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sponge cake

Strawberry Sponge Roll or brazo de reina from Colombia

It barely ever happens, but this does coincide. This recipe is the same in Germany as well as Colombia. Today I am presenting a strawberry sponge roll from Germany or brazo de reina from Colombia. This sponge roll is super easy to make and is filled with heavy cream and cubed strawberries. If you are expecting guests, I highly recommend this roll as it is easy to prepare and fast to make. So far every single person has loved this recipe, Colombians and Germans alike.

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Fruity Apricot Rosemary Layer Cake

Aprikosen-Rosmarin-Torte

Have you ever tried the combo apricot with rosemary? My apricot rosemary jam became so popular that I decided to invent a cake with this flavor combination. I find that it is perfect in summer, it has this fresh taste to it and feels light and fluffy. So here you go, here you get a very light sponge cake, which is filled with an apricot cream and topped off with some caramelized apricots. Yum, so good!

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Pavê de pêssego or Tiramisu with Peaches Brazilian Style

Pavê de pêssego oder Tiramisu mit Pfirsichen auf Brasilianisch

You guys, finally I get to introduce something from Brazil on my blog. Did you know that you can find all Latin American recipes here? Since I was born in Uruguay and my husband is Colombian, you will find a lot of recipes from those countries on this blog. Yes, I also have a caramel custard from Peru called suspiro limeño on this blog and the gluten-free cheese buns from Paraguay called chipa are very popular. However, Brazil somehow hasn’t made it as of yet even though it has such a vast variety to offer and super delicious cuisine. Anyway, be it as it may, today this pavê de pêssego will make the start, this is a layered peach dessert.

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Twelve Tips for Perfect Sponge Batter

Zehn Tipps für perfekten Biskuitteig

It has been a while since I last did a how to post. Shame on me. For that reason I wanted to give you twelve tips today to produce the fluffiest, lightest and best sponge batter. I love cakes with sponge batter, I especially love sponge rolls. If you would like to check out my recipes, please scroll down. I love sponge rolls, because they are fast to prepare, look all fancy and are perfect if you have company coming over. Sponge is also a nice and unassuming companion for any layer cake you want to create. It does not take over flavorwise, it holds back and nicely complements whichever buttercream or frosting you have in mind to fill it with. But sponge batter can be a bit hard to prepare. If you are not careful, it can get dry and it may not rise as much as you had hoped while baking. For that reason I have twelve helpful tips for you how your sponge batter is going to turn out perfect.

Check this Instagram reel for a visual how I make sponge batter

#1 Your eggs need to have room temperature

Eggs are what makes a sponge cake fluffy and light, so be sure to use the best eggs you can find and have them at room temperature. Why? Because they will be much easier to beat and will take less time. So be sure to use them at room temperature. If you are anything like me, you will most likely forget to take them out on time. So here is a little trick, put them in a mug with warm water while you take care of step two and you will be good to go.

Was mit übrig gebliebenem Eiweiß und Eigelb machen und wie einfrieren#2 Measure all ingredients BEFORE you start beating the eggs

Beating the eggs is one of the most important steps for fluffy sponge batter. This is because you are beating in air into the eggs so that they can lift the batter while it is baking. So if you don’t want your beaten eggs to deflate while you are rushing around finding utensils and measuring all remaining ingredients, prepare and measure out everything beforehand. Believe me, your batter will come together much better and you will be less stressed out when you start beating the eggs.

#3 Beat egg yolks and egg whites separately

There are different ways of creating fluffy sponge batter. You can either beat the eggs as a whole or you can do it separately. I seem to always get better results beating the egg parts separately, so this is why I recommend you doing it, too. I didn’t own a KitchenAid for many years, so I had to use a handheld mixer and believe me, if you want to beat the whole eggs, you will need to beat them for at least ten minutes or longer. Not so much fun with a handheld mixer, is it? Also, if you beat your egg yolks and egg whites separately, the total amount you need to beat is still much lower, so I still do it that why. And here is another tip, if you use a handheld mixer, start with the egg whites, you can then just continue beating the egg yolks without washing anything.

#4 Beat your egg whites in a fatfree environment and don’t beat them for too long

You need to be absolutely sure that your bowl and mixer are completely fatfree before you start beating the egg whites. If there is a little bit of egg white in your egg yolk, that’s no problem, but if you have egg yolk in your egg white, it may not get stiff. To help stabilize your egg white, I always recommend a pinch of salt or a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Here in Germany we don’t have cream of tartar, so this is our way to stabilize it. I usually add the salt when the egg white is foaming and changes color, becomin white, which usually happens after a minute or so. Originally I thought I had to beat the egg white until stiff peaks form, but I learned recently that that was a little over the top, you only need to beat it until soft peaks form (see picture below). This is another reason for me why I prefer beating egg whites and egg yolks seperately, it doesn’t take that long.

Zehn Tipps für perfekten Biskuitteig

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Welcome 2019 with a Number Cake

Letter Cake mit Biskuit und Zitronen-Minzcreme

I can’t believe that 2018 is almost over, so many things happened! I distinctly remember my bike accident I had in April. It included hemorrhage, hospitalization and a long road to recovery. I am extremely grateful that I have fully recovered and don’t have any permanent damage. For this really is a miracle. For that reason we had to celebrate here on the blog, we made a gigantic cookie with a cookie monster on top, you will find the recipe here. Or the fact that we are actually moving back to Munich from Hamburg. I am not from Munich originally, but happened to live there for three years some time ago. I am excited to be moving back and see what 2019 will have in store.

Letter Cake mit Biskuit und Zitronen-Minzcreme

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Blueberry Sponge Roll

blueberry sponge roll

Guys, this blueberry sponge roll is my new summer favorite. Really. Hamburg has decided to participate in summer this year. Whereas last year summer was on a Tuesday, we have had very nice and sunny weather since May, that’s already three months and it doesn’t look like it is going to change soon. So finally I also got into the “It’s too hot, I don’t want to turn on the oven” mode. I decided I needed something light and fluffy. With fruits preferably. Simple, yet elegant.

blueberry sponge rollAnd decided to stick to something I love and which has served me well in the past: sponge roll. Sponge roll with an ultra creamy, yet refreshing filling. So I decided blueberries would serve me well. Yes, you have to turn on the oven, but it is for a mere ten minutes and this cake really doesn’t take that much time to prepare anyway. Trust me. Continue Reading…

Eton Mess Cake

Eton Mess Cake

Have you ever heard of the Eton College in UK, the famous boarding school for boys? They happen to have invented a dessert, traditionally consisting of strawberries, whipped cream, and broken up meringue. It’s called Eton Mess. It is commonly served during the annual cricket match agains Harrow School. I looked it up, this year they are playing today, June 23rd. Instead of only serving strawberries, whipped cream and broken up meringue, I decided to go with a cake version, hence Eton Mess Cake.

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Why I gave the famous Letter Cakes another chance

Letter-Cake mit Biskuit und Himbeercreme

OK, I have to say something heretical. The letter or number cakes as you can see here have disappointed me. Yes, you read right. I expected something as good as my beloved sponge roll with strawberry cream, at least if you make the cakes with sponge cake. The strawberry cream is a dream come true with a fluffy and light sponge cake. It has this light feeling to it, I expected this light feeling when I took my first bite from below letter cakes. And then I was disappointed. As I made rather narrow letters, the dough tasted crunchy, gooey, just not good. Even though I was happy about the additional fresh fruits, the better ratio of cream versus sponge cake, I was not happy. I wanted my favorite roll! I was depressed.

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Strawberry Roll

Erbeer-Biskuitrolle

I love to bake with others. Just knowing that somebody else is doing the same thing as me in their kitchen, I don’t know, it gets me excited. For that reason I am part of many baking groups. If you know anyone in Hamburg, Germany who loves to bake, please contact me and let me know.

Needless to say that when Sally, a famous food blogger from the U.S. started her monthly baking challenge, I was very happy to join. I was especially happy when she decided that the May challenge was to include strawberries (any fruit makes me happy, but berries are the best) and a sponge roll. If you would like to learn more about her baking challenge, check it out here. Continue Reading…