All posts filed under: Recipes

Dream Cake from Brovst

Dream Cake from Brovst is such a classic from my childhood in Denmark. Originally invented by the Danish woman, Jytte Andersen, who took part in a baking competition in 1960 in the Danish town Brovst, Jutland (See Droemmekage on Wikipedia). This woman would be a millionaire if she had got the copyrights for the recipe because it is a favorite everywhere in Denmark. So much so that it was voted the fourth most popular cake in Denmark in a cake research/questionnaire conducted by the newspaper Metroexpress. I have already received feedback from enough Americas to know that this cake will become a classic over here as well. It is similar to a pound cake – heavy and moist with lots of eggs and butter. But it is the topping with coconut and brown sugar that makes it. It is pretty simple to make and will be a hit at any social get-together.   Droemmekage fra Brovst / Dream Cake from Brovst Recipe Ingredients: 250 gram / 9 ounces all-purpose flour 3 tsp baking powder 50 gram …

Hindbaersnitter / Raspberry Slices of Happiness

Summer and heat is here and hygge has moved outside. Outdoor summer hygge makes me crave the Danish pastry called “Hindbærsnitter” or “Raspberry Slices”. In fact, I cannot think of a happier cake than a Hindbærsnitte (except for maybe a cupcake or birthday cake). Just take a look at it! A real slice of happiness… Raspberries on a flaky crust glazed with sugar to give you that happy kick. And kids seem to go crazy for them – just cut the slices into halves for small children so the sugar doesn’t make them go truly crazy! Hindbærsnitter have a lot in common with Pop Tarts but are not quite the same. You can find Hindbærsnitter in every Danish bakery. It is a true Danish classic. Good news is that you do not have to travel all the way to Denmark to bring them to your coffee table – they are actually pretty easy to make! So here you go – a recipe on how to make your own slices of happiness:-) Hindbærsnitter / Raspberry Slices Recipe Ingredients: …

Friday Cake: Coconut Lime Macaroons

This week’s Friday Cake is ideal for Spring or Summer hygge outside on the porch or in your backyard. It is a fresh take on the classic Danish “Coconut Tops”/”Kokostoppe” with lime added to them. I used an adapted version of Mette Blomsterberg’s recipe (see link here: Kokostoppe med lime og marcipan) and a recipe on Soendag.dk (see recipe here: Kokostoppe klassisk opskrift). You can see my English version below. Lime and coconut really works well together but more importantly, these Coconut Lime Tops are ridiculously easy to make. Mix five ingredients together, form as tops, bake and dip in chocolate. That’s it. I think this will work quite well for me on those hot and humid Maryland Summer days that are here before we know it. Once again, my Friday Cake did not come out as perfect as I had seen on pictures but as my husband said: “Brown is where the flavour is”. And he was right – the flat ring of melted, caramelized sugar and coconut that formed around the tops was the tastiest …

Friday Cake: Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Finally Friday and time for some hygge, coffee and cake 🙂 Today’s cake is my first time making a delicious Danish cake called “kiksekage” or chocolate biscuit cake and I am excited it turned out well! It might also be a little hard to mess this one up since it is as simple as can be. I am almost certain this one is going to achieve international success one day, haha! Biscuits layered with a thick and rich chocolate cream – what’s not to like…? The recipe is an adapted version from the Danish interior design magazine Boligliv and you can find the original version on this link. Kiksekage Recipe Link Their website is worth a browse just for the sake of the beautiful photos from inspiring Danish homes. It is my favorite Danish interior design magazine.   Ingredients 300 gram (11 oz) dark chocolate (60-70 %), coarsely chopped 1 can sweetened condensed milk (400 gram or 14 oz) 35 gram (1.2 oz) butter 1 vanilla stick (or maybe you could try a little vanilla …

Friday Cake: Lemon Cake

Friday is back and it is time to get in the mood for the weekend and hopefully lots of hygge! These last couple of days the bright Spring sun has been hiding behind grey clouds. So my daughter and I have decided to make a little piece of sunshine in a cake. Here is our lemon cake as yellow as the sun and the daffodils. Its tartness will energize you and bring that Spring vitality back! I love cakes that you have to cut. They just seem more hyggelige because they are ideal for sharing and togetherness – unless you plan on eating the whole thing by yourself of course… My mother-in-law remembers how lemon cake was one of the cakes they had at the coffee table on the farm on Funen in Denmark. The recipe is based on one of those old family recipes and I have just made a few adjustments to it. Originally the cake is baked in a bread form but I think a round cake will give more of that sunny feeling …

Friday Cake: Dream Cake

It is almost the weekend and therefore a great excuse to bake a good old Danish hygge cake. Danes often share Friday cake at their workplace or bake for family hygge on the weekends so I am going to bring this tradition to my blog by introducing a Friday Cake series. For the next several weeks every Friday you will get a recipe for one of those delicious Danish cakes that are perfect for enjoying some hygge with family, friends or co-workers. This week’s Friday Cake is Dream Cake (Drømmekage). I have been craving this cake since my post about hygge, coffee and cake and I honestly do not think I have had Dream Cake since I was about 12 years old. Class mates would regularly bring in Dream Cake for the “the class’ hour” (klassens time), a time once a week where we had cake and story time together in class. As you can see in the photos, I have already had a nice piece (or two) of Friday hygge and I was not disappointed with my reunion with Dream Cake! It …

Nougat Marzipan Easter Eggs

  These Easter eggs are a Danish classic. You can buy them everywhere in Denmark at Easter time and I whenever Easter comes I start craving them. So fortunately I just discovered that they are super easy to make! You need a roll of marzipan and half a roll of soft nougat – preferably from Denmark but maybe it can be found online… Then you cut both nougat and marzipan each into twelve pieces, put a ball shaped nougat piece into each slice of marzipan and roll it into a ball and then make it egg shaped. Dip them in melted dark chocolate. I decorated with licorice powder and dried raspberry powder but you don’t have to use this. Try to find pure marzipan without too much added sugar. Let it cool and enjoy!  

Hot chocolate in the snow!

    We had a snowstorm again and there are some extremely cold days ahead of us! Could there be a better excuse to indulge in comforting hot chocolate? My Danish mother-in-law, Kirsten, makes the best hot chocolate. It is very rich and has just the right amount of sugar. And, what’s even better, she has shared her recipe with me! Now, my kids ask for it all the time and I honestly feel very happy to fulfill this request… in fact I need it too! So here it is… Kirsten’s hot chocolate Ingredients: 1/2 gallon whole milk 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup sugar A little extra whole milk for the chocolate paste   How to make it: In a medium sized pot heat the milk up to just below the boiling point (do not let it boil!) In a bowl stir together the cocoa and sugar. Slowly add a little milk and stir it until it forms a thick paste Add this paste to the hot milk Serve with whipped cream on top

Rye bread granola

Danish children eat fairly healthy. For example they eat rye bread every day. But to my frustration my own children won’t really eat this even though in Denmark it is a staple like pastry and coffee… So last night I decided to make my childhood classic: rye bread granola. It is basically oven roasted rye bread crumbs with sugar. Don’t all kids eat pretty much anything as long as you add sugar? Yup, my four-year old daughter, Ava, had three portions of yoghurt with rye bread granola! Little one-year old Anton had a hard time chewing it and gave up after one never-ending mouthful… This made my daughter suggest we make a chocolate granola for him – and her… so I guess that will be up next! It will be something baby friendly with cocoa powder, oats and honey. But still less sugary than what you buy in stores. Ingredients: 500 gram of German Whole Rye Bread from Mestemacher (it has to be the hearty German kind, not the soft rye bread. You can also …

Super easy and hearty buns

Is there anything better than fresh bread right out of the oven? This recipe is so simple and easy that anyone can do it without previous baking experience plus it can be fitted into a busy schedule. With a one-year old and four year-old around me all day recipes need to be pretty simple these days… You just mix it all together before you go to bed, leave it in the fridge overnight and voila next morning you bake them and half an hour later you can enjoy warm freshly baked buns! Ingredients 3 1/2 cup warm water 1 1/2 package active dry yeast 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon honey 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, or walnuts or craisins 1/8 cup flax seeds 2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, rye flour, buck wheat flour or spelt 3 cups all-purpose flour Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, oats for sprinkling This is how you do it: Proof the yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm water with 1/2 a teaspoon sugar When the yeast starts to rise and bubble …