Strawberry Raffaello Layered Cake
This is a perfect cake to surprise your beloved one for Valentine’s or Mother’s Day, or the Birthday! You also could make it for a hot summer’s day. Raffaellos bring an exotic taste to the table. It’s a rich cake indeed but doesn’t come with the old-fashioned buttery cream. Whenever you make this strawberry Raffaello layered cake serve the cake with a cup of German coffee. Happy Baking!
Ingredients Strawberry Raffaello Layered Cake
For the Base Cake
3 eggs
100 g sugar
2 drops rum flavor
50 g flour
50 g corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
For the Filling
200 g Raffaellos
500 g strawberries
600 ml heavy cream
2 packages vanilla sugar – How to Make Vanilla Sugar –
1 package whip it (Sahnesteif)
25 g grated coconut, unsweetened
Baking Instructions
– Pre-heat oven to 175 C / 350F (regular; convection is 150 C or 300F)
Separate eggs
– Beat egg whites with 3 tbsp water until firm. Add the sugar and continue beating until sugar has dissolved.
– Add the egg yolks, flavor.
– Mix flour with starch and baking powder, add to the egg cream. Mix with a spatula.
– Layer a 26cm – 10 inch – spring form with parchment paper.
– Place dough in spring form, spread even.
– Bake for 25-30 min or less, do the tooth pick test.
Make the Filling
– Cut the base cake one time horizontally.
– Chop 10 Raffaellos in pieces. Keep remaining ones in the fridge.
– Cut half of the berries into small pieces.
– Combine half of heavy cream with 1 tbsp sugar, 1 package vanilla sugar and whip it. Beat until form.
– Mix in strawberries and Raffaello pieces.
– Spread the strawberry cream on the lower piece of cake. Place the other piece on top.
– Place cake in fridge for 30 min.
– Roast the coconut pieces lightly in a non-stick pan without adding oil or butter.
– Slice remaining strawberries, keep one whole fruit.
– Beat remaining heavy cream with 1 pack. vanilla sugar until firm.
– Spread the cream around the cake and on top. Sprinkle with coconut pieces.
– Place the strawberry slices around the edges and on top like a wreath.
– Add some whipped cream into a decorating bag and squirt little flowers for each piece of cake.
– Decorate with whole Raffaellos.
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German Cake: Granatsplitter from Scratch
The German cake “Granatsplitter” or in English “Chocolate Mountain” is a typical cake specialty, or you could also call it a pastry.
So what is is exactly?
In the bakeries it is made out of the left overs from cakes and a so called “Tortenboden” (layered cake biscuit). The cake left overs are mixed with a buttery cream, rum and almonds and mounted on a shortcrust cookie bottom piece up to a height of 10cm or 4 inches, so it’s shape reminds of a little mountain.
This little mountain will be completely covered with chocolate. Because the ingredients can vary the Granatsplitter is always different and this makes it so unusual. You can be very creative and use all kinds of ingredients.
In Berlin they call them “Hackstockkratze”, in the Eastern regions it is a “Punschberg” (because of the rum). For the glaze you can use dark, medium or even white chocolate. To make the dough you can use all kinds of cake rests like from a coffee cake, cookies that are left over or a biscuit base cake. The recipe below is original and authentic German. Happy Baking!
Ingredients German Cake Granatsplitter
– Makes 8 Granatsplitter –
Dough
1/2 biscuit base cake (Tortenboden) – Already made or make from scratch (500-600 g)
You can use the recipe for an Obstkuchen (fruit cake) – Find it here –
some baking flavor: rum or vanilla (or Whisky, brandy, Amaretto etc)
75 g almonds chopped coarsely (or hazelnuts, walnuts)
Shortcrust cookies
150 g flour
1 tbsp baking powder
50 g sugar
1 package vanilla sugar 0.3 oz – How to make Vanilla Sugar –
rum flavor
2 tbsp milk
50 g butter
Butter Cream
500 ml milk
100 g sugar
250 g butter
1 package Vanilla pudding or Cream pudding, Dr Oetker
Glaze
150 g chocolate glaze or “Kuvertüre” (if you cannot get the Kuvertüre just melt 1 bar of dark chocolate like from Lindt using the double boiler method, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil and let it melt)
The German Breakfast Box comes with these Items!
Baking Instructions German Cake Granatsplitter
Make the Cookies
– Mix flour with baking powder, and sieve it on a baking board.
– Make a mold into the flour, into this mold add sugar, vanilla sugar, rum and milk, mix with some flour.
– Add cold butter that is cut in smaller pieces.
– Knead until you get a smooth dough.
– On a floured baking board or smooth surface roll the dough very thin.
– Cut out round cookies (diameter 4-5 cm or 2 inches).
Optional: If you have left over dough, you can create fantasy forms which will be used for the topping.
– Bake cookies and fantasy forms for 10 minutes on 180 C or 350 F.
Make the Butter Cream
– Make the pudding per instructions
– Place plastic foil on top to avoid skin build up.
– Let cool off completely.
– When pudding is cooled off beat briefly, then add the butter.
– Mix well until you get a smooth cream.
Make the Dough
– Crumble the cake that you will use, you need very small pieces.
– Combine crumbles with butter cream, not in one time, bit by bit.
– Add rum flavor and chopped almonds.
– If you use the left over cookie dough, cut it in very small pieces and add to the dough. It adds some crunch to the Granatsplitter.
– Knead well until you get a dough that can be formed with the hands.
– Place in fridge for 10-15 min.
Make the Mountains and Glaze
– With a spoon remove some dough, place it on the cookie and form it into a little mountain.
– Place in fridge for 1 hour.
– Melt chocolate with some coconut oil by using the double boiler method.
– Pour chocolate over the mountain, use a BBQ fork or a spatula that has holes (see video). If you try to dip the mountain into the chocolate it might fall from the cookie.
– Place on parchment paper and let dry.
The video below is in German, but you can follow it quite easily. She shows 2 variations to create the little mountain:
Use a frosting bag or place with hand a small portion of the dough on the cookie and form the mountain.
Photo Source
Leipziger Allerlei Recipe – German Vegetable Dish
Leipziger Allerlei is a German Vegetable recipe that makes a delicious side dish. This German recipe is an original recipe from the German city Leipzig that you will love.
Leipziger Allerlei contains of fresh peas, carrots, asparagus, mushrooms or morels. You also can add green beans, cauliflower, or kohlrabi. The classic recipe adds additionally river shrimps and shrimp butter. But it is not necessary at all to add crabs and crab butter which is hard to get in the USA. The original recipe comes with different veggies and a sauce that contains crawdads or crayfish, craw-butter and little bread dumplings. It should be served with fresh ingredients from mid may to end of June. And it is being said that it used to be a dish fro the poor (Arme-Leute-Essen).
A Legend tells…
Beginning of the 19th century after the Napoleon wars they wanted to protect the wealthy city of Leipzig from tax collectors and beggars. The town chronicler Matthus Hempel recommended: „Let’s hide the bacon and only serve vegetables. Who will come to us shall get a cup of vegetable broth instead of meat. Hence, the beggars and tax collectors will go to Halle and Dresden.”
Another source suggested that vegetable from Leipzig is the second course in a festive menu, and only fresh spring vegetable shall be used for making it.
In Germany you can buy the dish frozen or canned.
The photo below shows the recipe with shrimps. I like this recipe because it has this variety of vegetables and that’s why it is a great side dish for any meat dishes with a gravy or not. Happy Cooking!
Ingredients Leipziger Allerlei
1 small cauliflower
250 g of each: white asparagus – green beans – green peas (fresh or frozen)
250 g carrots (small ones)
250 g mushrooms or morels (fresh or dried)
50 g butter
30 g flour
½ liter vegetable broth (or instant) – Find it here –
3 tbsp heavy cream,
25 g butter or crab butter
4 tbsp chopped parsley
salt, nutmeg, sugar, white pepper
Cooking Instructions Leipziger Allerlei
– Wash the vegetable.
– Break cauliflower apart.
– Peel asparagus and cut in 2 inches pieces.
– Clean beans and cut them in smaller pieces.
– Peel fresh peas; cut carrots in smaller pieces.
– Wash slice mushrooms. If you use dried mushrooms prepare them per instructions (soak in water).
– Boil every vegetable separate in water (with some salt added) until the vegetable is somewhat soft (al dente, that means it needs to be a bit crunchy).
Get Spätzle, Red Cabbage and Sauerkraut in
this SUBSCRIPTION FREE German Box
– Drain the boiled vegetable and keep it warm (Cover with foil).
– Melt butter and add flour, stir continuously to avoid clump building, then add vegetable broth and bring to a brief boil. Reduce the heat to low.
– Add heavy cream and butter, spice with salt, nutmeg, white pepper to taste and a dash of sugar.
– Now combine the vegetable with the sauce.
– Serve in a warm bowl or on a warm platter. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and/or chervil.
Serve it with your favorite meat dish.
How to Make Crab Butter – Go to Recipe
Leipziger Lerche Pastry from Leipzig
This pastry specialty from the city of Leipzig is called Leipziger Lerche, and if you don’t know German, you might not know that “Lerche” is a German songbird that has the most unique sound (in English lark). During the 18th and 19th century millions of these birds got captured because the bird was a delicatessen. The bird was roasted with herbs and eggs and served as a filling in a pastry crust. In the year 1720 alone, 400,000 larks were sold in Leipzig for consumption. They even exported the food to Russia.
In 1876 the hunting of the songbirds was officially banned by King Albert I from Saxon after recognition of their agricultural importance. Still, larks were still exported from Leipzig until the end of the 19th century. The pastry of today is mimicking the traditional meat-filled pastry after the ban. Here’s the recipe on how to make this pastry. Happy Baking!
Ingredients Leipziger Lerche
Shortcrust Dough
250 g flour
1 egg
70 g sugar
1 tsp brandy
125 g butter, melted
dash of salt
Filling
125 g butter, melted
250 g apricot or cherry jam
150 g powdered sugar
75 g flour
1 tbsp corn starch
4 egg whites
2 egg yolks
200 g raw baking marzipan
bitter almond flavor to taste
Kathi Baking Mix for the Shortcrust
Baking Instructions
Make the Shortcrust
– Sieve the flour into a big bowl.
– Add the egg, brandy and salt. Then the sugar and the melted butter.
– Mix well and knead until you get a smooth dough.
– Wrap in plastic film and let rest for 30 min in the fridge.
Make the Filling
– Beat egg whites until firm.
– Melt butter and mix until bubbly. Add all other ingredients except egg white and jam. Mix well.
– Carefully fold in firm egg whites.
– Pre-heat oven to 200 C or 390 F.
– On a smooth surface that is sprinkled with flour roll the dough 0.5cm (1/4 inch) thick.
– You can use small tartlet forms (diameter 6cm, 2.5 inches) or use a muffin tray. (If needed) grease the forms.
– Place rolled dough over the forms.
– Gently press the dough into the forms.
– Add one tsp jam into each form (directly from the jar).
– On top add the filling. In the video the baker is using a frosting bag and squirts the filling into the forms. But you can also use a tbsp for each form.
– From the remaining dough cut stripes that will be placed as a cross on top of each pastry.
– Bake the pastries in the oven for 20 min.
– When done let them cool off then release from the form.
TIPS
Use 6 tsp cherry jam and 100 g apricot jam and mix it.
You can add a glaze of apricot jam after the pastry is baked. Warm the jam and press through a sieve so it has no fruit pieces in it. Spread in a very thin layer over each pastry.
Video How to Bake the Leipziger Lerche – In English
Note: It’s not following this recipe. They use a different filling.
Swabian Pretzel Rolls – Laugen Weckle from Swabia
The Swabian Pretzel rolls are our favorite when it comes to the German baking culture! They taste best when freshly baked with some butter. There are US stores who sell the pretzel rolls but they are not quite the same. Some are too sweet and the brown crust is different. We found an authentic and proven recipe for you, you just need Natron which is part of the lye that makes the brown crust. Happy Baking!
Ingredients Swabian Pretzel Rolls
680 g all purpose flour (in Germany it would be Type 405, see below)
– Click here to go to All About Flour –
30 g fresh or dry yeast (1 package is for 500g)
approx. 400 ml water
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
coarse salt to sprinkle
3 EL Natron or food grade lye
Baking Instructions Swabian Pretzel Rolls
– Mix yeast with flour, salt, sugar and water. Amount of water depends on the quality of the flour, you might need less or more. So don’t add full amount of water. Start with half then add more as needed.
– Knead until you get a smooth dough. Place in a bowl, cover with kitchen clot, let rest for 30-60 min.
– Sprinkle flour on a smooth surface or a wooden baking board. Form the rolls (see the video how this is done properly as it is a special technique). One roll should weigh 75-80g.
– Let formed rolls raise for another 30 min. Form them, if needed, again.
– Pre-heat oven to 220 C (convection 190 C) or 420 F / 375 F.
– Place parchment paper on baking tray.
Make the Lye
– Dissolve Natron in 1 liter water and bring to a boil. Watch out, the water will get very foamy!
– By using a slotted spoon place 3 or 4 rolls into the lye and let boil for 1 min, turn them.
– Remove with slotted spoon and place on the baking tray.
– With a sharp knife cut the roll crosswise on top.
– Sprinkle with coarse salt.
– Bake on medium rack for 17-20 min.
Makes a Great Gift! The German Breakfast Box
Tip:
If you want to freeze the rolls don’t use the coarse salt. Add it before you will bake the rolls.
From the same dough you can also make pretzels or pretzel sticks.
What is Natron?
A naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate de-cahydrate (a kind of soda ash) and around 17% sodium bicarbonate (also called baking soda, NaHCO3) along with small quantities of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. But it is not the baking soda as you find it in American super markets. It is a bit different. In the USA they use the food grade lye and Amazon carries it. It can be the alternative.
The German brand Dr Oetker carries Natron, we found it on Amazon (see below),
Video shows how German rolls get the typical form, it’s called “Rundschleifen” in German
Bavarian Pork Roast with Beer Gravy & Semmelknodel
This is not just a perfect Bavarian Oktoberfest or fall meal that you will love! It’s for any season. It’s served in Bavarian restaurants throughout the year. The Bavarian Pork Roast comes in a beer gravy and is served with bread dumplings (Semmelknödel) and Bavarian cabbage or red cabbage. Happy Cooking!
Ingredients Bavarian Pork Roast
2 kg pork roast, preferably with the slab
caraway seeds, coarse salt, pepper to taste
3 medium sized onions
2 medium sized potatoes
1/4 celery, root
1 leek
1 liter dark beer
1,5 liter beef broth – How to Make Beef Broth –
For the Dumplings
500 g 2 days old German style rolls (should be Wheat rolls)
3 eggs
250 ml semi-warm milk
1 medium sized onion, chopped
parsley, chopped
salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste
Cooking Instructions Bavarian Pork Roast
Pre-heat oven to 175 C or 350 F convection (regular oven 195 C or 380F).
– If the roast has the slab, with a sharp knife cut it diamond-shaped.
– Rub in a good amount of the coarse salt (but not too much!), caraway seeds and a little bit of pepper.
– Place the roast, slab side should face upwards, into a dutch oven.
– Pour 1/2 liter of boiling hot beef broth over the meat and place in oven.
– Let cook in oven for 1 hour.
– Cut onions in half, then quarter and quarter again.
– Slice leek, cut carrots in cubes.
– Add vegetable to the roast. Pour in 1 liter boiling hot broth.
– Let cook for another 2 hours. Pour several times some broth from the pan over the roast.
– 30 min before roast is done increase heat to 220 C or 420 (broiling heat) and pour the beer over the roast. It’s done so you get a nice crust. This process is very short. Watch it so it won’t get black.
– Remove the roast from the pan, and slice it with a sharp knife.
– Drain the roast juice, thicken if necessary with tomato paste or 1 tsp corn starch mixed in some water. You also can squeeze the soft veggies through a sieve and add to the gravy.
Make the Bread Dumplings
– Cut the rolls into fine slices.
– Bring water with some salt in a pan to a boil. Pan should be big enough so 8 dumplings can float next to each other at the surface.
– Pour the warm milk over the rolls. Mix with hands.
– Chop onions and parsley fine.
– Add parsley, onions and eggs to the rolls, mix well.
– Spice to taste, let sit for 2-3 min.
– Moisten your hands and form about 8 dumplings.
– Place the dumplings one after the other into the boiling water.
– Reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 min.
– Remove with a slotted spoon and serve right away.
Serve the roast with the dumplings, Bavarian cabbage or RED CABBAGE
Valentine’s Day Breakfast Eggs
Valentine’s Day Breakfast Eggs – Surprise your beloved one on Valentine’s Day with a special breakfast that contains heart shaped toast bread with eggs and rosemary butter. Learn how to make the rosemary butter from scratch. Happy Cooking and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Ingredients
50 g soft butter
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
salt, pepper to taste
4 eggs
8 slices white toast
Cooking Instructions
– Make Rosemary Butter: Mix soft butter with rosemary and salt, beat until foamy.
Make the Toast:
– Spread the rosemary butter on all toast slices
– With a heart shaped cookie cutter cut out hearts on 4 toast slices. You get heart shaped pieces and slices that are cut out (like a frame). Place these slices on a slice of toast that is not cut out.
– Place the double toast slices on a baking tray layered with parchment paper.
– Place each egg first into a bowl, then place it into each heart shaped toast.
– Bake in pre-heated oven for about 10 min on 350 F.
– Spice the egg with salt and pepper to taste.
Southern German Apple Cake with Almonds
The Southern German Apple Cake is a specialty from the South of Germany and is different than other apple cakes featured on this website. This German apple cake is awesome for any “Kaffee and Kuchen” table, for the holidays, for birthdays and festive occasions. The apples are covered in a creamy filling and will be placed on a light dough. It is easy to make. Even baking beginners will succeed. I prefer to add raisins and cinnamon. We had this cake some days ago, and it was gone within one day! My husband said, “The best apple cake I ever had!” What a compliment! Try it out and let me know how you liked it. Happy Baking!
Ingredients Southern German Apple Cake
200 g butter – 1.5 sticks
4 eggs
60 g sugar
150 g flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
juice from 1 lemon
1 package vanilla sugar 0.3oz – How to make Vanilla Sugar –
4-5 medium size apples
70 g powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla pudding powder
(1 tsp liquid vanilla and 1 tbsp corn starch if you don’t use the vanilla pudding powder)
butter for the form and flour for dusting the form
3 tbsp chopped almonds and/or 3 tbsp raisins
cinnamon to taste
So EASY – the Streusel Cake Mix from Kathi!
Baking Instructions Southern German Apple Cake
– Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
– Grease a spring form (10 inches) and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
– Melt 100 g butter, let cool off a bit (shouldn’t be hot).
– Separate eggs.
– Beat egg yolks with 60 g sugar until creamy.
– Mix flour with baking powder, add to the egg cream, swiftly mix it, then add the butter.
– Fill dough into the form, the best is with wet hands squeeze it evenly into the form. The dough consistency is not soft and not firm.
– Place dough in the fridge for 15-30 min (dough needs to get firm).
– Peel apples, remove core and cut in slices, mix with lemon juice to prevent browning.
– Soften butter, and mix with powdered sugar, pudding powder or starch, add vanilla.
– Beat egg whites until firm.
– Add egg whites to the cream, mix gently with a spatula, add apple slices, mix gently.
– Remove dough from fridge (the dough should be firm), create an edge of 1.5 inches, gently press the dough around the rim of the form.
– Add the apple cream.
– Sprinkle with chopped almonds and/or add the raisins and cinnamon; mix well.
– Bake for 55 minutes, cover with foil to prevent that cake gets brown.
– Optional: Dust with powdered sugar.
Let cool off a bit before you release from the form. This cake tastes delicious if it is still warm 🙂
Serve with whipped cream.
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