OK, this simple one-layer cake may not look that pretty, but I am telling you, it is so delicious! We have a one-layer chocolate base, which is then topped with whipping cream infused with cinnamon and plums that are simmered for a while. You need to serve the cake immediately, otherwise you may see something similar as I did, mainly that the plums move towards the plate. But be it as it may, it may not look the part, but it is sooo delicious!
So I started school in Germany back in the days. And you may not know it, but it is super common to have a school cone on the first day. However, I didn’t. Because we had moved from Uruguay recently and were not familiar with the traditions for your first school day. At least I had a proper rectangle school bag, it was purple and I was so proud! Every summer break I would scrub it and make it shine. I used it for many years. But to get back, I didn’t have the famous school cone, which contains sweets and materials for your first day of school. So I had to make sure when it was my niece’s turn for her first day of school, that we would have a cake look like a school cone. She of course had a proper school cone. The below cake pictures the one I made for her. It is slightly different, but I decided to show the pictures to make you realize how versatile the chocolate cake actually is. And also how easy and simple. I swear, this cake is so easy to make, it really comes together quickly. The recipe below gives you an idea of how to fill it with a cream and cherry pie filling. I hope you will enjoy!
This simple cherry cake has a little embarassing backstory. I once baked this cake many years ago when I was going to college. I remember, it was during one of these horrible times when there were like tons of exams and I was studying like there was no tomorrow. It felt like my brain was a hardware drive and had to be fully deleted and swiped clean just to be crammed again with data and facts for the next exam. It was during this time that my roommate asked for the recipe because she enjoyed it the first time around. She had planned to make it for her family visiting. And I simply didn’t remember anymore where I got it from, my brain, my hard drive had gone blank. However, I was too ashamed to admit to not knowing, so I simply did some research and gave her a recipe I found. Unfortunately, the recipe I had passed on to her was not nearly as good. But I kept quiet, I was too embarassed. Years later when I flipped through the very old cookbook my mom had given to me from the famous German brand Dr. Oetker, I realized that actually this was the recipe I had used back then. So, Susann, if you are reading this, it had nothing to do with your baking abilities, I simply had passed on the wrong recipe to you! Sorry for that.
Today we have a Mexican cake from the north called “mostachón de fresas.” Its base is a nut-based meringue (including crackers) a cream-cheese topping and of course strawberries. I learned that you can basically decorate with any kind of fruit. In Mexico mangos are pretty popular, but I figured since we have strawberry season and strawberries are also popular for this cake, I would stick to the traditional version. It may sound like a strange combination, especially the salty crackers, but my husband and me loved it.
Today you will get the recipe for a pup’s cake as our Australian Shepherd Hazel turned 1 recently. She gobbled up this birthday cake within minutes, I was quite surprised. I will never forgot how in August 2021 we picked her up from the breeder. It was a hot day. At the beginning having a puppy is quite demanding. It’s like having a mobile baby, she didn’t know when she simply needed to sleep and got all naughty and grumpy. By now we have figured out how to get along with each other. It takes a while to understand and communicate properly. Currently she is a teenager, just like a human teenager she is a bit rebellious and we need to show her her boundries again. But compared to the first months, I am sure we will get through this as well. But now back to the cake. Our dog loves strawberries and whipping cream. I know that some dogs have problems digesting airy products, so before you make this cake, be sure to check whether all ingredients can be eaten by yours.
Today I am going to introduce an extremely nostalgic recipe, it is called Dresdner Eierschecke, which loosely translates as a cheesecake from the city Dresden. You will find a lot of different varieties of this delicious cake. It may come along as a sheetcake, it may be a traditional round cake like in my case. Some are prepared with yeast dough, some with a pie crust. The word “Schecke” apprently comes from the late Middle Ages and would decribe a tunic with three parts: upper part, belt, and lower part. Thus, typically an Eierschecke would have three layers, the base (yeast dough, pie crust or a pound cake), the cheesecake or quark layer, and the top, which is like a custard.
When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry got married in May 2018, the combination of lemon and elderflower were all the rage. Yes, I also made a mini three-tiered elderflower lemon cake. Today, I decided to give this combo another chance. This year elderflowers are in full bloom at the moment, so you may even have the chance to make the cordial yourself. The new version of this royal combination contains moist lemon sponge cakes, lemon curd and a heavy cream and mascarpone filling infused with elderflower cordial. My cake only has one tier and I decided to decorate it with dried flowers and some fresh elderflowers. However, it is up to you how you want to decorate your cake.
May 20th is the worldwide Bee Day. For that reason I decided to publish a recipe with honey, today you will get a honey lavender bundt cake. In addition, I am giving away 1x honey jar from Münchner Honig, which was produced by the bees you see pictured here, 1x set of bee wax papers from Little bee fresh and 2x seeds to make a tiny meadow on your balcony to give the bees some flowers to take nectar from. How to be part of this, I explain below.
Did you know that working bees only live for six weeks? During that time they produce about a teaspoon of honey. Next time you complain about the price of honey, you know why. Considering that bees need to fly three times around the earth in order to produce one jar of honey, I would say honey is pretty cheap, don’t you think?
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Finally strawberry season is upon us. I thought I would introduce cute little strawberry cupcakes to you guys shortly before Mother’s Day. They are easily prepared and would be such a sweet gift. If you transport the cupcakes without the forsting, you can even travel a bit. I recommend swirling on the frosting shortly before serving. I mean, who wouldn’t love a lemon cupcake with strawberry-jam filling and whipped cream that is infused with freeze-dried strawberries?
Finally, this is a chocolate and Nutella lover’s dream come true. Decadent, delicious, and so, so good! It may be rather small in diameter (18cm/7inches), but my, my, my. As this is a very tall cake (14cm), you can serve very small pieces and still serve a crowd. Let me introduce you to a chocolate cake with Nutella filling and frosting and a lot of blueberries.
