Kirsch Wähe (Cherry-Custard Tart) & Mandeln Hefezopf (Almond Yeast Braid)

As today is Father's Day in Germany, I baked two different bakes using the same yeast bread recipe.  I used to have reservations whenever I handle fresh yeast dough but not anymore.  The most important thing to remember is that your yeast must be fresh (not old or expired).  If you wish to bake only the Cherry-Custard Tart, the dough recipe can be found at the end of this post.  Why not make both to please your family?

Ingredients:
600 g flour (type 550) or plain flour (type 405)
80 g fine sugar
1 egg white
1 tsp salt
40 g butter, to be gently melted
250 ml warm water (straight from the tap)
1 cube à 42 g fresh yeast, to be crumbled

Method:
In a mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, egg white, salt and melted butter.  In a small jug, mix warm water and crumbled yeast together.  Stir until yeast is dissolved and add to mixing bowl.  Knead dough until it leaves the sides of bowl.  Cover bowl with a damp cloth and leave aside to let dough rise to double its volume.

Take away a portion and weigh it to 350 g.  Through my experience, I will get a total of about 1040 to 1050 g.  Leave the rest in the bowl and cover.

Filling Ingredients for Cherry-Custard Tart:
400 g pitted fresh cherries (or preserved)
4 eggs
250 ml fresh cream
4 tbsp castor sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Method:
Preheat fan oven to a temperature of 170° C.  Grease a 28 cm diameter pie pan.  Roll out dough and bring the sides up a little.  Make sure that the edges are not too thick. Arrange pitted cherries on dough evenly as shown.

In a bowl, whisk eggs, fresh cream, castor sugar and cinnamon together.  Pour half of cream into pie pan.  Place pie pan on middle rack of hot oven and then, pour the remaining cream mixture.  This is to avoid unnecessary spilling when transporting the pie pan to the oven.  Bake for about 40 minutes.

Once done, sprinkle with icing sugar passed through a small sieve.  Below is a cross-section of the tart when cut.

Dough Ingredients (if you want to bake the tart only):

250 g plain flour

½ cube fresh yeast (ca. 20 g)

125 ml warm water (straight from the tap)

40 g fine sugar

a pinch of salt

70 g soft butter
Note:  Follow the same method as above.

Almond Hefezopf

Extra Ingredients for Almond Hefezopf:
10 g almond slices
1 egg yolk, to be mixed with 1 tbsp fresh cream

Glaze Ingredients (to be mixed together) for Almond Hefezopf:
100 g icing sugar
about 1-2 tbsp water

Method:
Divide remaining dough into 3 portions.  Roll each portion to a long shape of about 35 cm long.

Arrange each portion as shown below:

Place on a greased baking tray.  Brush with water and leave aside for about 30 minutes.

Then, brush with egg yolk/cream mixture and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Bake in a preheated fan oven at a temperature of 170° C for about 25 minutes.  Once done, glaze with icing sugar/water mixture while it is still hot.

Bon Appetit!

Streuselkuchen

Crispy Streusel and spongy cake texture are the main characteristics of this cake. The topping is made up of just flour, sugar and butter whereas the dough contains fresh yeast as the main ingredient.  This is a typical german cake which is one of our family favourites!  Recipe courtesy of my sister-in-law.

Ingredients:
600 g flour (type 550) or plain flour (type 405)
80 g fine sugar
1 egg white
1 tsp salt
40 g butter, to be gently melted
250 ml warm water (straight from the tap)
1 cube à 42 g fresh yeast, to be crumbled in warm water

Glaze:
1 egg yolk, to be mixed with 1 tbsp fresh milk

Streusel Topping:
150 g flour
150 g sugar
100 g butter

2 tsp icing sugar

Method:
In a mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, egg white, salt, melted butter and water & crumbled yeast mixture. Knead dough until it leaves the sides of bowl.  Cover bowl with a damp cloth and leave aside to let dough rise to double its volume.

Grease a round pan of about 30 - 32 cm in diameter with butter - a pizza pan will do. If not, just use a normal baking tray of the oven.  Knead dough again and roll it out onto pan.  Leave to rise again for about half and hour.

In a mixing bowl, add Streusel ingredients together and by using your fingers, rub-in the mixture to resemble coarse crumbs (this is where the name "Streusel" comes from) as shown below.

By using a pastry brush, glaze top of dough with a mixture of egg yolk and milk. Then, sprinkle Streusel on top evenly.  Baked in a preheated fan oven at 180° C for about 40-50 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Once done, remove from oven and let it cool down a bit.  Before serving, sprinkle with icing sugar. Best eaten warm!

Happy Baking!

No Bake Layered Biscuits Cake (Kalte Katze)

This so-called "Russische Keks Törtchen" recipe was given to me by my sister-in-law. I didn't want to use the original name because I could not find it in internet at all. Since it looks similar to the german version of Kalte Hund (literally translated as cold dog) which uses chocolate instead of condensed milk, I am going to rename this cake Kalte Katze (cold cat).  It is simple & quick to prepare and I am sure that it will be a hit with the kids!

Ingredients:
1 can "Milkmaid" condensed milk
250 g soft butter (room temperature)
2 pkts Leibnitz butter biscuits
1/4 l fresh milk
chocolate pearls for decoration

Method:

In a bowl, whisk butter and condensed milk together.

Dip biscuits in milk before arranging on a rectangular tray (27 cm x 13 cm).  Note:  Do not oversoak the biscuits in milk.  Add about 2 tbsp of creamy mixture and spread evenly.

Arrange another layer of biscuits on top and then the cream mixture. Repeat procedure until there are 8 layers of biscuits altogether.

Spread rest of cream all over the top and sides of cake.  Decorate top with chocolate pearls as shown.

Store in fridge for a few hours before serving.  This is how it looks like when cut.

Bon Appetit!

Opor Ayam

A favourite dish during Eid, wedding and feasts.  Made up of chicken meat cooked in coconut milk and blended spices.  Although there are other recipes using different spices, my recipe is pretty simple and tastes excellent.

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 kg chicken meat (I used chicken legs)
1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
2-3 tbsp cooking oil

Pounded Ingredients:
4 shallots, to be peeled and sliced
1 large onion, to be peeled and sliced
3 stalks green chillies, to be sliced
1 pip garlic, to be peeled and sliced
3 pcs candlenuts, to be soaked in warm water
3 tbsp (level) coriander seeds, to be soaked in warm water
1 cm fresh ginger, to be peeled and sliced

Method:
Cut chicken into serving portions.  Then, wash and pat dry.

Blend the spices to a fine paste.

In a pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Then, add blended ingredients and stir-fry until fragrant.  Add chicken meat and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes.

Add coconut milk and bay leaf.  Bring to a slight simmer and cook until chicken is cooked.  Reduce heat to between low and medium. The cooking process will take about 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour.  If the gravy is too thick, just add a little water.  Season with salt to taste.

Serve with hot rice and a vegetable side dish.

Bon Appetit!

Baked Minced Beef Balls

The ingredients are almost identical to the Frikadellen recipe but instead of frying them in the pan, I baked them as per my sister-in-law's suggestion.  I must say that baking is easier with no mess as compared to the frying pan method.  These minced beef balls are served with mushroom cream gravy and a portion of french fries.  This dish is quick to prepare and popular with the kids.

Ingredients (yields about 25 pcs):
500 g minced beef
1 medium-size onion, to be finely cubed
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
a few drops of Maggi seasoning
4 slices of toast, to be soaked in warm water

Method:
Place all ingredients except the bread rolls into a large bowl.  Squeeze the water out from the toast slices and add to bowl.  Mix thoroughly by using your hand.

Preheat fan oven to 180° C.  By using the ice cream portioner, scoop beef mixture (levelled) and form into small balls and arrange them on a baking tray which is lined with baking paper.

Bake for about 45 minutes.  Once done, remove from oven.


Mushroom Cream Gravy Ingredients:
250 g brown mushrooms, to be cleaned and sliced
1 large onion, to be sliced in rings
1 tsp instant vegetable stock granules
200 ml fresh cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 or 2 tbsp oil

Method:
Heat some oil in a pan and stir-fry the onion rings until light brown in colour.  Add in mushrooms and cook until almost cooked.  Add vegetable stock granules and season with salt & pepper to taste.  If gravy is too thin, thicken it by adding a mixture of 1 tbsp of cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp of water (add as needed).

Serve beef balls with mushroom cream gravy and french fries.

Bon Appetit!