It is not a secret that my hidden passion isn’t necessarily baking. It ranks on the same level as ironing, cleaning windows and gardening the front yard. Literally everything I almost never do. Except for two very special days a year – birthday of my son and my daughter – I tie my apron on to bake up a delicious air cake.
An old GDR baking recipe for air cake reinterpreted.
For 18 years, my grandmother Hildchen baked air cake (in German we say Luftkuchen) for each of my birthdays. The cake of my childhood now becomes the cake of my kids’ childhood.
Bathing in nostalgic memories paired with my high motivation for baking, I pour myself a cold brew coffee with Palatinose™ (adding secretly a touch of Rum Chata to get me excited about baking a cake) and then I get started to bake grannys Hildchen famous Luftkuchen.
I keep the original recipe with only two changes in the ingredient list that did not exist at the time. I replace the regular sugar with the sugar of my personal choice – Palatinose™ – and I replace the cocoa with Palatinose™ cocoa. If Palatinose™ had existed back then, Grandma Hildchen and all her entire baking gang would certainly have used it in their recipes. The Luftkuchen does not have an overwhelming sweetness like I recall it from my childhood memories – just perfect the way it is – and it is nicely fluffy – that is what you would expect from a Luftkuchen. A secret side note: From time to time granny Hildchen topped the Luftkuchen with caramelized walnuts.
Chocolate cake as birthday wish.
This year, my son’s only birthday wish was to get a chocolate cake with flowers and an oldtimer on top of the cake. Tick off for the chocolate cake. What to do with the flowers? I briefly considered to create some decor flowers with Isomalt, but then the cold brew coffee and the Rum Chata were empty and my motivation was gone. Next baking session is scheduled for February, let’s see … Any volunteers for an Isomalt cake decoration for my Luftkuchen: You know how to find me. So, are you excited about the recipe yet?
Shopping list for Hildchen’s air cake.
- 4 eggs
- 250g margarine
- 300g flour
- 375g Palatinose™
- 50g cocoa (e.g. Innosnack cocoa with Palatinose™)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tea spoon Natron
Mix all ingredients wild and free together and bake on an iron sheet for 20 minutes at 180°C. Once the cake is cold, you add the topping. I screwed up the topping so many times, that I stick to the original recipe.
For the topping you need:
- 100g butter
- 50g coconut fat
- 4 table spoons condensed milk
- 4 table spoons powdered sugar
- 2 sachets of vanilla sugar
In a 1st step melt the coconut fat and cool it down. Afterwards stir the butter foamily and add vanilla sugar, powdered sugar and condensed milk. Add dropwise the coconut fat.
Yummi. Let the birthday party begin!
A few thoughts about my cold brew coffee experience.
What a hot summer this year! Refreshment was my no 1 hobby. I have to admit that usually I prefer hot to cold: I prefer a hot soup to a gazpacho, a hot shower to a cold one, a hot coffee to a cold one, with one exception: I prefer winter vacation in Lapland to a sunny sea vacation.
One sunny day in April this year, my US colleagues asked me for a cold brew coffee recipe with Palatinose™. This is the day my curiosity about this coffee trend was awakened. In my mind’s eye I saw myself sitting with a cold brew coffee in the shade of the hot summer days.
I did a little research on this trending coffee experience, read articles on water quality, coffee bean quality, grind size and decided to just forget about research and do it. At the end you do not need to be a master barista, just be a patient person to wait 12 to 24 hours until your coffee is ready.
What makes cold brew coffee so special?
The cold brewing process is supposed to bring out the flavours better and reduces the bitter notes compared to filter brewed coffee.
Oh yes, my coffee had quite a strong flavour! …it might should opt for a 12 hours brewing process instead of 24 hours for the next time. I am this kind of person that drinks an espresso at 10 pm and falls asleep at 10:15 pm, but my cold brew coffee made sure I could bake 2 further Luftkuchen birthday cakes this evening.
I somehow needed to overcome a bit the bitterness. I added two table spoons of Palatinose™ to my coffee and my taste buds were delighted. And with a hint of Rum Chata it becomes an unbeatable motivation drink for baking sessions.
Well, do you want to try my cold brew coffee recipe with Palatinose™ adapted from my US colleagues?
Here you go: The recipe for cold brew coffee with Palatinose™.
- Grind coffee beans coarsely
- Add 4 parts of water for 1 part of coarsely grinded coffee beans by volume.
- Steep during 12 hours or if you like the coffee very strong, steep during 24 hours
- Strain with coffee filter
- Add Palatinose™ PST-N (approx. 15g per 250ml)
And then – sit back and enjoy. I am looking forward to your feedback on my recipes. Feel free to write me your comments!
