify it by slashing alongside so that the filling is nicely exposed. Ottolenghi’s uses melted chocolate so the gooey filling will let you cut the log and twist it into a wreath.
All in all it’s a lovely cake; it just won’t get me onto any food porn sites, especially the pictures of its making, see within the recipe below… And it’s easy to guess I’ll probably try Ottolenghi next Krantz time.