Cinnamon rolls are based on a yeast dough, and the filling can be modified as you like! Simple butter, granulated sugar, and cinnamon are often enough to make for a mouth-watering treat, but a few raisins or nuts can also add variety. Here's the recipe for the yeast-based dough:
-1 pckg dry yeast, or 1 cube fresh yeast
-a bit of sugar sprinkled over the yeast
-a large spoon of warm (not hot!) water
-1/4 cup margarine (or butter)
-3/4 cup milk
-1 egg (optional)
-3 Tbsp sugar
-1/4 tsp salt
-flour (about 2 1/2 cups)
-3 Tbsp sugar
-1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
-raisins, nuts
Glaze:
confectionary sugar, 1 Tbsp milk, vanilla
_________________________
1) Mix yeast and sugar and water in a small container and let stand a few minutes until the yeast turns frothy.
2) On the stove, heat 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup margarine (or butter) until shortening melts, and add 3 Tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Allow mixture to cool to just warm. Combine with yeast mixture in a large bowl.
3) Gradually add flour to liquid, stirring to keep mixture silky, until all the flour has been incorporated. The mixture should be pliable but not sticky.
4) Set in a warm place and allow dough to rise to double its size.
Sonntag, 9. November 2008
Sonntag, 20. Juli 2008
Russian Pluck Cake
The Russian "pluck" cake, or "russischer Zupfkuchen" in German, is a cheese cake that contains cocoa. Part of the chocolate cake is saved or "plucked" from the main portion to decorate the top of the cake. This cake is festive and, for children (or even adults!), much fun if the chocolate dough is used to write on the top of the cake! Light a candle and let the magic begin. The recipe is fairly straightforward--here are the ingredients you'll need:
For the chocolate part:
-300g flour
-180g sugar
-200 g softened butter or margarine
-1 egg
-40g cocoa powder
-1 pkg baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
For the cheese filling:
-70g butter
-500g quark
-200g sweet cream
-200g sugar
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 pkg instant vanilla pudding powder
-3 eggs
-pinch of salt
~~~~~~Directions~~~~~~~~~~~
For the chocolate dough:
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Add sugar and sifted cocoa. Using a kneading beaters, knead in shortening and egg until the dough is completely mixed. Pinch off about a quarter of the dough to a separate bowl and reserve for later. Spread remaining chocolate dough to line a round spring-form baking pan, making sure the sides come up to nearly the top of the side ring.
For the cheese filling:
Beat the butter, then quark, cream and eggs and remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into the chocolate dough-lined springform. Using remaining chocolate dough that had been set aside, pluck off pieces and decorate the top of the cake, or use to form decorative shapes or letters, if desired.
Bake at 180C for a good hour, or until the cake no longer jiggles when moved. Check that the center is done by inserting a knife. Allow the cake to cool in springform before releasing the spring latch. Enjoy!!!
For the chocolate part:
-300g flour
-180g sugar
-200 g softened butter or margarine
-1 egg
-40g cocoa powder
-1 pkg baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
For the cheese filling:
-70g butter
-500g quark
-200g sweet cream
-200g sugar
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 pkg instant vanilla pudding powder
-3 eggs
-pinch of salt
~~~~~~Directions~~~~~~~~~~~
For the chocolate dough:
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Add sugar and sifted cocoa. Using a kneading beaters, knead in shortening and egg until the dough is completely mixed. Pinch off about a quarter of the dough to a separate bowl and reserve for later. Spread remaining chocolate dough to line a round spring-form baking pan, making sure the sides come up to nearly the top of the side ring.
For the cheese filling:
Beat the butter, then quark, cream and eggs and remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into the chocolate dough-lined springform. Using remaining chocolate dough that had been set aside, pluck off pieces and decorate the top of the cake, or use to form decorative shapes or letters, if desired.
Bake at 180C for a good hour, or until the cake no longer jiggles when moved. Check that the center is done by inserting a knife. Allow the cake to cool in springform before releasing the spring latch. Enjoy!!!
Donnerstag, 5. Juni 2008
Banana Bread
Banana bread is a bit of a misnomer since it is more or less a cake--and what a cake it is! Sweet banana, a touch of lemon, crunchy nuts...The perfect afternoon snack to have with a glass of cold milk or a cup of hot tea. If you have two overripe bananas that you don't know what to do with--this is the perfect recipe! Here are the ingredients you'll need:
-2 ripe bananas
-2 cups sifted flour
-1 cup sugar
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 cup butter or margarine, at room temp
-2 eggs
-1/3 cup milk
-1/2 cup chopped nuts (like almonds or walnuts)
-1 tsp lemon juice (and lemon zest if you have an untreated lemon)
___________________________________________________
Preheat oven to 360°F (165°C)
Cream butter/margarine, sugar, eggs, banana
Add milk, then stir in dry ingredients
Add nuts
Grease pan (either loaf pan or round cake pan)
Bake ~60min on a low oven rack if using a loaf pan, otherwise about 45 min on a middle oven rack if using a flat cake pan.
Enjoy!
-2 ripe bananas
-2 cups sifted flour
-1 cup sugar
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 cup butter or margarine, at room temp
-2 eggs
-1/3 cup milk
-1/2 cup chopped nuts (like almonds or walnuts)
-1 tsp lemon juice (and lemon zest if you have an untreated lemon)
___________________________________________________
Preheat oven to 360°F (165°C)
Cream butter/margarine, sugar, eggs, banana
Add milk, then stir in dry ingredients
Add nuts
Grease pan (either loaf pan or round cake pan)
Bake ~60min on a low oven rack if using a loaf pan, otherwise about 45 min on a middle oven rack if using a flat cake pan.
Enjoy!
Montag, 21. April 2008
Bee Sting
The bee sting cake is a fairly simple cake based on a yeast dough. If you have dry yeast on hand, basic baking ingredients, and time to let the dough rise!, then this cake is great.
Sonntag, 13. April 2008
Apricot-Marzipan Cake
Sunday morning, the perfect time to bake a cake for the afternoon. The morning is quiet, the streets outside are still empty, and with a cup of coffee and the radio on in the background, baking is my favorite way to start a relaxing day.
Today I decided to bake a cake to use up the leftover marzipan I had from a couple cakes ago. I had kept it in a ziplock baggie in the fridge, so I was sure it would still be just as tasty as it was for the last cake. Today I chose a simple cake recipe, and with a big can of apricot halves and the leftover marzipan, I was sure it would make a great cake. Here's the recipe I decided to use:
--175 g flour
--100 g sugar
--1 tsp baking powder
--1/8 tsp salt
--125 g margarine/butter (preferably room temperature)
--2 eggs (preferably room temperature)
--1/2 tsp vanilla extract
--1 large can of apricot halves, drained
--marzipan (preferably at room temperature)
I had put out some margarine to get soft when I first woke up, and the eggs had been out on the kitchen counter all night, so they were room temperature too. It's best to start with the ingredients at room temperature so that the beaters can whip a lot of air into the batter. If the margarine and eggs are cold, they aren't quite as pliable.
I open the can of apricot halves and drain the syrup, setting aside the fruit for later. Next,
I get out my kitchen scale (with my husband still in bed, I had the kitchen all to myself!) and measure out the margarine (125g). I beat it for about 30sec. until it is light and fluffy, then
add a cap-full of pure vanilla extract and about 1/8tsp salt, and then 150g of white sugar, and I beat that mixture till it is light and fluffy. Then the 2 eggs, each for 30sec. at full speed. By whipping the eggs at full speed you really beat a lot of air into the mixture and separate all the egg proteins.
Next I sift the baking powder (1tsp), flour (about 100g), and corn starch (75g) into the mixture, and then I add a tablespoon of milk. You could use just flour, but the corn starch makes the batter even lighter and fluffier, and that's what we want! I briefly mix that together at medium speed. You don't want to beat the batter too long at this point because that (ironically) beats all the air out of the batter and would leave it heavy.
At this point I turn on the oven to upper/lower heat at 180°C (I also call to my husband who is still lazing about in bed that we can have breakfast soon!) and grease and flour my cake pan so a thin layer of flour evenly covers the surface. I scoop the batter into the pan with a rubber scraper, spreading it evenly. Then I place the apricot halves over the entire surface, gently pressing them into the batter. I use a knife to cut the marzipan in little chunks, and press the chunks gently into any free spot--or even under the apricots. And then it's time to bake! I put the cake in the lowest part of the oven so that the top doesn't brown too fast while the rest of the cake bakes.
By the time my husband gets to the kitchen table, the smell of warm cake and soft apricots is wafting through the apartment, and looking through the oven window, I can see the cake has already started to take shape.
After breakfast, I take the cake out (which baked for about 25min.) and release the springform after about 5min. so that the cake can breathe a bit. Remembering that I have some apricot jam in the fridge, I get that out and spread it over the cake surface. This extra little step prevents the top of cake from drying out and it makes the cake shiny and pretty. I can't wait to taste it!
Later, in the afternoon when the clouds have rolled in and we are back from our Sunday jog through the park, I put a pot of coffee on and cut the cake. The cake separates easily from the pan and is light and airy in the middle, with the apricot halves sitting snuggly in their spots. Little pieces of golden marzipan can be spotted here and there.
With our coffee and cream, and a piece of cake on a plate, we head into the living room to relax and enjoy the rest of our Sunday.
Today I decided to bake a cake to use up the leftover marzipan I had from a couple cakes ago. I had kept it in a ziplock baggie in the fridge, so I was sure it would still be just as tasty as it was for the last cake. Today I chose a simple cake recipe, and with a big can of apricot halves and the leftover marzipan, I was sure it would make a great cake. Here's the recipe I decided to use:
--175 g flour
--100 g sugar
--1 tsp baking powder
--1/8 tsp salt
--125 g margarine/butter (preferably room temperature)
--2 eggs (preferably room temperature)
--1/2 tsp vanilla extract
--1 large can of apricot halves, drained
--marzipan (preferably at room temperature)
I had put out some margarine to get soft when I first woke up, and the eggs had been out on the kitchen counter all night, so they were room temperature too. It's best to start with the ingredients at room temperature so that the beaters can whip a lot of air into the batter. If the margarine and eggs are cold, they aren't quite as pliable.
I open the can of apricot halves and drain the syrup, setting aside the fruit for later. Next,
I get out my kitchen scale (with my husband still in bed, I had the kitchen all to myself!) and measure out the margarine (125g). I beat it for about 30sec. until it is light and fluffy, then
add a cap-full of pure vanilla extract and about 1/8tsp salt, and then 150g of white sugar, and I beat that mixture till it is light and fluffy. Then the 2 eggs, each for 30sec. at full speed. By whipping the eggs at full speed you really beat a lot of air into the mixture and separate all the egg proteins.
Next I sift the baking powder (1tsp), flour (about 100g), and corn starch (75g) into the mixture, and then I add a tablespoon of milk. You could use just flour, but the corn starch makes the batter even lighter and fluffier, and that's what we want! I briefly mix that together at medium speed. You don't want to beat the batter too long at this point because that (ironically) beats all the air out of the batter and would leave it heavy.
At this point I turn on the oven to upper/lower heat at 180°C (I also call to my husband who is still lazing about in bed that we can have breakfast soon!) and grease and flour my cake pan so a thin layer of flour evenly covers the surface. I scoop the batter into the pan with a rubber scraper, spreading it evenly. Then I place the apricot halves over the entire surface, gently pressing them into the batter. I use a knife to cut the marzipan in little chunks, and press the chunks gently into any free spot--or even under the apricots. And then it's time to bake! I put the cake in the lowest part of the oven so that the top doesn't brown too fast while the rest of the cake bakes.
By the time my husband gets to the kitchen table, the smell of warm cake and soft apricots is wafting through the apartment, and looking through the oven window, I can see the cake has already started to take shape.
After breakfast, I take the cake out (which baked for about 25min.) and release the springform after about 5min. so that the cake can breathe a bit. Remembering that I have some apricot jam in the fridge, I get that out and spread it over the cake surface. This extra little step prevents the top of cake from drying out and it makes the cake shiny and pretty. I can't wait to taste it!
Later, in the afternoon when the clouds have rolled in and we are back from our Sunday jog through the park, I put a pot of coffee on and cut the cake. The cake separates easily from the pan and is light and airy in the middle, with the apricot halves sitting snuggly in their spots. Little pieces of golden marzipan can be spotted here and there.
With our coffee and cream, and a piece of cake on a plate, we head into the living room to relax and enjoy the rest of our Sunday.
Abonnieren
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