I love sour cherries so I use them quite often in my baking. This time I adapted the classical tiramisu recipe to fit them in. I used sour cherry juice instead of coffee and added Kirschwasser (cherry brandy). I served it in small glasses so everyone can enjoy their own when they feel like it….
Linzer Cookies are known by many names: Linzer Augen, Ochsenauge, Pfauenaugen, Spitzbuben, Hildabrötchen, and the list can go on with other local names. Nonetheless, they are delicious and don’t require special ingredients or even a special cookie cutter. Even though in Germany you can easily buy a special Linzer Cookie Cutter, you can use pretty…
This German Nut Stollen (Nussstollen), like the Poppy Seed Stollen, doesn’t require a long time to mature and can be consumed right after cooling down. It is best consumed fresh. You can enjoy this recipe all year round, even if it’s not Christmas. You can also try out the Mohnstollen – Original Poppy Seed Stollen…
This German Poppy Seed Stollen (Mohnstollen), like the Nut Stollen, doesn’t require a long time to mature and can be consumed right after cooling down. It is best consumed fresh. If you like poppy seeds, this is a great recipe to try out, even if it’s not Christmas. You can also try out the Nussstollen…
Matcha Kipferl or Green Tea Kipferl is an adaptation of Vanilla Crescent Cookies Recipe. It is made of Sweet Shortcrust Pastry to which nuts and matcha (Japanese green tea) are added (Matchanussmürbeteig). The subtle taste of Japanese Matcha pairs well with the citrusm which brings a bit of freshness and adds more flavor to the…
Mohnkipferl is an adaptation of Vanilla Crescent Cookies Recipe. It is made of Sweet Shortcrust Pastry to which ground poppy seeds are added (Mohnmürbeteig). The best results are obtained when the dough is made the day before. Mohnkipferl is a great alternative for people with nut allergies. You can cover them in powdered sugar or…
Chocolate Kipferl or Cocoa Kipferl is an adaptation of Vanilla Crescent Cookies Recipe. It is made of Sweet Shortcrust Pastry to which nuts and cocoa are added (Schokomürbeteig). Other names in German are Schoko Kipferl, Schokoladen Kipferl, or Kakao Kipferl. They are popular Christmas Cookies (Weihnachtskekse or Weihnachtsplätzchen) in Germany and Austria. They are traditionally made by hand and shaped into a…
Vanillekipferl are Vanilla Crescent Cookies made of Sweet Shortcrust Pastry to which nuts are added (Nussmürbeteig). They are popular Christmas Cookies (Weihnachtskekse or Weihnachtsplätzchen) in Germany and Austria. They are traditionally made by hand and shaped into a crescent moon. The best results are obtained when the dough is made the day before. Ingredients for…
Stollen is a traditional German bread eaten during the Christmas season. It is also known as Weihnachtsstollen (Christmas Stollen) or Christstollen. It is made from a heavy yeast dough, to which candied fruits, almonds and spices are added. Other ingredients are raisins and marzipan. Go to recipe Christmas Stollen Recipe – Dresden Style Dresdner Christmas…
A classic basic Lebkuchen recipe is made from Honiglebkuchen (Honey Gingerbread dough) to which spices and leavening agents like Ammonium carbonate (Hirschhornsalz) and Potassium carbonate (Pottasche) are added. This will ensure the cookies have the perfect shape and consistency. Make sure you get the Ammonium and Potassium carbonate used for baking. If you can’t find…
Honiglebkuchen (German Gingerbread Honey Cake), also called Honigkuchen is a type of Lebkuchen (Gingerbread) where, at least half of the sweetener, is honey. This type of dough can be used as a basis to make classical Lebkuchen or other traditional Christmas gingerbread type of sweets like: Domino Steine (lit. Domino Rocks: a layered German Christmas…
There’s no Christmas without Stollen in Germany. This festive cake is loved by everyone, especially since there are many variants of it. From the famous Dresdner Christmas Stollen with raisins to Stollen with cranberries, almonds, marzipan, different dried fruits, butter milch, poppy seeds, nuts, and so on, it’s almost impossible to not find one to…
Martin’s Goose or Christmas Goose (Martinsgans, Weihnachtsgans), it’s always a feast when I make this bird in the oven. The recipe below is a regional one (Eifel region), quite easy to make and tasty. The fresh herbs give a nice, delicate taste which fits well with roasted chestnuts. You can leave the herbs out if…
Goose Lard (Gänseschmalz or Gänseflomen) is a healthier alternative to butter and quite valued in Germany. Goose fat is high in unsaturated fatty acids: 58.1 % monounsaturated fatty acids, 10.5 % polyunsaturated fatty acids, and 28.4 % saturated fatty acids. As a comparison, butter has 26.1 % monounsaturated fatty acids, 3.1 % polyunsaturated fatty acids,…
I made this cake for 2024 Halloween, for the parents who accompanied the children. Halloween is not really a big thing in Germany, but more children are coming trick-or-treating each year. It also helps that the house is decorated thematically and well-lit. They say: “Süsses order Saures” which literally translates into “something sweet or something…
This pumpkin soup is one of my favorites to enjoy in autumn. It warms not only your body but also your soul and gives you a boost of vitamins. I make my pumpkin soup with vegetables and no broth. By using a lot of veggies, you can skip the broth. It’s simply natural, delicious and…
We are opening the wine season with must (young wine) and onion pie. This combination is so delicious and always appreciated by my family. What is Zwiebelkuchen though? The name Zwiebelkuchen comes from German where Zwiebel means onion and Kuchen means cake. So Zwiebelkuchen can be translated as onion cake or onion pie which is…
I love this mint chocolate ice cream recipe because it’s so creamy and refreshing in summer. I usually make a base, which I cool in the fridge before putting it in the ice cream machine. This is how Italian Gelato is made. You can also put it directly in containers and freeze it. This ice…
This cake is my favorite in summer: easy and fast to make, super fluffy, and with a refreshing strawberry taste. Of course, you can make it with any other fruits. It’s just a simple Biskuit (German Sponge Cake) with fruits on top. If you want a sheet cake, double the ingredients. Ingredients for a Ø…
There are many delicious strawberries available in spring and summer, and if you have some left over, you can use them with overripe bananas to make a delicious strawberry banana milkshake. My recipe is very fast, and you only need 3 basic ingredients: strawberries, bananas, and milk. Ingredients for 2 Strawberry Banana Milkshakes: I love…
One of the easiest ways to get rid of overripe bananas is to make a Banana Milkshake. This recipe is so fast, and you only need 2 basic ingredients: bananas and milk. Ingredients for 1 Banana Milkshake: Try out the Strawberry Banana Milkshake when you have leftover strawberries:
One of my favorite drinks in summer is Elderflower Lemonade, made from an Elderflower Syrup also known as Elderflower squash or Elderflower cordial. This soft drink is refreshing thanks to the lemon but also has a delicate taste thanks to the Elderflowers. Because of the high content of sugar, you can preserve this syrup and…
Elderflower confiture is made from the edible flowers of elder tree (Sambucus nigra). It has a delicate flavor and a special taste and can be consumed as any other confiture: on bread, in Grießbrei (Semolina Pudding) or Milchreis (Rice Pudding) or as ingredient in cakes and creams. Ingredients for ~400g of confiture: I also make…
Maibowle (May Wine) is a German aromatized drink consumed in the spring. Bowle is the german name for punch, so Maibowle can also be translated as May Punch. Other names include Maitrank, Maiwein, and Waldmeisterbowle, the latter referring to the name of the herb used for aromatizing it, Waldmeister (sweet woodruff). The traditional Maybowle recipe…
Best Rhubarb Cake recipe, easy and rather fast, which can be made with or without Meringue, also great for people who don’t like this vegetable (yes, Rhubarb is a vegetable). It’s also a great cake for freezing. Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany. Ingredients for Ø 26 cm springform rhubarb cake: Ingredients…
A Rhubarb Cake recipe, easy to make and delicious. Ingredients for Ø 26 cm springform rhubarb cake: Ingredients for the rhubarb filling: Ingredients for the meringue: You can find more rhubarb recipes here. My favorite is this German Rhubarb Cake Eifel Style, with an almond base: Oma’s Rhubarb Cake recipe, with yeast dough: Mixing Strawberries…
It’s Rhubarb Time! Because good things come in threes: Asparagus, Strawberries, and Rhubarb share the same season, from April until the 24th of June. So Oma (Grandma in German) has requested a simple rhubarb cake which she used to make often for the family. This is one of the easiest ways to cook rhubarb: make…
Every time I make a rhubarb pie or cake, I also make a rhubarb lemonade. I don’t like wasting food, so I try to use as much as possible of everything available. The peel and ends of rhubarb can be used as the main ingredients for a refreshing lemonade. You can add water enough to…
I love combining the tart taste of rhubarb with the sweet refreshing taste of strawberries. When Rhubarb is in season, it’s a must to bake at least one cake with this combination. This time I chose a pie that is even easier to make than Oma’s Rhubarb Cake, and with a lot of crumble (Streusel)…
What is rhubarb? Rhubarb is a vegetable belonging to the Rheum genus, in the family Polygonaceae. The scientific name of the culinary Rhubarb is Rheum rhabarbarum. The plant is perennial which means that you plant it once and it comes back every year. Although it is a vegetable, thanks to its sour taste with a…
Three Kings’ Cake is a lightly sweet bread, served in some regions on Epiphany Day (January 6th). There are many variations, depending on the area. I’ve written more about it in the Dreikönigskuchen – Three Kings’ Cake recipe, so check that out for more information. This King’s Bread is a variation of the classical Three…
Go to recipe Dreikönigskuchen is a traditional bread served on Epiphany Day in Switzerland and some parts of Germany. Epiphany is celebrated on the 6th of January and has different meanings, depending on the country. In Eastern countries, this celebration is associated with the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. In Western countries, on…
3 Ingredients Cookie Dough! I have recently seen a lot of posts and videos about this and couldn’t help but smile. This super simple recipe is no other than the basic recipe of Mürbeteig: German Shortcrust Pastry. This is a very old recipe and is present in cookbooks and textbooks for learning the bakery and…
It’s cherry time so the markets are well stocked with these small rubies. I saw some big black beauties so I couldn’t resist the temptation and bought some. I decided to use them for a simple french rustic dessert, Clafoutis. What is Clafoutis? According to Le grand Larrouse Gastronomique and The Oxford companion to sugar…
What are Elderflowers? Elderflowers are the flowers of the elderberry shrub, also known as Elder (Holunder in German) or by its scientific name, Sambucus nigra. Although there are a lot of other varieties, only the ones called Sambucus nigra are eddible. When can you harvest Elderflowers or Elderberries? The Elder usually blooms in Germany at…
A mascarpone strawberry shortcake is one of the easiest cakes you can make: just bake a simple Biskuit (sponge cake), lightly brush it with syrup, and fill it with strawberries and a rich mascarpone cream. You don’t need any baking powder for the sponge layers, nor gelatine for the cream to keep its shape, thanks…
This classic Fraisier cake is perfect for any occasion. It is a French recipe, easy to make, and super delicious. It’s a perfect cake for spring and summer, full of strawberries, with delicate vanilla custard, topped with marzipan and chocolate. You’ll need a fluffy sponge cake (genoise, wiener, biskuit), a butter custard vanilla cream, plenty…
My quick and easy Hollandaise sauce for Asparagus Hollandaise Sauce, also called Dutch sauce, is an emulsion of egg yolk, melted butter, and lemon juice, seasoned with salt and white or cayenne pepper. According to the original classical Escoffier recipe from the beginning of the 20th century, Hollandaise sauce should be only made from egg…
One of the easiest ways to cook green Asparagus is to wrap it in bacon and either fry it, grill it, or bake it in the oven for a few minutes. Here is how I make it: For 2 servings: If you don’t want to use the oven, you can fry the green Asparagus in…
The easiest way of cooking white Asparagus is to just boil it for a few minutes in salted water, with a pinch of sugar. You can serve it with boiled potatoes and hollandaise sauce or just melted butter. Super easy and fast. For 2 servings you should calculate: Don’t throw away the water from the…
Every spring the wild garlic or bear’s garlic (Bärlauch), how it’s called in Germany, delights the taste buds of all garlic lovers. The taste, even though not so intense as normal garlic, is quite delicate and savory, and used in a lot of dishes. In Germany you can find wild garlic/bear’s garlic/ramsons in the forests…
Asparagus (Spargel in German) is one of the staple foods in Germany. Germans love it so much that they dedicated a whole season to it, Spargelzeit. You can even buy a special pot for boiling it (an Asparagus steamer). When is Asparagus season in Germany? Asparagus season (Spargelzeit) in Germany usually starts at the middle…
What is a sponge cake? A sponge cake is a light cake made with eggs, flour and sugar. Usually it is leavened with beaten eggs, so no additional baking powder is needed. It is used as a base for Torte (layered cake), usually cut in 3 slices. The ratio for a basic sponge cake: 1…
What is a Biskuit (German Sponge Cake)? A Biskuit (also called Biskuitboden in German) is a sponge cake: a light cake made with eggs, sugar, flour, and sometimes a little fat (vegetable oil or melted butter). It is usually leavened with beaten eggs so no baking powder is needed. This type of cake mixture is…
One of the baking basics is yeast dough but how it’s made depends a lot on the desired final product. Yeast dough for pizza, bread, or bread rolls is slightly different than the one for tray cakes. And did you know that German Stollen also uses a type of yeast dough? There are mainly 3…
What is a sponge cake? A sponge cake is the basis of any Torte (layered cake) so it needs to be perfect every time. In Germany, this type of base is called Biskuitmasse/Biskuitteig/Biskuitboden or, simply, Biskuit, and consists of eggs, sugar, and flour which is sometimes mixed with starch to get a lighter cake flour….
Milchreis (German Rice Pudding) and Grießbrei (German Semolina Pudding) are 2 dishes I grew up with. They are easy and fast to make, and quite nutritious if you pair them with fresh fruits. These dishes are not only common to Germany, but to a lot of other European countries. You can have them as a…
What is Waldmeister (sweet woodruff)? Waldmeister is the German name for sweet woodruff, literally translated to master of the woods. It is also known as sweet-scented bedstraw or, simply, woodruff. The scientific name is Galium odoratum, sometimes also called Asperula odorata, and belongs to the family of Rubiaceae. This is a perennial plant (lives for…
My family and I love chocolate. One of the desserts I often make is a delicious airy chocolate mousse, especially when I have some leftover egg whites, after baking cookies with Mürbeteig. The original french chocolate mousse recipe tends to be a little complicated and… eggy. Check out bellow how I make it: easy and…
This classic Hungarian Goulash recipe is very easy to make and quite delicious. The main spices that give its distinct taste are Caraway and Paprika. One portion of this and you are all set: no need for other dishes. I like making goulash with plenty of vegetables. Because it takes quite some time to cook…
