Himmelstorte – Heaven Cake Recipe (VIDEO)
This homemade Himmelstorte recipe has such a fitting name. Translated from German, Himmelstorte – Heaven Cake, is the perfect name because each bite tastes like a slice of heaven.
The light and fluffy texture of the soft, yellow cake layers with alternating meringue and raspberry whipped cream resemble the airy clouds in the sky. Topped with sliced golden almonds for a bit of delicate crunch and flavor, this cake is memorable and is absolutely a celebration cake.
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We love meringue recipes from Boccone Dolce Cake, melt-in-your-mouth Meringue Shell Cookies, or even a simple Eton Mess– they are so delicate and satisfying. If you are a fan of delicate, sweet meringue, you have got to make this Himmelstorte – Heaven Cake recipe!
Himmelstorte (Heaven Cake)
My husband and I first tried this cake while on vacation for our 20th wedding anniversary (Wow, 20 years of marriage has gone by so quickly, time sure flies when you’re having fun!). This Himmelstorte was love at first bite. After finding a recipe (in English – that was tricky!) and adding our own touches to the recipe, here is why we love it:
- Light and airy dessert, which is great during the summer or after a large meal
- Make ahead – The cake layers can be prepped ahead of time
- Easy to assemble and decorate
- Customizable – The fruit in the filling can be easily changed to your taste
Himmelstorte -Meringue Cake Video
Between the cake, meringue, and whipped cream, there might seem like there is a lot of mixing, but you will be surprised at how easy it is to make this Himmelstorte recipe. Your stand mixer does most of the work – Watch Natasha make this recipe and see for yourself!
What is Himmelstorte?
Himmelstorte is a German cake recipe with many names and closely related variations. It is also called Heaven Cake (in German Himmel- sky/heaven + torte- cake), Hannchen-Jensen Torte (giving credit to the recipe’s creator), or even Schwimmbadtorte (Swimming Pool Cake). Hanna Jensen ran a Bed and Breakfast on Germany’s North Sea coast. She was known to serve tea and this two-tier meringue, fruit, and whipped cream cake to her guests- and the happy guests shared her recipe around the globe.
As with many recipes, there can be discrepancies in the origin, ingredients, or flavors and this recipe is no different. No matter what you call this dessert, the essential features of Himmelstorte are the light and airy layers of cake, meringue, whipped cream, and fruit.
This recipe Is loosely based on Luisa Weiss’ recipe from her cookbook, Classic German Baking.
Ingredients
Pull your eggs and dairy out to bring to room temperature and get your stand mixer ready because there is a lot of mixing to do in this Himmelstorte recipe.
For the meringue cake layers:
- Butter – unsalted, softened
- Sugar – for sweetness
- Eggs – room temperature, separated into egg whites and egg yolks
- Vanilla – we like to use our homemade vanilla for the best taste
- Flour – all-purpose or gluten-free if you prefer
- Baking powder – leavening ingredient
- Salt – fine sea salt to enhance the flavor of the cake and meringue
- Milk – room temperature, and you can use whole milk or low-fat
- Confectioners’ sugar – to sweeten the meringue, plus more to dust the top
- Sliced almonds – add a delicate crunch to this light and airy recipe
For the raspberry whipped cream:
- Heavy whipping cream – the fat content adds structure and light and airy texture after whipping
- Sugar – to sweeten the whipped cream
- Vanilla – for the signature flavor of whipped cream
- Raspberries – divided, keep a handful to garnish the top of your cake
Pro Tip:
Use light-colored metal baking pans. Darker pans will brown the cake too much. If using dark pans, bake for 28-30 minutes.
How to Make Himmelstorte
To make the cake and meringue layers:
- Prepare – Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and line the bottoms and sides of two, 9-inch round cake pans or springform pans with parchment paper. Add a little butter under the parchment strips where they overlap to keep them in place.
- Mix the cake ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Next, add vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine – Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on medium/low speed just until well incorporated. While mixing, drizzle in the milk and mix until blended. Divide the batter between your prepared cake pans and spread evenly in the bottom. The batter will be thick.
- Make your meringue – Clean the bowl of your stand mixer and beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Increase to medium-high speed and add a pinch of salt then gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat until smooth, glossy, and thick with nearly stiff peaks, about 3-4 minutes. Divide meringue into your 2 cake pans and spread evenly. Using the back of a spoon, make peaks and mounds then sprinkle the top with almonds.
- Bake – Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until meringue and almonds are golden. The meringue will not be fully dried out. Remove from the oven and cool the pans on wire racks until room temperature then remove the cakes from the pans.
Pro Tip
Use a kitchen scale to help divide the batter and meringue evenly between your cake pans. This will ensure even-sized layers and an even baked time.
Raspberry whipped cream filling and assembly:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cold heavy whipping cream with granulated sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until it starts to thicken then increase to medium-high speed and beat another 2-3 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Don’t overbeat or it will turn buttery. Fold in most of your raspberries, setting aside a handful to use as garnish.
- To assemble, first, place the bottom cake layer on a cake platter meringue-side-up and cover it with all of the whipped cream filling, spreading it evenly over the surface. Place the next layer on top. Dust the top lightly with powdered sugar and scatter the reserved raspberries over the top.
Pro Tip:
If your whipped cream becomes stiff from over-beating the heavy whipping cream, try adding more whipping cream to the mixer to help loosen the mixture and bring it back to a soft, smooth texture. Start with a small amount and check the consistency every 10-20 seconds and add more as needed. If it is pale yellow in color, it is probably too far gone to save. Embrace it, and keep whipping it. Congratulations, you just made butter.
Variations of Himmelstorte
While there are many variations of this recipe, the most commonly found version is Himmelstorte mit himbeeren, or Heaven Cake with Raspberries. Other delicious substitution options based on your taste include:
- Berries – blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries (pitted and halved), or poached gooseberries
- Citrus fruits – the original recipe used 2 cans of drained and halved mandarin oranges
- Tropical fruits – kiwi, pineapple, mango cut into small bite-sized pieces
- Stone fruits – apricots, peaches, nectarines
- Fruit compote – a mix of your favorite fruits reduced to a compote, or use your favorite jam
Common Questions
Beat meringue just until nearly stiff peaks form. If you over-mix the egg whites they will lose moisture which affects the meringue’s crispness and could cause it to collapse.
I have tested this recipe with 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and without it. The finished product remained the same so I concluded it wasn’t necessary in this recipe. If you prefer to add it, add it to the egg whites right away, before you start beating.
This recipe really tastes best with fresh or canned fruit.
To ensure the cake comes out of the pan easily without breaking it, use a cake release tool or a plastic knife, or a thin-edged spatula and run it around the edges for easy removal.
Make-Ahead and Storage
You can make the cake layers twenty-four hours ahead of time. Let them cool to room temperature in their cake pans. After they have cooled, loosely cover them with plastic wrap and leave them at room temperature in a low-humidity environment.
Make the whipped cream filling and assemble your Himmelstorte preferably within 2 hours of serving the cake.
- To Refrigerate: Cover any leftover cake and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Freezing: We do not recommend freezing this cake, as the meringue is quite fragile and the moisture could damage it when thawing.
Make this Himmelstort recipe for a birthday, baby shower, bridal shower, anniversary… or any excuse you can find to taste your own slice of heaven.
More Meringue Recipes
If you love this Himmelstorte – Heaven Cake recipe, then you won’t want to miss these other meringue recipes.
- Meringue Acorns With Salted Pistachios
- Eton Mess
- Tiramisu Yule Log
- Meringue and Raspberry Baskets
- Rakushki Cookies
Himmelstorte- Heaven Cake Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
For the cake and meringue layers:
- 10 Tbsp butter, unsalted, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature, separated into yolks and whites
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, or gluten free
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, plus a pinch for meringue
- 1/4 cup milk, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar, plus more to dust
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, divided
For the whipped cream filling:
- 1 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 oz raspberries, divided (keep a handful for garnish)
Instructions
To make the cake and meringue layers:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and line two, 9-inch round, preferably light-colored cake pans with parchment paper. Line the bottom with a round of parchment and line the sides with parchment strips. Add a little butter under the strips where they overlap to keep them together.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Beat in the yolks one at a time and beat to incorporate with each addition then add vanilla. Scrape down the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on medium/low speed just until well incorporated. While mixing, drizzle in the milk and mix until blended. Scrape down the bowl then divide the batter between your prepared cake pans* and spread the thick batter evenly in the bottom.
- In a separate very clean mixing bowl (preferably the bowl of your stand mixer), add egg whites. Beat on medium speed until foamy. Increase to medium-high speed and add a pinch of salt then gradually add the powdered sugar by the spoonful. Continue to beat until smooth, glossy, thick, and nearly stiff peaks form, 3-4 minutes. Divide the meringue between your 2 cake pans and spread to the edges. Use the back of a spoon to create peaks and mounds. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until meringue and almonds are golden. The meringue will not be fully dried out. Remove from the oven and cool the pans on wire racks until room temperature then run a cake release tool around the edges to loosen the cake and remove from the pans.
To make the raspberry whipped cream filling:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cold heavy whipping cream with granulated sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until it starts to thicken then increase to medium-high speed and beat another 2-3 minutes or until stiff peaks form – don’t overbeat. Fold in most of your raspberries (Be sure to set aside a handful to use as garnish).
To assemble:
- Set the bottom cake layer on a cake platter meringue-side-up and cover it with all of the raspberry whipped cream, spreading it evenly over the surface. Place the next layer on top, meringue-side-up. Dust the top lightly with powdered sugar and scatter the reserved raspberries over the top. Serve immediately (or within 2 hours). Cover and refrigerate any leftover cake in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi! What should each measurement be when dividing and weighing the batter for the cake and the meringue evenly?
Hi Angela! I’m sorry, I didn’t have it measured out that specific. I used visual cues to divide evenly.
How long should the egg whites be beaten for in total minutes. 10? 15?
I’ve made it twice and the meringue doesn’t work out for me. I bake it for about 30 min and the meringue is soft and tastes like egg.
Hi Raquel. The time can differ depending on the temperature of the eggs and the style mixer you use. A stand mixer does most of the work, this may work with a hand mixer, but it will involve a lot more effort to get those stiff peaks you will have to adjust and increase mix time.
Some things that can help:
-If you have any traces of yolk in the egg whites, the fat will prevent it from forming.
-Use a clean bowl, wipe with vinegar or lemon juice to cut any grease residue.
-Room temperature eggs work best.
This is similar to the Blitz Torte that my German grandmother made and I still do. We’ve been enjoying it for the last 70 years. The meringue is so light and airy. We fill it with custard and not whipped cream. A different version.
I hope you try and love this recipe, Oma! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I made this cake last night. It was delicious!! My meringue layer was not crispy at all. It actually seemed gummy and was soft. Is it supposed to be more crunchy? I’m not sure what I did wrong. I followed your video very closely.
Hi Christine. The meringue shouldn’t be gummy or wet. This cake should be enjoyed within 2 hrs of assembling. I would look over the recipe again to see where your process looked different. Did you meringue look similar to mine? If not, did you beat your eggs long enough or too long? Also- be sure your oven is fully preheated and that you bake it long enough. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha! I’m a fan from the Philippines. I baked/cooked some of your recipes 12 of them to be exact and they all didn’t disappoint. I very much appreciate you making videos for us because I am a visual learner. I want to try this recipe but fresh raspberries are rare & expensive here, so if I am using raspberry jam how should I incorporate it to the recipe? Thank you for sharing us your hardworks <3
Hi Ellen, This recipe really tastes best with fresh or canned fruit. If you can find canned fruit, I bet that would work great here.
Thanks you for replying, Natasha. Maybe I will try using fresh mangoes because they are abundant here in the Philippines.
Hi Natasha, I just have only one question before I start make this cake. Can the whole cake made before and refrigerated ?
You mentioned just the left overs to stay refrigerated after.
best, Irina
Hi Irina, The cake layers can be prepped ahead of time. You can cover any leftover cake and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
With soft vanilla cake, and crisp meringue, and crunchy almonds, tart raspberries and sweet whipped cream, this cake is AMAZING – I’ve never tasted anything like it before. It’s soft, tart, sweet, crunchy all at once, and somehow, it just works out
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for the feedback.
I absolutely love this recipe, Natasha. I love raspberries and almonds, so I knew I would. I love to cook German food but I actually had never heard of this cake before. Thank you for introducing me to it!
You are so welcome! I’m glad you loved it!
Hi Natasha, I have two questions before I make this cake.. l. I only own a portable mixer so can I make this cake? 2. Could I substitute srawberries or blueberries?
Hi Judy, the stand mixer does most of the work, this may work with a hand mixer, but it will involve a lot more effort to get those stiff peaks you will have to adjust and increase mix time. Yes, other variations and substitutions exist for the betties. Please see this section in the recipe: “Variations of Himmelstorte” I hope that helps!
This Himmelstorte (Heaven Cake) truly lives up to its name – it was heavenly! Just be careful not to over-mix the batter or use too much flour, as it can make the cake portion dense (newbie mistake), but follow the recipe and you’re in for a treat.
Thanks for sharing,
Alex
That’s wonderful, Alex! Thank you for sharing. I’m glad you loved it.
I just made this and the 30 minute baking time was way too long. My oven temp is accurate. The edges of the cake were burnt and the cake was dry and overcooked. I think a better baking time is between 20 – 25 minutes. Otherwise it’s a beautiful cake but getting the baking time right is important.
Hi Audrey! I use an In oven thermometer (affiliate link) to verify my oven temp. Every oven bakes differently and the type of pan and material it’s made out of will also affect how the cake bakes and if it burns. I’m sorry your layers were burnt. You may need to adjust the time or oven temperature if it runs hot. Over cooking will definitely dry it out, but so will using too much flour. I have a helpful tutorial on How to measure ingredients . I hope that helps troubleshoot for your next attempt.
The name is perfectly the right. I made it yesterday and can’t wait to try it. I have made this a decade ago with gooseberries and red currants. And this brings my memories back.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Raji!
The taste is excellent and we finished it within minutes and I am going to bake it again this weekend:)
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Raji!
Hi Natasha this cake looks delicious! I was wondering would it work to do frozen raspberries in the cream instead of fresh?
Hi Jessica, This recipe really tastes best with fresh or canned fruit.
Just finished assembling this cake to celebrate my parents’ 83d birthdays. The parchment paper trick didn’t cooperate with me so I greased the bottom and all around the sides with cooking spray. I had no problem releasing the cakes. Hope we all enjoy it! Wish I could post a pic!
Hi Carole! I hope it was enjoyed. You can tag me in a picture on Instagram or Facebook, #natashaskitchen.
that’s funny, I thought the most work was the paper thing also. I am making a second one and will try it your way.
Beaten by parchment, ha!!
I made this and it was such a big hit. It was so delicious and not sweet at all. I would definitely make this heavenly cake again. Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes!!
You’re so welcome, Patricia! I’m very happy to hear that this was a huge hit!
Made it with my daughter, cake came out really dry . Also the frosting needed more sugar, 2 tablespoons is not enough, will not be making this cake again.
Hi Lyuda! I’m sorry to hear that you did not enjoy it. We had great results with the recipe. A dry cake usually results from over-baking or using too much flour. Are you measuring your flour correctly? I’ve attached my tutorial on how to measure ingredients. You can definitely add more sugar but we felt this to be a good balance.
my family REALLY ENJOYED this cake! its now a family favorite! But since there is such a thick layer of cream and when I tried cutting it, it starts to collapse and the cream falls out from the sides. Any tips how to prevent this?
Hi Eliana! I’m glad your family is loving this recipe. You may try using a different knife, one that cuts really well because you don’t want to it press down on the cake sponge, pushing the filling out.
Also- be sure that your cake layers are fully cooled and that the whipping cream is whipped to stiff peaks and not too soft. If it’s too soft, it will collapse and not hold up very well.
I hope that helps.
Can you substitute margarine for the butter? I am anxious to try this.
Hi Frances. I have not tested that. I think it could work but it wont have the same depth of flavor produced by using real butter.
Made this cake today and it was delicious despite a couple of hiccups (of course). I did find the cake portion was quite dense – is your version of the cake dense as well ? If not, then perhaps it was due to one of the aforementioned hiccups 😊
Hi Maria! I’m glad it was delicious. It shouldn’t be dense but this can happen if the batter is over-mixed or if you use too much flour. Watch my tutorial on how to measure ingredients. I hope that helps.
Are the results the same if I use gluten-free flour? I am a 13 year old that loves to bake, And I want to make it for my mom who can’t eat gluten. But it sounds delicious and I can’t wait to make it!
Hi Eliana! This recipe works with GF flour too. I hope your mom enjoys it!
Could I just bake this in one Springform pan and then slice it through the middle for assembly?
Hi Lillian. I don’t know how that would work. This recipe is written for both sponges to have meringue baked on top. Feel free to experiment. A thicker batter would also require additional baking time.
I love how easy, light and vibrant this cake is! Every bite tastes like a slice of heaven indeed! Definitely having this again for my sister’s birthday this coming September (she requested it)!
I’m so happy you loved it, Sharina!
Natasha I’m so excited to make my own vanilla extract per you recipe.
Where do you get your vanilla beans?
I’m a big fan of yours!!!!
Hi Debbie! I hope you love this recipe. In my blog post above, I’ve linked all the items and ingredients needed for the recipe (look for the red lettering and click on the words in red).
They are from Amazon.
Heavenly & beautiful!! Love the layers & the raspberry cream is my favorite!! It’s definitely a crowd-pleasing dessert!
We are so in love with this cake! Thank you for the feedback.
Thank u so much for all ur wonderful recipes it really means alot 2 me . I am legally blind can’t drive anymore but I do like 2 cook . Now if I could just make pie crudt I would b doing good .lol Thank u again
Betty
Hi Betty! You’re very welcome. I’m glad you are enjoying the recipes.
I wanted to try a new kind of cake recipe and this was sooo good! My whole family loved it!
Hi Sarah! That’s wonderful to hear. I’m so glad it was a hit.