Heidesandcake

Hi Folks,

there are still a few days until christmas... So I'd like to share my favorite christmas cake with you. The cake is called "Heidesandkuchen". I couldn't find a translation but I think that doesn't bother anyway.

Sorry, the cake doesn't become as beautiful as the pictures you are always see at the internet but it tastes nevertheless yummy - This is real life! 

Maybe you can bake it the whole year but I like it most around Christmas, because I think with the filling it's christmassy .

Here's the receipe if you like to bake it yourself:

Ingredients

250 g	butter
250 g	plum jam
2 tbs	rolled oats
1 ts	grated lemon zest
250 g	flour
50 g	cornstarch
3 ts	baking powder
1/2 ts	cinnamon (optional)
150 g	sugar
1 pak	vanilla sugar
1 pinch	salt
4	eggs
	Cake icing

Instructions Tanning the butter and set aside until cool and creamy.
Mix Jam, oatmeal and lemon zest and set aside.
Create a sponge from all the other ingredients. Stir in the cooled butter.
Divide dough into 3 parts. Fill alternating with the jam mixture into the form.
Bake at 160°C for 50-60 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes then overthrow the cake.
When the cake has cooled, cover the cake with the glaze.

Enjoy you cake!

                   

   

Hazelnut-spicy Christmas cookie-creme

Hi Y'all!

Like last year I gave a little present to my colleagues. It's not especially for St. Nicolas or Christmas. I would like to say, it's for christmas season. 

I made hazelnut-spicy Christmas cookie-creme. I used the receipe: Homemade Nutella-Spekulatius-Creme from "Zuckersüßes von Tina und Lina". In addition I gave a funny walking santa and and a little bit of choclate.

All was wrapped in a brown paper bag. Decorated with bakers twine and little bit of greenery.

It's absolutly the time for a sweet tooth and not for diet.

Have a tasty time

                        

Back to Work Pie 2015 - Part 2 - Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread

Hi Y'all!

Last week I told you about my back-to-work-pie-tradition. Last year I made a pumpkin-apple-pie. This year I brought Zuccini-Brownies and 

Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread (I followed the recipe from lil' luna)

Ingredients

2 cups cake flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
½ cup canola oil
1⅓ cups sugar
2 TB lemon juice
½ cup buttermilk
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini

Glaze ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 TB lemon juice
1 TB milk

Instructions
Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Then add oil and sugar until well blended. Add lemon juice, buttermilk, lemon zest to this mixture and blend all together.
Fold in zucchini until it is mixed well.
Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend all together until well combined.
Pour batter into greased 9x5 loaf pan.
Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
While still warm, make glaze and spoon over the bread. Let the glaze set up before cutting and serving.

see ya soon

                    

Back to Work Pie 2015 - Part 1 - Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

Hi Folks,

today I started the 2nd week of work after the holiday. Last year I brought a pumpkin-apple-pie for my colleagues. So I decided to start a tradition of Back-to-Work-Cake. Because I had so many zucchini I wanted to do a cake with zucchini. Therefore I had a look or two (who's counting?) at Pinterest for some yummy cake recipes with zucchini. Here's the first I tried.

Zucchini Brownies (I followed the recipe from the yummylife)

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped raw zucchini 
1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil, or melted butter 
1/2 cup low fat yogurt* (regular or Greek) 
1­1/4 cups sugar 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 
1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder 
1­1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 

Frosting ingredients: 
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips 
1/4 cup canned evaporated milk (may substitute almond milk, if desired) 
2 tablespoons butter (may substitute coconut or vegetable oil, if desired) 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
1 cup powdered sugar 
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional) 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan. In blender or food processor, puree zucchini, oil, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. Set aside. In large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add pureed wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until moist throughout. Pour into greased pan, spread evenly, and bake for 20­25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. (Overcooking will result in dry brownies.) Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Cool for 20­-25 minutes and frost while still warm. 

To make the frosting: 
Combine chocolate chips, evaporated milk, butter (or oil) and vanilla in microwaveproof bowl. Microwave on full power for 30­40 seconds. Remove and whisk until chocolate chips melt in and mixture is smooth (return to microwave for a few seconds if necessary). Add powdered sugar and continue whisking until smooth. Spread evenly over brownies while they are still slightly warm. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired. (Brownies may left without nuts, if preferred.)

My colleagues liked the brownies. (Maybe because I didn't tell them that there are zucchini in)

'til next time

                    

Peanut butter bundt cake

Hi Folks,

I'm always open for some new cake recipes and because I have some willing testers (better known as my colleagues) I can do it without losing my own shape. The other day I had to try this recipe because I'm a little peanut butter junkie {psst - don't tell anybody}

Ingredients for the batter
3/8 cup soft butter + a little bit for the pan
2/3 cup sugar
ground vanilla to taste 
1/3 cup peanut butter (I used: creamy) 
2 eggs 
1 3/8 cup flour + some for the pan
1 Tsp baking powder
2.8 oz buttermilk
optional: 4 Tbsp roasted, salted peanuts (roughly chopped)

Ingredients for the frosting:
1 pack whole milk chocolate coating

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bundt pan with butter and sprinkle with flour, then the cake comes out without accidents.

Add the softened butter, sugar, vanilla and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl (or your food processor). Let it mix for a few minutes until it becomes a thick creamy consistency. Afterwards stir in both eggs thoroughly.

Mix flour and baking powder in a small bowl and add to the butter mixture. Now add the buttermilk. Stir all briefly and vigorously until a smooth dough is formed. Finally mix in in the chopped peanuts.

Pour the mixture into the greased bundt pan and smooth a bit. Bake in the lower third of your oven for about 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.

Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool into the pan for about 30 minutes. 

Now heat the coating over boiling water until it's molten and pour over the cake. Let it harden and enjoy.

What cake have you recently baked?

Please join this lil' blog. 'Til next time.

               

Back-to-Work-Pie

Hi ya!

Everybody is talking about Back-to-School after the summer, but what's about Back-to-Work after the summer-vacation?

In our department, it's common to spend cake if you go on summer-holidays, but I decided I want to bring some cake, when I return from my summer vacation back to work. I brought an apple-pumpkin-pie to my colleagues because I had these wonderful pumpkins from my own garden. Some of my colleagues liked it and some... ok well.

If you like it not too sweet and you like to bake at it, here's the receipe:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Pie Crust:
2 1/2 cup  all-purpose flour
                salt
1-2 tbs     cold water
1              egg
2/3 cup    soft butter

(Makes enough dough for one 30 cm baking tin)

Combine the flour, salt, water, the egg and butter in a large bowl. If the dough is too dry add more cold water. Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. (Although many dough recipes call for chilling the dough at this point, this dough should be rolled out immediately for the best results.) Lightly flour the work surface, then flatten the disk until nearly large enough for your baking tin. Put the flattend disk into your baking tin. and press with hand until it covers the form totally. You need an about 3 cm high rim. Now the dough could chill in the fridge until next step is ready to go.

Applefilling:
3            apples, peeled, cored and cubed
3 tbs      butter
1/2 cup  brown sugar
1/2 tsp   ground cinnamon

In a pan, heat the apples, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until the apples are tender and light golden brown. Put the apples on the pie crust.

Pumpkin-filling:
400 g     pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
3            eggs
300 g     cream
1/3 cup  brown sugar
1/4 cup  maple syrup
2 tsp      pumpkin pie spice

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, cream, brown sugar, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice. Mix well, and pour onto the apples. Place pie on a baking sheet, and bake 20 minutes.

While pie is baking, make crumb topping:
1/2     cup all-purpose flour
1/2     cup brown sugar
6 tbs  cold butter
1 tbs  grated ginger (optional)

Combine flour, sugar, butter and ginger until they're nice crumbly.

Remove pie from the oven. Sprinkle crumb topping over pie. Then put it back to oven and bake another 30-40 minutes, until crust and crumb topping are golden brown.

I know it's hard, but please wait to enjoy until it's completly cool.

This was the second thing I made out of my pumpkins. If there are any questions about the receipe, please let me know.

Thank ya for visiting my little blog