Original Leipzig Larks
The origin of the Leipziger Lerchen lies in the Middle Ages. Catching and preparing songbirds was common then. One of the main areas for larks was Leipzig, where birds were prepared, among other things, as pâté by bakers. Millions of them were exported ready-made to many countries. In 1876 the hunting of larks was forbidden by the Saxon king.
It was probably Saxon bakers who quickly devised a replacement: a sweet shortbread filled with marzipan, reminiscent of the old shape. Every Leipzig baker has his own family recipe here and the appearance also varies.
Typical of all pastries, however, are the crossed strips of dough on the top. They recreate the wrapped bird bellows with strips of bacon. The appearance of these pastries varies depending on the bakery. A small selection of the original Leipzig Larks is shown in the photo.
Recipe Sweet leipzig larks
Ingredients & Shopping list
Dough
- 250 g flour
- 125 g butter (room temperature)
- 70 g sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp brandy
Filling
- 125 g butter (room temperature)
- 150 g icing sugar
- 75 g flour
- 1 tbsp starch flour
- 150 g sweet almonds (grated)
- 250 g apricot or strawberry jam
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 egg whites
- a few drops of bitter almond oil
- butter / shortening for the baking tins
Preparation
Dough
- Using a sieve, sift the flour finely into a bowl. In the middle, add egg, salt and the brandy. Spread the soft butter in flakes over the top and sprinkle the sugar on top.
- From this knead a shortcrust pastry.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for about 1 hour.
Filling
- Finely puree the jam with a blender or pass through a sieve.
- Beat the softened butter with a mixer until fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar, egg yolks, almonds, bitter almond oil, flour and cornflour and stir. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold in carefully.
Preparation
- Grease baking cups with a diameter of approx. 6 cm. Roll out the shortcrust pastry to a thickness of 0.5 cm and line the cake tins with it up to the top edge. Spread the pastry with the jam and pour in the finished filling.
- Cut the leftover dough into strips and place them crosswise on each ramekin as a finishing touch.
- Bake the larks in a preheated oven at about 180°C for 20 minutes.
Tips & Hints
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