Eierlikör is German egg liqueur, which is similar to eggnog, but so much better! Thick, creamy, and perfect for Christmas or Easter. Eierlikör, to you probably known as Advocaat, is a rich, creamy liqueur with a custard-like flavor. In Germany, it is mostly consumed during Easter and Christmas, but available year-round. Eierlikör is supposedly derived from “Abacate”, a drink that European explorers discovered from the indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest in the 17th century. (https://www.texanerin.com/eierlikoer-german-egg-liqueur/ )

Can’t say this is my favourite liqueur, but in this cake it is amazingly good. It is such a deliciously moist cake with so much flavour. I’ve baked it a couple of times now and all our guests just love love love it, so give it a try. It was a lot easier to make than I expected so if I can do it, so can you! Sorry about the dodgy photographs – a bit too much yellow!!!

I’ve adapted it a bit as I had no almonds so I used walnuts and hazelnuts and on one occasion I added some peanuts and simply left out the pinch of salt! I also always use less sugar than stated, but that’s a personal choice. Feel free to do the same and adapt according to what you have available and your level of sweet tooth!

If you’re a German speaker, here’s the link for the original recipe in German. https://www.brigitte.de/rezepte/eierlikoer-torte-10546688.html

INGREDIENTS
150-200g ground almonds (or walnuts and/or hazelnuts)
150-200g grated carrots
5-6 eggs
120-170g sugar
100g flour
1 pkt (10g) baking powder
Pinch of salt
60-100ml Eierlikör (Advocaat)
FILLING
1 jar (350g drained) cherries (or other fruit), well drained
2 tubs / 400g cream, divided
2 pkt vanilla sugar (or sugar)
250g quark or Philadelphia type cream cheese
150-200ml Eierlikör

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/375F. Line the bottom of a 26cm springform tin with baking paper.
2. CAKE: Toast the ground nuts in a pan without fat. (This step is optional. I’ve done it with and without roasting and both were delicious). Be very careful not to burn the nuts – stir often and remove from the pan to cool when browned.
3. Put the carrots in a teatowel and squeeze out any liquid. (Again, this is optional: if your carrots are a bit older and not very juicy this step may not be necessary.)
4. Mix the carrots with the cooled nuts and set aside.
5. Beat the eggs and the sugar for 8 minutes with a mixer till thick and creamy. (Don’t skip this step! It needs the 8 minutes!).
6. Fold the flour, baking powder and salt into the egg mix, then fold in the nut mix.
7. Pour into the baking tin, smooth the top and bake for 25-30 minutes.
8. Remove and allow to cool completely in the tin. Remove and slice the cake in half horizontally. Brush the cake halves with the egg liqueur.
9. FILLING: Put one half of the cake on the serving platter and put the drained cherries on top of it. Beat the cream with the sugar until stiff.
10. Mix a third of the cream with the cream cheese and spread on top of the cherries. Put the other cake half on top.
11. Spread the rest of the cream over the cake. Now pour the rest of the Eierlikör over the cream letting it flow down the sides a bit. (I just grabbed the bottle and poured the liqueur over it so feel free to use as much as you like!)
12. BEFORE spreading the cream, you could put some into a piping bag and then pipe some pretty decorations onto the cake.

It may seem like a lot to do, but it is actually very easy and very impressive and very tasty. Enjoy!!