"Kinderschokoladen" Cake with Mascarpone-Berry Cream

Similar to the "Yogurette" cake, this is another cake inspired by one of my favorite chocolate bars - the "Kinderschokolade". For the cream filling of this cake, I used the "Kinderschokolade" bars and eggs for it. The eggs contain hazelnut pieces which give the filling a bit of a crunch.

"Kinderschokolade" bars: milk chocolate bars with a creamy milk filling

"Kinderschokolade" eggs: little milk chocolate balls with creamy milk filling and chopped hazelnuts (called "Kinder Schoko-Bons")

While the "Yogurette" cake used a very light and fluffy biscuit cake, this cake bottom is a dark chocokolate cake with added milk, oil and hot water. This makes the cake a little heavier, which is better for cutting it in halves and suitable for the rich chocolate flavor.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 120g (2 cups) sugar
• 125g (1 cup) flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 100ml (3/4 cup) milk
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 drops rum aroma

For the cream filling:

• 200g mascarpone
• 100g plain yogurt
• 100g crème fraiche
• 200g whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
• 1 package cream stabilizer
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 package (125g, 10 bars) "Kinderschokolade"
• 5-10 "Kinderschokolade - Bons"
• 200g frozen mixed berries
• 1 tablespoon flour (for dusting the berries)

Toppings

• "Kinderschoko-Bons" - frozen
• "Kinderschokolade" bars - frozen, then halved lengthwise
• "Kinderschokolade" bars - frozen, then shaved lengthwise
• "Kinder-Surprise Egg"

Preparation:

Preheat oven at 180 degree Celsius (400 degree Fahrenheit). Grease a 26cm round springform.

1. Prepare the Cake: Mix eggs with sugar and whip for about 8-10minutes till the liquid mix turns into a white creamy consitancy and doubles in volume. Now, in a separate bowl mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda. Sieve the mix into the egg-sugar cream mix and fold it lightly in. Add the milk, oil, hot water, vanilla and rum aroma and lightly mix. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree Celcius (400 degree Fahrenheit) for 20-30 minutes. Prick with a skewer to see whether the cake is done. Take out and let cool completely.
2. Prepare the Cream: In a bowl, lightly mix the mascarpone cream with the yogurt and crème fraiche. In a separate bowl, mix the whipping cream with the vanilla sugar and the cream stabilizer. Whip the cream till it is stiff. Fold the cream and the lemon juice lightly into the mascarpone mix. Chop the "Kinderschokolade" bars and eggs and fold it into the cream. Now, divide the cream evenly into two bowls. Dust the frozen berries with a bit of flour (so that they will not bleed into the cream mix). Add the berries to one of the cream bowls.
3. Assemble the Cake: Cut the cake bottom into two halves. Spread the cream-berry mix on the first cake bottom half, add the second cake bottom half and spread with the second cream mix (without berries). Put the cake in the fridge and cool for about 3 hours.
4. Dekorate the Cake: Use some of the "Kinderschokolade" bars and eggs as decoration. Cut the bars in halves (lengthwise) and you can also use shavings of the bars. I recommend to put the chocolate in the freezer before as it is milkchocolate and melts very fast. 

Print this recipe:

Blueberry Sparkling Lemonade

This is a nice refreshing summer drink - tart, minty and sparkeling :) We made it a long time ago during my time in the USA, for a rooftop get together. It is a slightly modified recipe from one of my US cookbook magazine "Smart Cooking, The Costco Way".

I am usually not a big fan of ginger ale, but here it just fits beautifully. And you don't really need to stick to the recipe too much, you can use a little more blueberry lemonade mix so that it tastes a little sweeter, or a little more ginger ale then it tastes a little tarter, or just a little bit more of sparkeling water/club soda then it tastes more refreshing and lite.

Enjoy!

Ingredients (about 6 glasses):

Lemonade Mix:

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup sparkling water (or club soda)
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Fill up the Glasses:

• 12 fresh mint leaves
• about 6 cups ice cubes 
• 6 tablespoons blueberries 
• about 2 cups ginger ale
• about 2 cups sparkling water (or club soda)
• 6 thin half slices of lemon (for garnish)
• 6 mint sprigs (for garnish)
 

Preparation:

1. Prepare the lemonade mix: In a blender, combine 1 cup blueberries, sugar, water and lemon juice. Blend till smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
2. Fill the glasses: Put two mint leaves in each glass and fill with ice cubes. Top off with 1 tablespoon blueberries per glass. Add about 3/4 cup of the blueberry lemonade mix (till the glass is about 1/3 - 1/2 full). Top off with ginger ale and sparkeling water to taste. Stir and garnish with a lemon slice and a mint sprig.

Note: How many glasses you get, actually depends on first, how tall the glasses are and second, how strong you want the blueberry lemonade. You can always add a little more or a little less of the lemonade mix.

Print this recipe:

Brunch at Olivia's Café (Dinsey's Old Key West Resort)

On my last day of my Florida vacation, we decided to explore another Disney World Resort. These resort hotels usually have a unique theme and it feels like you step into another world... We ended up at Olivia's Café at Disney's Old Key West Resort. Neither of us had been at that resort before and were most pleasantly surprised by the beautiful hotel with all the little details and by the charming little café. While the hotel reflected the atmosphere of a tropical island and Key West, the café was nautical themed. There were also over a hundred member photos in the lobby of the café. The café also had a cute little outdoor seating terrace. And as most visitors chose to be seated inside it was also not so noisy.

Great service!

Another posivtive, our waiter was very attentive and welcomed us with the note, that he will try to accomodate any changes or additions to the menu that we like. We (especially me) indeed took his word for it and I added a few extras, and the best - he did not charge us for it! Such a great service just hightens the good experience. 

Great food!

We chose "Olivia's Breakfast" and I added green peppers and pico de gallo to the eggs. Additionally, we picked the Mickey shaped waffles and some pancakes. As part of "Olivia's Breakfast" we got the potato casserole. This was my favorite as it tasted similar to a dish that Mom cooks, she calls it "onion potatos". In the potato casserole, there were also sautéed onions that tasted very buttery and just enhanced the flavor of the potatoes.

Great additional boat ride!

What a great start into my last day. However, it did not end there. My friend discovered that there was a free boat ride from the Resort to Disney Springs, which was amazing, as we looked for both: a boat tour and getting to Disney Springs. The boat ride was really amazing, through a nice canal with great views and the guide even added some history to it.

Another Disney Resort Experience to end the day:

After returning from Disney Springs to the Resort, we decided for another quick stop - dinner at the nearby Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter. This was a spontaneous idea and we were, again, not disappointed. The area was beautiful, really bringing out the character of New Orleans's French Quarter with its cobblestone streets, the gas lamps and the Mardi Gras decorations. The dining hall style food at Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory was really tasty as well. Unfortunately, we were too stuffed to try out the uniquely Mickey-shaped beignets ;) If there is a next time, I think I would like to try the adjacent Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside with its creole and cajun specialties.

Previous Disney Resort Hotel experiences:

• Disney's Polynesian Resort: Last year, we had enjoyed the tropical style and beach atmosphere at the Polynesian Resort. We watched the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom nightshow. Afterwards we went to Trader Sam's Grog Grotto, a tini Tiki Bar kind of hidden away but very lively and animated. 
• Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge: In this African-style Resort we enjoyed Boma's Brunch as well as Boma's Dinner buffet. There was even a walk with spectacluar views over four savannahs and African wildlife. 
• Disney's Art of Animation Resort: Here, you are surrounded by the enchantment of Walt Disney and the Disney Pixar Movies. There are several storybook landscapes to explore, including Finding Nemo, Cars, Lion King, The Little Mermaid. We also enjoyed breakfast at the Landscape of Flavors and participated in a "teach to draw" class where we learned how to sketch little simba from the Lion King.
• Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort: This year, we started my vacation time off with the Chip 'n' Dale's Campfire Sing-a-long. We had a real campfire, a character meeting with Chip and Dale, made our own s'mores and watched a complimentary "under the stars" Disney movie (The Incredibles) - and the best, it was free!
• Disney's Grand Floridian Resort: I also enjoyed the Disney Afternoon Tea experience at this Victorian-style Resort and the elegant Garden View Tea Room with life pianon music and a surprise appearance of Cinderella and Prince Charming.

Tally's Food Truck Thursday and Sugar Rush

Tally's Food Truck Thursday

My friends in Tallahassee have a little tradition, on thursdays they go for a nice picnic style dinner to Lake Ella. On that day, several food trucks set up on a lawn behind the cottages and serve internationally inspired and authentic street food style dishes including Puerto Rican and Cambodian cuisine. These food trucks are part of Tallahassee Food Truck Association and Lake Ella's Merchant Association. You can bring some lawn chairs or a blanket and a cooler and enjoy your picnic. They even have a little stage with different local bands playing.

The area ist just beautiful. The first time I visited my friends I went to Lake Ella and enjoyed a nice relaxed afternoon reading my book at the lakeside coffee shop Black Dog Cafe. After that, my friends took me to the Food Truck Thursday to let me be part of their tradition. This is such a great idea to spent a relaxed Thursday evening dinner :)

Food Trucks (may not be a complete list):

• Street Chefs (Burger and Wraps, family classics)
• Fried Up Pizza, El Criollo Grill (Puerto Rican cuisine)
• Lasang Pinoy (Philippine cuisine)
• Julio's On The Move (Puerto Rican food in a 1968 30'Airstream camper converted to a food truck)
• Valhalla Grill (gourmet sandwich/wraps with flavors from around the world)
• Dany's Cambodian Cuisine 
• And I was told you may even find a cupcake van :)

Last time, my favorite was the Valhalla Grill. I ordered "The Phonex" (Curry chicken with Thai chili sauce on Naan bread) and went completely overboard by adding a side of Poutine fries with cheese :)

Sugar Rush

And just in case you cannot find the cupcake van, there are several nice other dessert options in Tallahassee. If you want to go extraordinary, got to Sugar Rush. This place is an experience in itself. You can order unique milkshakes with toppings such as cupcakes or birthday cakes :) There are "Unicorns", "Cookie Monsters", "Cereal Killers"... My friends ordered the "S'Mores" milkshake - chocolate ice cream with graham crackers, a syringe full of hot fudge, and roasted jumbo marshmellows. The cup is also dipped in chocolate and graham crackers.

Little dessert at Tally's Sugar Rush - The S'Mores

French Toast Roll-Ups - a.k.a. "Die Röllchen"

Today is my friend's first wedding anniversary. A year ago, I had the pleasure to attend their official wedding ceremony with a delicious brunch at the beautiful Schlosshotel Patrick Hellmann afterwards. The brunch consisted of a large buffet with the usual offerings of different breads, deli meats, cheeses, yoghurt, müsli, cereals, fruit, etc. And we could also order quite a few interesting dishes made to order including several avocado and egg dishes. However, there was one dish that became really popular - the french toast roll-ups with nutella and strawberries. By the way, this filling was way better than the cream cheese filling, what shall I say? Nutella beats it all :). We started calling them the "Röllchen" and kept ordering more and more of them...

Happy first wedding anniversary, I + B :)

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of white toast bread
• Nutella (hazelnut-chocolate spread)
• 100g strawberries
• 5 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg
• 100g sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2-3 tablespoons butter (for frying)

Preparation:

1. Cut off the crust of the bread slices, then flatten them with a rolling pin. Dice the strawberries. In a shallow dish, beat eggs with milk. On a large plate, mix the cinnamon with the sugar. 
2. Spread Nutella on the entire surface of the bread slices. Top the front side (the small side) of the bread slice with strawberry pieces, so that about 1/3 of the slice is covered. Starting at the front side of the slice of bread with the strawberries, roll the bread tightly up lengthwise.
3. Heat up butter in a skillet. Now, dip each toast roll into the egg mixture from both sides, so that it is completely covered. Let the roll drip off briefly and place in the hot skillet with the open side facing down. Fry rolls from each side for 2-3 minutes till slightly brown and crispy. 
4. Take rolls out of skillet and immediately roll in the sugar-cinnamon mix. Serve warm :) 

Note: You can also use different fillings like honey or a cream cheese mix (but add some lemon and vanilla).

Print this recipe:

Proof - Tally's local microbewery and beergarden

I have never been a big beer drinker, despite being German... However, experiencing Oregon's microbreweries with interesting craft beers, especially fruity beer, I developed a taste for it :) Unfortunately, being back in Germany, my taste cannot be satisfied. So, I am always really pleased to visit the USA with its microbreweries. One of my first endeavors in Tallahassee was to borrow my friend's car, drive to Publix and buy about a dozen single bottles of different kind of craft beers. Together with my friend, we would share the bottles in the evening so that I could experience many different flavors... basically having my own little flights of beer :) Usually, I always prefered the light pale ales, but interestingly, this time, I noticed that I developed a taste for more the hoppier beer flavors, the IPA's...

Proof Brewing Co.

This year, my friends introduced me to Tally's own local beer brewery - Proof Brewing Co. Proof is Tally's first and largest independently-owned  production brewery, specializing on a huge variety of craft beers, including fruity beers, IPA's, sour ales, pale ales, etc. Proof also offer a local beergarden. And indeed, it is a beergarden, a bit unusual for the USA, being allowed to drink alcohol outside. It also contains a tasting room and the brewery itself. On some days, there are food carts there, but you are always allowed to bring in your own food. Also, they have live music on Fridays on the patio.

One evening, my friends took me to this beergarden. I loved it! Especially, that they offered flights of beer! They do also have very interesing flavors, including redish and bluish beer :) Depite loving fruity beer, I think, this time the "La La Land" - an west coast IPA - was my favorite. Another favorite was the Raspberry Kissing Giants. It is a gose ale. Gose is actually a top-fermented beer that originated in Goslar, Germany (my Mother's hometown :) ). It contains a lemon sourness, a herbal characteristic and a slight saltiness. I did notice the sourness but it tasted great.

What I ordered:

• La La Land (West Coast India Pale Ale)
• Raspberry Kissing Giants (Gose Ale)
• Blackberry Evil Kiss (Berliner Weisse)
• Nitro Mango Wit (Belgian Wit)