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cherries

Simple Cherry Cake for a Picnic

Einfacher Kirschkuchen

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.

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Classic Cherry Pie

Amerikanischer Cherry-Pie

If you are married to a huge cherry lover, and I am talking about a pound per day, you may think that said cherry lover would like to try a cherry pie. So I decided to give it a go and made a classic cherry pie as known and loved in the U.S. I find American recipes very sweet, so I reduced the amount of sugar. Also, as is typical in the U.S., I used water instead of an egg to bind the dough. And then I presented below pie to my cherry lover. When he took the first bite, he didn’t say anything, but instead simply asked for more within seconds. Obviously this was a huge hit!

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Creamy Cherry Chocolate Mousse Cake

Kirsch-Schoko-Mousse-Torte

Today I am going to introduce you to an old friend I have, but in a new outfit, I am talking about the creamy cherry chocolate mousse cake I already have on my blog. I actually made the recipe simpler and added more cherries to the mix. Whoever knows me, knows that I am a sucker for fruity cakes, pies, and tarts. In this instance, I felt about double the amount of cherries would be just perfect. I am still proud though that I won a prize with the original recipe. The award was for me and a person of my choosing to visit the beautiful city Tübing in the south of Germany and actually attend the chocolate festival they display every year. If you would like to learn more, check out this post. For the dressed-up recipe I decided to go for a 20cm/8inch cake instead of 26cm/9inch cake, with about double the amount of cherries and a much simpler chocolate mousse with no raw egg in it. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

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Classic Red Riding Hood Cake from Germany

Klassische Rotkäppchentorte

Have you ever heard of the red riding hood cake we have here in Germany? Well, it is a cake with a very red glaze, smooth as glass. Its shiny color reminds you of the red riding hood and hence it got its name from this tale.  The base of this impressive cake is like a marbled cake, which is dotted with cherries. The second layer consists of whipping cream mixed with quark and the third is a glaze made with cherry juice. Welcome to a German fairy tale!

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Spice Waffles with Mulled Wine Cherries

Spekulatius-Waffeln mit Glühweinkirschen

Spice waffles with mulled wine cherries! I love breakfast. I love eating breakfast, especially on weekends when I can get up early and have enough time at hand to make something special. I really enjoy making these waffles for a breakfast or bunch. Do you like using cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. also in January and February? Here in Germany you can buy already prepared spices mixes for gingerbread and I love buying in bulk shortly before Christmas to have the spices also available in January and February. I love making waffles with this spice mix, especially between Christmas and New Year’s when people are on vacation and are more relaxed.

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Wintery Kaiserschmarren with Cherry Compote

Kaiserschmarren mit Glühweinkirschen

Today I brought along broken-up pancakes, which are called Kaiserschmarren with a nice cherry compote with spices and mulled wine. I would like to take a bite right away. When I moved from the north of Germany to the south, I realized that it was a lot of fun making some of the more southern recipes, you can definitely feel the influence of Austria, which is about one hour away. The Austrian cuisine offers a lot of pastry dishes prepared with flour, eggs, and milk. Once you go hiking in the Alps and are offered Kaiserschmarren at one of the cabins, you will know what I am talking about, it is so amazing. I like this dish also for breakfast or brunch, it is perfect for a cold winter day. I already introduced a Kaiserschmarren recipe on the blog in spring, that one was prepared with rhubarb, but today we are going for the winter edition with warming and spiced cherries.

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Black Forest Eclairs

Recipes that have a story to tell are my favorite recipes. That’s definitely the case for these black forest eclairs. The reason for me making eclairs after a while again was because a blogger colleague of mine named Julia (her German blog is called Julia bakes) was hospitalized and eager to eat some proper eclairs. Obviously the hospital didn’t provide such a treat so Julia asked if anyone was willing to bake her some. Since I live in the same city and had some time off before starting to work again, I volunteered. Baking eclairs for her reminded me of the fact that my husband is a huge lover of eclairs. For that reason I have been whipping up eclairs more regularly again. These black forest eclairs are definitely one of my favorite flavor combinations.

Schwarzwälder-Kirsch-EclairsI do admit that eclairs take a while, but the good thing is you can prepare the cherry filling in advance. Since these eclairs are based on the famous black forest cake, I added chocolate shavings to the whipped cream. So imagine an eclair filled with lots of delicious cherry filling, topped off with whipped cream and chocolate shavings and then being dipped in chocolate ganache. Sounds like music to my ears.

Schwarzwälder-Kirsch-EclairsChoux pastry, the dough the ecalirs are made with, is not difficult to make. I honestly don’t know why so many people are intimidated by it. If you ask me, I find it easier than working with than yeast. What you should keep in mind when preparing choux pastry? Do NOT open the oven door while they are baking. The eggs need a consistant environment, so don’t be tempted to check and open the door. Just like cheese cake, choux pastry likes a humid environment, so my little trick is to put a container with water on the bottom of the oven. And secondly, you need to be sure to bake them long enough. The outside should be crunchy and the elcairs easy to cut through. That way it will be easier also to hold up all the filling and for them to stay fresh longer.

The ony part that is a little tricky is knowing how many eggs you need to add to the dough. But if you have a glossy dough that is pipepable, you got the right consistency and boy, I can tell you that home-made and from scratch eclairs are simply the best. A light and fluffy dough which is filled with cherries and complemented by whipped cream with chocolate shavings and chocolate ganache, I don’t know what else to ask for. Are you going to give these beauties are try?

Black Forest Eclairs

Serves: Around 16-20 eclairs
Prep Time: 30min Cooking Time: 30-35min Total Time: 1 hr

These Black Forest Eclairs have a regular houx pastry, are filled with a super fruity cherry filling and are then topped of with whipping cream with chocolate shavings and some extra chocolate glaze.

Ingredients

  • Eclairs
  • 250 grams of water
  • A pinch of salt
  • 50 grams of butter
  • 150 grams of all-purpose flour
  • 3-5 eggs, size M at room temperature

  • Cherry Filling
  • 1 can of cherries of 800 grams
  • 50 grams of regular sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
  • 25 grams of tapioca starch or cornstarch

  • Whipped Cream
  • 300 grams heavy cream
  • 25 grams of regular sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, see here how to make your own
  • 100 grams of chocolate shavings

  • Chocolate Ganache
  • 100 grams of heavy cream
  • 100 grams of semi-sweet chocolate

Instructions

1

For the eclairs heat water, salt and butter in a pot and let the butter melt completely. Change temperature to low and add all the flour at once while still stirring. Stir until a ball forms. Be sure to move the ball around for about one or two minutes, there should be a thin white layer on the bottom of the pot. Move dough ball to a bowl and let cool off.

2

Add first egg. Beat in one egg at a time. First the dough will appear crumbly. Depending on the size of the eggs, you will have to beat in between 3-5 eggs. The right consistency is reached if the dough slowly drops off a spoon and looks glossy.

3

Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius and place a large ovenproof container with water on the bottom of your oven. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe stripes of about 2 centimeters in width and 12 cm in length on the baking sheet. Leave space between each as they will puff considerably. You can wet your fingers with some water to smooth away any inconsistencies. Bake eclairs on medium rack for 10min, reduce temperature to 180 and bake for another 15-20min. The crust should be a little darker and crunchy. Do NOT open the oven door as otherwise the eclairs will shrink. Cut eclairs in half while still warm.

4

For the cherry filling drain cherries while keeping the juice. Take about have the juice and bring to a boil with sugar and lemon juice. Stir tapioca starch with some water until you see no lumps. Once the juice is boiling, add the tapioca and stir for about one to two minutes, until it become thick. Add the cherries and set aside.

5

For the whipping cream whip the cream with all ingredients except for the chocolate shavings for about four minutes or until stiff. Fold in chocolate shavings.

6

For the chocolate ganache heat the heavy cream, once almost boiling, take off heat and add chocolate in chunks. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

7

Spoon cherry filling on the bottom of each eclair and either dollop or pipe on the whipped cream. Dunk the top part of the eclair in the chocolate ganache and place on top. Eclairs taste best on the same day they were made. However, you can keep them chilled for a few days in an airtight container.

Notes

Eclairs taste best on the day they were made. If kept chilled in an airtight container, they can be eaten for a few days.

Schwarzwälder-Kirsch-Eclairs

Cherry Hazelnut Cake

cherry hazelnut cake

This cherry hazelnut cake is glutenfree and soooo delicious! I especially like the fact that it works well with frozen cherries. I have been longing for fresh fruit and this is the perfect cake during winter, which has been dragging on. Maybe that’s why I got so excited and took more pictures than usual. I just need some fresh color and fruits!

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