To Paris or not to Paris

It is a busy week again, the weather cannot quite decide if it is sunny or whips up a sudden thunderstorm and I have to work myself through piles of papers. Kim K had her baby and due to a merger with a privacy-oriented other half there are no photos yet. Or is the 1 Mio deal for the first exclusive not signed off yet?  -- This is a tale of life, of opposites attract. Kim K, a genius on making a hefty income by being photographed, magically attracted to the opposite, all artistic and mumm on the rest. Now, what?  Maybe, they'll wrestle out a middle?

And while I am distracting myself from work by checking out the world and the life they have, I am utterly envious of this. Not the honeymoon per se, but this sandwich in a Parisian Bistro.

Grandma’s marbled Bundt cake

It is rainy and unseasonably cold for May. But who am I to complain when big sections of Oklahoma are laying in shambles. Nevertheless, the day called for something cozy and warming, a fluffy, fresh baked Bundt cake, marbled, with the chocolate. This recipes was voted ‘world best Bundt cake” a few years back in Switzerland, and it makes for an absolute soft and fluffy texture. The trick? No cacao powder but melted chocolate, and… light cream.

Grandma’s Bundt Cake

recipe for a small loaf form or a small bundt cake

• 150 gr sugar with a packet of Dr Oetker Vanille Sugar
• 150 gr soft unsalted butter
• 3 eggs
• 90 g light cream
• pinch of salt
• 180 g all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 ts backing powder
• 100 g dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)
• 20 g mini chocolate chips (separate)

Preparation

1. Spray Bundt cake form or loaf form with baking spray. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. With a hand or stand mixer mix the butter and sugar and the vanille sugar until sugar is dissolved.
3. Add one egg at a time, and mix well.
4. Add light cream and salt, and mix well.
5. Mix flour and backing powder, and carefully add to the dough. Now, separate the dough into 2 bowls.
6. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish. To avoid burning the chocolate, microwave in 30 second intervals and mix the chocolate in-between. Should be melted in 2-3min. Mix the melted chocolate and the chocolate chips to one half of the dough.
7. Place some of the white dough first in the cake form. Add the chocolate dough, and finish with a layer of white dough. Draw a fork through the dough layer to get the marbeling.
8. Bake cake for 50 minutes at 350F. 
9. Remove cake from oven, rest for 10min and then remove and cool.
10. Add powdered sugar before serving.

 

Layering the chocolate and white dough.

Fluffy, light perfection!

Saffron Cake

It has been months that I had plain time (and the energy) to bake a cake. Finally, work let up a little bit, and I used it for spring cleaning and baking a bright, sweet  cake  with tangy cranberries– saffron cake. A bag of frozen fresh cranberries was still in my freezer, and a pound cake with almond extract, saffron and cranberries promised the spring to come but not here yet. At least, something is bright and warm and sweet…..

Saffron Cake with Cranberries

• 6 ounces butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• Pinch saffron
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄3 cup warm water
• 2 eggs
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar, to taste
• 4 cups allpurpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup milk
• Powdered sugar, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a a 9-inch bundt cake pan with a cake spray.
Melt butter in the microwave for 20 second and pour in the bowl of a standmixer.
Crush saffron threads in a mortar and pestle; muddle with 1 teaspoon sugar. Steep 20 minutes in warm water.

Beat eggs and sugar, then add saffron mixture. In a separate bowl, mix flour with baking powder. Fold into the batter with a metal spoon. Bake near bottom of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes.

Let cake cool, then turn out on wire tray to sift powdered sugar over the top.

Coconut Chocolate Cake, Round 2

I found another coconut cake recipe, very similar to the flourless coconut cake but this time with flour and also with butter. With the flour the cake rises and is less dense, with still the great taste of coconut. This one is pretty fabulous for the traditionalists!



Coconut Chocolate Cake
(for a 9 inch spring form)

• 100 g butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 ts vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 TB baking powder
• 1 cup coconut flakes (I used unsweetened)

Glaze:

• 1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Lindt couverture, a bulk product for pastry chefs, often found at Lindt Stores)
• 1 TB butter

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F. Melt the butter in a microwave safe dish in the microwave on high for 20 seconds.In a kitchen standmixer with a paddle attachment, beat the better and the sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, and then 1 egg at a time. Mix in the salt and the heavy cream until well-combined. Slowly add in the flour and the coconut. The dough texture at this point is firm (see photo below).



Spray a springform pan with baking spray (mix of butter and flour), pour in the batter, and bake at 350F for 55min. Let cool and remove from pan.



Pour the chocolate chips (or couverture) in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 30sec on high. Stir, and microwave for 30sec, and stir. Repeat until the chocolate is melted (if you don’t do it in step, and stir, the chocolate will burn).
Pour the melted chocolate on the cake, distributed with the backside of a spoon evenly. Let cool until firm. Serve!

Coconut chocolate tart

Sunday I had some time to bake again – a dense coconut cake with a thick dark chocolate glaze. The texture of the cake reminds me of a bounty bar, just less sweet. This tart is rich and decadent. And very easy to make. There is not even butter or flour in this cake. Note the time that the coconut flakes and the egg and sugar base mixture need to rest so that the coconut flakes can absorb the mixture. I did not wait long enough, just 10min instead of 30min. The cake is supposed to rise more.


Coconut Chocolate Cake
(for a 9-10 inch spring form)

• 3 large eggs
• 120 g sugar
• 1/2 ts vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 85ml unsweetened condensed milk (almost a small can)
• 100ml heavy cream
• 200g coconut flakes (I used unsweetened)
• 1 TB baking powder

Glaze:

• 1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Lindt couverture, a bulk product for pastry chefs, often found at Lindt Stores)
• 1 TB butter

Preparation:
In a kitchen standmixer with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract on medium-high for at least 5min (best 5-10min) until the mixture is really thick and creamy, and changes its color to a buttery white (from a initially more yellowish color). Mix in the salt, cream and the condensed milk until well-combined, and now gentle mix in the coconut flakes. Let the mixture rest for 30 min (don’t omit this step!). The cake dough changes from a more liquid texture (photo below) to a soaked up texture.



Preheat the oven to 360F and spray the springform with a baking spray.

Once the dough is ready, pour it into the springform and bake for 60min. If the top gets too dark, cover with alu foil for the remaining baking time. Remove from oven and cool.



Pour the chocolate chips (or couverture) in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 30sec on high. Stir, and microwave for 30sec, and stir. Repeat until the chocolate is melted (if you don’t do it in step, and stir, the chocolate will burn).

Pour the melted chocolate on the cake, distributed with the backside of a spoon evenly. Let cool until firm. Serve!

Chocolate Amaretto Cake

This is one of the first cakes that I ever made when I taught myself cooking (by my wonderful teacher, Giada Di Laurentiis on food network TV), and it is still one of my go-to cakes when I need a cake for a potluck (or any other cake) fast. Giada originally discovered it in a cafe in Venice, and ‘reengineered’ it. I love the simplicity of crushed amaretti cookies, melted chocolate, grated orange peel and then just a bit of sugar, butter and eggs, and that’s it. I typically make the entire dough right in the food processor and it does not take more than 10 min to prepare. It has the texture of a dense brownie but with an exotic, surprising taste of amaretto. It is simply elegant – like made in Italy by an Italian…. Best eaten with some strong Italian coffee.



Chocolate Amaretto Cake:

• Butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray  
• 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips  
• 1 cup whole almonds
• 2 oz baby amaretti cookies
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh grated orange peel
• 4 large eggs
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, for sifting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a 9-inch springform pan the nonstick spray. Refrigerate. Microwave the chocolate in 20 second intervals, and stir, repeat until melted (might take up to 5-6 repeats but if you don’t stir it it will burn).
Add the almonds to a large food processor. Pulse until the almonds are a fine meal, and add the amaretto cookies, pulse until they are finely ground, too. Place the butter stick from the fridge with the wrapping paper into the microwave and microwave for 20 sec. This will make it almost liquid and very good to add to the almond/cookie mix. Also add the sugar to the processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Add the grated orange peel and pulse briefly, until incorporated. Add the eggs 1 at a time. Blend until the eggs are incorporated. Clean the sides of the mixing bowl and blend again. Add the melted chocolate. Pulse until blended. Clean the sides of the bowl. Blend again.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the center puffs and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes.
Transfer the cake to a platter. Sift the cocoa powder over and serve.

Streuselkuchen (German crumb cake)

It was my late great aunt Jenny’s 100th birthday yesterday, and in her honor and to remember her I baked one of her most famous cakes (famous across generations in our family) – the streuselkuchen. When it was baked, everyone came to her house ‘zum Kaffee trinken’ (come over for a cup of coffee). It is a German custom, much like the British make time for tea and pastries in the afternoon, Germans make time for coffee and cake. Typically, since only the stay at home moms have time to do this, it is a way to meet up with girlfriends, let your kids play together, and hang out, knit, gossip, solve the life’s latest problems, and spend a few hours. On the weekends or for birthdays everyone came. This cake was a staple in my family when we all still lived close together, and it is fabulous not only because it tastes fantastic but also because it only gets better after a few days, less crumbly, more dense and the best thing to bite into when having the hot coffee. 

No one could make this cake like my great aunt. It is involved, you have to have patience, nurture it, and it richly rewards you. Just like my great aunt was, one of the best cooks and bakers and gardeners I’ve ever known. Aunt Jenny, this is for you!



Streuselkuchen (German Crumb Cake)

This recipe is for a 10-12 inch square or round spring form.

Special equipment: standmixer with dough hook (can also be kneaded manually).

Base layer:

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• 3 TB warm milk
• 1 ts fast rising yeast
• 40  g sugar (divided, 1 ts for yeast + milk)
• 1 TB bakers milk powder (optional, but helps the yeast to rise)
• 5 TB (40 g) unsalted sweet cream butter, room temperature
• 1/2 egg (reserve other half for the crumbs)
• pinch of salt

Mix the yeast, 1 ts of sugar and the lukewarm milk in a small bowl, and wait until yeast starts to get bubbly (ca. 15min). 

In the bowl of a standmixer with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, 3 ts sugar and the bakers milk powder, and mix all three ingredients. Make a well in the flour, and pour the milk yeast mixture in it. Turn on the standmixer, and on slow mix the dry ingredients with the yeast mixture (do not yet add: butter, egg or salt since it interferes with the yeast). Once the yeast is well incorporated and distributed in the flour mix, add the butter, 1/2 egg and salt. Knead the dough on medium speed until it comes together as a ball (it will be crumbly for quite a while, ca. 10 min). If it does not come together after 15min of kneading, add 1 TB of warm milk.  Once the dough forms a ball around the hook, continue kneading for another 15min on medium speed. 



Now, remove dough from bowl of standmixer, and place in a metal, glass or ceramic bowl, and let rise for ca. 30min at a warm place. Time to make the crumbs!

Streusel (crumbs):

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• 125 g sugar
• 125 g unsalted sweet cream butter, room temperature
• 1/2 egg (reserve other half for the crumbs)
• 1/2 ts bitter almond extract
• 1 pouch Dr. Oetker Vanille sugar (or 1/2 ts liquid vanilla extract)
• pinch of salt

In the bowl of a standmixer with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, sugar, and the butter, cut into small cubes. Start the mixer on low speed, until the flour/sugar and the butter start to incorporate. Add all the other ingredients, and let the mixer run for about 10-15 minutes until uniform-sized crumbs are form. At the beginning, the butter will be large lumps, and the flour has only tiny crumbs, but over time the butter distributes over the flour more evenly, all crumbs are about equal in size. When it doubt, just let it run a little longer. Patience!

Stop the mixer, when the crumbs are at equal size.



Preheat the oven to 50-80F (warm). Spray a spring form with baking spray, and distribute the base dough into the pan.



Take a fork, and gently poke the dough all over the pan. Once done, brush lightly with some warm milk.



Now, distribute all the streusel on the cake evenly.




Place in the oven at 50F for about 45min for the yeast-based base layer to rise to about 0.5-1 inch thickness. After that, remove cake from oven, and preheat to 425F, and bake the cake for ca. 20-25min.

Before serving, sprinkle wit granulated sugar.