It’s about high time for another sponge roll. This time I am offering a refreshing lemon sponge roll, which is perfect for winter days. The vanilla sponge contains lemon zest as well as lemon juice and obiously the same holds true to the filling as well. For the extra kick, we will brush the roll with some lemon syrup.
Today you will get a simple, yet extra moist and very lemony lemon loaf or lemon pound cake. If my hubby were to decide, I am sure I would be making cakes with citrus fruits all the time. It is by no accident that my first published recipe is a French tarte au citron oder lemon tart. I made it for Valentine’s Day and published it shortly afterwards. My list can go on and on, I do have double lemon cupcakes, blueberry lemon cake, American lemon pie and (key) lime pie on the blog, I think it is endless. All of these baked goods were for him, of course. He just loves this tart flavor and I won’t say no to lemons and limes either. Especially in winter when fruits are harder to get and the options limited. So I decided to make a simple lemon loaf. The recipe I found used tons of lemons so I gave it a go and the result is full of lemon flavor.
We finally need another German recipe on the blog, for that reason you will get the typical Snow White Cake aka Donauwelle. But I am serving this classic with a twist, you will get it with strawberries instead of cherries. This cake contains a marbled cake base (another super German recipe) into which you press some cherries (normally), followed by a layer of German buttercream and topped off with a chocolate layer. Beside the Black Forest Cake this Snow White Cake is super German for me. But since I was not in the mood for canned cherries, I decided to use a lot of fresh strawberries, so my buttercream contains chunks of strawberry. The chocolate layer also has some strawberries tucked inside. Because why not?
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Are you looking for inspiration for Easter? I’ve got you covered. Below you will find lots of recipes either for brunch or breakfast, but also if you wish to serve some special cupcakes or treats or even a cake. Check the links below the pictures, I always start from left to right. You will find all recipes from the featured picture in this blog post.
Traditional braided bread from Germany
Waffle cake with rhubarb and strawberries
Sourdough pancakes with blueberry sauce,
Thick Belgian waffles with caramelized bananas,
Broken-up pancakes with rhubarb compote
Cheesecake with rhubarb and strawberries
This fluffy and soft braided bread is traditionally served for breakfast on Easter in Germany. I made it the first time last year in 2020 when Europe was in heavy lockdown due to COVID19 and it was hard to get flour and yeast. I was grateful I always have active-dry yeast on hand, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to make this delicious bread. I have tried many different types of this bread, but this one is by far the fluffiest and softest and for that reason I am confident to present it here.
Is it OK to say “Happy Easter”? I do believe so. To be “happy” also means to be relaxed and baking definitely relaxes me. Baking is my way of dealing with the crisis, it is a wonderful method to beat depression and sadness. Yes, I also know people who got fired or are now working part-time. But regardless, I do see Easter as the feast of hope despite all the horrible things currently happening. And for that reason I decided to make macarons according to the Italian method. I already have a few macarons recipes on my blog, my very first try, strawberry macarons with no food coloring as well as coffee macarons with dulce de leche filling. But all of the listed recipes follow the French method. This is the very first recipe according to the Italian method. I will explain below what this entails.
I don’t know about you, but suddenly I am forced to cook all the time. So the other day I made a chickpea curry which lasted a few days and was really delicious. It has taken me a while, but now I know that you shouldn’t throw away the chickpea water, this can be beaten into meringue. Truly delicious meringue. For me this still is such a surprise, every time I beat this weird liquid into meringue, it is like a true miracle. Called aquafaba, I have to say, I am excited each and every time. It truly tastes just the same as meringue made with egg whites. And since I am a huge fan of meringue, I wanted to make a vegan version of it. Hence these vegan meringue nests for Easter were born. 
I love spring! I love the fresh and vibrant colors, I love that you will find rhubarb and strawberries. Aren’t they just the best combination ever? If you are up for it, below I will show you a very German cheesecake with a delicious rhubarb and strawberry sauce. You wonder what makes a German cheesecake German? We love using quark. I believe you find that in Lidl ind Aldi nowadays also in places outside of Germany. Sour cream, cream cheese, quark, we love the combination of a lot of dairy products.
Today you will get chocolate hot-cross buns! Never heard of this? It is tradition, I believe originating in the UK. Lent is broken on Good Friday with these buns, hence the cross on them. I thought this was such a special ritual and since Easter is approaching, I felt like introducing the recipe here. You may not celebrate as big as you would normally, but hey, I will definitely make something special event even if it is only the two of us celebrating Easter this time.
Today I am presenting a classic American carrot cake with cream cheese frosting to you. The only difference? I cut back on the sugar. Especially in the frosting. Because I do think that American recipes are sickly sweet, I will never forget my first cake I ate when I spent a year in Canada after highschool in Germany. I only tasted sugar, nothing else. I really love carrot cake, I love the moist texture, the crunch you get from the nuts, I love the creamy frosting with this carrot flavor, so good! I love it all – if you give me the chance to taste something beside sugar. I already made this cake about a year ago, but back then I barely got a piece, it was gone so quickly. So I decided to try again. With my favorite recipe. However, due to the Corona virus, I had to wait before flour was in stock again. But I patiently waited and got lucky. And then, bam, I made this wonderful carrot cake again!
