This simple apricot cake is exactly what you need for a picnic, I took pictures outside on purpose. Sitting in a green area with a piece of this cake sounds perfect to me. The cake is easy to make and does not require any chilling times. Even though there are only two of us, we gobbled it up quickly. I was inspired by this simple cherry cake, but I would be me if I didn’t tweak the recipe a bit and made it even simpler. If you are looking for some more recipes with apricots or peaches, how about this blog article with 14 apricot and peach recipes.
My grandma was a wonderful cook and she baked the most amazing cakes. I was gifted a recipe booklet from her. She passed away a few years ago so you probably can understand that this is a little treasure for me. Today I am introducing a German cheesecake recipe I found in this little booklet of hers. She titled it “Quarckkuchen”. I was surprised she actually had written down measurements for the recipe, that is not always the case. A full kilo of German quark (similar to farmer’s cheese) has to go into the cake. Maybe you can find quark in Aldi or Lidl? Unfortunately, the steps involved in making this cake were pretty limited, e.g. no oven temperature or time was given. So I decided to give it a go and put into place what I have learned so far of cheesecakes and how to avoid cracks. I think the result speaks for itself, there were no cracks whatsoever, I am so proud. I wish I could hand a piece to my grandma for her to try.
Argentinian crescents are called medialunas, which translates as half moons. I would say they are a distant cousin of French croissants or the Italian cornettos. However, instead of creating a layer of butter seperately, which is then folded into the dough, we will add it directly to the dough. The whole laminating process, which means that the dough is rolled out and folded and then chilled, is kept to a minimum. We will only do it one round. I think this is the perfect compromise, it gives us some of those flaky layers, but does not require as many resting times as the traditional croissant. However, despite a reduction in resting times, this still is a yeast dough, which means that you will need time before you can finally bite into one. I have to admit, suddenly I had eaten three even though I only wanted to eat one…
You need a super easy and quick rhubarb cake that is simple to make and done rather quickly? I got you covered. We are going to make a dough that serves as the base as well as the crumbs. This dough does not need to chill like pie crust and this is also the reason why the cake is in the oven rather quickly. The filling also has to be prepared, but not be heated, it will be placed raw on the base and then baked to perfection. In Germany this cake is traditionally served with a dollop of whipped cream and/or icing sugar sprinkled on top. I originally had planned to dust the cake before taking pictures, but I somehow forgot. I digged into the warm cake and devoured two pieces, that is how excited I got!
Today I have a simple and easy plum coffee cake for you. You don’t have to wait for yeast dough like for this Bavarian plum cake called Zwetschgendatschi or have to chill dough like for this plum tart. This is a dough you can put into the cake fom right away. I believe you will need less than 30 minutes until the oven takes over and you can relax. The cake also has a wonderful almond crust, which is mixed together in minutes and which gives this cake some extra points. A simple, yet delicious coffee cake you can carry to a picnic or which you get bring to a pot luck, can I interest you in it?
Today you will get a simple apricot sheet cake. Because I love apricots and because I needed a simple cake, one you can eat with your hands and you may take to a picnic. For that reason I took pictures outside, I wanted to feel the fresh summer air. I guarantee, this cake is going to disappear faster than you can look. We happily ate it. As it is only the two of us, I made a slightly smaller version, but you can use a regular baking sheet. For 13 more apricot recipes, check this blog post.
This simple strawberry cake is perfect for any summer gathering, it is easy to transport and has this vibrant color and also taste to it. You may wish to take it to a picnic . It is packed with 500 grams of fresh strawberries and zest from two lemons. I sprinkled it with sliced almonds, but that is optional. Just grab a piece, enjoy the sun and take a bite, yum. This is one of these cakes you are going to bake over, and over again. Tip: if you carry it with the parchment paper still below, it is super easy to lift out and cut, so delicious for any gathering…
Today I am presenting a rhubarb strawberry crostata or rhubarb strawberry galette. You may call a crostata or galette the cousin of rhubarb pie or rhubarb tart. Yes, you have pie dough, but you just roll it out to a circle, arrange the fruits in the middle of it, and then you fold the edges toward the middle. There is no lattice pattern, no need to decorate, or even using a pie dish, this is much faster and easier. I was very much in the mood for a simple and quick tart, so here it is. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making this crostata. If you prepare the dough the night before, it comes together in a jiffy.
While I am writing these words, I still have the taste of this delicious apricot pretzel sticks cake in my mouth. This is seriously such a delicious treat and we are not going to use the oven. When I first tried it, I thought it was OK, you know, good, but not necessary excellent. However, the day after, I was so surprised, it tasted just so much better. So this is definitely a cake you can make in advance. Yummy, yummy, yummy. And for that reason this recipe made it on the blog, so let’s enjoy this apricot pretzel sticks cake! Continue Reading…
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.