Himmel Futter, or Heavenly Food

‘Heavenly Food’ was her German holiday favorite

Laurie (Ritter) Self of Franklin grew up surrounded by German foods at the holidays, and one favorite shaped her dessert preferences.

Self comes from a family of professional bakers; her great-grandfather Lammert and great-great-grandfather Lammert had bakeries in Milwaukee and in Germany. “Flour is probably in my blood,” she said.

“Starting at Thanksgiving and through Christmas,” Self wrote in submitting her family recipe, “I remember the different German dishes that were part of our family celebrations (not that I ate them, though!) such as sülze, sahnhering, raw beef and onions, but it was the desserts that I enjoyed the most.”

“My grandma, Harriett Ritter, would make vanillekipferl, stollen, schaum torte, pfeffernuesse, lebkuchen — all would make an appearance during the holiday season.”

The one dessert Self always remembers is Himmel Futter, which translates to heavenly food, or food of heaven. “That is what it was to me,” she wrote. “It’s a dessert with a little bit of everything — crunchy cake, juicy fruits, chewy dates and nuts, and rich whipped sweet cream. My grandma typically served hers with mandarin oranges and bananas. To this day, I still prefer desserts without chocolate!”
 
The dessert is like a free-form trifle, with cake pieces that are both crisp and chewy. The cake is broken apart and arranged on a platter and topped with fruit; servings then are topped with whipped cream, an appealing mix of textures and flavors.

Himmel Futter (Heavenly Food)

Recipe tested by Carol Deptolla

Makes 8 to 10 servings

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons (divided)
• 4 tablespoons flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1¼ cups chopped dates
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 2 or 3 oranges
• 2 or 3 bananas 
• 16 ounces heavy whipping cream 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs lightly. Add sugar and beat thoroughly, until mixture is light. Add flour, baking powder, salt, dates and walnuts, and stir to combine. Place in a greased 11-by-7-inch pan and bake in preheated oven 40 minutes. Let cool.

Peel the oranges with a knife to remove all the white pith, and cut them in segments into a bowl to catch the juices, halving the segments to make them bite-size if necessary. Cut the peeled bananas into half-inch slices and combine with the orange segments.

Break the torte into pieces and place on a platter. Arrange the sliced oranges and bananas over the top. Let stand 1 hour. Meanwhile, whip the cream with 2 tablespoons sugar or to taste. Scoop a portion of torte onto a small plate or into a small bowl and top with a dollop of whipped cream.