The German Kitchen

A typical cake served for German coffee time.  It is best to use a special pan, that when flipped, leaves a recess in the cake, much like shortcake cups, but any 11″ pan should work.

Difficulty: Moderate.
Preparation Time: 2 hours.
Portions: 4 – 6. 12 pieces.

Ingredients:

Cake Batter

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. warm water
• 6 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. vanilla sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 7 tbsp. all purpose flour
• 6 tbsp. cornstarch

Topping

• 1 1/2 pint raspberries
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 2 tsp. sugar

Jelly

• 1/2 tsp. gelatin
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. red food coloring

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A yummy, basic, rum cake recipe.  This is especially good as a cold weather dessert. Serve with cherries over the cake for extra yum factor.

Difficulty: easy.
Preparation Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.
Portions: 6.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound flour (this is about 3 -4 cups, but check the flour weight for best results)
• 3/4 pound butter, softened
• 6 ounces sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup rum

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The depth and breadth of products and services at Amazon never ceases to amaze me. While poking around their Grocery section, I found not just German grocery items, but German grocery items in bulk.  I want to share a few things that I try to keep around the pantry when I get my hands on them. While cooking things from scratch can be fun and tasty, it is sometimes a great time and sanity saver to keep some quickie products on hand.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Panni Bavarian Potato Dumpling Mix – makes a decent dumpling that can be served with main dishes such as Schweinebraten, Sauerbraten, or Gulasch. Kids love these little things, and they are easy to make and prepare.

A package of 12 is under $28.

Black Forest Girl Homemade Spaetzle – A great spaetzle that is quite popular in our house. I have tried several, but many of the ones you can get in the U.S. get too chewy, or taste bland. Black Forest Girl is really good. Here’s a tip – when you drain after cooking, rinse quickly with cool water. This gets rid of some of the excess starch, and ‘sets’ the spaetzle. Simply pour it back into the hot pan, add a touch of butter, and mix over the still warm burner (don’t turn it back on). Perfect spaetzle!

A bulk box of 30 packages (about two meals from each bag for a family of 3) is under $64.00!

Dr. Oetker German Streusel Cake Mix – This is a favorite cake in our house. I usually use cherry filling, but it is also really good with peach and apple filling. It is very easy to make, and is yummy with afternoon coffee on the weekends.

Amazon has an 8 pack for less than $23!

Very easy, nice cake recipe to have with coffee or tea. This is best served warm. Simply double to make a larger batch.

Difficulty: moderate
Preparation Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Portions: 6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 oz sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 pack dry yeast
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 oz butter,unsalted
• 1 egg
• 4 oz butter,unsalted
• 1 2/3 oz sugar

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While traditional Baumkuchen would be impossible to create in a home kitchen, it is possible to make a mock version which is almost as good.  This recipe requires some work, but will go well with coffee, especially around the holidays.

Difficulty: normal.
Preparation Time: 45 min.
Portions: 8.

• 7/8 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 7/8 cup cornstarch
• 5 1/2 ounces almond paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 6 egg whites
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 9 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil

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