Recipes

OK, so this isn't actually research, although Experimental Cakes includes some recipes that have been used in a form of research. The others are just some recipes that I have made since being in Germany, with equivalent German ingredients where I have had to hunt them out.

Unless otherwise noted, ingredients and measurements are Australian:
1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tbsp = 20ml, 1 tsp = 5ml.

Favourites from home

Anzac Biscuits

"It should be noted that approvals for the word 'Anzac' to be used on biscuit products have been given provided that the product generally conforms to the traditional recipe and shape, is not advertised in any way that would play on Australia's military heritage, and is not used in association with the word 'cookies', with its non-Australian overtones." - from Department of Veteran Affairs, Australia.
  • 1 cup (150g) plain flour
  • 1 cup (90g) rolled oats
  • 1 cup (250g) sugar
  • 3/4 cup (65g) coconut
  • 1 tbsp (30g) golden syrup (Zuckerrübensirup is not the same, but good enough)
  • 125 gm butter or margarine
  • 1.5 tsp bicarb soda
  • 2 tbsp boiling water
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Mix flour, oats, sugar and coconut together.
  3. Melt the syrup and butter or margarine over a gentle heat.
  4. Dissolve the bicarb soda in the boiling water, stir it into the syrup mixture and pour over the dry ingredients, stirring until well mixed.
  5. Put heaped teaspoons of the mixture on greased oven trays, about 5cm apart to allow for spreading and bake for about 20 minutes.
  6. Remove from the oven and leave on the trays for a few minutes, then move the biscuits to a cooling rack.

Banana Bread

  • 180 g butter or margarine
  • 180 g sugar
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 180 g plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Cream butter or margarine and sugar.
  3. Add mashed banana and vanilla.
  4. Add eggs one by one, alternating with flour and baking powder mixture.
  5. Pour into a greased loaf tin and bake for about 45 minutes.

Golliwogs Eyes

  • 1 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 3 cups plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • jam
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Cream butter and sugar.
  3. Beat in eggs one by one.
  4. Add vanilla.
  5. Roll into balls the size of walnuts and place on a greased tray.
  6. Push a dent in each biscuit with your thumb and put some jam in the depression.
  7. Bake until lightly brown.

Chocolate Balls

My family call these truffles, which is a bit misleading since there are many other definitions of truffles. Other people call them rum balls, but since I leave out the rum, that's not really appropriate. Chocolate balls was the best name I could come up with.
  • 1 packet (~250 g) plain sweet biscuits
  • 1 can (400ml) condensed milk (gezuckerte Kondensmilch, Nestlé "Milchmädchen")
  • 2 tbsp cocoa
  • 1 cup + extra coconut
  1. Crush biscuits finely.
  2. Mix all ingredients together.
  3. Roll into balls and roll in the extra coconut.
  4. Chill in the fridge.

Lemon Slice

  • packet of Marie biscuits (250g)
  • 1/2 tin of sweetened condensed milk
  • 125 g butter
  • 85 g coconut
  • grated rind of a lemon
  • 220 g (1 1/2 cups) icing sugar (pure ideally, icing mix doesn't set as well)
  • juice of a lemon
  1. Crush biscuits
  2. Melt butter
  3. Mix together butter, biscuit crumbs, condensed milk, coconut, lemon rind
  4. Spread in a slice tin, pushing flat and put in the fridge
  5. Sift icing sugar, and gradually add lemon juice to make a fairly thick icing
  6. Spread icing over the slice and refrigerate

German Christmas Recipes

Vanillakipfel

Dough
  • 250 g Weizenmehl
  • 1 Messerspitze Backpulver
  • 125 g Zucker
  • 1 Päckchen Vanillin-Zucker
  • 3 Eigelb
  • 200 g kalte Butter
  • 125 g Mandeln, gemahlen
for rolling
  • 50 g Puderzucker
  • 1 Päckchen Vanillin-Zucker
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Mix flour and baking powder on a table, making a well in the middle.
  3. Add sugar, one packet of vanillin sugar and the egg yolks into the well and using some of the flour, work to a thick mash.
  4. Slice butter into pieces and add the butter and almond meal to the mash, cover with the rest of the flour and quickly knead to a smooth dough.
  5. Form into a thumb-thick roll and cut into pieces about 2cm long.
  6. Form these pieces into crescents about 5cm long, rolling the ends a bit thinner, and place on a greased oven tray.
  7. Bake for about 10 minutes.
  8. Mix sifted icing sugar and 1 packet of vanillin sugar together.
  9. Roll the still warm crescents in the sugar mixture and leave to cool.

Wespennester

  • 3 Eiweiß
  • 125 g Zucker
  • 1 Päckchen Vanillin-Zucker
  • 125 g Schokolade, reiben
  • 250 g Mandeln, gehackt
Optional
  • 3-4cm Oblaten
  1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
  2. Beat egg whites to a thick foam.
  3. Beat in sugars with a spoon.
  4. Carefully fold in (don't stir) the grated chocolate and chopped almonds.
  5. Put 2-teaspoon sized heaps onto a greased tray (or onto the oblaten wafers).
  6. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Zimtsterne

  • 3 Eier
  • 500 g Zucker
  • 500 g Mandeln, gemahlen
  • 2 tbsp Mehl
  • 1 tsp Zimt
Icing
  • 250 g Puderzucker
  • 2 Eiweiß
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Separate eggs.
  3. Beat egg whites to a thick foam.
  4. Stir in egg yolk and sugar. Beat well.
  5. Add almond meal, flour and cinnamon.
  6. Roll out the dough until it's about 0.5 cm thick and cut out star shapes.
  7. Icing: beat icing sugar and egg whites until thickened. (Do not beat to a foam.)
  8. Spread the icing on the biscuits and bake until pale yellow.

Experimental Cakes

Part of an ongoing experiment into the trusting nature of my colleagues :) These are cakes I have found with strange ingredients, which I've then made for my colleagues and asked them to guess the unusual ingredient.

Chocolate and Zucchini Cake

Taken from Simply Recipes.
  • 375 g plain flour
  • 40 g cocoa
  • 2.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1.5 tsp bicarb soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 175 g softened butter
  • 400 g sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
  • 120 ml milk
Glaze
  • 250 g icing sugar
  • 45 ml milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Cream butter and sugar.
  3. Add eggs, one at a time.
  4. Stir in vanilla and zucchini.
  5. Alternately add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb soda, salt and cinnamon mixture and milk into the zucchini mix.
  6. Pour into a greased cake tin.
  7. Bake for about 50 minutes.
  8. Glaze: beat icing sugar, milk and vanilla together.
  9. Drizzle glaze on cool cake.

Tomato Soup Cake

Taken from All Recipes.
  • 1 can (~320 ml) tomato soup
  • 1 tsp bicarb soda
  • 200 g sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 75 g butter
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 200 g plain flour
  • 2.5 tsp baking powder
  1. Preheat oven to 165 degrees Celsius.
  2. Combine tomato soup and baking soda in a bowl and let it stand.
  3. Cream butter and sugar.
  4. Add egg and cinnamon.
  5. Mix in tomato soup and soda mix, and then flour and baking powder.
  6. Pour into a greased cake tin.
  7. Bake for about 1 hour.
  8. Ice cooled cake with cream cheese icing.

Beer and Sauerkraut Cake

Taken from All About Food.
  • 150 g butter
  • 200 g sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 40 g cocoa
  • 280 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarb soda
  • 250 ml beer
  • 160 ml sauerkraut
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Cream butter and sugar.
  3. Add eggs, one at a time.
  4. Blend in vanilla.
  5. Sift cocoa, flour, baking powder and bicarb soda together.
  6. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with the beer, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
  7. Stir in sauerkraut.
  8. Pour into a greased cake tin.
  9. Bake for about 35 minutes.

Cola Cake

Taken from All About Food.
  • 250 g plain flour
  • 200 g sugar
  • 250 g butter
  • 20 g cocoa
  • 250 ml cola
  • 125 ml buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp bicarb soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups mini marshmellows
Icing (This is what the recipe says. Next time I will use 2/3 or maybe half the amounts listed.)
  • 125 g butter, melted
  • 20 g cocoa
  • 100 ml cola
  • 450 g icing sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Sift flour and sugar together in a large bowl.
  3. Heat butter, cocoa and cola to boiling point.
  4. Pour liquid over flour and sugar and mix well.
  5. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
  6. Pour into a greased cake tin. Mixture will be thin.
  7. Bake for about 30-35 minutes.
  8. Glaze: pour butter, cocoa and cola over icing sugar and mix well.
  9. Pour over cake while it is still warm.

Snickers Cake

Taken from All About Food.
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • ~680 g Snickers bars, cut up
  • 60 ml water
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter (smooth)
  • 250 g flour
  • 3/4 tsp bicarb soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 250 g butter
  • 400 g sugar
  • 3 tsp vanilla
  • 300 ml buttermilk
  1. Preheat oven to 180.
  2. Combine, in the top of a double boiler, chopped up Snickers, peanut butter and water. Heat and stir until well melted and blended. Cool.
  3. Mix together the flour, bicarb soda and salt.
  4. Cream butter and sugar, then beat in 4 unbeaten egg yolks.
  5. Add vanilla.
  6. Pour in the cooled mixture, mixing until smooth and adding ~60 ml butter milk.
  7. Stir in the flour and remaining butter milk alternately. Mix until blended.
  8. Gently fold in 4 stiffly beaten egg whites.
  9. Pour into a greased and floured cake tin(s). (Recipe suggested two 9" square pans.)
  10. Bake for about 45-55 minutes.
  11. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then finish cooling on rack.

Miscellaneous

Cream Cheese Icing

Taken from All Recipes.
  • 200 g cream cheese
  • 60 g butter
  • 100 g icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  1. Cream butter and cream cheese.
  2. Mix in vanilla.
  3. Gradually add icing sugar, to taste.

Bailey's and M'n'M Biscuits

From Ceels.
  • 125 g butter
  • 300 g sugar
  • 30 ml Bailey's
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp bicarb soda
  • 300 g plain flour
  • 60 g almond meal
  • 1 packet M'n'Ms
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Cream butter and sugar.
  3. Add Bailey's.
  4. Add eggs, one by one.
  5. Add flour, soda, almond meal and M'n'Ms.
  6. Place teaspoon-sized heaps on a greased oven tray.
  7. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Caramel Mud Cake

From The Australian Women's Weekly "cupcakes, cheesecakes, cookies" book.
  • 125 g butter, chopped coarsely
  • 100 g white chocolate, chopped coarsely
  • 150 g brown sugar (Not the same as Brauner Zucker, closest thing I've found in Germany is Kandis Farin.)
  • 90 g golden syrup (Zuckerrübensirup is not the same, but good enough)
  • 160 ml milk
  • 150 g plain flour
  • 50 g self raising flour (Plain flour + baking powder, in approximately 100:3 ratio. I don't usually bother with the salt.)
  • 1 egg
  1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
  2. Line 6-hole (180ml) or 12-hole (standard, 80ml) muffin pan with paper cases.
  3. Combine butter, chocolate, sugar, syrup and milk in a saucepan; stir over low heat until smooth. Cool for 15 minutes.
  4. Whisk flours into chocolate mix, then add the egg.
  5. Divide mixture among cases.
  6. Bake large cakes for about 40 minutes, smaller ones for about 30 minutes.

Ninjabread Men

  • 2/3 cup butter (or shortening)
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • pinch salt
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup golden syrup
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  1. Cream butter, sugar, spices and salt.
  2. Add egg and mix.
  3. Mix in golden syrup.
  4. Add sifted flour, baking soda and baking powder, and combine to make a dough.
  5. Chill the dough in the fridge while pre-heating the oven to 190 degrees.
  6. On a floured bench, roll dough to approximately 3-4mm thick and cut out shapes (using ninja-shaped cookie cutters).
  7. Bake shapes on a biscuite tray for 8-10 minutes.
  8. Cool on rack, then decorate as desired.

Cornflake biscuits

  • 250 g butter
  • 1 1/2 cup (360 g) sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups (330 g) self-raising flour
  • 2 cups mixed fruit (or choc chips)
  • cornflakes
  1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
  2. Cream butter and sugar.
  3. Add eggs and mix.
  4. Add sifted flour and and mixed fruit, and combine to make a dough.
  5. Roll into teaspoon-sized balls and roll in crushed cornflakes.
  6. Bake until golden.

Online Favourites Modified

Black Forest Cake

This is my merge and modification of Black Forest Cakes from Sally's Baking Addiction and recipetineats

Cake

  • 220 g plain flour
  • 65 g cocoa
  • 350 g sugar
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp espresso powder
  • 120 ml vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 180 g sour cream
  • 120 ml buttermilk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 120 ml hot water or coffee

Cherry Syrup

  • 670 g morello cherries in syrup
  • 1/3 cup kirsch
  • 110 g caster sugar
  • 4 tsp cornflour

Decorating

  • 1 litre thickened cream
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 60 g icing sugar mix
  • 100 g dark chocolate
  • maraschino cherries

Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C
  2. Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.
  3. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder (if using) together in a large bowl.
  4. Beat the oil, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla together until combined.
  5. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, add the hot water or coffee, and beat it all until the batter is completely combined.
  6. Divide batter evenly between 3 pans.
  7. Bake for 21-25 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  8. Remove the cakes from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool for 30 minutes in the pans, then remove cakes from pans and set on a cooling rack.

Cherry Syrup

  1. Drain jar of cherries, reserving liquid.
  2. Cherry cornflour slurry: Measure out 1/4 cup (60ml) of the reserved cherry juice and mix with the cornflour to make a slurry. Set aside.
  3. Make cherry syrup:
    • Place a medium pot over medium-low heat.
    • Add the sugar and another 1/3 cup of reserved juice. Bring to a gentle simmer to dissolve the sugar.
    • Stir in the cornflour slurry and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, until it thickens into a thin syrup.
  4. Remove from the heat and stir in the kirsch.
  5. Pour the syrup over the drained cherries and allow to cool completely before using.

Chocolate Curls

  1. Melt chocolate: Break up the block of chocolate and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Gently melt in microwave by heating over three 20 second bursts, stirring in between.
  2. Spread: Pour the melted chocolate over the back of a baking pan and spread out with a spatula as thinly as possible. Refrigerate for 3 – 4 minutes until the centre is just set.
  3. Scrape curls: Using something with a sharp, straight edge (I use a bench scraper, spatula or the back of a knife also works), hold it at a 45 degree angle and scrape along the tray away from you to create curls. Do a small test patch first. If the chocolate is too hard, the curls may break or flake (leave to soften slightly and try again). If the chocolate is too soft, the curls sag and won't roll (refrigerate more to harden).
  4. Having problems?? Don't worry! Just scrape to make shavings instead – it still looks amazing!
  5. Refrigerate: Carefully place curls on a plate and refrigerate until ready to use.

Whip Cream

  1. Just prior to assembling, place cream, icing sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip into pretty stiff peaks – about 5 minutes on high. Refrigerate until needed.

Assembly

  1. After the cakes have cooled, use a large serrated knife or cake leveler to slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!).
  2. Place one cake layer upside down on a serving platter (or cake decorating turn table, if you’re a pro! 🙂 ).
  3. Brush with cherry syrup: Brush the cake layer with 1/4 cup of the cherry syrup the cherries are soaking in.
  4. Cream layer: Spread with 1 cup of whipped cream, leaving a 1cm (1/2") border (the weight of the next cake layer gently pressed will push cream to edge).
  5. Layer cherries: Top the cream with half the cherries (in a single layer), using a slotted spoon to drain well (but don't pat dry, want the cherries juicy!).
  6. Repeat: Top with another cake layer, brush with 1/4 cup syrup, spread with 1 cup cream, top with remaining cherries, and place 3rd cake layer on top.
  7. Cover with cream: Reserve 1 1/2 cups whipped cream for piping cream decorations. Spread the remaining cream over the top and side of the cake.
  8. Pipe dollops around the edge of top using a large star-tipped nozzle. Top each dollop with a maraschino cherry.
  9. Chocolate shavings: Pile large chocolate curls in the middle (I stack in a tent shape like building a fire!). Use the smaller broken shavings to coat the base of the sides of the cake (using cold hands, scoop up shavings, press on side).
  10. Rest 4 hours+: Leave cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, to allow flavours to develop and syrup to really soak into the cake.
  11. Take out of fridge: Remove from fridge 30 minutes prior to serving (but be mindful of cream melting on hot days). Slice and serve proudly!

Cheese Scones

From Edmonds
  • 450 g plain flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 cup grated cheese
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp mustard powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 75 g butter
  • 1 1/4 cups milk (plus extra for glazing)
  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Grease or flour a baking tray.
  2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
  3. Add cheese, cayenne pepper and mustard powder to the mixture.
  4. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  5. Add the milk and quickly mix with a round-bladed table knife to a soft dough. For light and tender scones the mixture should be quite soft and a little sticky.
  6. Scrape the dough onto the floured baking tray and flour the top.
  7. Working quickly, pat the dough out to 2cm thickness. With a floured knife, cut it into 12 even-sized pieces, then separate the scones to allow 2cm space between them.
  8. Brush the tops with milk.
  9. Before baking, top each scone with a little more grated cheese.
  10. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  11. Place on a wire rack to cool, wrapped in a clean tea towel to keep them soft.