Preparation of the sponge: marzipan, egg yolks and spices stir until smooth. Beat the egg whites and sugar until creamy and mix gently.
-Now carefully stir in the flour. Gently -stir in the melted butter. Pour the dough into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake for about 70 minutes at 160 to 170 degrees.
Preparation of the meringue: beat one third of the fine sugar with egg whites, salt and vanilla sugar over a warm water bath. Remove the egg whites from the water bath, gradually add the remaining powdered sugar and beat well with a hand mixer. Finally, fold in the sifted powdered sugar and the cocoa.
Finishing the basket cake: Cool the baked sponge cake and carefully turn it out. Place the larger side down. Fill the meringue mixture into a piping bag with a hole nozzle, start at the bottom edge of the cake, then guide the meringue mixture vertically upwards. Space two inches between each meringue strip. When the cake is *striped” all around, start with the horizontal lines, again spacing each line two inches apart. Allow the meringue strips to air dry (not in the oven!).
Preparation of the decorating dough/sugar dough: Mix sugar, butter, spices and the egg. Then mix flour and almond kernels and knead with the butter mixture to form a smooth dough. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for one night.
To keep 10 to 15 centimeters tall figures/motifs, the dough must be ung