Kaltschale Recipe – Chilled Fruit Soup for Hot Days

When I was growing up in Southern California, my Mother would make a cool and delicious “beat the heat” meal: Kaltschale, a Chilled Fruit Soup. The soup wasn’t dessert. It was the meal. And so refreshing.  Over the past few days, we’ve experienced a heat wave in my part of the world, and I’ve started craving this cold and satisfying meal. I discovered that there is not one single Kaltschale Recipe. My Mother made it differently depending on the season and what fruits she had. Most Kaltschale recipes differ slightly depending on 1) how their Oma made it, 2) what fruits they have on hand, and 3) whatever thickening agents they had in the pantry. Sometimes, there were apricots, sometimes apples, often cherries, and sometimes raisins (I hated the raisins!).

Kaltschale Recipe

I ended up making a Berry and Cherry Fruit Soup, and my family enjoyed it so much there were no leftovers, only clamors to make it again.

One thing about German Fruit Soup or Kaltschale, like German Cakes, is it’s not overly sweet. I used Lemon Juice and not too much sugar to give it a punch. It’s not sour, but also not as sweet as compote. In fact, my older daughter suggested that next time, I should add Rhubarb to give it more bite.

My mother’s recipe uses tapioca as a thickener, which appealed to my younger daughter, who loves Bubble Tea. You can thicken it with tapioca or cornstarch or even puree half of the fruit with an immersion blender.

Fresh fruit is good, and frozen fruit works well. I had a bag of frozen berries from Costco and another bag of frozen pitted cherries from a different project. This is your chance to be creative. Use whatever fruit you have (except bananas; bananas are not good in this soup AT ALL).

Cook it up in the morning, then set the soup aside in the refrigerator to cool throughout the day. Dinner is done.

Serve Chilled Fruit Soup

Serve Chilled fruit soup alone or with a dollop of Vanilla Yogurt, Vanilla Sauce, or a sprinkle of toasted nuts. Kaltschale is a light and refreshing meal for those hot summer days.

(OK, yes, I realize that for many people, the thought of a cold fruit soup for dinner isn’t enough. Perhaps serve Schnitten or a salad alongside it, or some cheese and bread. Or serve it for a healthy dessert)

Kaltschale Recipe - Cold Berry Fruit Soup

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine German

Servings 6 -8

Ingredients

  

• 8 Cup Water
• 3 Tbl. Tapioca pearls if you like it thicker, go up to 1/3 cup
• 1/2 cup Sugar you may need to add more, depending on how sweet/ripe the fruit is
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 7 cups mixed Berries/ Cherries you can add chopped apples, apricot halves, raisins etc (I did notice that frozen berries are less sweet! Taste and add sugar if needed.)
• 1-2 Tbl. Lemon Juice

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

• In a soup pot... combine water, sugar, vanilla extract (or split vanilla Bean), cinnamon stick and Tapioca pearls. Bring it to a boil over medium heat.
• When it begins to boil, lower the heat to the lowest temperature.
• Cook for 20 minutes, while stirring (if you don't stir, it can burn or get stuck to the bottom). The Tapioca will thicken.
• (If you choose to work with cornstarch instead of Tapioca... Bring water/sugar/spices to a boil,. Combine 2 TBL corn starch with 1/3 cup cold water... stir into the boiling sugar water. Let cook 20 minutes.)
• Add fruit to the simmering liquid.
• Raise the heat, and bring back to a boil.
• Simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes (longer if your fruit was frozen).
• Add lemon juice.
• Taste.
• Sweeten if needed.
• Let the soup cool, then store in the refrigerator until cold.

Notes

You will need to chill the soup for several hours to serve it cold. Best to make it in the morning, and store it in the refrigerator all day.

Keyword Kaltschale Recipe

Easy German Cookbook: 80 Classic Recipes Made Simple

My new cookbook is packed with great German recipes! Order it here!

Easy German Cookbook: 80 Classic Recipes Made SimpleSigned Copy Easy German CookbookOrder A Signed Copy Here

More Cold Soups and German Summertime Meals

Keep the kitchen as cool as possible on hot days.

Natürlich Süßes im Glas: Neue Desserts und KuchenSommerküche von A – Z