Dessert/Nachspeise Archives

Bavarian Plum Dumplings (Zwetschgenknödel)

Servus! Since the Oktoberfest 2024 is around the corner, I wanted to introduce you to another classic from Bavaria, Zwetschgenknödel, which translates as plum dumpling. You will realize that during the Oktoberfest a lot of desserts and pastries are sold and super popular, another typical one is the broken-up pancake called Kaiserschmarrn, a twin of the recipe from today is made with apricots and thus would translate as apricot dumplings. So far I have only made these famous dumplings with cream cheese or sour cream, but the real deal is actually made with cooked potatoes. So far I have refrained from it as it can be pretty finicky. It tends to be rather sticky and hard to work with. But below I offer some tricks so that you can enjoy this wonderful Bavarian classic.

19/09/2024

Quesillo Custard from Venezuela

Today I am introducing the Venezuelan dessert to you named “quesillo”. Quesillo is the Venezuelan name for a custard that is normally known as flan. Flan originates in Spain and is commonly consumed and enjoyed in Latin America as well. There is a reason I have several flan recipes on my blog, you may try the classic flan, flan with pineapple, flan with coconut, chocoflan with a chocolate cake and the cousin called leche asada, which does not require a watherbath. There are a lot of recipes out there, each family has their little secret. However, what they usually have in common is a) the caramel layer on top and b) milk or heavy cream and eggs. But that is about it, some recipes require only egg yolks, others use the full egg, some may ask just for milk and others only cream. Quesillo does use sweetened condensed milk and usually a dash of rum for extra flavor. Preparing this dish only requires around 10-15min, the rest will be taken care of by the oven and fridge. The word “quesillo” comes from the Spanish word “queso” as a slice may look a bit like a slice of queese with some holes in it.

02/08/2024

Roasted Plums Ice Cream

Today I am offering roasted plums ice cream, yes, you heard right. This ice cream is amazing, I was actually blown away. If you have ever tried broken-up pancakes with plum compote, a very famous dish here in Germany, you will know what I am talking about. I couldn’t stop eating this delicious ice cream, it was just so good.

19/07/2024

Crema Catalana – Spanish Custard

This was the first year I finally was in Catalonia in Spain. Of course I had to try the famous “crema catalana”. This is a custard seasoned with orange and lemon zest and cinnamon. Just like the French crème brûlée it has a layer of caramelized sugar on top. The advantage of this custard? It is made on the stove-top and does not need a waterbath so it is easy to make and requires little time.

12/07/2024

Arroz Con Leche -Rice Pudding from Latin America

Today I am introducing rice pudding or in Spanish “arroz con leche” and I will tell you how I got the recipe, which is a super sweet story. But first let’s talk about this dessert. Arroz con leche is an extremely universal recipe. For example, rice pudding is enjoyed in the Scandinavian countries. In fact, rice pudding is often served during Christmas season and they have created their own little traditions and customs around it. In Germany rice pudding became famous during and after World War II as a cheap main meal (I have to say, I still don’t get how a sweet dish can be served as a main meal). Rice pudding is also famous in Spain and made it to Latin America at some point. You may wonder why I am introducing this universally loved recipe here. The answer is because one reader of this blog went out of her way so that I was able to obtain the cookbook containing this recipe. But let’s start at the beginning.

21/05/2024

My Fifteen Favorite Recipes with Strawberries

Is there anybody on this earth who doesn’t like strawberries? At least in some kind of form? I decided to give you my fifteen favorite recipes with strawberries. You will find cake, pie, macarons, breakfast, even a cocktail, because strawberries are so versatile. Finally, you will also find locally grown strawberries here in Germany, so I figured this is the right time for a round-up. Which one is your favorite recipe with strawberries?

#1 Strawberry tiramisu with no raw egg or alcohol

#2 Moist strawberry chocolate cake

10/05/2024

Massini – A Delicious Cream Dessert from Uruguay

Massini – today I am going to introduce a delicious dessert from Uruguay to you. Imagine two thin layers of sponge cake which sandwich together a whipping cream filling. This is then topped off with a custard layer, which has a caramelized sugar top. Of course any Uruguayan is proud of this famous dessert. It is said that the Spanish immigrant Pedro Carrera invented this dessert in 1951. He opened the pastry shop Carrera in the capital Montevideo and served this dessert. To the present day you can buy a Massini dessert at the pastry shop, yet the pastry shop usually spells it with only one S. Of course the dessert made it to the Uruguayan show Masterchef and has been popular outside of the country as well. I have to admit though that I had not managed to eat this dessert until the present day. For anyone who loves a dessert with light sponge cake and whipping cream, this dessert is for you.

15/03/2024

Cute Snowmen Macarons

Awww, these are super cute, aren’t they? Cute little snowmen as macarons. I find it so fitting that it actually snowed during the night, what better time to publish this recipe than today? I published a bucket list on January 1 with 24 ideas of what you may wish to tackle in your baking, myself included. In my opinion French macarons should definitely be on your baking bucket list. I already have several recipes on my blog. However, what I hadn’t tried so far is to decorate macarons with royal icing. Maybe due to all the gingerbread houses I decorated with royal icing not long ago made me think. You can also decorate French macarons with them, so I decided to make some snowmen. I only decorated the macaron shells on the top with rocal icing. It actually was a lot of fun. I hope these sweeten a cold winter day for you!

19/01/2024

Lemonies or Lemon Brownies

We were fortunate enough to go on vacation in the north of Spain and in Portugal in spring 2023. During our trip I got to see tons of lemon trees. Many seemed to be completely abandoned. Some had half their lemons lying on the floor, which made me hurt. So I started to pick them up. Sometimes I asked whether this was OK if I saw anyone around, but nobody seemed to mind. This resulted in me having lots of lemons during our holidays, so I got to work to use them all properly. Zorra from the blog Kochtopf (in German) publishes a lot of lemon recipes. She lives in Spain and often talks about the abundance of lemons available. So I know I would find something interesting on her blog. The below recipe is from her, I love the fudgy texture of these lemonies. Don’t think of these as a lemon loaf, but rather than brownies with lemon flavor, you will enjoy them. Continue Reading…

12/01/2024

Viennese Apple Strudel

Viennese apple strudel, would you like a piece? Yes, we are going to make this beauty from scratch, strudel dough is actually not as hard as you may think. Just be sure you have enough time at hand when you make the dough because it needs a pretty long resting period. That was actually what I tried to ignore this time and that’s why my first dough had a lot of holes and couldn’t be strechted properly. So feel free to start the dough the day beforehand. Resting it more than a few hours, e.g. overnight is no problem at all, you just give the gluten more time to develop. And then you will be rewarded with a delicious dessert with lots of apple flavor!

07/10/2023

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