My cousin Linda made my day when she sent me our Oma’s recipe for Schoko-Nusskuchen along with the note, “This is the cake Oma always baked for our Birthdays.” This simple little cake may not be a fancy Torte, but flavorwise, it packs a delicious punch, reminding me of my favorite mid-day pick-me-up treat, a Hanuta. It’s hazelnut and chocolate,…
Category: German Foods and Recipes
Germany and Coffee- Coffee Culture and History of German Coffee
“Komm, lass uns einen Kaffee trinken“… words I’ve heard my whole life. Come on, let’s drink a coffee. Mornings before a big day, the middle of the afternoon on a shopping trip, or just while sitting and chatting. Germany and coffee go hand in hand. Germans might actually drink more coffee than beer. They certainly import more coffee than any…
What is a Radler? – The History of a Drink Named for a Cyclist
I realize that this might be considered blasphemy, but I’m not much of a beer drinker. I just never developed a taste for it (apparently, I make an “eeewww” face from the bitter flavor when I drink it). And soda is just too sweet to be refreshing. Fortunately, an innkeeper in Deisenhofen, Germany, came up with a solution when he…
German S’mores! Why NOT play with your Food?
German S’mores are what happens when I’m alone in the kitchen and craving the flavors of childhood. To be perfectly honest, and because I know lots of people will point this out, German S’mores aren’t a real thing. But I think they should be, and now, they CAN be! When I was a child growing up here in the US,…
What is Maggikraut : All about Liebstöckel or Lovage
riend Edie told me about Maggikraut, I didn’t believe her. In my world, Maggi exists in liquid form to add flavor to soups and stews. I’ve even visited Spicey’s Spice Museum in Hamburg to see the Maggi exhibit (yes, I realize the previous sentence makes me sound like a nerd, but we all know how much I love small museums).…
Ostalgie or Ostalgia for East German Products
What is Ostalgie? Ostalgie or Ostalgia, words that combines the German words for East and Nostalgia, describe a feeling of longing or desire for bits and pieces of the now wiped-away DDR (GDR). Now, while very few people can look you square in the face and say how wonderful the East German government was, or how fantastic it felt to…
Kase Sahne Torte Recipe Made EASY with Dr Oetker Mix
Two minutes after my Tech Guy said, “I really don’t want to eat a piece of cake”, the plate was empty. (And it looks like a few more pieces are missing….). Now, I LOVE Kase Sahne Torte. To those who taste it, this deceptively light cake seems like a magic trick. All that cream! and it’s a cheesecake? Yet, instead…
How to make Eierlikör at Home
My Oma always had a bottle of Eierlikör and a bottle of Schnapps in the door of her refrigerator. The Schnapps was there for when my Onkel stopped in on his way home to Mittagessen for a ‘Kurzen’ with her… and the Eierlikör was for us. We would get our warm meal mid-day, and there would always be a Nachtisch…
Eierlikör Torte Recipe – Perfect for Easter or the Kaffeeklatsch
After enjoying the delicious Eierlikör Torte at Richart: Cafe am Markt in Munich, I decided to tackle this tasty German Torte Recipe for Easter. The cake base is a chocolate cake fortified with ground almonds, and the frosting is whipped Cream. What makes this Torte special (and the part that gave me the most trouble) is the Eierlikör. That’s just…
South Dakota Kuchen Recipe- A Volga German Legacy
The South Dakota Kuchen recipe sent me on a deep dive through two of my favorite topics: German Immigration History and Food. I can already hear all the Germans saying, “Kuchen means Cake”! And yes, generally, when speaking German, saying “Kuchen” means a non-specific “cake.” But THIS Kuchen refers to a very specific kind of cake. South Dakota’s Kuchen arrived…