Schneeflocken Marzipankuchen – marzipan snowflake cake
This cake takes its inspiration from a Linzer biscuit. Two almondy cake halves sandwiched together with a raspberry centre. Raspberry jam has become the conserve of choice in a modern Linzer biscuit but the Linzer tart (of which the biscuits are a descendant) was originally filled with tart blackcurrant jam. To be honest, so long as the jam has some punch to it I don’t think it matters which one you choose. I’ve used damson, sour cherry and redcurrant jelly as well as the aforementioned, but strawberry and apricot would be too sweet.
Rather than ice this, I’ve played around with paper-cut snowflakes as icing sugar templates and the results are beautifully festive; a doily, too, works just as well.
Serves 6
unsalted butter 100g, at room temperature
caster sugar 75g
eggs 2, separated, whites whisked to stiff peaks
marzipan 100g, grated
plain flour 75g
ground almonds 25g
ground cinnamon 1 tsp
baking powder 1 tsp
raspberry jam 4 tbsp
icing sugar for dusting
Heat the oven to 160C fan/gas mark 4 and grease and line 2 x 20cm round cake tins.
Put the butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat with a hand-held electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and whisk again until combined. Add the grated marzipan, flour, ground almonds, cinnamon and baking powder, then stir until well mixed.
Fold the whisked egg whites into the batter, then divide the mixture evenly between the two cake tins and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch. Turn the cakes out on to a wire rack to cool.
Once cool, put one cake on to a plate, spoon the jam on top and spread it out evenly. Place the second cake on top.
Cut out a round piece of paper just larger than the cake. Fold it into four and cut an intricate snowflake design out of it. Unfold the piece of paper and lay it on top of the cake. Dust the top with icing sugar before carefully removing the paper. You should be left with a beautiful delicate snowflake on top of your cake.
Stored in an airtight container, this cake will keep well for up to 3 days.
Spekulatius – spiced almond biscuits
These biscuits are traditional Advent sweet treats in both the Netherlands, where they are usually eaten around 6 December (St Nikolaus day), and in Germany, where they are eaten throughout the whole run-up to Christmas. Usually they’re decorated with images relating to Nikolaus, and more often than not have windmills depicted on them.
You can also buy special wooden rolling pins with pictured squares carved into them specifically for rolling this dough out at home. I don’t have one of these and I certainly don’t have the patience to create the intricate decoration it would involve without using one. Instead I use pretty cutters (I think snowflakes work best) to cut out festive shapes. Usually almond Spekulatius have a flaked almond base, but I’ve switched things up and adorned mine with them on top instead. These snappy (by this I mean crunchy and good to snap) biscuits are best eaten alongside a black coffee and are also brilliant crushed into a powder and mixed with melted butter to create a Christmas cheesecake or chocolate torte base.
Makes about 30
plain flour 150g, plus extra for dusting
rye flour 50g
bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp
ground cinnamon 1½ tsp
ground cloves ¼ tsp
grated nutmeg ¼ tsp
caster sugar 120g
fine sea salt a pinch
unsalted butter 125g, at room temperature
egg 1, beaten
milk for brushing
flaked almonds 50g, for decorating
Put all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the butter and mix it into the flour using your fingertips until it has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and bring everything together into a dough with your hands. (Alternatively, simply put all the ingredients into the bowl of an electric free-standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix until an even dough is formed.)
Heat the oven to 170C fan/gas mark 5 and line 2 large baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm thickness. Cut out shapes with your cookie cutter and gently transfer them on to the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1cm between each to allow for spreading. Reroll the dough offcuts into more biscuits. Brush the tops with milk, then sprinkle some flaked almonds on to each one, pressing them down gently to ensure they stick.
Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden all over. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
They will store well in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.
Schweizer Spitzen – Swiss peaks
A celebratory chocolate that looks showstoppingly good yet is a cinch to make. In Germany, Kirschwasser, a double-distilled morello cherry brandy, is often used with chocolate, most famously in a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, and these little Swiss peaks are no exception – sometimes I also sit a sour cherry at the bottom of the foil case before piping the chocolate in.
Makes about 30
double cream 100ml
dark chocolate (50% cocoa solids) 200g, broken into pieces
unsalted butter or coconut oil 30g
Kirschwasser or cherry brandy 1 tbsp
Heat the cream in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring from time to time to avoid it scorching on the bottom. Take it off the heat just before it comes to a boil. Add the chocolate and butter or coconut oil, and stir with a wooden spoon until both are dissolved. Mix in the Kirschwasser and beat for a minute until smooth and glossy. Refrigerate for 45 minutes so it stiffens up slightly.
Lay out small foil chocolate cases on a baking sheet. Give the mixture a good stir through again, then spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm star-shaped nozzle. Pipe the mixture, with a swirling motion, into the foil cases, lifting the nozzle up at the very end to create a peak.
Stored in an airtight container, these will keep well for 2 weeks. They don’t need to be refrigerated but I think they’re particularly good when a little cold, so I like to refrigerate them 15 minutes before serving.
Christbrot – Christmas bread with dried fruit
Christbrot is very similar to a Weihnachtsstollen (Christmas stollen), but lighter in texture, and is best eaten freshly baked without needing time to mature. This is one of the reasons why a Christbrot is more popular to bake at home than a Stollen each year. It isn’t hard to make Christbrot but the method involves a triple rise, so you’ll need to set a morning or afternoon aside if you choose to make it.
Makes 1 loaf (serves about 6)
mixed peel 75g
raisins 50g
currants 50g
dark rum 1 tbsp
plain flour 300g, plus extra for dusting
caster sugar 40g
fine sea salt ½ tsp
lemon finely grated zest of ½
orange finely grated zest of ½
unsalted butter 50g, melted
egg 1
fresh yeast 18g, or 9g of dried
whole milk 70ml, tepid
flaked almonds 50g, to coat
unsalted butter 50g, melted
vanilla sugar 40g (available online, or see note below)
icing sugar 40g
Put the mixed peel, raisins and currants into a bowl, pour over the rum and set aside to infuse while you prepare the dough.
Put the flour, sugar, salt and citrus zests into a large bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon, then add the melted butter and egg.
Crumble the yeast (or sprinkle if using dried) into the tepid milk and stir to dissolve. Pour the yeasted milk into the flour mixture and, using your hands, bring the ingredients together into a rough dough. Tip the dough on to a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until it becomes more elastic. Form it into a ball and nestle it into the bottom of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set aside in a warm spot to rise for 1-3 hours until almost doubled in size. (Alternatively, put the flour, sugar, salt and citrus zests into the bowl of a free-standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the butter and egg. Pour in the yeasted milk and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is elastic. Cover the bowl and set aside, as above.)
Knock the dough back with your fist and add the almonds and boozy dried fruit (along with any liquid). Knead the fruit and nuts through for a few minutes until evenly incorporated. Form the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl. Cover with the tea towel and set aside in a warm spot for about 20 minutes for a short second rise.
Form the dough into a round loaf shape and place it on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking parchment. Cover with a tea towel and leave somewhere warm to rise for a final 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 170C fan/gas mark 5.
Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until brown all over and cooked through, checking after 25 minutes; if it is getting too brown cover it with a piece of foil for the remainder of the baking time.
Transfer to a wire rack and brush with the melted butter repeatedly until all the butter is used up. Sprinkle with the vanilla sugar, then sift over the icing sugar.
This is best eaten within a couple of hours after it’s baked. Or you can wrap it in foil and store in an airtight tin; it will keep for up to 3 days, after which it is still fine to toast for a further 2 days.
Note: Vanilla sugar is very easy to make yourself. Pop a split vanilla pod into a jar of caster sugar and letting it infuse for a couple of days, or alternatively blitz half a vanilla pod with a small bag of caster sugar in a food processor for an instant version. At a push you can just use caster sugar, which will still be sweet and melt into the warm dough, but it won’t have the vanilla notes.
Glücksbringer – lucky charms
These little biscuits are full of new year’s luck – shaped like coins for prosperity, full of gold from the egg yolk and decorated with a “lucky” mushroom – you’re bound to have a good year ahead if you eat one.
Makes about 35
plain flour 150g
fine sea salt a pinch
unsalted butter 80g, at room temperature
icing sugar 50g, plus extra for dusting and icing
egg yolks 2
vanilla extract ½ tsp
milk for brushing
flaked almonds to decorate
glacé cherries halved, to decorate
Heat the oven to 170C fan/gas mark 5. Line 2 large baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment.
Put the flour, salt and butter in a mixing bowl and, using your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the icing sugar and mix it through. Now add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and bring everything together into a dough with your hands. Knead for a few minutes.
Dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll the dough out to a 3mm thickness. Using a fluted cookie cutter, cut out circles and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1cm between each. Reroll all the dough offcuts into more biscuits. Brush the top of each with milk and place 1 flaked almond on the biscuit with a point in the centre.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Let the biscuits cool on the sheet for a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Lay a glacé cherry half on the centre end of each almond to create a mushroom top. Mix 1 tablespoon of icing sugar with a couple of drops of water to create a thick paste. Use the prong of a fork or a cocktail stick to dip into the icing. Now dot the iced prong on to the glacé cherry to create little white spots on the red “mushroom”.
Walnuß marzipan – chocolate-coated walnut marzipan
These little sweets came about one autumn when we found the ground on our usual path to school scattered with walnuts. After dropping the boys off I rushed home, scooping up as many nuts along the way as I could carry.
Back in the kitchen all sorts of walnut creations took place; this one I wrote down in my notebook for Christmas. The flavours come from a German-Polish-border biscuit that Helga, our late German neighbour in Wales, used to put on her bunter teller. I asked her one year for the recipe, but she was reluctant to pass it on. The biscuit base was spread with apricot jam, a layer of marzipan next, followed by half a walnut crown all wrapped up in a glaze of vodka icing.
In one bite-sized biscuit, they swept me directly to cold snowy cobbled streets with people’s breath hanging in clouds under the glow of street lamps. There was just something about them that seemed so old-fashioned that was hard to put my finger on – the vodka somehow brought a mysterious feeling of cold into your mouth.
Makes about 20 squares
walnuts 200g, or walnut pieces
icing sugar 75g, sifted
vodka 1-2 tbsp
dark chocolate 180g
coconut oil ½ tsp
flaky sea salt to sprinkle on top
Place the walnuts in a food processor and blitz for about 2 minutes until finely ground, then scrape down the sides of the processor and blitz again for a couple of minutes until the oils are released from the nuts and the mixture clumps together.
Add the icing sugar along with 1 tablespoon of vodka and blitz again until a smooth paste forms. You may need to add a bit more vodka depending on how fresh the nuts are.
Form the marzipan into a rectangle 1cm deep and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Put the chocolate and coconut oil into a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a small saucepan with 1cm of water in the bottom. Turn the heat on low and wait for the chocolate to melt. Once it starts melting, stir so that the coconut oil is evenly dispersed. Take off the heat once the chocolate is glossy and fluid.
Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment. Cut the marzipan into 1cm squares and, using a fork held horizontally with the tines pointing upwards to balance the marzipan on, dip each square carefully into the chocolate, so that it is completely covered. Lift gently onto the baking paper and continue until all squares are covered. Sprinkle each square with a little flaky sea salt and allow to set before boxing up.
Stored in an airtight container, these keep well for up to a week.
Flammkuchen – German ‘pizza’
Flammkuchen, often dubbed “German pizza”, is a very thin and crisp piece of dough topped with soured cream, onions and Schinken (cured ham). It originates from the German/French border region of Alsace – traditionally baked in a wood oven, it was invented by bakers to test the temperature of their ovens; if the oven was hot enough for bread, the Flammkuchen would only take a minute to cook.
The dough is actually very similar to a strudel dough or rough filo (just flour, oil and water) and is incredibly easy to make. It’s important when making this at home to heat the baking sheet up in the oven first as this ensures a crisp base, or if you have a pizza stone that’s even better. I’ve given some suggestions for my favourite alternative flavour combinations below the recipe, but really anything goes for the dough.
Makes 2 (serves 2 as a main or 4-6 as a snack)
For the base
plain flour 200g, plus extra for dusting
rapeseed oil 3 tbsp
water 80ml
fine sea salt a pinch
For the topping
soured cream or creme fraiche 150ml
onion 1 small, finely diced
brown mushrooms 150g, finely sliced
flaky sea salt
rapeseed oil for drizzling
fresh thyme leaves ½ tbsp
Heat the oven to 200C fan/gas mark 7. Place 2 large baking sheets in the oven to heat.
To make the dough, put all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix using your hands. Knead for a couple of minutes until a supple, silky dough is formed. Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each half out as thinly as possible. So long as it fits on the baking sheet it doesn’t matter what shape it is, although I aim for a rough oval.
Take the sheets out of the oven and lay the dough on top; this can be a little fiddly – I use a pizza shovel to do this but a large flat spatula or a hand supporting the underside centre of the dough while you move it also works.
Working quickly, spread the soured cream evenly across each piece of dough and scatter the onion and mushrooms over the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with a little rapeseed oil. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the edges are crisp and the Flammkuchen is starting to burnish on top. Sprinkle with thyme, slice into portions and serve immediately.
VARIATIONS
Schinken – replace the mushrooms with 200g finely diced Schinken or streaky bacon.
Goat’s cheese and honey – switch the mushrooms for 200g goat’s cheese. Drizzle 1 tbsp honey on each portion, and sprinkle with thyme and some snipped chives before serving.
Pesto and tomato – add 2 tbsp pesto to the soured cream and switch the mushrooms for 180g cherry tomatoes (halved). Add a handful of rocket at the end instead of the thyme.
Red pepper and black olive – add ½ tsp sweet paprika to the soured cream. Switch the mushrooms for a finely sliced red pepper. Slice a handful of black olives in half and scatter them over both Flammkuchen. Add some fresh basil once it’s out of the oven.
Recipes from Advent: Festive German Bakes to Celebrate the Coming of Christmas by Anja Dunk (Quadrille, £25). To order a copy for £21.75 go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply
