Dear scriptor,

I have heard of a wonderful German cake called "Großer Hans".

Can you find me an excellent recipe so that I may fatten my husband
with this delicacy?

Your friend and colleague,
pinkfreud

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Request for Question Clarification by scriptor-ga on 10 Aug 2003 16:54 PDT

Dearest Pinkfreud,

No problem. I will translate the recipe and post it within the next 24 hours!

Very best greetings,
Scriptor

Dear Pinkie,

Here's how to make a wonderful, wonderful cake (though it's usually
referred to as a "pudding") from Northern Germany:

"Großer Hans" ("Big John")

Special equipment needed:
A baking form (pudding form) that can be closed with a lid, suitable
for use in a hot water bath. Ideally, the form (without the lid) looks
something like this:
http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/angelfoodcakepan.jpg

Ingredients:
- 125 grams of butter
- 125 grams of sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 5 egg whites
- 500 grams of flour
- 1 bag of baking powder
- 0.5 liter of milk
- 2 bags of vanilla pudding powder
- half a teaspoon of grated lemon zest
- half a teaspoon of cardamom
- semolina

Whisk the butter and the sugar with the egg yolks until the mixture is
frothy. Then, whisk the other ingredients.
Stir both mixtures and get a soft dough. Cover the inside of the
pudding form with a thin layer of butter and bestrew it with semolina.
This will later prevent the Großer Hans from sticking to the form.
Give the dough in the form and close the lid. Boil it for approx. 90
minutes in a gently bubbling hot water bath. And then you did it!

Guten Appetit, Pinkie :-)
Scriptor

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Request for Answer Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 10 Aug 2003 17:53 PDT

This sounds so delicious that I want some right now! 

I do have one question: can you give me an idea of the approximate
size of the bags of baking powder and bags of vanilla pudding powder?
In the United States, baking powder is usually sold in metal cans, and
pudding mix comes in small cardboard boxes, so I have no idea how big
a "bag" of either substance would be.

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Clarification of Answer by scriptor-ga on 10 Aug 2003 17:57 PDT

No problem, Pinkie! I did not think about it, but I'll ask my mother
for those details right tomorrow!

:-)

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Clarification of Answer by scriptor-ga on 11 Aug 2003 05:08 PDT

Well, here is the answer: A bag of vanilla pudding pulver is between
42 and 44 grams. And baking powder is 16 or 20 grams.

Best wishes for your baking session!
Scriptor

Vielen Dank für das Rezept!

Pinkie - 

Banking powder = 20 gr (0.650 oz?)

Pinky,

Regardless of what our German friends may say, please beware of 'banking powder'.

I lived in Germany for 2 years and I avoided it like the plague.

Schlafen Sie Gut!

LOL @ "banking powder"! Sometimes a typographical error can lead to
some wonderful wordplay!

I wonder if they use barking powder to make doggie biscuits. :-D