49 | 52 Earl Grey Cake with Chocolate and Hazelnuts

Earl Grey tea. Such a classic, right? And so good!

So when I saw this recipe for Earl Grey cake, I had to try it (obviously).

It just sounded like the perfect cake for a cold fall day.

Tea, chocolate, and hazelnuts.

Earl Grey Cake with Chocolate and Hazelnuts

From Brigitte 24/2015

For the cake:

3 bags Earl Grey tea

250 g (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) butter, softened

200 g  (1 cup) sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

4 eggs

200 g (1 1/2 cups) flour

1 1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

50 g (1.7 oz) hazelnuts, ground

50 g (1.7 oz) dark chocolate, finely chopped

50 g (1.7 oz) dried figs or dates, finely chopped

50 g (1.7 oz) whole hazelnuts, finely chopped

For the glaze:

70 g (1/3 cup) sugar

4 bags Earl Grey tea

50 g (1.7 oz) dark chocolate

1 tablespoon dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon Earl Grey tea leaves (from the bag)

• For the cake, bring 180 ml (3/4 cup) water to a boil and add the 3 bags of tea. Let sit for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags.
• Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Beat together butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 
• Sift in flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Add ground hazelnuts and 125 ml of the prepared tea.
• Add finely chopped chocolate, figs or dates, and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes.
• Let cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan, and let cool completely.
• For the glaze, bring to a boil 100 ml (1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons) water with the sugar and 4 tea bags. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove tea bags, squeezing them well. 
• Stirring well, let the 50 g chocolate melt in the sirup. Let cool a bit and pour over cake, distributing it well. Sprinkle with chopped chocolate, hazelnuts, and tea leaves.

 

My modifications:

None.

The taste:

Like a chocolate cake. And a very dry one at that. With a teeny tiny hint of Earl Grey tea. If even. So all in all a big disappointment, I'm afraid.

Have you baked anything with tea yet? What and how was it?

46 | 52 Coconut Buttermilk Cake

Coconut and buttermilk. Sounds like the perfect pair for a cake, right?

I thought so.

There was some buttermilk in the fridge that needed to be used up and I hadn't baked anything with coconut in such a long time, so this seemed to be the perfect recipe:

Coconut Buttermilk Cake

From Gonna Want Seconds

For the cake:

170 g (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature

260 g (2 cups) flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

200 g (1 cup) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk

120 g (1 1/4 cups) shredded coconut 

For the glaze:

 

2 tablespoons buttermilk

25 g (1/4 cup) shredded coconut

130 g (1 cup) powdered sugar

• Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
• Beat together butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition.
• Add buttermilk and flour mix alternatingly. Fold in coconut.
• Pour batter into prepared pan (loaf or bundt cake) and bake for about 60 minutes. Let cool.
• Bake remaining shredded coconut for about 5-10 minutes in the oven until golden brown (be careful not to burn it). Let cool. 
• For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and buttermilk. Drizzle over cake and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

My modifications:

None.

The taste:

Good! Very moist and 'milky'. And coconutty, of course.

What's your favorite coconut recipe?

45 | 52 Apple Cardamom Cake

My mom gave me some apples from her garden.
I thought it was only fair to bake them into something delicious. 

And so I did - thanks to this recipe and its very perfect combination of apples, cardamom, and cake.

So snuggle up with a cup of tea and a slice of this goodness and enjoy autumn!

Apple Cardamom Cake

From United States of Cake by Roy Fares (via DN.se)

For the filling:

2 apples, peeled, cored & diced

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons sugar

For the cake:

450 g (3 1/3 cups) flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons cardamom

250 g (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) butter, room temperature

380 g (1 3/4 cups) sugar 

4 eggs

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

250 ml (1 cup) milk

• In a small bowl, combine apple pieces with cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
• Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom.
• Beat butter for about 3 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla. Whisk until light and fluffy.
• Add one egg at a time, mix well after each addition. 
• Add flour mix and milk alternatingly.
• Fill half of a prepared bundt cake mold with batter. Sprinkle with apples. Repeat and top with remaining batter.
• Bake for 55-60 minutes. Let cool and dust with powdered sugar, if you wish.

My modifications:

None.

The taste:

Warm, simple, autumnal, flavorful, comforting, honest, moist, delicious.

Do you like cardamom? Any cardamom recipes you would like to share?

43 | 52 Pumpkin Crumb Cake

I love fall. Don't you?

All those colored leaves on the trees and on the streets, sunshine during the day, cuddling up with a blanket and burning some candles in the evening. Yes, I love it.

I'm also totally into fall vegetables. Like pumpkin.

(And yes, also: Happy Halloween!)

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

From Cooking Classy

For the crumbles

100 g (3/4 cup) flour

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pintch of salt

85 g (6 tablespoons) butter, melted

40 g (1/3 cup) pecans, chopped

For the cake

225 g (1 3/4 cups) flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

100 g (1/2 cup) sugar

100 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar

55 g (1/4 cup) butter, softened

60 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil

2 eggs

250 g (1 cup) pumpkin puree (see note below*)

50 g (3 tablespoons) sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the glaze (optional)

85 g (2/3 cup) powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

• For the crumbs, whisk together flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Pour in melted butter and combine until evenly moistened. Add pecans and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
• For the cake, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Blend together sugars, butter, and oil until combined. Add eggs one at a time. Add pumpkin puree, sour cream, and vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients at slow speed and mix until just combined.
• Pour batter into your prepared baking pan and sprinkle crumbs evenly over batter. Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
• For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add more milk or powdered sugar to thin or thicken if needed. Drizzle over cake. Allow glaze to set before cutting.

 

My modifications:

None. But I omitted the glaze. I actually did mean to make it but then totally forgot about it when were ready to dig in... 

The taste:

I think this might just be the perfect Pumpking Crumb Cake. Honestly. It's delicious (even without the glaze) and it is very moist and fluffy. I highly recommend you go to your kitchen after all the Halloween shenanigans are over and use up those pumpkins. Because yes, you can of course also *make your own pumpkin puree.

What's your favorite pumpkin baking recipe? 

Do you prefer Pumpkin Pie or Pumpkin Cake?

42 | 52 Old-Fashioned Sugar Cake

Sometimes you just need comfort.

And yes, sometimes that comfort comes in the shape of butter and sugar.

Like in this Old-Fashioned Sugar Cake.

It's sweet and buttery and just makes you feel good.

But only if you can shut off those voices in your head telling you how bad it might be for you.

Hey - it's not like you're eating the whole thing. 

Plus, you can eat veggies for the rest of the day.

So - just enjoy it. And be old-fashioned. 

Which in this case means that there's nothing wrong with a little (or a lot of) butter and sugar.

Old-Fashioned Sugar Cake

Adapted from Dr. Oetker's Backen macht Freude (but my Grandma's edition from 1952)

For the cake

200 g (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) butter, room temperature

200 g (1 cup) sugar

2 eggs

pintch of salt

500 g (3 3/4 cups) flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

250 ml (1 cup) milk

For the topping

50 g (1/4 cup) butter

50 g (1/4 cup) sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

50 g (1.75 oz) almonds or hazelnuts, slivered or chopped

• Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
• For the cake, combine flour and baking powder. 
• Cream butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add sugar, eggs, and salt. Add flour mix, alternating with milk. The batter should be heavy/ripping when falling off a spoon so you might not need all the milk.
• Pour into prepared (springform) pan.
• For the topping, put butter in small flakes on the dough. Combine sugar, vanilla, and nuts and combine evenly on top of the cake.
• Bake for 25 minutes.

My modifications:

I used a round springform pan instead of a baking sheet and I would do it like this again because it had the perfect height. I also used slivered almonds, not chopped ones like stated in the original recipe and I really liked it like that.

The taste:

Like its name: old-fashioned, sugary, buttery. It might remind you of your granny's baking. In the best way possible.

What old-fashioned recipes are your favorite? 

 

41 | 52 Dr. Pepper Cake

Do you like Dr. Pepper?

My hubby does. He LOVES it.

So of course I had to make him a Dr. Pepper Cake for his birthday.

And you know what? I was only able to take pictures from the outside.

So sorry, guys!

Dr. Pepper Cake with Dr. Pepper Frosting

From Homemade Hooplah

For the cake:

260 g (2 cups) flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

30 g (1/4 cup) cocoa powder, unsweetened

227 g (1 cup) butter, at room temperature

200 g (1 cup) sugar

110 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

240 ml (1 cup) Dr. Pepper

120 ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk

For the frosting:

260 g (2 cups) powdered sugar

57 g (1/4 cup) butter, at room temperature

85 g (3 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoon Dr. Pepper

• Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F). 
• Combine flour, baking sodar, and cocoa powder.
• Beat together butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract until fluffy.
• Add half the flour mix and combine. Add Dr. Pepper. Add other half of flour mix and buttermilk. Don't overmix.
• Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for about 35 minutes. Let cool.
• For the frosting, beat together butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. Add the Dr. Pepper one spoon at a time to make sure that the frosting won't get too liquid.
• Decorate cake as you wish.

My modifications:

I made a cake (not muffins). And I only made half the frosting because I didn't need that much. The amounts above (for the frosting) are already cut in half.

The taste:

Like a very dense chocolate cake with a hint of Dr. Pepper. Even with the frosting - just a hint. So next time, I would make a nice, moist chocolate cake and serve it with a glass of Dr. Pepper. Sorry.

Have you tried baking with sodas? Coke, Fanta, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Root Beer? 

How was the result?

39 | 52 Spiced Pear Crumb Cake

I love fall. I really do.

That crisp cool air outside and cozy evenings at home involving blankets and candles.

And cake. Of course. Always.

This specific one is absolutely perfect for fall. You can taste the season in every bite.

Spiced Pear Crumb Cake

From The View from Great Island

For the filling:

4 ripe pears, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
juice of 1/2 lemon 

For the dough:
227g (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
145g (2/3 cup) dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon allspice
260 g (2 cups) flour
55g (1/2 cup) pecans, chopped

For the glaze:
65g (1/2 cup) powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 

milk or cream to thin

• Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). 
• Combine pears, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Set aside. 
• Cream butter the sugar until light and fluffy. Add salt and all spices and mix well. 
• Add flour and mix until just combined (don't worry if the dough is crumbly - it's supposed to be like that). 
• Press 2/3 of the dough mix into a prepared springform pan (23-25 cm / 9-10 in). 
• Spread the pears out evenly on top of the dough. 
• Add the pecans to the remaining dough and crumble it evenly over the pears. 
• Bake for about 45 minutes. Let cool completely before glazing. 
• For the glaze mix the sugar, nutmeg and as much milk or cream as you need to get a nice glaze consistency. Drizzle over the cooled cake. 

 

My modifications:

None. 

The taste:

Autumnally delicious. Soul food. It will definitely warm you from the inside.

What's your favorite fall cake?

36 | 52 Poppyseed Quark Cake with Prunes and Cinnamon Crumbles

Another week, another plum recipe. (#sorrynotsorry)

'Tis the season. Of yummy purple, oval plums. Or prunes?

Yes, let's take a moment and talk about those plums/prunes.

Here in Switzerland (and Germanya and Austria), we love our Zwetschgen. And our Pflaumen, too.

According to the Wikipedia, Zwetschgen are a a subspecies of the plum (Pflaume).

Zwetschge = prune, or common plum = Prunus domestica subsp. domestica

Pflaume = (round) plum = Prunus domestica

The easiest way to keep them apart is actually their shape and color.

Zwetschgen are oval and very dark blue/purple, Pflaumen are bigger and round and of a lighter purple (or even yellow or red).

YAY! You might have even learned something new today!

If not - sorry to have bored you with all these German, English, and Latin terms...

Oh, but I forgot. This recipe also calls for Quark. 

If you don't know what I'm talking about, follow this link... 

Poppyseed Quark Cake with Prunes and Cinnamon Crumbles

From Ich bin dann mal kurz in der Küche

For the bottom and crumbles
100 g (1 stick minus 1 tablespoon) butter, cold
50 g (1/4 cup) sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt
180 g (1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon) flour

 

For the filling

250 g (8.8 oz) quark

1 egg

1 tablespoon cornstarch

50 g (1/4 cup) sugar

100 g (3.5 oz) poppyseeds, ground

Plus

1 teaspoon cinnamon

300 g (10.5) prunes/plums, halved and pitted

• For the bottom and crumbles, cut cold butter into pieces. Add remaining bottom/crumble ingredients and knead (with your hands) until you get a smooth dough. Let cool for 30 minutes.  
• For the filling, mix together all filling ingredients. 
• Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F). 
• Put 2/3 of the bottom/crumbles dough evenly onto the bottoms of 2 small, round springform pans (20 cm/8 in). Spoon poppyseed filling over dough and distribute prune halves on top of it. 
• Combine the remaining dough for the crumbles with cinnamon and crumble over prunes. 
• Bake for 40-45 minutes. Let cool completely before serving (and ideally serve the next day).

My modifications:

None. Except for using two (instead of one) 20 cm springform pans which was perfect for the amounts given.

The taste:

Good on the first day, definitely a lot better on the second day so try to be patient ;) 

I'm not the biggest fan of poppyseeds but I still liked it. It does taste more like fall than summer (at least to me) so save this for the end of plum season...

What's more commonly available where you live: Zwetschgen or Pflaumen?

Do you have a preference if you can buy both?

34 | 52 The Original New York Times Plum Torte

Somebody I follow on Instagram recently posted a picture mentioning (not showing!) some famous 'Plum Torte'.

I was instantly hooked. 

Having just bought plums and being really curious about the combination of 'Plum' and 'Torte' I immediately pinterested it. (Yes, I didn't google it, I pinterested it...)

All these pins of the New York Times' Original Plum Torte came up so I assumed that this must be it. The famous Plum Torte.

Now, let's get something straight here.

'Torte' in German means some kind of layer cake. 2 and more layers of some sponge cake, filled and topped with some sort of cream.

One of the most famous German Tortes is probably the 'Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte' (Black Forest Cake) which my husband is a big fan of but me not so much.

The Times' Plum Torte actually has zero to do with a Torte. At least not in the German sense.

But it's so much better than a (German) Torte.

It's quick, easy, with few ingredients, light, and just an everyday treat that everybody will love. It sure isn't fancy but so very comforting.

And that's more important anyway. Right?

 
The Original New York Times Plum Torte

From The New York Times

150 g (3/4 cup) sugar

113 g (1/2 cup) butter

130 g (1 cup) flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

12 purple plums, in halves and pitted

Sugar and cinnamon for topping

• Preheat oven to 175ºC (350ºF) degrees.
• Cream together sugar and butter. 
• Add flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.
• Spoon batter into a round spring form pan of 25 cm / 10 in (or smaller, if you don't have this size). 
• Distribute plum halves on the batter, skin side up. 
• Sprinkle lightly with sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (or less, if you're not into cinnamon that much).
• Bake about one hour. Remove and cool (or serve lukewarm).

My modifications: 

None. 

The taste: 

Perfect. Comforting. Real. A true keeper. 

What's your favorite plum recipe? 

33 | 52 Nectarine Upside Down Cake

During our last trip to the grocery store, I picked up a 1 kilogram basket of nectarines.

They're so good when they're in season, all sweet and juicy, right?

At the cash register, I noticed that 2 nectarine baskets landed back in our cart.

It turned out that the hubby had the same idea as me :)

While we really like to eat the nectarines, 2 kilograms at once seemed a bit of a stack...

So what does a person who likes to bake do? 

Turn the fruit in question into something baked.

And since I have never made an Upside Down Cake before, I thought it was time.

Let's see if it was worth it!

Nectarine Upside Down Cake

From Add A Pinch

113 g (1 stick) butter, melted

100 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
5 nectarines, peeled and sliced
240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk
2 eggs
200 g (1 cup) sugar
280 g (2 cups) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

• Preheat oven to 175ºC (350ºF).
• Pour half of the melted butter into a round springform pan. Move pan around until bottom and sides are coated with butter.
• Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the melted butter.
• Put nectarine slices on top of the brown sugar.
• In a bowl, combine buttermilk, the other half of the melted butter, eggs, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until combined. Pour evenly over the nectarines.
• Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Allow to stand for about 5-10 minutes before transferring to a plate or cake stand.
• Remove the outer ring of your springform pan, then place your plate or cake stand on top of the cake, carefully flip so that the nectarine bottom is on top.

My modifications:

I made three small cakes, instead of one big one. Don't ask me why - just felt like it ;)

Also, I didn't have any buttermilk at home so I made my own (for the first time): 4 1/2 teaspoons vinegar (or lemon juice) plus 1 cup of milk. Stir together and let sit for about 10 minutes et voilà: you made your own buttermilk!

The taste:

Somewhere between okay and good. The nectarines didn't turn out very caramelized from the sugar (like it usually looks in the pictures of recipes) - maybe my pan was too non-sticky so I should have omitted the butter? And the cake part was too dense for my taste (which you can see on the right picture above). All in all, it didn't turn out very pretty, not at all special from the taste but of course still edible and not bad. I wouldn't make it again though.

Have you ever baked an upside down cake? What fruit did you use and how was it?

31 | 52 Chocolate Chocolate Cake

I know it's still summer. And hot.

But come on. Chocolate cake is always a good idea.

And in this case it's not just chocolate.

But chocolate plus chocolate. Cake plus frosting.

Nothing less, nothing more. And oh so chocolatey good!

I feel like there's not even much more I could say to introduce this double chocolate yumminess.
So please just read on, go to your kitchen, and get to work! (No matter the temperature...)

 Please excuse the horrible iphone pictures...

Chocolate Chocolate Cake

From Smitten Kitchen (who calls it the 'i want chocolate cake' cake)

For the cake

85 g (6 tablespoons) butter, room temperature

145 g (3/4 cup) packed dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

175 ml (3/4 cup) buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

40 g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder, unsweetened

125 g (1 cup) flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the frosting

55 g (2 oz) dark chocolate, melted

180 g (1 1/2 cups) powdered sugar

115 g (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon cream or whole milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 175ºC (350ºF). 
• Beat together butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the buttermilk and beat again until combined. 
• Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the butter mix and stir together until just combined.
• Pour batter into 20 x 20 cm / 8 x 8 in pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 25-35 minutes. Let cool completely.
• For the frosting, beat together buter, powdered sugar, and salt until fluffy. Add chocolate, milk, and vanilla and beat until combined plus one more minute to whip it more.
• Scoop frosting onto cooled cake and swirl around, if you wish. 
• Add sprinkles to increase joy even further.

 Proudly decorated by 7-year old Luisa.

My modifications:

I made double of the cake recipe because I made a bigger one. It was rectangular and I cut out a heart (for a friend's birthday).

Side note: I will never use a heart-shaped baking pan again but always cut it out of a rectangular - it works sooooo much better! Trust me on this one and give it a try - you won't be disappointed.

Other than that - no modifications.

The taste:

Oh my. Definitely one of the chocolate cake recipes to keep. And make over and over again. Especially with that frosting. You will feel guilty after the first bite - but who gives a damn...
YOLO, right?

What is your favorite chocolate cake recipe?

 

29 | 52 Gooseberry Apricot Cake

Do you like gooseberries?

I do. But only if they are small and sweet :)

Not if they are big and not very sweet and with a very thick skin.

Like the ones I bought last week...

So I thought that baking those gooseberries would make them better or at least edible.

Note to self: if gooseberries don't taste good 'raw' then they also don't taste good 'baked'.

Gooseberry Apricot Cake

Adapted from Edeka

For the yeast base

250 g (2 cups) flour

40 g (1/4 cup minus 1 tablespoon) sugar

pinch of salt

zest of 1 lemon

20 g (0.7 oz) fresh yeast (or one pack dry yeast)

125 ml (1/2 cup) milk

1 egg

For the filling

400 g (14 oz) gooseberries

500 g (18 oz) apricots

For the glaze

150 g (3/4 cup minus 1 tablespoon) butter, room temperature

100 g (1/2 cup) sugar

4 eggs

50 g (1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon) flour

pinch of salt

125 g (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) heavy cream

• For the yeast base, sift flour into a bowl and make a dent in the middle. Sprinkle sugar, salt, and lemon zest onto flour rim. Dissolve the yeast in a bit of milk and pour into the flour dent. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
• Knead yeast with flour, the remaining milk, and the egg. Cover again and let rise for another 15 minutes.
• Butter a round springform pan and distribute yeast base evenly on bottom of pan. Let rise for another 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF).
• Wash and dry the gooseberries and apricots. Cut apricots in pieces.
• For the glaze, beat together butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time. Add flour, salt, and heavy cream.
• Distribute gooseberries and apricots evenly on yeast base. Pour glaze over fruit and bake for 45 minutes.
• Let cool completely before serving.

My modifications:

I used fresh apricots (the original recipe calls for canned apricots).

The taste:

I didn't like it. And I'm not sure that it was only those gooseberries that spoiled it for me.... But try for yourselves - maybe you'll like it!

Any gooseberry baking recipes we should know about?

 

19 | 52 Lime Cake with Coconut

It's summer!

Well, not really. But the weather sure does suggest it!

And what's not to love about high temperatures. 

(Well, yes, a couple of things. But let's focus on the - literally - bright side, shall we?)

Limes and coconuts. There's few things that scream SUMMER right into your face than these.

So let's bake them into a cake:

Lime Cake with Coconut

From Living at Home

375 g ( 2 3/4 cups) flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla (or 2 packets vanilla sugar)

8 tablespoons coconut, shredded

salt

2 limes (zest of 1 lime and juice of 2 limes)

200 g (1 3/4 sticks) butter, room temperature

300 g (1 1/2 cups) sugar

6 eggs

200 ml (3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons) Batida de Coco (coconut liqueur) or coconut cream

200 g (1 1/2 cups) powdered sugar

shredded coconut, for sprinkling

• Preheat oven to 180ºC (355ºF).
• In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, shredded coconut and a pinch of salt.
• In a second bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time.
• Add coconut liqueur or cream and beat together.
• Add flour mix, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of lime juice and beat for another minute. Add lime zest.
• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan (about 30 x 10 cm / 12 x 4 in) and bake on second lowest rack for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and take out of pan.
• Combine powdered sugar with 4-5 tablespoons of lime juice. Glaze cake and sprinkle with shredded coconut.

My modifications:

I used half whole-grain flour and a bit less sugar (250 g instead of 300 g) which both worked very well. I made the non-alcoholic version and put a bit of the coconut cream into the glaze as well.

The taste:

Very good. Very moist and spongy. Could be a bit more limey and coconutty for my taste. But it is very good and summery.

What are your favorite summer flavors combined in a cake?

18 | 52 Strawberry Hazelnut Layer Cake

More strawberries?

Yes, please!

That's exactly why I changed this week's featured recipe to strawberries.

From blackberries. Even though blackberries are pretty awesome, too.

Strawberry Hazelnut Layer Cake

Adapted from Artful Desperado

For the cake:

100 g (3/4 cup) roasted hazelnuts, finely ground after roasting (skins removed)

270 g (2 1/4 cups) flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

210 g (15 tablespoons) soft butter

4 large eggs

40 g (1/3 cup) sugar

80 ml (1/3 cup) maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of 1 lemon

For the mascarpone cream:

225g (1 cup) mascarpone cheese, soft

240 ml (1 cup) heavy cream

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

And of course:

about 500g (1 pound) fresh strawberries (or other berries of your choice)

• Preheat the oven to 175ºC (350ºF).
• For the cake, beat together butter, sugar, and eggs (don't worry if it looks a bit separated). Add remaining cake ingredients and mix until just combined.
• Pour batter into one (or two) small, greased springform pans (20cm / 8in diameter) and bake for about 25-35 minutes. (If you devided the batter into two pans, it will be baked through quicker than if you just use one. But I think you knew that.) Let cool.
• For the mascarpone cream, mix all ingredients together until thick with nice peaks. 
• Before layering the cake, make sure that you even out any curved cake tops (by cutting the curve off). If you used only one springform pan, cut the cake in the middle horizontally to get two cakes for layering.
• Now, layer as following: cake, mascarpone cream, berries, mascarpone cream, cake, mascarpone cream, berries.

My modifications:

Strawberries instead of blackberries. Regular flour instead of spelt flour. Regular sugar instead of superfine sugar (in the cake).

I also didn't mash some of the berries to put inbetween mascarpone and whole berries.

The taste:

Well. How should I say this.

The cake didn't go well together with the mascarpone cream and the berries. I know, hard to imagine but true.

Also, the cake was waaaaaay too dense. And I neither overmixed it nor overbaked it.

So, all in all it was edible (of course) but I would not make it again. Shame, isn't it?

Have you ever baked something that didn't really work combination-wise?

11 | 52 Busy-Day Cake

I have to agree with Molly. Like her, I do believe in everyday cake.

And the recipe below is just that. Everyday cake. 

Simple. Easy. Quick. Comforting.

Busy-Day Cake by Edna Lewis

Adapted from The Taste of Country Cooking via Orangette

114 g (1 stick) butter, room temperature

270 g (1 1/3 cups) sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

260 g (2 cups) flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pinch (or more) nutmeg, freshly grated

120 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk, room temperature

• Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
• Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
• Add flour mix and milk alternatingly to the butter mix, and beat on low speed to incorporate.
• Pour batter into prepared pan (25 x 25 cm / 10 x 10 in), spreading it evenly across the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Serve warm (if possible).

My modifications:

None.

The taste:

Simple and comforting. And not boring. 

It has the same comforting feeling as mashed potatoes. Probably because of the nutmeg :)

Do you have a favorite everyday cake recipe? Please share!

48*52 Lebkuchen-Kuchen (Gingerbread Cake)

Some things or words cannot really be translated. The German "Lebkuchen" is such a thing. Gingerbread just isn't really the same thing but I guess it's what comes closest.

Since today is not only December 1st but also the 1st of advent, I wanted to bake something christmasy. But not cookies yet - I'm just not ready for them (and all the effort going into them). So this cake sounded quick, easy, and christmasy. What more could I ask for?

Lebkuchen-Kuchen (Gingerbread Cake)

From Chefkoch.de

400 g (3 cups plus 2 tablespoons) flour

300 g (1 1/2 cups) sugar

1 pack (15 g or 4 teaspoons) Lebkuchen (Gingerbread) spice 

1 pack (17 g or 4 teaspoons) baking powder

5 eggs

250 g (2.2 sticks) butter

250 ml (1 cup) water, lukewarm

• Combine all ingredients, except for the water, and mix until combined. 
• Add water slowly and mix until dough is smooth. 
• Pour into prepared baking tin and bake at 180°C (360°F) for 40-50 minutes.

My modifications:

I used rice flour. Just because I wanted to try it. So my version is gluten-free.

I also cut back on the sugar and only used 200 g (1 cup) instead of 300 g (1 1/2 cups).

The taste:

Okayish. It's probably the rice flour (which I have never baked with before so I don't really know) but I just didn't like the consistency. It was very sandy, if you know what I mean. And the Lebkuchen/gingerbread taste wasn't as strong as I expected and hoped for. And it needs some kind of frosting.

I think I should just ignore all cakes or muffins that have something to do with Lebkuchen, because I was already disappointed last year...

Have you ever been disappointed by the same flavor in a different recipes?

47*52 Pecan-Brown Sugar Coffee Cake

I saw a very yummy-looking shot of a Pecan-Brown Sugar Coffee Cake on Flickr last week. And since I haven't made anything with pecans for this blog yet I thought this would be a great recipe for this week's bake.

Plus - Thanksgiving is around the corner (even though we don't celebrate it here).

But pecans and Thanksgiving go well together, right?

The picture on Flickr did not come with a link for a recipe so I googled and decided to make the one below. It is completely different from the one I saw but it sounds delish.

Let's find out if it really is.

Pecan-Brown Sugar Coffee Cake

From food.com

330 g (2 cups) flour

440 g (2 cups) packed brown sugar

170 g (3/4 cup) butter, cold & cubed

250 g (1 cup) sour cream

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

150 g (1 cup) pecans, chopped

• Mix flour and sugar in a large bowl.
• Add butter cubes and mix until crumbly. Press 2 3/4 cups of crumb mix evenly on the bottom of a 20 x 30 cm (13 x 9 in) pan.
• Stir together sour cream, egg, and baking soda. Add the remaining crumb mix just until moistened, pour over crust bottom.
• Combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly on top, together with the pecans.
• Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25-30 minutes.

My modifications:

I didn't have enough packed brown sugar at hand but I wanted to maintain that intense flavor so I used maple syrup. I found a good article on how to substitute it in terms of quantity here. (I reduced the overall amount of sugar by using 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 2/3 cup maple syrup.)

I also used pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon because I thought it would be nice.

The taste:

I really like it. It could have been a bit higher (so maybe I'd use a smaller pan next time) but other than that - very good! The reduced sugar amount was totally enough but a bit more pumpkin spice would not have hurt.

What's your favorite baking recipe for Thanksgiving?

46*52 Chocolate Almond Cake

Coming back from holidays and getting back into the rhythm can be tough sometimes.

Especially when you are coming home to cold november weather.

But - to make the best of this situation - why don't we bake a Julia Child cake?

Because that's what I did. And it helped.

P.S. I really can't believe that this is the first Julia Child recipe I am making.

Shame on me.

Chocolate Almond Cake

From Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking via completely delicious

Cake:

113 g (4 oz) dark chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons coffee (or rum)

113 g (1 stick) butter, room temperature

130 g (2/3 cup) sugar

3 eggs, separated

1 tablespoon sugar

pinch of salt

35 g (1/3 cup) almond meal

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

70 g (1/2 cup) flour, sifted

Icing:

60 g (2 oz) dark chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons coffee (or rum)

85 g (3/4 stick) butter, room temperature

slivered almonds, for garnish

• Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and flour a 20 cm (8 in) round cake pan.
• Melt chocolate with the coffee (or rum) over a bain-marie. Let cool.
• Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks and beat until thick. Add the melted chocolate. Stir in almond extract and almond meal until just combined.
• Beat the egg whites and salt in a separate bowl, adding the tablespoon of sugar slowly, until stiff.
• Fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the batter. Add the remaining egg whites, alternating with the flour. Don't overmix but fold in gently.
• Pour batter into pan and bake about 25 minutes. The center should still be jiggly.
• Let cool for 10 minutes, take out of the pan and let cool completely.
• For the icing, combine chocolate and coffee (or rum) and melt over a bain-marie. 
• Add the butter a tablespoon at a time and beat it into the chocolate with a whisk.
• Let the icing cool a bit, spoon on top of the cake and spread evenly. Garnish with slivered almonds.

My modifications:

None.

Only the icing: I didn't read the recipe properly (oops) and melted the butter with the chocolate and coffee so my icing turned out much more liquid, of course. It's still okay but next time I would definitely make it as described in the recipe...

The taste:

Very good! A soft, almost liquid center and a nice almond and chocolate taste.

Only the taste of the almond extract was a bit too strong so I will definitely use less next time. But other than that - very good!

Have you ever tried a Julia Child recipe? Which one(s) and how did it turn out?

41*52 Banana-Cranberry-Cake

I had just bough dried cranberries. For nothing in particular.

Then I had to think about what kind of cake the hubby could take to work for his birthday.

And the cranberries came to mind again.

Good that there were some very ripe bananas laying around as well.

Banana-Cranberry-Cake

Adapted slightly from Baking By Flavor via Technicolor Kitchen

280 g (2 cups) flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teapsoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

80 g (3/4 cup) dried cranberries, chopped if too large

140 g (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) butter, room temperature

200 g (1 cup) sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 ripe bananas, mashed

70 g (1/4 cup) sour cream or yogurt

• Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). 
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, toss cranberries with 1 teaspoon of the flour mix. Mix mashed bananas with sour cream.
• Cream butter with the sugar for about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, add vanilla.
• Alternately add flour mix and banana mix. Add cranberries.
• Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for about 55 minutes.
• Let cool. Dust with powdered sugar if you want.

My modifications:

The original recipe calls for 1 stick butter and 2 tablespoons shortening. Since I never have shortening in the house, I only used butter.

The taste:

Good. But somehow not very special. I don't know - I just felt like something is missing or even that the banana-cranberry combo is not my favorite one. So I probably won't make it again. But it's not bad or anything - so please do try it! Maybe you'll love it.

What is your favorite baking recipe using dried cranberries?