Butter-Almond Cake (Butterkuchen)

Butterkuchen has a yeasted bread-like base (enriched with butter and eggs), with the topping of more butter, almond flakes and sprinklings of sugar. The cake bakes up to a puffy, chewy bread-like cake with crispy toasty sweet almonds topping. Very addictive!

Another keeper recipe from Classic German Baking!

Butter Almond Cake (Butterkuchen)
(Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss)
makes 1 (9x13-inch) cake
For the cake :
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups, scooped and leveled/250gm all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading (I use bread flour)
grated peel of 1/2 organic lemon
2 pinches of salt
9 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (130gm unsalted high-fat European-style butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature

For the topping :
10 tablespoons/140gm unsalted high-fat butter European-style butter, cold (I use 100gm)
1 cup/85gm blanched sliced almonds
1/2 cup/100gm granulated sugar (I use 1/3 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Line a 9 by 13-inch/23 by 33cm metal baking pan with parchment paper, letting the sides hang over the edge to function as a sling after baking.
2. To make the cake : Place the yeast, sugar, flour, grated lemon peel, salt, butter and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment. Beat together for several minutes, until the dough is shiny and starts flapping around the bowl and heaters in larger chunks. The dough will be quite soft but should no longer be sticky to the touch. Alternatively, you can make the dough by hand. Mix the yeast, sugar, flour, grated lemon peel, and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour and crack in the eggs. Stir the eggs into the flour with one hand and start adding the soft butter, having cut it into chunks. Knead the dough together in the bowl until it comes together, then scrape it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky. Resist adding too much flour, you want the dough to remain soft and slightly floppy.
3. Scrape the dough together and form into a smooth ball using your hands. Place the dough in the middle of the prepared pan and cover the pan with a clean dishcloth. Set aside in a warm, draft-free spot for 1 to 2 hours. the dough will not necessarily double in size, but it should be quite puffy and soft to the touch.
4. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Using the tips of your fingers, push the dough down gently into the pan so that it lines the entire pan evenly, or remove the paper form the pan, lay it on your work surface, and roll out the dough until it fits the indentations of the pan on the paper, and then transfer the paper and dough back into the pan. The dough will be very thin. Using your fingers, dimple the surface of the dough all over.
5. To make the topping : Cube the cold butter into 1/4-inch pieces and drop the cubes evenly all over the cake. It will seem like a very large amount of butter. Scatter the almonds evenly all over the cake. Mix the sugar, salt , and cinnamon together and scatter evenly all over the cake.
6. Place in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Using the parchment paper as a sling, lift the cake out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve warm. This cake is best eaten the day it is made.

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Austrian Apricot Sheet Cake

A traditional Austrian summer cake. Delicate yellow batter, scraped into a sheet pan, dimpled with halved raw apricots. Canned apricots can be used instead of fresh. During baking, the cake rises up around the apricot halves, which sink down into the batter. I have used canned apricots, and made half a recipe as the original recipe makes quite a large cake.  

The cake batter is so simple to make, and it takes about 25 to 30 minutes to bake. Once the cake is has cooled down, dust evenly with confectioners' sugar before serving.

This is a lovely cake, with moist, soft, light and airy crumb. It is not too sweet, a definite plus in my books! We wish we had some ice cream in the freezer to go with this lovely cake. Maybe the next time! This recipe is a keeper! According to the author, this is the kind of crowd-pleasing cake you'll want to make year-round.

Austrian Apricot Sheet Cake (Marillenfleck)
(Classic German Baking, Luisa Weiss)
Makes 1 (13x18-inch) cake
1.5kg ripe apricots or 3 (432gms cans) apricot halves, drained
200gm unsalted butter
200gm all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
200gm confectioners' sugar, plus more for garnish
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated peel of 1/2 organic lemon
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Line a 13 by 18 by 1-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash, dry, halve, and pit the apricots, and set aside.
2. Melt the butter and remove from the heat as soon as it has melted. While the butter is melting, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat with a whisk or with the whisk attachment just until no lumps remain. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla extract, grated lemon peel, and lemon juice just until combined. Beat in the remaining flour mixture and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
4. Scrape the batter onto the prepared pan, spreading it out into the corners. Place the apricot halves, cut-side up, on the cake batter, distributing them evenly and leaving only a little bit of space between them.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the cake (not an apricot) comes out clean.
6. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a rack. When the rack is completely cool, dust evenly with more confectioners' sugar, cut into squares, and serve.

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Raisin-Spice Buns

These little raisin buns are a regional specialty from northern Germany. The spice used is ground cardamom. According to the author, historically the buns were doused with hot milk and served with spoons. 

Instead of dividing the dough to make small buns, the dough is rolled out and small rounds are stamped out using a cookie cutter, similar to making a cut-out scone.

The little rounds are then left to rise on baking trays. Brush with egg wash ; whisk egg yolk and milk together, then brush it thinly over the tops of the risen buns. This would give the lovely deep bronze colour on the buns when fully baked.

Freshly baked with deep bronzed top.

Soft, light interior and crisp top crust. Lovely buns, great with either coffee or tea. Makes a nice breakfast and tea-time snack.

Raisin-Spice Buns (Heisswecken)
(Classic German Baking, Luisa Weiss)
Dough :
4 cups, scooped and leveled/500gm all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1-1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon/80gm granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup/120ml whole milk
2 eggs, at room temperature
7 tablespoons/100gm unsalted high-fat, European-style butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup/75gm raisins or dried currants
1/3 cup/50gm chopped candied citron peel (I have omitted this)

Egg Wash :
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon while milk

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. To make the dough : Place the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and cardamom in a large bowl. Add the milk, eggs, and butter, cut into rough chunks. Knead together by hand for a minute or two in the bowl, and then dump out on a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Pat out the dough slightly. Place the raisins and citron peel on top; fold the dough around them and knead until everything has been well distributed. Form the dough into a ball and place in the large bowl. Cover with a clean dishcloth and set in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 hour.
3. After 1 hour, gently tug the risen dough out of the bowl and onto your work surface. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is 1/2 inch/12mm thick. Using a 2.5-inch/6cm round biscuit cutter, cut out rounds of dough and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1/2 inch/12mm between the buns. Knead together the scraps, roll out again, and stamp out the remaining buns.
4. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Cover the buns with the dishcloth and let rise for 20 minutes.
5. To make the egg wash : Whisk together the egg yolk and milk and then brush it thinly over the tops of the risen buns.
6. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. The buns will be deeply bronzed on top.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing the buns from the baking sheet. Serve warm or at room temperature. The buns are best the day they are made, but will keep at room temperature for 1 day.

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Theme for August 2018 : Cooking With Spice!

Twice-Baked Walnut Crisps

I love biscotti, the crunchy twice-baked Italian biscuits. I love eating biscotti with a mug of hot coffee or tea. This German biscuit, Twice-Baked Walnut Crisps is similar to a biscotti, but it is a healthier version, without using any butter or oil. 

Ingredients used are flour, egg whites, salt, sugar, walnuts and dried blackcurrants. Egg whites are beaten till stiff and glossy, then the rest of the ingredients are added in. Bake until light brown, then the dough is left overnight. The next day, slice the dough to 3mm thick pieces. The dough will be quite sticky on the outside at this stage.

Arrange the slices on a baking tray and bake till light brown. I prefer a crispier biscuit, so I have baked them a little longer, about 3 to 5 minutes longer. They will crisp up further as they cool.

I love these crispy biscuits. They are not too sweet and rather addictive. Great with a cup of either coffee or tea. Perfect as a tea-time treat with a mug of warm tea.

The recipe can be found here.

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Swabian Parsley Cake

This is not a cake, but a flatbread with a savoury topping. The base is a yeasted bread and the topping is made up of parsley, egg, bacon, heavy cream, sour cream and season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

The base is a chewy soft bread. I baked in a 9"square baking pan (the recipe uses a 10" pan), as I wanted a thicker bread base.

I like this! Perfect for tea time, especially good when eaten still warm, minutes after baking. Yum!

Swabian Parsley Cake (Peterlingskuchen)
(Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss)
makes 1 (10-inch) cake
Dough :
1-2/3 cups, scooped and leveled, minus 1 tablespoon/200gm all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading (I use bread flour)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
pinch of granulated sugar
1/2 cup / 120ml water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for the bowl

Topping :
2 tightly packed cups / 80gm flat-leaf parsley, stemmed (about 2 bunches)
2-1/2 ounces / 70gm Speck or slab bacon, finely diced
1/3 cup / 80ml heavy cream
1/3 cup / 80gm sour cream
1 egg
freshly grated nutmeg
salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. To make the dough : Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Put the yeast in the well and add the sugar. Slowly pour in the water, stirring gently with a fork. Keep stirring, adding the salt and oil. As soon as the dough is starting to come together, dump it out on a lightly floured work surface and knead vigorously until the dough is smooth and silky, 4 to 5 minutes. Resist adding too much more flour as you knead; you want the dough to remain as soft as possible. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a clean dishcloth. Place in a warm, draft-free spot and let rise for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Line a 10-inch cake pan with a piece of parchment paper, letting the sides hang over the edge to function as a sling after baking.
3. Place the dough in the prepared pan. Gently push the dough down and out to cover the bottom of the pan and make a very slight rim, taking care not to stretch the dough so much as simply spread it out with your fingertips, The dough should be even and slightly dimpled. Cover with the dishcloth and set aside for an additional 30 minutes.\
4. To make the topping : Coarsely chop the parsley and place in a mixing bowl. Add the speck, heavy cream, sour cream, egg and a few gratings of nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Whisk to combine well. Scrape the parsley mixture evenly onto the risen dough.
5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the top is starting to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes. Using the parchment paper as a sling, remove the cake from the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve hot or warm. The cake is best eaten the day it is made, but you can keep it for 1 day at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap. Warm leftovers in a 350F/180C oven before serving.

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Creamy Leek Tart

This is another keeper recipe from Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss. It is called Süddeutsche Lauchtorte in German (I cannot even pronounce those words!). This tart is very similar to a quiche.

The dough for the crust can be made a day earlier, wrap with cling wrap and keep refrigerated,  the next day, roll the dough to line the tart pan, then bake blind for 15 minutes. 

For the filling, I have replaced bacon with chicken meat. I've used a small piece of chicken breast meat, pan fry lightly in a little oil in the saucepan, seasoned with salt and black pepper, cook until the chicken is done. Let cool and chop to small dices, about 1 cup. And have used homemade chicken stock instead of white wine. The leeks are sauteed with butter until softened, season with salt, black pepper and nutmeg. Mix in a large bowl, eggs, sour cream and cornstarch and stir in the leek, chicken and cheese. I have used Cheddar cheese instead of Emmentaler cheese. Pour this mixture over the prebaked crust, smooth the top and bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Delicious and very tasty filling, with buttery tender crisp crust. I made this tart in the morning, and enjoyed two slices for my lunch, warm from the pan, with a cup of tea. Yum!

The recipe can also be found here.

Creamy Leek Tart
(Classic German Baking, Luisa Weiss)
Crust
2 cups, scooped and leveled/250gm all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon/130gm unsalted high-fat, European-style butter, softened, cubed
1 egg

Filling
3-1/2 tablespoons/50gm unsalted butter
3 to 4 leeks, white and pale green parts only, halved and sliced into 1/4-inch/6mm thick pieces
1/4 cup (60ml) white wine (chicken stock)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup (250gm) sour cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup (125gm) diced Speck or bacon (chicken meat)
4-1/2 ounces (130gm) grated Emmentaler (Swiss) cheese (about 1-1/2 cups) (1 cup Cheddar)

1. First, make the crust : Place the flour, salt, butter, and egg in a bowl and knead together until well combined. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Make the filling : Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Stir in the wine and cook for about 2 minutes. Season with the salt, plenty of black pepper, and the nutmeg. Remove from the heat. Let cool slightly.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
4. Unwrap the dough leaving the plastic wrap on the top side of the disk and placing the unwrapped side on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/4-inch/6mm thickness. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch(23cm) fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with the dough. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Place a piece of aluminium foil over the dough, pushing it gently out to the edges, and fill the pan with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using the foil as a sling, remove the pie weights or beans. Maintain the oven temperature.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream and cornstarch. Fold in the cooked leeks, and then stir in the Speck and cheese. Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 30 minutes before removing the tart ring. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges. Refrigerated, the tart will keep for 1 day. It can be reheated in a 325F/160C oven.

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Marble Cake

I like marble cakes, and have tried quite a number of recipes from various cookbooks. This marble cake is different from the rest as there's melted white chocolate mixed into the plain batter. Since there's dark chocolate used for the chocolate batter, then why not white chocolate for the plain batter, a delicious idea! A lovely recipe, from the cookbook, Classic German Baking, which is fast climbing its way up in the list among my top favourite baking book.

The author, Luisa Weiss, got this recipe from her assistant, Maja, which is her family recipe. The only change I made was to reduce the sugar to 170gm. This cake is baked either in a Gugelhupf or bundt pan. I've used my bundt pan and bake for exactly 45 minutes.

Cake is moist, with soft closed crumbs. The white part of the cake with an almost velvety crumbs, best as described by the author on the melted white chocolate in the batter "Don't worry, this doesn't make the batter taste of white chocolate. When the cake is baked, the white parts simply tastes richer, toastier, and more complex". 

A slice or two is very nice with either coffee, tea or just a glass of milk.

The recipe can also be found here or from the book Classic German Baking, page 72

kitchen flavour's notes :
reduced sugar to 170gm
baked in a bundt pan for 40 minutes

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Savoury Onion Cake

I made this Savoury Onion Cake, which is a yeasted bread with onions and bacon topping, from Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss. 

According to the author, "Zwiebelkuchen, which translates literally to "onion cake", is a yeasted bread topped with sauteed onions, bacon, caraway seeds and beaten eggs that is baked until golden brown and blistery". It is a soft yeasted bread similar to a focaccia, with the topping similar to a quiche (minus the cream and milk). 

Very easy dough to work with; soft, smooth and silky.

To make the topping, saute some chopped bacon in a large saucepan, then add the sliced onions, caraway seeds and pepper, continue to cook until the onions are coloured. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. 

Place the risen dough in a 10-inch round cake pan, (I have used a 9" square pan instead), pushing the dough to cover the base, and set aside for 30 ninutes, covered. Meanwhile, beat some eggs and add to the onion mixture, I've added a pinch of salt. Scrape the mixture onto the dough and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes. If the onions are browning too quickly, tent the top with a piece of foil.

It smells really delicious while baking.

And it tasted delicious. The bread has very soft lovely crumb and the topping is very tasty. I've used 3/4 teaspoon of caraway seeds, which is just about right. I love the caramelized onions with the caraway seeds. I would gladly make this again. Yums! 

Click on the link here, for the recipe and overall review on this fabulous book, Classic German Baking.

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