Baumkuchen

Ok, so recipe is from a long time ago, but Berlin has been on my mind a lot lately...

I baked this traditional German Christmas cake with a friend in Berlin. The name literally means Tree Cake because of the thin layers that look like tree rings when you cut into it. It’s kind of a bitch to make because you have to keep a careful eye on the cake the whole time it is baking.

Traditionally, it is roasted on a spit and rotated so that it creates a log shape. Layer by layer of the batter is poured on to create the ring like interior! I love the rustic feel of this cake, it really does look like a tree, especially with the chocolate bark on the outside.

Unfortunately, I did not have a spit so we just baked it into a normal cake round but it turned out just as yummy!

Here's how you do:

Ingredients:

• 7/8 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
• 7/8 cup cornstarch
• 5 1/2 ounces almond paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 6 egg whites
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 9 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• optional: Fruit Jam

Directions

1.  Place a sheet of parchment paper in the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Butter the parchment, and flour the whole pan. Position the rack of the oven to the lowest level, and preheat the broiler.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter or margarine until light and fluffy. Add in the almond paste in small chunks; beat until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Beat in the yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth.
3. In another bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add in the sugar slowly while continuing to beat the meringue to stiff, glossy peaks. Fold the meringue into the yolk mixture. Sift the flour over this, and fold in.
4. Spoon a small amount of batter onto the parchment in the baking pan. Spread the batter to the edges. You want to cover the paper completely, but have a thin layer. Place under the broiler, and cook until light brown; about 1 to 2 minutes. Brush another layer of the batter over the cake, and place under the broiler. Continue on in this way until all of the batter is used. If desired, spread a layer of Jam after every 3 or 4 layers. Cool completely. Turn the cake out of the pan, and trim the edges clean.
5. In a double boiler, combine the chocolate and the oil. Heat until the chocolate is smooth. Allow the cake to set. Cut the cake into 6 equal pieces.  With a pastry brush, completely covered a piece with the glaze.  Store in the refrigerator, but serve at room temperature. 

Here are all the beautiful layers of the cake when we cut into it!

It turned out really great, and the time passed really fast because we had sparkling conversation while we were baking ;)

Adding the glaze for each piece.

<3 Jo

It tastes as good as it looks:

Cinnamon Churro Cupcakes with Mexican Chocolate filling and Cinnamon Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

Wow. That was  a mouthful. but it's a mouthful of delicious-ness, believe me. When you first bite into it, its like eating a churro cake and you pick up the cinnamon, but also there is the chocolate filling which is divine. Try this recipe if you get a chance. I found it on one of my inspirational food blogs: love and olive oil

Cinnamon Chocolate Churro Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS:

Cinnamon Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mexican Chocolate Pudding Filling:
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 ounces good quality semisweet or dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon meringue powder
Pinch of cream of tartar
Pinch of cinnamon
1 cup chilled whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Combine almond milk and vinegar and stir to combine. Whisk in sugar, oil, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until relatively smooth. Fill cupcake liners with a scant 3 Tablespoons of batter (cups should be just under 2/3 of the way full). Bake for 20-22 minutes or until set, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Cupcake Batter (before picture)

                     Cupcake batter (after baked picture) 

To prepare filling, combine the cornstarch, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a larger pot filled with 1 inch of water. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate. Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a small bowl and cover, gently pressing a layer of plastic wrap against the surface before refrigerating (this will prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days (ahem, good luck with that).

This is the Chocolate Pudding Center. (This is what the end result should look like)
It's actually pretty delicious too, so if you have leftovers like I did, sneak some couple bites in. :)

With a small pairing knife cut out cones from the tops of cupcakes approximately 1 inch in diameter. Set aside but do not discard. Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of filling into each cupcake (you'll have extra pudding, so grab a spoon). Replace top and press into place (it helps to remove a bit off the base of the cone piece to help it sit more level on the filling - tasties for you). Pipe on whipped cream frosting, taking care to cover up all seams. If desired, sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon sugar prior to serving.

Just punch holes in the center of the cupcake so there's a well for you to put your pudding. And what I figured is..that you just want to wait for the pudding to cool to just chilled so its still kind of liquid-y, that way its easier to scoop and pour into the cupcake.

For frosting, whisk powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, meringue powder, cream of tartar, and cinnamon in large bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled and ready to use, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Using electric mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, gradually beat chilled cream into chocolate mixture. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

                           The frosting is pretty straight forward. I didn't have the meringue powder so I basically just substituted meringue (which is just beaten egg white) and It worked fine, so you have that option. 

And..heres the lovely end result! 

looks delicious, no?

Feedback and Questions are greatly appreciated! 

-sam