Rüdesheimer Kaffee

Rüdesheimer Kaffee Recipe

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Rüdesheimer Kaffee Recipe

The Rüdesheimer Kaffee consists of sugar cubes, Asbach Uralt, a brandy, coffee, and whipped cream with sprinkled chocolate. The name of Asbach for the brandy goes back to the founder of the company established in Rüdesheim, Hugo Asbach.

Ingredients:

  • 3 sugar cubes
  • 4-6 ml of Asbach Uralt (if you cannot find Asbach, any other brandy works too). The amount of brandy depends on how strong you would like to have it.
  • 1 cup of coffee
  • 2 tsp. of whipped cream
  • some grated chocolate

Preparation:

Place the sugar cubes in a tall coffee cup. Warm the brandy either in the microwave or in a bain-marie and pour it over the sugar cubes. Use a long match to light the sugar cubes and brandy mix, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Pour the hot coffee over the sugared Asbach. Add the whipped cream and shave or grind the chocolate over the top.

The town of Rüdesheim is on the river Rhein and is also known for its famous street Drosselgasse with many restaurants and outdoor cafes offering regional wine.

If you want to try the Glühwein – Mulled Wine recipe click here and for the Mai Wine Punch click here.

 

 

Traditional Frankfurter Kranz

Traditional Frankfurter Kranz Recipe

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Traditional Frankfurter Kranz Recipe – A classic buttercream filled cake with krokant sprinkles

This Traditional Frankfurter Kranz Recipe is a classic amongst the German buttercream cakes. The recipe which originated in Frankfurt am Main, Germany became famous all over the world.  Making a Frankfurter Kranz requires some work, but is worth the effort. This cake tastes better if prepared the day before serving and can also be frozen. 

Ingredients for batter of Traditional Frankfurter Kranz Recipe:

  • 200 g (7.05 oz) of soft butter
  • 250 g (8.81 oz) of sugar
  • 1 pouch of vanilla sugar OR 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 6 eggs, XL
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons of rum OR lemon juice
  • 300 g (10.58 oz) of all purpose flour
  • 100 g (3.52 oz) of Gustin OR corn starch
  • 1 pouch of baking powder OR 3 teaspoons of baking powder

Preparation of the cake:

Use an electric hand mixer and mix soft butter with sugar, vanilla flavoring, and salt. Add one egg at a time to mix. Then, add lemon or rum. In a separate container, add Dr. Oetker Gustin or cornstarch and baking powder to the flour. Mix it and sift it over the butter mixture. Stir until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into a buttered baking pan for Frankfurter Kranz or in a coffee cake pan 10 inches or 11 inches in diameter with a center tube.

Batter Frankfurter Kranz Recipe   img_8022   Baking Traditional Frankfurter Kranz Recipe

Preheat the oven to 175°C – 185°C (350°F – 365°F). Place the cake on the middle rack and let it bake for about 35 – 45 minutes.

Take the cake out of the oven and place it upside down on a cooling rack to let it cool down. Mark the center of the cake with toothpicks before cutting the cake twice horizontally.

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Ingredients for the butter cream filling, topping and decoration:

  • 1 ½ pouches of Dr. Oetker Vanilla Pudding OR Jello-O (3 oz – 85 g)  vanilla cook & serve pudding & pie filling
  • 150 g (5.29 oz) of sugar
  • 750 ml (25.36 oz) of milk
  • 300 g (10.58 oz) of soft butter
  • 200 g – 300 g (7.05 oz – 10.58 oz) of red current jam OR raspberry jam 
  • 12-16 candied cherries
  • 150 g-200 g (5.29 oz – 7.05 oz) of hazelnut cracknel OR chocolate sprinkles OR homemade hazelnut OR almond cracknel follow instructions below:

Preparation of the buttercream for the Traditional Frankfurter Kranz Recipe:

Mix the pudding powder with some of the cold milk to dissolve it. Bring to boil with the rest of the milk and the sugar while stirring with a whisk. Take the pan off the heat and empty the pudding into a bowl right away, cover it with cellophane. (Wet one side of the cellophane wrap with water and cover the pudding with the wet side down. This will prevent a “skin” on top of the pudding from developing).  Let the pudding cool down — but do not place it in the fridge.

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Beat the soft butter with an electric hand mixer. While beating, add one tablespoon of pudding at a time. Continue until all the pudding is mixed into the butter and the consistency of your buttercream is light and fluffy. Fill about six tablespoons of butter cream in a decorating bag with a tip and set aside. You will need this to decorate the top of the cake later.

Note: If the buttercream coagulates (which may happen if the butter and pudding are too cold or the pudding and butter have different temperatures) just put the buttercream in a bowl and place the bowl in the microwave for a few seconds and mix it again.

img_8069   img_8078   Buttercream Traditional Frankfurter Kranz Recipe

Ingredients for the homemade cracknel:

  • 200 g (7.05 oz) of chopped or sliced peeled almonds OR hazelnuts
  • 100 g (3.52 oz) of sugar
  • 100 ml (3.38 oz) of water

Preparation of the homemade cracknel for the Traditional Frankfurter Kranz Recipe:

Fill the water in a skillet. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. When the sugar is dissolved and the water is clear again, add the almonds. Roast the almonds while constantly stirring from the outside to the center. Roast until all the liquid is gone and the almonds have reached a golden brown color.

Place the almonds on a baking sheet covered with baking paper right away. Use a knife to spread the mixture on the sheet and let it cool down. The mixture will harden. When it has cooled down, break the cracknel (Krokant) into small pieces.

img_7834  img_7842  Preparation homemade cracknel Frankfurter Kranz

Finishing of the Traditional Frankfurter Kranz:

Place the first layer of the cake on a rotating cake stand to decorate. Pass the jam through a sieve and spread the jam on top of the bottom layer. Spread a layer of butter cream on top of the jam using a spatula. Place the second cake layer on top of the buttercream and make sure it lines up with the toothpicks. Spread jam and buttercream onto the second layer. Place the third layer of cake onto the second layer of buttercream. Line up with the toothpicks. Remove the toothpicks.

img_8084   img_8088   Filling Traditional Frankfurter Kranz Recipe

Spread the buttercream on the cake using the back of an angled icing spatula. Start with the sides of the inner ring and then do the sides of the outer ring, before decorating the top of the cake with buttercream. Sprinkle the cracknel or chocolate sprinkles, first on the inside, then on the outside and finally on the top. Using a cake lifter, carefully move the cake to the serving plate. Use the buttercream from the decorating bag and decorate the top reflecting 12 or 16 pieces. Finally place the cherries on top of the buttercream.

img_8097   img_8098   Decoration Traditional Frankfurter Kranz Recipe

The Frankfurter Kranz may be a nice addition to your Traditional Thanksgiving Celebration or for your German American Thanksgiving Celebration. To try the Traditional Black Forest Cake click here or the Classic German Cream Puffs Recipe click here.

 

German Pretzel Buns Recipe

German Pretzel Buns Recipe

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German Pretzel Buns Recipe – Laugenstangen

The dough of the German pretzel buns recipe is a little different from the dough of my soft pretzels. Whereas I use water to make the pretzel dough, I use a mixture of milk and water for the buns. The second rising of the pretzel is after the first rising at a warm place, and the dough of the bun dough rises overnight in the refrigerator. 

Ingredients for the German Pretzel Buns Recipe:

  • 500 g (1.1 lbs) of flour, all-purpose
  • 1 pouch of dry yeast, rapid rise
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 teaspoons of salt
  • 40 g (1.41 oz) of butter, soft
  • 150 ml (5.07 oz) of water, lukewarm
  • 150 ml (5.07 oz) of milk, lukewarm
  • 1-2 tablespoons of salt, coarse

For the lye:

  • 1 l (1.05 qt) of water
  • 60 g (2.11 oz) of baking soda

Mix the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Cut the butter into slices and spread it on top of the flour. Mix the milk and water and heat up to lukewarm. Add half of the water milk mixture to the flour and start kneading on low, while gradually adding the rest of the liquids. Knead for 8 minutes until the dough loosens from the sides of the bowl.

Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 40 minutes or until it has doubled.

Shaping of the buns:

Take the dough out of the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Cut pieces of 90 g to make the buns. The dough is very tense and quickly dries out. Therefore cover the unused portions with cellophane foil while working on the shaping of the rolls.

Make a ball of each piece and flatten it using the palm of your hand or a rolling pin. Roll the dough tightly about 6 inches in a way that the ends are thinner.

Rolling a ball for the German Pretzel Buns Recipe   Flatten the dough   Making a tide roll

Close the seam with the fingers, turn the roll around and place it on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel and let the buns rest overnight in the refrigerator.

Closing the roll of the German Pretzel Buns Recipe   Shaping the buns   Rising of the dough

Preparation of the soda lye:

Use plastic gloves to prepare the lye and to work with the dipped buns. Fill a saucepan with the water, and bring it to a boil. Remove the pan from the stove and slowly and carefully add the baking soda to the water while stirring. The baking soda will bubble, so make sure that your saucepan is high enough. Bring the liquid back to a boil again, turn the heat down and let it simmer. Carefully dip the buns into the lye, leaving them no more than 30 seconds in it. Make sure the pretzels are entirely dipped into the water.  

Remove the pretzels from the soda lye with a skimming ladle and place them on a cooling rack covered with baking paper to let them drip and rise.

Baking of the buns:

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220°C – 425° F. Transfer the buns on a baking sheet covered with a double layer of baking paper. Make two cuts diagonal into the buns using a sharp knife or a razor blade and brush them with the lye before sprinkling the coarse salt on top. 

Dipping the rolls of the German Pretzel Buns Recipe   Preparation of the buns   Baking of the buns

Bake the pretzel buns for 15-17 minutes using the third rack. Once you take the buns out of the oven, immediately spray them with water for a nice shine and let them cool down on a cooling rack.

You can serve the pretzel buns with Oma’s Obatzda here, a traditional cheese butter spread, or one of the flavored butter spread here.

 

 

Obatzda Cheese Butter Spread

Obatzda Cheese Butter Spread

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Obatzda Cheese Butter Spread – A Beer Garden Specialty

Obatzda Cheese Butter Spread. A spicy spread mostly served with soft pretzels at beer gardens and during Oktoberfest. The mild version of the spread is a the combination Camembert/Brie and cream cheese. The stronger version is a combination of Camembert/Brie and Limburger cheese.

Ingredients for Obatzda:

  • 400 g (14.10 oz) of Camembert cheese OR Brie, ripe
  • 150 g (3.5 oz) of cream cheese OR Limburger cheese
  • 2 tablespoons of soft butter
  • ¾ – 1 cup of onions, chopped 
  • ½ – 1 teaspoon salt depending on how much the cheese is spiced
  • ½ teaspoon of pepper, black coarse 
  • ½ teaspoon of paprika
  • 1 teaspoon of caraway, seeds
  • 2 tablespoons of beer

Preparation of Obatzda:

Cut the hard rind off the cheese. Add Camembert/Brie with cream cheese, butter, beer, peeled and chopped onions, and spices to a bowl. Mix the ingredients with a handheld electric mixer until it becomes smooth. Fill the Obatzda in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator.

Preparation Obatzda Cheese Butter Spread                     

Sprinkle some paprika onto the Obatzda. Serve it with radishes and pretzels or with Oma’s homemade pretzels. To find tips for an Oktoberfest Party click here.

Obatzda Cheese Butter Spread

Traditional Black Forest Cake

Traditional Black Forest Cake

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Traditional Black Forest Cake – Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

The Traditional Black Forest Cake is called Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in Germany.

Ingredients for Shortcrust Pastry for Traditional Black Forest Cake:

  • 150 g (5.3 oz) of flour, all-purpose 
  • 1 tablespoon of cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder 
  • 75 g (2.64 oz) of sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pouch of German vanilla sugar OR 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 100 g (3.5 oz) of butter, soft 

Preparation of the Shortcrust Pastry:

Mix the flour, cocoa, and baking powder and sift into a bowl. Add sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt and mix again. Spread the soft butter on top and knead with your hands until the shortcrust is smooth. Cut a circle of baking paper to cover the bottom of a springform. Form the shortcrust into a ball and place it in the springform (pan size 10″ or 11″).  Spread the crust evenly on the bottom of the form using a pastry roller. Make small holes in the crust with a fork. 

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Preheat the oven to 185° C (365°F). Place the cake on the middle rack and bake for about 15 minutes. Open the springform and let the cake cool down in the form before you take the ring of the springform off.

Ingredients for Sponge Cake:

  • 4 eggs, XL
  • 2 tablespoons of water, hot 
  • 100 g (3.5 oz) of sugar
  • 1 pouch of German vanilla sugar OR 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 75 g (2.64 oz) of flour, all-purpose 
  • 50 g (1.76 oz) of cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon of cocoa
  • ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1½ teaspoons of baking powder

Preparation of the Sponge Cake:

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites using an egg separator. Mix the egg yolks with the hot water until it’s creamy. Add sugar, your vanilla flavoring of choice and mix until smooth. Beat the egg whites with a handheld mixer until stiff and place the beaten egg whites on top of the egg yolks. Combine the flour, cornstarch, cocoa, cinnamon, and baking powder and sift over the eggs. Using a pastry blender or a large whisk, slowly fold the beaten egg whites and the flour mixture into the batter. Work in circles from the outside in. Do not beat or stir. Pour the batter in a buttered springform, the same size as the one used for the shortcrust cake.  

Sponge Cake Black Forest Cake Recipe

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and place your cake on the middle rack. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. Once the cake is done, take your cake out of the pan immediately and let it cool down on a cooling rack.

Ingredients for Cherry Filling:

  • 750 g (26.45 oz) of pitted sour cherries OR 1 can/jar of Bing cherries
  • 75 g (2.64 oz) of sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons of Cherry Brandy (Kirschwasser)

Preparation of the Cherry Filling:

Pour the cherries in a colander and save the juice from the can in a saucepan underneath. Take 4-6 tablespoons of juice and keep it in a separate cup on the side. Add sugar in the rest of the juice and bring it to a boil. Next, take the saved fruit juice and add the cornstarch. Mix it into the boiling juice to thicken. Add cherry brandy and remove from the stovetop. Before you add the cherries to the juice, set aside 12-16 cherries for decorating the top of the cake or use Maraschino Cherries for the decoration. Let the cherry mixture cool down. 

Ingredients for Decoration of the Traditional Black Forest Cake:

  • 944 ml (32 oz) of heavy whipping cream
  • 4 pouches of “Whip it” whipping cream stabilizer
  • 1 pouch of German vanilla sugar OR 1  teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar
  • 125 g (4.4 oz) dark chocolate OR chocolate sprinkles

Beat the whipping cream and add powdered sugar and “Whip it” to stabilize the cream. 

Finishing of the Traditional Black Forest Cake:

Place your shortcrust cake on a plate or on a rotating cake stand. Use half of the cherry filling and spread it on the cake. Use about ⅓ of the whipped cream and spread it on the top of the cherry filling.

IMG_7545                     IMG_7551

Cut the sponge cake horizontally in half. I usually start by making a small initial cut all around the side of the cake with a knife. After that, I use a thread and place it in the notch around the cake. Cross the thread and pull on both sides until the cake is sliced evenly in half. 

IMG_7539                     Sponge for traditional Black Forest Cake

Place one-half of the sponge cake on top of the filled shortcrust cake. Spread the rest of the cherry filling on the sponge and ⅓ of the whipped cream before you place the second half of the sponge cake on top. Spread the rest of the whipped cream on the sides and finally on the top of the cake. Keep some whipped cream on the side for finishing off the top with a decorating tip.

Sprinkle the grated chocolate or the chocolate sprinkles on the sides. Mark the cake on the top to get even slices. You can use either a knife or a cake marker, which is available for 10, 12, 14, or 16 slices to press lines on the top. Use a cake lifter to place the cake on the serving plate before finishing the decorations on top. Place the Black Forest Cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes to harden.

Decorating of the Black Forest Cake

Use a decorating tip to finish the top of the cake with the rest of the whipped cream and the cherries you set aside or Maraschino cherries to your likings. You can easily prepare the cake ahead of time and store it in the freezer. To try the Danube Wave Cake Recipe click here, the German Chocolate Log Cake click here, and the Dresdner Eierschecke click here.

Traditional Black Forest Cake   Black Forest Cake Heart Shape   Serving Cake

 

German Goulash Recipe

German Goulash Recipe

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German Goulash Recipe

German Goulash Recipe. Goulash prepared with beef is called Rindergulasch in Germany. A traditional Old Time favorite dish.

Ingredients for German Goulash Recipe:

  • 1500 g (3.25 lbs) of beef bottom round roast OR cut goulasch
  • 500 g (17.5 oz) of sliced onions
  • 60 g (2.10 oz) of sliced carrots
  • ½ of diced red bell pepper
  • ½ of diced green bell pepper
  • ½ of diced yellow bell pepper
  • ½ – ¾ of fresh diced chili pepper
  • 3 cloves of diced garlic 
  • 1 diced tomato
  • 1 tablespoon of sour cream
  • 2–3 tablespoons of Cognac OR Wine
  • 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
  • salt
  • paprika
  • ground cloves
  • 1 l (1.05 qt) of water
  • 1–2 tablespoons of potato starch OR corn starch

Preparation of German Goulash:

If you are using a roast, cut the meat into your desired cube sizes. Heat up the oil in a saucepan and brown the beef. Add in the onions. When the onions are transparent, add the garlic and then the chili pepper. Stir well. Now add in the diced bell peppers, tomatoes and carrots. Stir again until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.

Add the water and about one level teaspoon of salt, a pinch of paprika, and the ground cloves. Cover the saucepan.

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Bring the goulash to a boil, turn the heat down to medium low and let it simmer for about 1 hour 45 minutes. Check on your goulash regularly while simmering. If necessary, add water to ensure the meat is covered with liquid.

The cooking time may differ, depending on the type of meat used. After 1.5 hours, use a fork to test the meat. If the meat sticks to the fork, it needs additional cooking time.  If the meat is loose and falls off the fork, your goulash is ready.

Once done cooking, add the sour cream and cognac to the goulash. Dissolve the cornstarch in about 4–5 tablespoons of water. Add the starch to the goulash to thicken the sauce to your liking. 

Make a complete meal by serving your German goulash beef stew with Oma’s Homemade Spaetzle and Boston Salad with Oma Mutti Dressing. Enjoy! To try Oma’s Noodle Casserole Recipe click here. 

German Goulash Beef Stew

(PHOTO: My three-year old granddaughter standing on a chair to help me prepare this meal for her Papa. She did a great job!)

Homemade Quark Recipe

Homemade Quark Recipe

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Homemade Quark Recipe – So easy to make

There are different ways of preparing Homemade Quark. I tried several variations using different  ingredients, but below is the recipe I like best. Quark has a great flavor and consistency. This Homemade Quark Recipe is prepared with milk and buttermilk. It makes about 400g – 450g (14.1oz – 15.87oz) of quark.

Ingredients for Homemade Quark Recipe:

  • 1 l (1.05 qt) of whole milk
  • 500 ml (16.9 oz) of buttermilk (I prefer the whole milk buttermilk, but the low fat buttermilk works too)

Preparation of Quark:

Use a Pyrex dish with a glass lid. Pour in the whole milk and mix in the buttermilk. Cover with the lid and let it stand for about two days at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 35°C – 100°F.

Take the lid off the glass dish and place the mixture on the lowest rack of your oven for about two hours. Take it out of the oven. Place a sieve on a bowl large enough for the milk mixture. Line the sieve with a cheesecloth or a kitchen towel (which I prefer) and pour the milk mixture into the sieve (see picture). 

If your oven temperature does not go as low as 35°C – 100°F, place the glass dish with the milk mixture for about two hours in warm water. Use a thermometer to check the temperature. When the water cools down, fill it up with more warm water until the water has reached the recommended temperature again. Sieve the mixture as described above.

 img_7825   img_7829   Making homemade quark recipe

Lift the corners of the cheesecloth or kitchen towel and twist them until you have kind of a sack. Make sure not to press too hard because the quark will come through. Let the quark drain until it has reached the consistency you like (2-3 hours). If the quark is too dry, add some of the whey back into it. If it is too wet, let it drain a little longer. You can also add some whipping cream to the finished quark. Your quark is ready to be chilled in the refrigerator.

img_7953   img_7955   img_7959

You can serve the quark in the morning for breakfast. Spread it on your toast and top with your favorite marmalade or jam or add some fruits to it. Add chives and salt to serve it with boiled potatoes. Quark is also great to use it in cheesecakes or Oma’s Vanilla Cheese Pudding dessert.

Homemade quark recipe

 

 

 

Classic Potato Pancakes Recipe

Classic Potato Pancakes

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Classic Potato Pancakes – Kartoffelpfannkuchen, Reibekuchen

Classic Potato Pancakes are called Kartoffelpfannkuchen, Kartoffelpuffer or Reibekuchen in Germany.

Ingredients for Classic Potato Pancakes:

  • 2 kg (4.4 lb.) of potatoes
  • 2 medium sized onions
  • 1 leveled teaspoon of salt
  • 3 eggs XL
  • 80 g–100 g (2.8 oz–3.4 oz) of all-purpose flour (actual amount depends on size of eggs)
  • sunflower oil

Preparation:

Wash and peel the potatoes. Use a grater (the side with the small holes) or a mandolin slicer (using the fine insert) and grate the potatoes in a bowl. Peel onion, cut in half, and grate. In a colander, add the onions to the potatoes. Allow them to drain.

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Place the potatoes and onions in a bowl. Add eggs, flour, and salt. Mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon and your batter is ready. Make sure that you leave your wooden spoon in the batter to be able to stir from time to time while frying.

Heat the oil in your frying pan. Make sure the surface of your pan is completely coated with oil. If your stove top is not entirely even, add more oil to the pan.

Place a heaping tablespoon of batter in the pan and flatten it out with the back of your tablespoon. You can fry 3 or 4 pancakes in the frying pan simultaneously, but make sure there is space in between the pancakes. After two to three minutes (depending on how hot your oil is) turn the Potato Pancakes over  using two turner spatulas and fry them on the other side. Keep the oil close at hand as you may need to replenish oil while frying.

IMG_1912                     Frying Classic Potato Pancakes

Place the cooked Potato Pancakes on a serving plate, until you have finished frying the rest of your batter. Serve the pancakes with Oma’s Homemade Applesauce or as a delicious side dish to my Lentil Soup or  Split Pea Soup. They all go great together. Enjoy!

Note: If you haven’t used all the dough, you have three possibilities to store it:

First option: Tightly cover the mixture with cellophane wrap. Even though the top of the mixture will unavoidably turn brown, the dough underneath is still fresh. Just carefully remove with a spoon before making the pancakes.

Second option: Lightly fry the pancakes on both sides and keep them in the refrigerator until your ready to cook fully.

Third option: After finishing cooking the pancakes, wrap them tightly in aluminum foil and then place them in a freezer bag before freezing.