Zwetschgenkuchen mit Streusel/Plum cake with Streusel

Happy Labour Day Weekend!!

Summer break is almost over; another new school year starting and because this will be my son’s final year, grade 12; it will be extra special. Time sure goes by too quick sometimes, lol.

I’m loving all the wonderful local fruits we have in season now and I couldn’t resist to make a plum cake. A Streusel-topping was my sons wish:)

Super yummy, I hope you’ll give it a try!

 

Zwetschgenkuchen mit Streusel/Plum cake with Streusel

Ingredients:

• 250 g spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 80 ml maple syrup
• 100 g butter, soft
• about 18 plums, cut in halves

Streusel:

• 60 ml maple syrup
• 100 g butter, cold
• 150 g spelt flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon

-Flour and grease a 22 cm Springform.

-Whisk  the butter with the egg and maple syrup. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, then add to the butter mix, stir until well combined.

-Roll out about a 1/3 directly onto the bottom of the Springform, I used my hands, then close the form and line the sides with the rest of the dough, about half way up.

-Fill the form with the plums. Combine all the ingredients for the Streusel and spread evenly onto the plums.

-Bake in preheated oven, 350 F / 180 C, for about 55 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

Ursula 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pumpkin Cookies

Happy Halloween!

I hope you are all having a fun and not too scary Halloween! Thinking back of those times when my kids were still little and impatiently waiting for this day to come. Such cute memories of my daughter mostly dressing up as a little princess, my son trying out different characters from cowboy to Star Wars Darth Vader 🙂

I’ve made these delicious, melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin cookies, all dressed up for Halloween, these are the perfect fall or holiday cookie, with a lovely pumpkin and spice flavor. Can be enjoyed with or without icing. I used maple butter as an icing.

 

 

Pumpkin Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, soft
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups maple syrup
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups white spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

-Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

-Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt, set aside.

-Cream together the butter, egg and maple syrup. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla, beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls, flatten slightly.

-Bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven or until lightly browned. Let cool completely. Drizzle with maple butter or icing.

Tip: -Use 3 teaspoons of pumpkin spice. – Substitute spelt flour with whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour.

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

You can find me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plum Tart / Zwetschgenwaehe

Love this time of the year with all the peaches, plums and fresh apples locally available. I’ve felt like making a traditional Swiss Plum Tart. Simple way of using any kind of fruits. Flaky, buttery crust, plums, cinnamon and I added a small Canadian touch by using maple syrup-simply delicious!

 

 

Plum Tart / Zwetschgenwaehe

Crust:

• 150 g white spelt flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 75 g butter, cold, cut into small pieces
• 3 – 4 tbsp cold water

Filling:

• 2 tbsp ground hazelnut or almonds
• 8 – 9 plums / Zwetschgen, cut into 1/4
• 100 ml cream
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon

 

-In a  medium bowl add the flour and salt. Mix in the butter with your hands until  small crumbs form, add 3 tbs of water, mix until well combined, adding more water if needed. Do not knead to long. Refrigerate for 30 min.

-Grease and flour a 26 cm tart or pie form. Preheat oven to 375 F (convection setting).

-Roll out dough and fit into prepared tart form. Sprinkle evenly with the ground nuts.

-Whisk together the cream, egg, maple syrup and cinnamon.

-Arrange plums and top with the cream.

-Bake in preheated oven for about 30 min.

-Dust with some icing sugar, can be served with whipped cream.

 

 

Simply delicious!

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

You can find me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raspberry Coconut Tarts

Happy Sunday everyone!

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! It is still very hot here and we are trying to stay cool. My daughter and I spent an afternoon a the beach this week, that was very nice and relaxing! The water is very cold, I only put my feet in, lol;)

Huron Lake, Ontario, Canada

And we are picking raspberries in our garden!

I am not turning the stove on that much since it is to hot to do so. But I made these yummy raspberry coconut tarts. Filled with my coconut custard or just simply a vanilla pudding.

 

Raspberry Coconut Tarts

Tart shells:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup white spelt flour
• 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt

-Whisk together the butter, honey and egg yolk. Add salt and vanilla. Stir in flour and coconut until well combined. It is a soft dough. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.

-Preheat oven to 350F/180C.

-Take the dough out of the fridge and using your hands, press dough into greased muffin form, prick with a fork. Makes about 6-8.

-Refrigerate for a few minutes.

-Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or golden brown.

-Let cool completely.

-Can be filled with my coconut custard: Coconut Custard mini tarts with mixed berries or a simple vanilla pudding. Prepare ahead as the filling need time to cool and set in the fridge.

-Fill tarts with custard, then top with fresh raspberries.

-Keep refrigerated.

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

Follow me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Streusel-Topped Strawberry Galette

Hi everyone! I hope you are having a great weekend!

It is raining like crazy today so we will spend the weekend mostly inside. It has been dry and hot and the rain is very much needed.

We’ve bought a lot of local strawberries which we mostly eat just like that but I also like to make a dessert with it. This recipe for the Streusel-Topped Strawberry Galette is adapted from Canadian Living. It turned out wonderfully and it was so delicious! I definitely will try it with other fruits as well.

 

 

Streusel-Topped Strawberry Galette

Pastry:

• 2 1/2 cup white spelt flour
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cold butter cubed
• 3/4 cup ice water

-In a bowl, mix together flour, honey and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until crumbly. Drizzle with water, mixing with a fork until dough comes together, adding more water if needed. Shape into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Almond Streusel:

• 1/2 cup white spelt flour
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup cold butter cubed
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds

-In a bowl mix together flour and honey. Using your fingers, rub in the butter until crumbly. Stir in the almonds, set aside.

Filling:

• 800 g strawberries hulled and halved
• 2/3 cup strawberry jam
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1/4 cup ground almonds
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp coarse sugar, optional

-Mix together strawberries, jam, honey and cornstarch, set aside

-On a large piece of parchment paper, roll out dough to about 43 cm circle. Transfer dough with paper to a large baking sheet. Sprinkle dough with ground almonds, leaving a 8 cm border. Scrape strawberry mixture onto almonds.

-Fold over pastry edge. Sprinkle streusel over strawberries.

-Mix egg yolk with 2 tsp of water, brush over pastry. Sprinkle with coarse suger if desired. Bake in 375F/190C preheated oven 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown.

Tip: Feel free to use all-purpose flour and sugar, using the same amount.

Beautiful Peonies blooming in our garden!

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

Follow me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strawberry Cake / Erdbeertorte

Happy June!!

I’ve had a hard time deciding on what kind of cake I would like for my birthday! There are so many I like…lol. In the end I choose to make a traditional European strawberry cake, similar to what you could find in a bakery.

It turned out pretty lovely and delicious! I was especially proud to have made it, because I’ve been having a lot of shoulder pain and numbness in my arm and hand, which makes everyday tasks very difficult, not to mention doing something that involves even more time. And writing down the recipe just had to wait a little.

I had a wonderful birthday!

 

The recipe is adapted from Kuchenfeelisa.de and Betty Bossi

 

Strawberry Cake / Erdbeertorte

• 80 g sugar or honey
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 lemon, only zest
• 4 egg whites
• pinch of salt
• big pinch of baking powder
• 2 tbsp sugar or honey
• 100 g all-purpose unbleached flour
• 40 g melted

-Line the bottom of a 24 cm spring form with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

-Mix together the sugar, egg yolks and lemon zest until creamy.

-Whisk egg whites with the salt and baking powder until stiff peaks form. Add 2 tbsp of sugar and whisk a little more.

-Add the flour alternately with the egg whites, a little at the time and gently fold under the egg yolk mixture. Mix in the melted butter and fill into prepared form.

-Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

-Let cool completely.

Vanilla Creme

• 125 g sugar or honey
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 60 g all-purpose unbleached flour
• 500 ml milk or plant milk like cashew or coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

-In a bowl mix together the sugar, egg yolks and egg, add the flour and mix well.

-In a saucepan bring the milk to a boil. Remove from heat. Add the vanilla.

-Add a few tablespoons of the hot milk to the flour/egg mix and stir well, repeat that 2 times.

-Then add the flour/egg/milk mix to the milk in the saucepan. Keep stirring and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, keep stirring until nice and creamy. Remove from heat. Let cool for a few minutes.

– Add the still warm creme onto the cake. Arrange strawberries onto the cake, I cut them in half to lay onto the creme. Then add the rest of the whole strawberries evenly. This will be a few layers of strawberries.

-Prepare cake glaze according to packing instruction and pour onto strawberries. Use about 100 ml less water to make a thicker glaze.  Leave some to brush on the top strawberries to make it look extra shiny. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

-Remove the spring form side, maybe using a knife first to loosen it from the form first.

-Brush warmed jelly around the side, then cover with the toasted almonds.

-Decorate with some pistachios or flowers if desired.

-Keep refrigerated.

Extras

• 1 kg small or medium strawberries, washed and hulled.
• 50 g strawberry jelly, warmed
• 200 g sliced almonds, lightly toasted
• Tortenguss, cake glaze (you can find it in a European deli)
• a few finely chopped pistachios or some flowers for decorating

 

 

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cacao Cashew Bliss Balls

Here is another favorite snack or treat we love to have around. Delicious and nutritious, make a double batch and store in the freezer!

 

Cacao Cashew Bliss Balls

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 2 cups soft dates
• 2 1/2 tbsp almond butter
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

-Place the cashew in a food processor and pulse until finely crushed.

-Add the dates and coconut oil, pulse until fully mixed. Add the almond butter, cacao powder and vanilla extract, pulse until combined. Should be sticking well together.

-Using a tablespoon at the time, roll into balls.

-Place in the freezer to set for about an hour. Store in a airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Tip: You can use any nuts and nut/seed butter you prefer. Double the recipe and make half without adding cacao powder (as seen on my pictures above).

 

 

 

I wish you all a happy week!

Ursula

Follow me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

Maple Walnut Oat Muffins

Happy Friday everyone!

I am finally able to do some baking again! We’ve had an ice storm last weekend that left us with power outages, especially Sunday almost all day and on Monday the power went on and off all afternoon and then it just continued for the last few days. So annoying!

Now I am looking forward to some warmer and sunnier days!

We’ve been munching on these scrumptious muffins this week! My kids put one in their lunch bags for school every day! They are lovely just plain or you can eat them warm or cold with some maple butter.

Try to get your hands on some real Maple Butter from your local maple producer! Which does not contain any butter!! 🙂

 

Maple Walnut Oat Muffins

Yields: 14 large muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 cups spelt flour
• 2 cups oats
• 1 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups milk, room temp., I used cashew milk
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

-Grease or line your muffin cups. Preheat oven to 385F (convection setting).

-In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, salt and baking powder.

-Whisk together the eggs, add the butter, milk and maple syrup.

-Add the milk mixture and walnuts to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined, do not overmix.

-Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until tester inserted into middle comes out clean.

Optional, Maple Butter: 1/2 cup butter softened and 1/3 maple syrup, room temp. Beat together until smooth.

-Serve muffins warm with Maple Butter

 

Enjoy! And happy, almost, weekend!

Ursula

 

You can find me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

Spiced Turmeric Latte

Hello everyone! I am sure you all heard of Matcha or Turmeric Lattes before. I’ve been making these, especially the Turmeric Latte more frequently this winter, mostly because I really enjoy them but also because of all the health benefits they provide. Preventing getting sick is a big part and I think I was pretty lucky so far! Except an earache and the occasional sniffles I was fine. My kids and husband have been having colds for the last few weeks and it finely got me as well!

Turmeric, Cinnamon and Ginger have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Anti-microbial, immunity-boosting, cancer preventing. These are just some of the benefits of these beautiful spices.

Pepper contains piperine and is believed to enhance the absorption of Turmeric. And because Turmeric is fat-soluble I added some coconut oil to the latte.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to capture the beautiful yellow color!

 

Spiced Turmeric Latte

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 cups coconut, almond, cashew or any other milk
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch ground or finely grated fresh ginger
• pinch black pepper

-Add milk, coconut oil and honey to a small pot and bring to a quick boil.

-Reduce heat to low and while whisking add all the spices. Whisk until frothy.

-Serve immediately.

Tip: I used honey to soothe my sore throat, it is optional of course. If making it vegan use maple syrup or coconut sugar instead. Sweeten to your taste.

 

 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ursula

 

Follow me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon Blueberry Cookies

Happy weekend everyone! Today was the first day of March Break for my kids. Nothing interesting happening so far, just relaxing a bit at home. It is still snowing and cold, just a little jealous of those heading somewhere south;)

Having some kind of snack around while the kids are at at home this week is always a good idea. I was craving something with lemon flavor and why not add some blueberries. These cookies are so delicious, soft, lemony…

Sweetened with honey and I used white spelt flour.

 

Lemon Blueberry Cookies 

Yields: 34 large cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unsalted butter, soft
• 4 eggs
• 2 organic lemons, zest and juice
• 2 x 3/4 cups honey
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 cups white spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh

-In a large bowl mix together the butter, eggs, lemon juice and zest, honey and vanilla extract.

-Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mix well. Gently fold in the frozen or fresh blueberries. Let dough chill in refrigerator for 1 hour or longer.

-Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

-Using a tablespoon, place rounded balls of dough, leaving some space in between cookies, on prepared cookie sheets.

-Bake for 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Tip: This recipe makes a lot of cookies, you can easily divide it by two. Also feel free to make smaller sized cookies. I brushed the baked cookies with a mix of lemon juice and honey.

 

 

Happy March Break!

Enjoy!

Ursula