German Strawberry Cake

I baked the bottom sponge cake layer of this typical, light German summer fruit cake, the farmers market had the last strawberries of the season, the German team won the world cup in soccer, so: German strawberry cake!

Check this great video for more complete instructions (the cake layer is made as a more authentic sponge).


Fresh Strawberry Cake
Base Layer:

• 100 g sugar
• 4 TB butter, room temperature
• 1 egg
• 0.5 ts vanilla extract
• 150 g flour
• 1 ts baking powder
• 0.3 cup milk

Strawberry Cake

• 1 quart fresh strawberries, dehulled, cut in half if they are large, otherwise keep whole
• 3-4 TB strawberry jam
• 1 cup vanilla pudding (store-bought or from scratch or with help of pudding mix)
• 500 ml milk (for pudding)
• 1 TB butter (for pudding)
• 1 package Dr Oetker fruit tart red or clear glaze (a yello-like glaze that gets firm when it cools and keeps the fruit in place)+2 TB sugar + 250ml water  (optional)
  

Base layer: You need a pan similar to this one for baking the base layer. Make sure to butter it well because you don’t want the cake to stick.

Preheat oven to 360F. In a standmixer (or with handmixer), mix the sugar and butter until slightly foamy. Add the egg, and mix until well incorporated. Add the vanilla extra, and mix in. Mix the flour with the baking powder, and slowly add to the mixture, alternate with tablespoons of the milk.
Pour into butter pan, and bake for 20-25min.
Cool slightly, invert, and cool completely (it is best to make the crust a day ahead).

Preparing the strawberry cake:
Wash and hull the strawberries. Cut larger strawberries in half, keep smaller ones in tact. They should all be about the same size.
Poke the crust with a fork, and then distribute the strawberry jam on the crust. Ideally, it soaks the crust a little bit. If you use frozen fruit, preserve the juice when thawing and mix with the jam before distributing.
Prepare the vanilla pudding according to instructions. Let cool for 1-2 min, and distribute a thin layer on the cake layer. Let cool. (you won’t need all the pudding cooked).
Now, arrange the strawberries on the cake, in a circle from outward to inner circles. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar.
Optional (but authentic): Cook the glaze according to instructions and pour hot over the fruit. Start from the center of the cake and slowly distributed to the rim.
Let cool and set. ---- Serve with whipped cream!
Einen guten Appetit!

Honeymoon cake

Honeymoon Cake (Lemon Ricotta Bundt cake)
Small 6-cup bundt cake mold

• 1  Stick Unsalted Butter At Room Temperature
• 10 oz Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• dash of lemon extract
• dash of vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 Large Lemon (Save Rest For Glaze)
• 1  cup All-purpose Flour
• 1.5 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt

For The Lemon Glaze:

• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• 3 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour the bundt or ring pan.
2. In a large mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the ricotta cheese and blend well. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each. Add the extracts and lemon zest and mix until fully combined.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients in several smaller parts, mixing just until incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spoon as needed.
6. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean.
7. Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
   Cool completely.
8. Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and thick.
9. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the top of the cake.
10. Let the glaze set for 30 minutes and then cut into wedges and serve.

Ricotta Lemon Bundt Cake

Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake
Regular sized Bundt cake pan

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (6 Ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 ts lemon extract
• 1/2 ts vanilla extract
• zest of 1  organic lemon (save juice for glaze)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2  ts baking powder
• 1/2 ts baking soda
• 1/2 ts salt

For The Lemon Glaze:

• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• 3 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a regular sized bundt or ring pan.
2. In a large mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the ricotta cheese and blend well. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each. Add the extracts and lemon zest and mix until fully combined.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients in several smaller parts, mixing just until incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spoon as needed.
6. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean.
7. Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
   Cool completely.
8. Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and thick.
9. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the top of the cake.
10. Let the glaze set for 30 minutes and then cut into wedges and serve.

Baby Shower Cake

Pink Swirl Cake
Cake:

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 cups of sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon rum extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 2/3 cups Nesquik strawberry milk mix
• 6 tablespoons water
• 2 TB strawberry jam

Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup Nesquik strawberry milk mix
• 1/4 cup 1% milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a bundt cake pan.
   
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
3. In a separate medium bowl combine 1/2 cup sugar, strawberry milk powder, and water, whisking until everything is combined and smooth.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour the melted butter and sugar in, and beat on medium high speed for a minute until butter and sugar are well blended. Add in vanilla, rum and almond extract and beat until combined. Then add the eggs in one at a time, mix well after each addition. Once all eggs are added beat mixture until batter is pale yellow.
5. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions and mixing just until blended.
6. Scoop out 2 cups of the batter and add it to the strawberry milk mixture, whisking until the batter is pink and everything is combined.
7. Using a large spoon, pour several scoops of the white cake batter in the the bundt pan. Then scoop one layer of of strawberry batter on top of the white batter. Keep going this way until all the batter is in the pan.
8. Bake the cake for 65 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Cool cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert cake on to wire rack and cool completely.
10. Stir all the ingredients of the glaze and drizzle over the cake.

Hiking Peaked Mountain

We finally have a nice stretch of weather, all bets are off and summery things are done. With a spectacular view from Peaked Mountain (aka wrongly Chick Hill).

Lemon Almond Teacakes (GF)

Within 2 weeks we went from 4 feet of snow and freezing temperature to summer. Yesterday it was so warm, people had lunch at the tables on the sidewalk. I put the patio chairs and the first umbrella on the deck, and cleared out the garden from winter debris, uncovering the first herbs. It was so warm it was time to wear shorts. Life is good.

For the first patio Saturday afternoon coffee and cake get-together, I made individualized GF lemon almond cakes and coconut rum cakes.

The first cakes were inspired by the still ripening Meyer Lemons. One of them I had used in a wonderful lemon asparagus risotto. The zest would be wonderful in these tea cakes to infuse them with lemon aroma.

The second batch was inspired by coconut and rum --- a similar base dough but with different flavors. The texture of both is wonderful fluffy, not too sweet and slightly caramelized on the outside.

Individual cakes are a really good idea because not all of the cake might be eaten with a small group of friends, and the rest can easily be frozen for another time. Perfect to partition. The slightly bigger cakes are great to share for 2 people.

Lemon Almond Tea Cakes (glutenfree)

special equipment: Nordic Ware Garland bundt pan

• 5 TB softened unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup blond cane sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon
• zest of 1 organic Meyer Lemon
• 1/3 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2/3 cup glutenfree all-purpose flour (King Arthur)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Fleur de sel

Preheat your oven at 350 F. Spray your mold generously with a baking spray.

In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and Fleur de sel; and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one after the other, incorporated well before adding the second egg. Add the lemon zest, the lemon juice, and the almond milk.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until homogeneous.

Fill the molds 3/4 full and bake the teacakes for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out dry. Let cool for 10 minutes before unmolding (important! they are kind of soft and will fall apart otherwise), leaving them to completely cool on a rack.

Coconut Rum Tea Mini Cakes (glutenfree)

special equipment: Nordicware rosebud platinum pan

• 5 TB softened unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup blond cane sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 TB almond milk
• 3 TB dried unsweetended coconut
• 1/4 ts of coconut extract
• 1/4 ts of rum extract
• 1/3 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup glutenfree all-purpose flour (King Arthur)
• 1/3 cup quinoa flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Fleur de sel

Preheat your oven at 350 F. Spray your mold generously with a baking spray.

In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and Fleur de sel; and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one after the other, incorporated well before adding the second egg. Add the almond milk, extracts, and coconut, and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until homogeneous.

Fill the molds 3/4 full and bake the teacakes for about 30 minutes, or until the toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out dry. Let cool for 10 minutes before unmolding (important! they are kind of soft and will fall apart otherwise), leaving them to completely cool on a rack.

Calamondin Jam

The Calamondins in my potted indoor plant have been plentiful in their first season. Suddenly, they seemed to all be ripe, too many to add to salads. --- Time to cook citrus jam.

Calamondin are similar to kumquats, however, they lack the bitter quality of kumquats although they are about the same size. They just throw a puckery punch of orange flavor, and can be eaten with skin and flesh. They are so puckery that the best way to use them is… in a jam. A calamondin infused vodka would rival a limoncello.

I plucked them, washed them with a bit of baking soda and hot water, rinsed them, and sliced them up, removing the seeds and making sure to preserve all the juice they’d loose when cut up. They are cooked barely covered with water ‘until soft’.  In my case, I cooked them about 20 min, and then let them chill overnight. Since the calamondin membranes are a natural pectin and marmelade thickener, this ‘gel-ing’ happens in the wait period. Today, I measure the amount of base jam I had, equaled it with sugar, and cooked it for another 20 min.  Many tiny mason jars were filled (great gifts!) and 2 large ones for me. The cooking spoon taste taste says: insanely good! ---

They would be fabulous with raincoast crackers and soft goat cheese.

How to make calamondin jam?

1. one pound of calamondin
2. water
3. large bottom heavy pot
4. 3-4 cups sugar
5. 1/2 cup orange juice

For preparation, sprinkle the calamondin with about 1 TB of baking soda, and cover with boiling water for about 3 min. Wash thoroughly under warm, then cold water.

With a sharp knife, slice calamondin into small slivers, and removed the seeds. Cut on a plate to make sure to capture the juice (if this is taking too long, you can also chop them in a food processor and work with the pulb, however, the thin slivers of calamondin skin look a lot prettier).

Place all the sliced calamondin in a large, bottom heavy pot, and cover barely with water.

Simmer under gentle heat until calamondin are soft (ca. 15 min). Remove from heat, and chill in fridge for 24h (I did about 18h).

The pectin in the calamondin develops, and thickens the jam.

Add the orange juice, stir, and measure the amount of base jam you have (I had exactly 4 cups). Then, add that much sugar.

Under much stirring and gentle heat do simmer for another 20 min (max). The jam changes its consistency, the sugar melts and the mixtures becomes dark and candy like.

Prepare mason jars by sterilizing them (and the lids) in boiling water for 10min.

Fill mason jar with jam, close the lids, and turn jars on their head to make sure they are sealed through the hot jam.

After 10 min, turn mason jar around. Let cool and set.  Enjoy!