As I mentioned yesterday, this weekend I completed all my errands and chores (except for that dreaded laundry) on Saturday. So that left me free to stick around the house all day Sunday. I thought that would be a great time to try out a couple of recipes from Kirsten of The Happy Larder . I was really happy with the way they turned out.
The first one I made was called Apple Crumb Cake or or in German: “Apfelstreuselkuchen”. Here is a photo of mine:
I was really nervous when I was making it. I weighed all the ingredients. I did the conversion from grams to ounces but they were uneven numbers and I did not want to just estimate on cup and spoon measurements so I used my digital scale. Then when I was making the dough it was not moist enough to form a ball when I added the 2 tablespoons milk called for in the recipe. So I added extra milk a tablespoon at a time until the dough formed a ball. I ended up using 5 tablespoons. I put the dough in the refrigerator and then I peeled and cut the apples and weighed and made the streusel topping. When I took the dough out of the refrigerator my husband asked if I was going to roll it out or pat it in the pan. That made me think for a minute. The recipe did not specify but I figured it should be rolled so roll it I did. I never thought I would get it from the table to the pan but I wrapped it the best I could on the rolling pin and I was able to get it onto the pan. I filled it with fruit and then topped it with the streusel. Then I baked it. I stressed a bit more over the proper timing. I was not exactly sure how I would know when it was done but I ended up using the 40 minutes recommended as a guideline and taking it out when it looked “golden brown”. I baked it 50 minutes at 375°. After it was cooled and iced I cut a slice for my husband who was thrilled to be my guinea pig. It was cooked through and turned out very yummy.The fruit mixture calls for sugar to taste. I added 1/2 cup and it tasted sweet enough to me when I tried it. That is the one thing I will revise when I make the recipe again. My husband would prefer me to make it a bit sweeter. The recipe makes quite a bit since it fills a 10 x 15 pan. Since the recipe makes plenty the next time I make it I will make it for company. Since I already have made it once and it came out so well I won’t be quite so nervous the next time.
The second recipe I made were Kirsten’s Burger Baguettes. This recipe is a definite keeper. A very yummy twist on burgers and these are definitely easy and quick enough to be made on a work night. They are also very tasty. They get the seal of approval from my husband, my 6 year old granddaughter and me. You know if a 6 year old approves they are a keeper!
The meat is very easy to mix up, very similar to meatloaf, and the idea of adding all the toppings before you bake it is something I have never done before. All of that combined with the crispy crunch you get from the oven baked baguette is really delicious. The fact that they bake in 20 minutes is really a bonus. I can guarantee these will be made again.
I would recommend you check out Kirsten’s blog and try some of her recipes. I know I look forward to reading it each day and absolutely will be trying some more of her tasty creations.
I hope you are having a happy Monday and your week has started off well. 🙂
softiesplace 
Oh, I am so pleased you tried a couple of the recipes! Both look lovely and I am glad your family approves! For the apple cake I will revise the recipe and instructions so that they are a little clearer and easier to follow. Oh, and if you have leftover cake, you can freeze this! Just defrost when needed and it’ll taste just as freshly made.
The burger baguettes are one of our big favourites – and I guess when children approve, then you know the recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you so much for mentioning me on your blog! I love reading what you get up to!
Kirsten x
Thanks Kirsten for the advice about freezing the cake. I might do that when I get home from work because there is quite a bit and as much as I would love to eat the entire pan even NFL pants are only so large. 🙂
I am on my way to check on your blog today. Those donuts/muffins from your last post looked so good they went on my future to do list right away. Thanks again for coming over to my blog.
🙂 I know what you mean – it is quite a lot of cake! There’s just the two of us here, so I usually end up freezing some of it as well. I have liked your posted on Facebook as well, so hopefully you will get some click backs to your blog.
The donut muffins are yummy – I just made another batch 🙂 I might need to invest in some big NFL pants 🙂
LOL!! Thanks for the like on facebook. I have to be honest I have no idea really how to do alot of blog stuff or really what I should be doing in regards to facebook and things like that. I apologize that not many people probably will see this post but I just wanted to put it out there in case anyone does come across it. I really like your blog and wanted to give testament to the fact that the recipes are excellent! I will let you know the next time I make one because I am excited to try more. 🙂
To be honest, I have only just started doing the FB likes etc myself – I think the way it worked was that I liked your page, then all my friends on FB can see it and if they click on it, they can see your lovely blog. It was really lovely of you to mention my stuff & I can’t wait to see what you try next. I have a Mexican recipe for tomorrow’s post 🙂
Kirsten x
Thanks. I can not wait to see it.
Mmm…!! Everything looks delicious! Thanks for sharing! 🙂 I rarely try new recipes, my daughter is the baker in our family. I bake the bread, she does the rest. 😉 She had to read me that german word.. I messed it up. haha! She just completed her Rosetta Stone course in German and she’s pretty good!!
Thanks Carla! That is impressive that your daughter is doing so well with her German course. I hope she keeps up with learning languages. I wish I could speak more than one, especially German. My son took 4 years of it in High School and 2 at college. He can hold his own fairly well but he is not as confident as he should be because he just doesn’t have the opportunity to use it enough. Thanks for stopping by and checking out my posts!
Now I’m curious, do you have any German background?
Hi Eva,
No I am not German. The recipe came from Kirsten at The Happy Larder. I took the names directly from her recipe. My husband’s ancestry is German. His father’s parents were from the Morsbach area and his mother’s were from some town that I do not remember the name of but I know it was in the Bavarian region. I can find out the name for you though if you are interested.My husband’s folks can speak German but my husband can only speak a tiny bit. My children of course half of their ancestry is German so they identify with this. I think that is why my son chose to take German in school. While he was at University my son met a young man from Austria. They became good friends. My son has stayed at his home in Austria and his friend has stayed with my son here in the U.S. When my son was in Austria he was able to practice his German skills with his friend’s mother since she does not speak English. My son’s friend tells me he did well. He also tries to convince my son that he should apply for work and go to live in Austria for awhile to really experience the culture.My son is a graphic and web designer and his friend feels he could secure a position. I think it is a fantastic idea and wish my son would consider it. But he has a job here that he very much enjoys and in todays economy he is reluctant to give that up for something he is uncertain about. Maybe one of these days. I would love to take a trip there with him sometime. I hope this long reply did not bore you! If you would like to know anything else I would be happy to answer your questions just feel free to ask. Thank you for dropping by my blog. 🙂
Thanks for the detailed reply! I lived about 45 minutes north-east from Morsbach as a child for about 10 years. That’s so funny to see that area mentioned here! I attended the University of Würzburg in Bavaria for a year, so I would be interested in finding out more about where your husband’s mother is from. How exiting your son has gone to Austria. It is a beautiful country, I have spent several summer vacations there. Maybe one day he will be able to go back for a longer time. That would be so enriching. Has your husband been to Germany?