Mocha-Cream filled hazelnut cake

A bundt cake (Gugelhupfform (Ø 18 cm)) form or a 9x13 inch Pyrex bread pan (Kastenform)

Some grease

Some all-purpose flour

Mocha Cream filling:

200 g whipping cream

50 g semisweet chocolate

2 TL Instant-Espressopowder, unsweetened

Cake batter:

100 g ground hazelnuts

100 g (1 stick) soft butter or margarine

100 g brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 package vanilla sugar

3 eggs

75 g all-purpose flour

2 leveled teaspoons baking powder

Decoration

100 g semisweet chocolate or

1/2 teaspoon Dutch processed cocoa powder

Preparation:

1. Mocha-Cream: Chop chocolate into pieces; in a stovetop pot melt chocolate pieces and Espressopowder in whipping cream. Chill chocolate cream at least 3 h, best overnight.

2. Roast ground hazelnuts in a coated pan without adding oil. Remove nuts from heat and let cool.

3. Grease bundt cake form, the coat with all-purpose flour. Preheat oven to 180°C (350 F).

4. Using an electric hand mixer whisk butter or margarine until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla extract or vanilla sugar and whisk until well blended. Whisk in eggs, one egg at a time, for about 1/2 minute per egg.

5. Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl; add flour mixture to cake batter and whisk until blended, then fold in nuts.

6. Pour batter into greased baking pan and bake at 180°C (350 F) for about 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

7. Remove cake from oven, let cool for 10 minutes in baking pan, then remove cake from pan and let cool down entirely.

8. Cut cakes twice: Cut the bundt cake diagonally or the bread-shaped cake horizontally. You need to have three cake pieces.

9. Whip mocha cream to stiff peaks. Spread 1/2 of mocha cream on bottom piece, then put middle cake layer on top of cream. Spread the remaining mocha cream on top of the middle cake layer, then put the top cake layer on top.

10. Dust cake with cocoa powder or coat with melted chocolate.

Comments:

1. Instead of hazelnuts toasted walnuts can also be used.

Wake-me-up Cake or the True Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

9x11 inch (30x40 cm) Pyrex dish or deep baking sheet

Some grease

A bowl with a lid

Batter:

100 g (1 stick) butter or margarine

150 g all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

100 g powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

100 g hazelnut flour

2 eggs

125 ml very strong coffee

Decoration:

50 g powdered sugar

50 g semi-sweet chocolate

Preparation:

1. Prepare a very strong coffee.

2. Grease Pyrex dish. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F).

3. Melt butter or margarine in a microwave-safe dish or stovetop pot. Pour melted fat into a bowl and let cool down a bit.

4. Add all remaining ingredients into the bowl, close the lid and shake the bowl until all ingredients are well blended. Alternatively, you can mix the ingredients with a wooden cooking spoon.

5. Pour batter into Pyrex dish or deep baking sheet and bake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 F) for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

6. Remove cake from oven and let cool down. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of cake, and decorate with melted chocolate.

Comments:

1. Coffee: I prepared a strong drip coffee, but you can certainly use instant coffee.

2. The original recipe calls for hazelnut flour. I didn't have hazelnut flour, and used almond flour instead. Walnut flour will be another good substitute for the hazelnut flour.

3. The coffee flavor is surprisingly weak. Next time, I might add some instant coffee to the batter to increase the coffee flavor.

Madeleines

This is a French specialty, but I love these sweet, little treats, so I couldn't resist making them.

Ingredients:

Madeleine pan

Some grease

125 g (1 stick) butter

100 g sugar

4 eggs

Zest from one lemon

125 g all-purpose flour

1 leveled teaspoon baking powder

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F). Melt butter at low heat in a stovetop pot. Remove from heat to cool down.

2. Whisk eggs until foaming lightly. Add sugar and lemon zest and whisk further.

3. While whisking slowly pour in melted butter.

4. Lastly, mix flour and baking powder and sift on top of batter. Whisk until flour has been taken up into the mixture.

5. Grease Madeleine pan, add batter into wells (1-2 teaspoons depending on the size, each well should be filled to about 2/3).

6. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 F) until done and golden on top (about 15 minutes)

Quick Beesting Cake

I've prepared a Beesting cake in 2013, but this version is easier and faster. While the original Beesting cake is a yeast dough filled with a custard-buttercream, this one is prepared from a yellow cake catter and filled with a quick custard.

Ingredients:

One springform (26 - 28 cm or 10 - 11 inches in diameter)

Some grease

A small stovetop pot

Cake batter:

150 g all-purpose flour

2 leveled teaspoons baking powder

125 g sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 package vanilla sugar

150 g (1.5 sticks) butter or margarine

4 eggs

Topping:

50 g (1/2 stick) butter

40 g sugar

3 tablespoons whipping cream (remove from cream for filling)

1 teaspoon honey

100 g slivered almonds

Filling:

1 small package JELL-O vanilla (no cook) or 1 package Paradiescreme vanilla

400 g (1 pint) whipping cream 

Preparation:

1. Grease springform bottom. Preheat oven to 180°C (350 F).

2. Prepare topping: Melt butter, sugar, honey and whipping cream in a small stovetop pot. Bring to a brief boil, then stir in the almond slices. Let mixture cool down stirring occasionally.

3. Prepare batter: Mix flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and whisk with an electric hand mixer for about 2 minutes until batter is smooth. Pour batter into springform and spread evenly.

4. Bake cake for about 20 minutes at 180°C (350 F). Remove cake from oven, then spread almond topping evenly on top of the cake. Bake for another 15 minutes.

5. Remove cake from oven, take off springform edge. Let cake cool down. Cut cake horizontally in half. Cut top half into 12-16 slices.

6. Prepare filling: instead of using milk prepare filling with a little less than 400 g whipping cream. Spread cream evenly on bottom half of the cake. Put almond slices on top and slightly push into the cream filling. Chill cake until ready to be served.

Chocolate Granola Squares

Ingredients:

9x13 inch (30x40 cm) Pyrex dish or deep baking sheet

Some grease

For the batter:

125 g (1stick) butter or margarine

75 g sour cream or creme fraiche

100 g sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 package vanilla sugar

1 pinch salt

3 eggs

180 g all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

20 g cocoa powder, unsweetened

For the topping:

75 g all-purpose flour

50 g sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 package vanilla sugar

75 g sour cream or creme fraiche

150 g granola

Preparation:

1. Add butter or margarine and sour cream to a bowl and whisk until soft and smooth. Whisk in sugar, vanilla extract or sugar and salt. Add one egg at a time and mix for about 30s per egg.

2. Mix flour, baking powder and cocoa powder and sift into batter. Whisk until ingredients are well blended.

3. Pour batter into Pyrex dish and spread evenly. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F).

4. Prepare topping: Mix flour, sugar, vanilla and sour cream and whisk briefly. Stir in granola and spread topping evenly on top of cake batter.

5. Bake cake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 F) for about 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

6. Remove cake from oven, let cool before serving.

Sour Cream Cookies

These cookies are very fast to prepare, and one can either make them sweet or savory. Just make sure to read the comments because I'd tweak the recipe next time!

Ingredients:

Baking sheet

Parchment paper

150 g all-purpose flour

100 g (1 stick) butter

75 g Creme fraiche or sour cream

Some cinnamon sugar

Topping:

2 tablespoon milk

25 g cinnamon sugar

Preparation:

1. Sift flour into a bowl, add butter and sour cream. Using an electric hand mixer whisk ingredients until well combined.

2. Flour a surface, the knead dough quickly and shape two long rods (1 inch or 2.5 cm diameter). Roll rods in cinnamon sugar, wrap into plastic wrap, and chill overnight in refrigerator.

3. Cut 1/2 cm or 1/5 inch slices and put on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush cookies with milk, then sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top.

4. Bake cookies at 200 degrees Celsius (375 F) for about 12 minutes.

5. Remove cookies from oven, let cool and serve.

Comments:

1. These cookies are not sweet at all. To make them sweet I'd add 50 g sugar to the batter. I decided to glaze them with powdered sugar to give them some taste.

2. For a savory version I'd add some herbs and salt (optional) to the batter and sprinkle cheese on top.

Chocolate-Marshmallow Cake

These chocolate-covered marshmallows (aka chocolate kisses) are very versatile. You can eat them straight out of the box or heat them briefly in the microwave and pour eggnog on top. Or you can use them for a cake...

Ingredients:

9x11 inch (30x40 cm) Pyrex form or deep baking sheet

Some grease

18 chocolate-covered marshmallows (see picture, 450 g) or some wafers and 200 g marshmallow fluff

Cake batter:

200 g all-purpose flour

3 leveled teaspoons baking powder

75 g sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 package vanilla powder

1 pinch salt

3 eggs

75 ml lemon soda (Sprite)

100 g soft butter or margarine (1 stick)

1 jar cranberry sauce (or Preiselbeermarmelade)

For the topping:

250 g mascarpone

250 g Greek yoghurt (Fage or Chobani brand)

1 tablespoon corn starch

Preparation:

1. Remove wafers from chocolate-covered marshmallows, set wafers and marshmallows aside.

2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F). Grease Pyrex form or deep baking sheet.

3. Mix flour and baking powder and sift into a bowl. Add sugar, vanilla, salt, eggs, lemon soda and butter and whisk using an electric hand mixer until a smooth batter has formed.

4. Pour batter into Pyrex form or baking sheet. Put wafers on top of batter, the put 1/2 - 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce on top of each wafer.

5. Bake cake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 F) for 20-25 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean). Remove cake from oven and let cool down. Cut cake into pieces (1 wafer = 1 piece).

6. Blend mascarpone, Greek yoghurt, and corn starch, then fold marshmallow fluff into creme. Transfer creme into a ziplock bag; close the bag, and cut off a small corner of the bag. Squeeze creme out of bag on top of each wafer, decorate with more cranberry sauce.

7. Chill cake until ready to serve.