This is a moist blood orange pound cake. If you don’t find blood oranges, you may also use orangic oranges. This is one of those recipes when I was watching the reel from Küchenstübchen (in German) while my hubby was watching me. He immediately requested I make this asap for him. I mean, yes, he does love anything citric, there is a reason I have an blog article with 18 recipes with citrics on here. Does he love lemons? Yes, for sure! How about limes? Of course! Orange? Yeah! Blood oranges even more so. For that reason I set to making this recipe. When I made it the first time in February, it was easy to find oranges and also blood oranges. However, somehow I had difficulty finding organic blood oranges. In the recipe below I give you both options. As blood oranges are smaller than regular oranges, you need to be careful with the measurements. 
This simple apple cake with a sugar and cinnamon crust is exactly the kind of cake I like. It basically is a lot of apple cubes that are held together by a bit of batter. Yes, you will need to peel and cut 1 kilo of apples, but other than that it comes together quickly. I personally am a huge fan of this cinnamon and sugar crust, it simply takes it to the next level. It is rather simple, the cake is baking and after about 30 minutes you sprinkle it with sugar mixed with cinnamon. You will then need to bake the cake for another 15 minutes and then it is done. Voilá, there you have the magic happen. I can only encourage you to make this cake while it is still so cold and wintery.
I don’t remember exactly what made me press the “publish” button exactly nine years ago. The first recipe I ever published, was this French lemon tart. Clearly I had made it on Valentine’s for my husband. We were fortunate enough to eat plenty of lemon tarts during a holiday in France so it was only natural that I would try to bake it at home. I believe that I simply decided to publish the recipe after I had shot a few pictures. I mean, my hubby loves anything citric, I won’t say no to some tangy lemon dessert. If you also like this flavor, check the 18 recipes with citric fruits. As my blog is turning 9 today, I decided to make this lemon cheesecake with lemon curd. Think a cookie crust, creamy cream cheese with a lot of lemon zest and juice, and lemon curd. I mean, I wanted LEMON flavor.
Yes, “bolo nega maluca” literally translates as “cake from the crazy black women”. Presumably because a female slave accidently added cocoa powder to another cake she was making, mumbling something along the way and nobody understood, thus the cake was named that way. Be this as it may, truthful or not, but the cake itself is a one-bowl recipe. It is perfect for feeding a smaller group, for a birthday or similar. If you are short on time, you can do without the soak or topping. Below you will find a smaller version of this cake, I made it in an 18 springform. Normally it is served as a full sheet cake. 
I hope you had a good start into 2026! Since this plum cake in a springform is so popular among my readers, I thought I might as well make one with apples. Just like at granny’s, with yeast dough, apple chungs and a thick layer of crumbs. The crumbs contain sliced almonds and gets the extra crunch, cinnamon makes it feel cozy and warm. I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy turning on the oven in winter. It feels so cozy when it is cold outside, maybe there is even snow and you can smell yeast dough being baked. This was also what happened, when I decided to make this cake. It was minus 8 (Celsius) on that day. You may see it on the pictures I took on the balcony, I only managed to stay outside for five minutes and then decided to come in, it simply was too cold. But once inside, ah, enjoying a slice with some hot beverage…
Yay, today you are getting a true show-stopper cake. This one is with orange and cranberry flavor. It tastes amazing and looks even prettier. These candles or the cake can be made well in advance, however, it does require you to prepare three components: the cake, the filling, the buttercream and you will need to assemble and frost it. Of course you are free to use other flavors, I can also imagine making it with gingerbread cake. With this post I wanted to wish you a wonderful season and hope that 2026 is better than 2025!
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Torta negra from Colombia or Venezuela is the equivalent to German stollen, it is made a few weeks in advance. The cake can also be served fresh, however, it will develop more flavor over time. In Colombia and Venezuela the dried fruit soak in rum or wine for a year! Apparently it is common to use the preparation that was made a year before and immediately make a new batch, which is then going to be used in a year. Crazy, right? I didn’t do that, I soaked the dried fruit for a week and it was just as delicious. Torta negra has similarties with the British fruit cake. It is a heavy batter with dried fruits. However, unlike fruit cake from Britain, this one contains burnt sugar (quemado or dulce de panela), which has a slightly bitter caramel flavor. The dried fruits are local, so you may find mango, pineapple, and papaya. In addition, chopped nuts are a must. But just like British fruit cake, it is also soaked in alcohol, traditionally rum or wine, but you may also find wine. It is often served for weddings or birthdays. My husband’s grandfather, who was the baker of a Colombian village, made this cake often a month in advance for weddings.
This is a moist lemon bundt cake, which comes together quickly. Most of the time is spent in the oven, baking. Did you know that today is the official bundt day? I didn’t and I am happy to say that I finally got round to making one again. This one contains yoghurt and stays fresh because of that. You can serve it with a little bit of lemon drizzle with a cup of coffee.
Today you are getting a moist apple cinnamon bundt cake. I believe this cake is fall incarnation. For me October is apple season. This year I find the season extremly pretty. Our street is lined with maple trees and they are so vibrant and pretty this year. Of course I had to stop and incorporate the leaves into my pictures. I felt they match the cake with all its warmth. As stated, the bundt cake contains apple sauce and cinnamon. I made the apple sauce myself, but of course you can go with store-bought.
Gâteau Opéra or French opera cake is the French answer to an Italian tiramisu. It is a classic of elegant French patisserie. It consists of an almond sponge cake soaked in coffee syrup, coffee buttercream, and chocolate ganache layered into a seven-layer dish. Traditionally, the decadent cake slices are cut into small rectangles, and decorated with the word “opéra,” but I opted for a treble clef instead. The inventor of this elegant cake, the French Cyriaque Gavillon aimed to provide the whole experience in one small bite. Once his wife tried his concoction, she claimed that this cake reminded her of the Parisian opera house Palais Garnier. Voilá the French opera cake was born. The pastry shop Dalloyau where Gavillon was employed, has been serving this cake since 1955. This is as French as it gets. But I will warn you, it does have many components and takes its amount of time to prepare. But slices can be frozen and components made in advance. You will be rewarded with the most delicious cake that so nicely combines the coffee and chocolate flavor. Maybe you will give this a try?

















