Featured Recipe
Leipziger Lerchen - Leipzig Larks
Thursday, March 12, 2026| |
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Leipziger Lerchen (Lerchen means larks in German) are a small shortcrust pastry filled with nuts and strawberry jam. The pastry cross on top symbolize the cross ties used to bind the stuffed animals and red berry jam symbolize either the heart or the blood of the bird. The name originates from a delicacy popular in the Leipzig, Germany until the 1870s. The dish used the lark which was roasted with herbs and eggs and served as a filling in a pastry crust. By the end of the 19th century, however, the larks population had so decreased that the shooting of larks was officially banned. A clever confectioner from Leipzig had the idea of helping preserve the larks by creating a new, sweet version of Leipziger Lerchen filled with nut cream and jam. He and his team consoled the saddened gourmets with this sweet treat, which has survived to this day. In addition to original Leipziger Lerchen, you can also find Lerchen made with different nuts and jams in bakeries.
Raspberry Curd
Saturday, February 28, 2026| |
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Made from scratch, this raspberry curd is pleasantly tangy, sweet and fruity and can be used on scones, crepes, or as a filling for layered cakes, éclairs or tartlets or just eat it with a spoon, straight from the jar. I have added a few tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the recipe as you need enough acid to react with the proteins in the egg yolks, to ensure a nice, thick curd. Without that, the curd will be runny. Leftover raspberry curd stays fresh in the refrigerator, covered tightly, up to 2 weeks.
Nyonya Pineapple Tarts
Monday, February 16, 2026| |
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Buttery, melt-in-mouth pineapple tarts with a sweet and tangy pineapple filling are paticularly popular in Southeast Asia, esp. Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia , during the Chinese New Year. They can be open cookies or made enclosed in round, square or rectangular shapes. It’s quite a tedious task to cook down pineapple to a thick paste, which might take 2-3 hours to prepare just 400-500 grams of pineapple filling. If you can find some ready made, use it, I won’t judge.
These tarts gained significance during Chinese New Year because in Hokkien and Cantonese, the word for pineapple, "ong lai," is a homophone for "fortune come," making the tarts a potent symbol of good luck, wealth, and prosperity.
The pineapple tart originated back in the 16th century from the Peranakans, descendants of the Chinese immigrants who went to the Malay Peninsula, particularly Malacca, and married the locals. Their culinary approach was greatly influenced not only by the local Malay cuisines but also by the Portuguese when they conquered Malacca in the 16th century.
Giotto Torte
Wednesday, December 24, 2025| |
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Why have just one Giotto ball with your coffee when you can have a whole Giotto cake? This creamy cake is a dreamy combination of tender, nutty sponge cake and sweet cream filling with Giotto. For extra nutty and ‘mmm’ factor, the crispy mini hazelnut pralinens are not only added to the whipped cream but also used as a pretty decoration on top. And there are also lots of hazelnuts hidden in this easy sponge batter, which make the cake base wonderfully moist and light. Be sure to give the sponge base enough time to cool completely before decorating, as it is still very soft immediately after baking. How about an extra layer of chocolate? Spread some Nutella on the cake layers before adding the cream.
Chestnut and Prune Brownies
Tuesday, December 16, 2025| |
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A fudgy decadent chocolate brownies that is made with chestnuts, prunes and sweetened with xylitol. It’s full of fiber, potassium and antioxidants thanks to chestnuts. Plus it’s sugar free and naturally gluten free. These brownies will keep well for up to 5 days in an airtight container. They also freeze well, wrapped in cling film, for up to a month.
Xylitol is a natural sweetener that tastes very similar to sugar, has a similar texture, and can be substituted in a 1:1 ratio in most recipes.
Mini Mohn-Nuss-Striezel – German Mini Poppy and Nut Braids
Friday, December 12, 2025| |
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A delicious braided yeast bread with hazelnut and poppy seed fillings. Almonds or walnuts can be used instead of hazelnuts. If desired, you can also add some raisins or apples into the poppy filling. The preparation is quite simple. The three main components are the yeast dough, the poppy seed filling and the nut filling. While the yeast dough is rising, you can prepare fillings, which saves time and is very practical. Or you can prepare the filling one day and the dough the next day.
Mohnstriezel has its roots in European baking traditions, particularly in countries such as Austria, Germany, Hungary and Czechia. Originally intended as a festive treat for Christmas and Easter, over the years it has found its way into everyday life and is now enjoyed all over the world. In addition to the classic poppy seed filling, there are numerous variations of poppy seed strudel. It can also be filled with jam, other nuts, raisins or chocolate. This allows you to adapt the recipe entirely to your preferences and the season.
Sekerpare - Turkish Semolina Cookies in Syrup
Wednesday, December 03, 2025| |
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Sekerpare is a classic Turkish pastry made with semolina, flour and powdered sugar that are then baked until golden brown and left to steep in sweet syrup. The syrup makes it particularly moist. Sekerpare is one of Turkey's most beloved desserts after baklava and you will find them in every Turkish bakery and restaurant. These little treats are something special. And as soon as they go into the oven, the heavenly aroma will lure the whole family into the kitchen.
Sekerpare translates as ‘sugar pieces’ or ‘a piece of sweetness’, and this Turkish dessert is definitely SWEET. I didn’t even pour all the sugar syrup over the cookies...my family actually finds them better without syrup. If you want to make them round, I would suggest that you top each cookie with a whole hazelnut or almond.
Before starting the dough, we will make the syrup first, as it needs some time to cool down. Pour the cooled syrup over hot Sekerpare and let the sekerpare cookies absorb the syrup as they cool. Once all the syrup absorbed (usually 3-4 hours), sekerpare will be soft and tender enough to eat with a fork. Enjoy them with a a cup of tea or coffee.
Kolache - Czech Sweet Pastries
Friday, November 14, 2025| |
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Kolache (ko-LAH-ch), or Koláče in Czech, is a sweet Czech pastry made from a sweet yeast dough with various fillings. Authentic Czech kolache are usually round and filled to the brim with either poppy, cheese or jam, then topped with just the right amount of crumble. Soft, pillowy, and buttery kolache are delicious warm from the oven and are best the day they are made. Serve them as a breakfast, or afternoon snack with tea or coffee or any time you like one.
If you are going to try the cheese filling, mix 250 grams of cottage cheese, 50 grams of erythritol or sugar, 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract together. The poppy filling recipe is enough for two batch of dough. Half the filling or double the dough. I portioned the dough into 9, each about 100 grams, but you can make 18 smaller kolache.
Yoghurt Castagnole – Italian Carnival Fritters
Wednesday, November 12, 2025| |
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Castagnole are traditional Italian carnival fritters, named for their chestnut-like shape. They're made with a mixture of flour, egg and sugar to which a little liqueur is added – usually anisette, rum or grappa and scented with citrus. These sweet dough balls are deep-fried until golden brown, resulting in a crispy exterior and a soft center. This recipe made with yoghurt makes them particularly soft and delicious. They are typically rolled in sugar while still warm. Castagnole are wonderful all on their own, but you can also poke a hole in them and fill with jam, nutella, pistachio cream or white chocolate cream. Like any deep fried food, they are at their best eaten the same day while still warm and soft because they get slightly drier after a day or two.
Coconut and Grapefruit Bars
Monday, November 10, 2025| |
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A fun twist on a classic lemon bar, these coconut grapefruit bars come together quickly using sweet yet tangy fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. Don’t use storebought grapefruit juice as it usually contains added sugar which masks the fruit's natural tanginess.
The combination of the citrusy grapefruit topping and the buttery coconuty base creates a delightful contrast that keeps you coming back for more! These are so easy to make and a perfect dessert for a party or potluck. If you’re a fan of citrus desserts, I’m sure you will enjoy these pretty pinky bars. Since grapefruits are naturally milder, so I have added some lemon juice to the curd, making it more tangy. But you can absolutely use just grapefruit juice.
Brush the buttery crust with two egg yolks after blind baking it before adding the topping. This extra step creates not only a more flavourful, glossy finish, but also a barrier that prevents the topping from making the crust soggy.
Quince Slices
Friday, October 17, 2025| |
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A delicious, gently-spiced tray bake with fruity quinces for a special afternoon tea or dessert with whipped cream or Greek yoghurt. It’s so autumn and fragrant. Be careful when peeling raw quinces as it is like peeling a stone and accidents are easy to come by. Quince are available only in the fall and you can find them at farm markets, and some supermarkets. If quince isn’t available, pear or apple, is a wonderful substitution, too.
Poppy and Plum Rolls
Thursday, October 09, 2025| |
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Fluffy, moist, fruity and delicious, these poppy seed and plum rolls are a real treat. They are perfect for your next birthday party or picnic. For these sweet dough buns, we start with a yeast dough with poppy seeds and prepare a cinnamony plum compote while the dough proves in a warm place until doubled. I set aside about a cup of compote as the serving sauce. Otherwise, they taste just as delicious with a vanilla sauce or a lemon icing.


