"MONDEL KRANTZ" OR ALMOND CAKE (AS MADE BY FRAU SCHMIDT)

1 pint sweet milk.
3/4 cup sugar.
3 eggs.
1 yeast cake or 1 cup yeast.
1/3 cup butter.
2 tablespoons rock candy.
1 orange.
2 tablespoons chopped almonds.
Flour.
Set to rise early in the morning. To the scalded milk, when lukewarm,
add the yeast and flour enough to make a batter, cover, set to rise
until light, near the range, which will take several hours. Then add
the sugar, butter and eggs beaten to a cream, grated rind an juice of
orange, a couple tablespoons finely-chopped almonds, and add enough
flour to make a soft dough, as stiff as can be stirred with a spoon;
set to rise again, and when light, divide the dough in two portions,
from which you form two wreaths. Roll half the dough in three long
strips on the floured bake-board with the hands, then braid them
together. Place a large coffee cup or bowl inverted on the centre of a
large, round or oval, well-greased pan, lay the wreath around the
bowl. The bowl in the centre of the pan prevents the dough from
running together and forming a cake. Brush the top of the wreath with
a little milk, containing teaspoon of sugar, over the top of the
wreath, stick blanched, well-dried almonds, and strew thickly with
crushed rock candy or very coarse sugar.
Let rise until light, then bake. This makes two quite large wreaths.
The Professor's wife told Mary when she gave her this recipe, this
almond wreath was always served at the breakfast table on Christmas
morning at the home of her parents in Germany, and was always baked by
her mother, who gave her this recipe, and it was found on the
breakfast table of Frau Schmidt Christmas morning as regularly as was
made "Fast Nacht Kuchen" by Aunt Sarah every year on "Shrove Tuesday,"
the day before the beginning of the Lenten season.