In the mood for homemade cake, but in minutes instead of an hour? Make this easy vanilla mug cake recipe in the microwave!

What is a mug cake?

In a nutshell, a mug cake is nothing more than cake in a mug from the microwave. Truth be told, a real baker will now turn his nose up at even the mention of making a cake in the microwave, but it can be a real bonus if you know how to make this well. It’s the fastest way for making single serving desserts.

Cake in a mug

We all know this one. You’re in the mood for a nice piece of cake, but the thought of having to wait another hour for it to be done keeps you from getting into the kitchen. That’s why this easy microwave vanilla mug cake is ideal. With this recipe, you can enjoy a delicious serving of vanilla cake in a cozy mug in just five minutes.

Those five minutes include both the prep time ánd the baking time for this recipe. To prepare, all you need to do is stir the ingredients together in the mug. And then the real magic begins, because a mug cake takes about two minutes of microwave time. Yes, a microwaveable cake. And the best part?  It tastes delicious!

Baking tip: I usually use 250-300 ml (1 cup or a little more) large mug for my mug cakes. Make sure the mugs are microwave safe

Of course I already made a couple of different versions for you to try:

• Chocolate mug cake
• Banana bread mug cake

Making a Mug Cake

Once you’ve mastered making the best vanilla mug cake recipe it is super easy to vary and make any kind of mug recipes you want. You can add pieces of fruit, chocolate, spices or nuts. Serve it with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you have an individual serving of a very easy dessert. Pretty close to the perfect dessert or a sweet treat if you ask me!

What you need to make this mug cake

Making this you need pretty simple ingredients and you can add wet ingredients and dry ingredients together at the same time. It just requires a bit of stirring in your mug and you have the best mug cake you’ll ever need.

You will need:

• self-rising flour
• sugar – I use fine granulated sugar for this
• salt
• whole milk – you can even make this vegan by swapping the milk for plant based milk
• vanilla extract – or use vanilla bean paste for even more vanilla flavor
• oil – I use sunflower oil

Can you bake this cupcake in the oven?

After many questions, I have tested this extensively for you and yes, it is possible by adding some extra baking powder to make the cake rise sufficiently. This is because the microwave makes the cake rise explosively in a short amount of time, while eggs combined with baking powder make the cake rise in a normal cake recipe. I prefer not to use eggs in this case because it becomes a complicated calculation for a mug cake.

If you want to make this moist cake in the oven you do the following:

You add 2 grams of baking powder (a little less than half a teaspoon) to the recipe.

Bake this cupcake in the oven at 180°C (350˚F, conventional oven) for 20-25 minutes until done. Test with a cake skewer to make sure the cake is done, otherwise leave it in the oven for a few more minutes.

Want to bake more than one cupcake in the oven? Take my recipe for vanilla cupcakes and divide it in half or four for a smaller portion. After all, this is the best recipe for baking delicious cupcakes in the oven.

Buttercream is one of the most common recipes in home baking. If you’re in a hurry and don’t let the ingredients get to the right temperature, things can go wrong. Today I will explain to you why buttercream can split, what you can do to fix it when it happens, how to prevent it and I will also give you a few different ways to give your buttercream a nice flavor.

How to fix split buttercream

Sometimes you think you’ve done everything right, but all of a sudden you have broken buttercream. You’re once so pretty buttercream is suddenly a curdled mess. Even mixing it for a while doesn’t fix the issue.

Fortunately fixing curdled buttercream is an easy fix. If your buttercream has started to split you can solve this by heating the buttercream while you’re still mixing. If you’re using a hair dryer you can do this in the stand mixer or if you’re using a separate mixing bowl and a hand mixer you can use a hot water bath. I will explain further below.

Why does buttercream split?

There are different reasons why buttercream can split. The most common reason buttercream breaks is the difference in temperature between the ingredients. If the base of your cream is at room temperature and you add cold butter, your buttercream can start to curdle, due to the different temperature of the butter. So it is very important that all your ingredients are at room temperature.

You must also be careful not to add too much liquid, as that can also be the reason the buttercream splits. This can happen if you add fruit purée, for example. Below I explain how you can avoid buttercream splitting in the first place.

What should you do if your buttercream starts to split?

In most cases, your split buttercream is still salvageable and you don’t have to throw it away. The first solution is to use a hot water bath. You fill your sink partially with warm water and you place the whole bowl holding your buttercream into the hot water. The sides of the bowl should be roughly halfway in the water.  Heating the cream will bring all the ingredients back to the same temperature. Mix the buttercream while it is in the bowl of water and you will automatically get a nice smooth texture again. Depending on the amount of buttercream you’re making you could also do this in a double boiler.

If you have a really large amount of buttercream, it is easier to divide it into smaller portions and mix it that way. Otherwise it will be hard to get it back to the same temperature without part of the butter melting.

If creating a hot water bath is too much of a hassle, or if you have a stand mixer, another option is to use a hair dryer or heat gun. Turn on the mixer at medium speed with the buttercream mixture in it and point the hot hair dryer at the bowl. This will heat the mixer bowl and the cream. When you see that the buttercream is smooth again, turn off the hair dryer.

My buttercream has split after freezing

Have you frozen leftover buttercream? If it has thawed, chances are it has started to separate. It is important to remove the buttercream from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator to thaw. If you thaw it immediately outside the refrigerator, your cream is guaranteed to separate. Is your buttercream still too runny? Try stirring the buttercream until it’s smooth again, and if that doesn’t work, try the tips above.

How do I make buttercream?

In my basic buttercream recipe, I explain in detail how to make a delicious, light vanilla buttercream. I can tell you in advance that it is not difficult. Of course, there are many other ways to make buttercream besides my ermine frosting buttercream. On the blog, for example, I give tips on how to add delicious flavors to your buttercream.

How to prevent your buttercream (and cake batter!) from splitting

Just when you are about to make a nice, tasty buttercream, shit hits the fan and your buttercream splits. What a shame! It’s not only buttercream that can separate, the same goes for a simple cake batter. With the tips above you can salvage most buttercream recipes, but of course preventing it from happening in the first place is even better. So below I will give you some tips and pointers on how to prevent the buttercream and cake batter from splitting. So that your next batch of buttercream will be totally perfect.

Same temperature

As I explained above the most common reason for buttercream splitting is the fact that not all ingredients are at the same temperature. It’s ideal to have all the ingredients out in the same room temperature so they’re all at the same ideal temperature. That is true for all ingredients, not only butter and eggs! Flour, butter, eggs and any other ingredients you might be using.

Add ingredients in small portions

If you add 4 eggs to your softened butter and sugar all at once, your cake batter may start to separate. The butter and sugar are already a unit, and you don’t want to suddenly add all those eggs. So add 1 egg first and let the butter and sugar get used to it. Wait until the egg is fully incorporated before adding the next egg.

The same goes for adding pureed fruit to buttercream. Add a little at first, then slowly add more. Let the cream get used to the extra ingredient, which has a completely different structure and composition.

Delicious for breakfast, lunch or just in between: American Pancakes. This simple recipe for American-style pancakes is an absolute hit, and you can vary it endlessly.

How to make American pancakes

First of all a bit of explanation on the difference between Dutch pancakes and American pancakes. As you may know I am born in the Netherlands and live there, so our ‘regular’ pancakes are the Dutch ones which look more like a french crepe, than fluffy american pancakes do.

The difference is pretty apparent if you look at the cooked pancakes. American pancakes are thick and fluffy and Dutch pancakes are flat and can easily be filled if you want to. They are also much larger and another big difference is that american pancakes use a rising agent. Usually baking powder. That makes the pancakes much thicker and fluffier.

Now you can’t really make American pancakes without maple syrup (well you could if you wanted to but it kind of belongs together) Personally, I often use regular Dutch pancake syrup, which is also very tasty but a bit more like golden syrup. But these pancakes will be delicious with powdered sugar or make them savory with some cheese or bacon! Nothing wrong with that.

American Pancakes

This is really a basic recipe for American pancakes, so you can go either way with the flavor variations. Personally, I always use Nigella Lawson’s recipe as a base for these easy pancakes, although these days I add a little baking soda. It makes them even fluffier, which is very nice. Do you need more reasons to make them?

How to make perfect pancakes

First let’s gather all the ingredients for making the pancakes. You will need the following:

• all purpose flour – plain flour
• baking powder – rising agent number one
• baking soda – rising agent number two
• Pinch of salt – enhances flavors
• sugar – you can use regular caster sugar or granulated sugar
• eggs – medium size
• unsalted butter – if you want to use salted butter leave out the salt in the recipe. You also need a little butter for baking the pancakes
• milk – whole milk is my favorite

First you mix all the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients as well. Mix it well together until you have a smooth batter. It will be thicker than regular Dutch pancakes but that’s how it should be! Baking them is best done in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. If you turn the heat up too high the pancakes will burn before they’re cooked and you want them to be golden brown.

Since they are small you can add more than one pancake to the pan. My pan usually hold three at one time. First add a small knob of butter to the pan and once the melted butter is hot you add some batter to the pan.

When the top of the pancake starts to bubble your pancake is ready to be turned. It just takes a couple of minutes. Place them on a hot plate until you’re ready to eat.

Variations

Now the fun part about homemade pancakes is that you can make endless variations. Blueberry pancakes are a classic, but adding some streaky bacon or chocolate chips to the batter is also delicious! Or how about adding some peanut butter? And fresh fruit is good with any pancake right?

Leftover American Pancakes

Maybe you made pancakes for a brunch that’s not until tomorrow, or maybe you didn’t finish all the pancakes you made. Luckily, American pancakes are great for storing! In the refrigerator, just wrap the leftover pancakes in aluminum foil and they will keep for at least two days.

In the freezer, I would put a piece of parchment paper between each pancake to keep them from sticking together or freeze them in freezer bags in a single layer. Then wrap them in aluminum foil again and you can freeze them for up to three months.

Reheating pancakes

Before you eat your frozen (and defrosted) pancakes, you should heat them up.  You can easily do this in the microwave, but they will get a little limp. Personally, I like to heat them up in a frying pan, then they are at their tastiest and it is just like you made them fresh 😉. Still with the fluffy consistency intact!

Making your own homemade cherry pie filling is not only delicious, it is also a pretty easy recipe.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with buying cans of cherry pie filling in the grocery store, it is surprisingly easy to make it at home. It took me many cans of store bought pie filling before I started wondering why I had never made it myself. The fun thing is that if you make it yourself you can also adjust the flavor to your own preference.

​Even better; you can make this cherry pie filling with fresh cherries, canned cherries, rainier cherries, dark sweet cherries and yes, even cherries from the freezer.

What you need to make cherry pie filling

If you have your own cherry tree, this would be absolutely perfect for cherry season. You can use all the leftover cherries to make this homemade cherry filling. In this particular case I went with jarred cherries, as all the fresh ones were completely sold out in the stores. And using jarred cherries is even easier, as you don’t need a cherry pitter. That’s already done for you.

You’ll need:

• cherries – fresh, canned, jarred or frozen
• cherry juice – substitute with water if you’re using fresh cherries
• granulated sugar – you can also add brown sugar if you want
• cornstarch – the binding agent in this recipe
• lemon juice 

​And that’s all there is to it. When you’re using fresh cherries, having a cherry pitter handy is easiest but you can also use a sharp paring knife to remove the stones. Other than the cherry pitter you’ll need a saucepan and a container to add your homemade pie filling to once ready.

How to make the pie filling

When using canned cherries first drain them in a sieve or a colander. Make sure to preserve all the juice. The same goes for using frozen cherries. Make sure to let them defrost and keep the juice that comes out of the cherries. If you don’t have enough juice you can add a bit of water or orange juice to make up for the missing part.

Place all the cherries plus 150 ml (5 fluid ounce) in a saucepan. Turn on the heat to low and let it come to a boil. Make sure to stir gently regularly!

In another bowl you combine the sugar, cornstarch and the lemon juice with a little bit of the cherry juice as well. Stir this into a paste and when your cherry mixture in the pan is boiling add the cornstarch mix. The amount of sugar you use is optional. I’ve used 50 gram (1.5 to 2 ounces) but you can use more sugar if you want it really sweet. It also depends on the sweetness of your cherries. If you’re using sour cherries or tart cherries you might want a bit more sugar. Just test it and add more if you want.

You let it boil for approximately 5 to 10 minutes or until it is thick enough. You can test this by adding a little bit of the liquid on a plate. You can see and feel if it is ready with your fingers. Easiest is to let it cool slightly and then move a finger through the juice. If the stripe stays it is ready. If the two halves flow back together it is not done yet.

When your cherry pie filling is done pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it cool completely.

Fresh vs canned cherries

Now while this is totally delicious with fresh fruit, the end result with either fresh or canned is really the same. The only difference is that you might have to add a bit of water as you won’t have cherry juice like the canned stuff does. I love adding a bit of orange juice instead of the water for extra flavor.

Adding flavor

While this delicious pie filling is perfect on it’s own, you can add flavor to your own pie fillings. Think about adding some almond extract or vanilla extract for instance. Adding some extra lemon or lime zest is also a good option. It also depends on what you will be using it for. The flavor is much richer than canned pie fillings (or so I think) so keep in mind what you want to use it for.

Sometimes a question gets asked little or not at all, and then suddenly you get it several times a week. It is as if everyone suddenly has the same idea. I always find that rather peculiar. In this case, I’m talking about flavored buttercream or more specifically; how to flavor buttercream.

I think my basic buttercream recipe is absolutely fantastic but it is a basic recipe for a good reason. You can vary it endlessly! And with buttercream you can not only vary the flavor but also the color.

In terms of the different colors, you can simply use a gel food coloring, which is the easiest thing to do. But you can also use different ingredients for creating that effect while some methods also introduce a flavor along with the color. Another super easy way to do this is to add different extracts (like vanilla extract) to the buttercream.

So flavoring buttercream is not difficult but there are few things to consider.

What should you look out for?

There is a lot you can do when introducing different flavors into your buttercream, but also a few things you need to be aware of.

Depending on what you’re adding you could run the risk of the buttercream becoming too liquid or thin. Which is obviously something you don’t want.

Moisture and temperature

The two most important things to consider are moisture and temperature. Butter does not mix well with (too liquid) moisture, so neither does buttercream. A small amount of liquid is still an option, but it is wise to add this in portions.

Temperature is also really important. Make sure your flavor ingredients are at the same temperature as your homemade buttercream. If the temperatures are too different you run the risk of your buttercream splitting. Same goes for adding too much liquid.

Chocolate Flavor

Probably the most popular buttercream flavor is chocolate. And with good reason as chocolate buttercream frosting is easy to make and can be done in two different ways. The easiest way is to add unsweetened cocoa powder. Just add the powder to taste and you have the best buttercream frosting in chocolate flavor.

Another way to add chocolate is to add melted chocolate to the cream. Make sure you let the chocolate get to room temperature (just like the cream) and then fold it into the cream. You can use the bowl of a stand mixer if you want and do this at low speed with the whisk attachment. Although doing this by hand is just as easy.

You can make white chocolate cream this way (so good! I’ll share my recipe soon!) Or use your favorite chocolate bar, the sky’s the limit!

Fruit Flavors

Using fruit to flavor your buttercream is also very good, but can sometimes be a bit tricky. You can put pieces of fruit through the cream, which is easy (and tasty!). But if you don’t want pieces of fruit, but a fruit flavor, you have to be a bit more careful.

You will be using fruit puree or fruit juice, which brings me back to the question of moisture. In order to avoid the risk of the mixture splitting you can boil down your (for instance) strawberry puree for making strawberry buttercream to reduce the amount of liquid in the puree.

This way you have evaporated most of the moisture and you’re left with a more concentrated flavor and a thicker liquid. You want the right consistency between the frosting recipe and the flavor you’re adding.

Jam

An alternative is to use jam, which can also be used to flavor your buttercream. However, do not add too much. There will be a tipping point where your mixture becomes runny and it is difficult to predict when this will happen. So keep adding small amounts and test in between to see if the flavor is right. That is the best way to avoid having the mixture split.

More flavors

Now I have given you the tips for the requests I receive most often, but there is so much more you can do. Think about adding lemon curd for instance for a lemon flavor, nut pastes (peanut butter, almond paste and such) are also a great idea for a more nutty end result. Use a delicious caramel sauce (or dulce de leche!) for a caramel buttercream, sprinkle bits of cookies through it or make a chocolate cream with bits of fresh fruit.

The possibilities are endless, and that’s the fun part!

And perhaps most importantly, here is my basic buttercream recipe which is an ermine frosting recipe that is perfect for adapting to your needs! You can use this base for all kinds of flavor combinations.

With this vanilla loaf cake recipe as a base, you can make any cake you like. Add cocoa or nuts and bake the most delicious cakes!

Baking a vanilla loaf cake

Today it is time for a good basic recipe: a delicious vanilla loaf cake. There are quite a few cake recipes on the site (more to come!), but a good basic loaf cake recipe was still missing. Time to change this and give you the best pound cake recipe. Keep in mind that loaf cake and pound cake are used interchangeably.  I use this recipe to make endless variations on loaf cake recipes.

I also use this recipe regularly when I start baking cupcakes or other cakes. It has also been used several times in the baking books I am working on. If you ask me, this is the best vanilla loaf cake recipe you can make. So it was time I shared it with you!

This is the only recipe I know by heart.

I usually know exactly what is needed for one of my recipes, but not exactly how much. After all, I don’t make most of them very often. Except for this vanilla loaf cake. I have made it many, many times. It is the only recipe I know completely by heart.

I have always loved baking cakes. I once went home during a two hour break between classes to bake a bundt cake, I was so hungry for cake. My time management could not have been better as I had to return to school while the cake was still in the oven. On a whim, I switched off the oven and left the cake in it. A few hours later, the cake turned out to be perfectly cooked, just stuck in the tin. It came out slightly battered, but no less delicious.

How do you make a fluffy vanilla loaf cake?

Most of you want to make a light and fluffy cake, I totally understand. It’s not difficult at all, but there are a few important things you need to keep in mind.

• Don’t beat the cake batter too long, otherwise the cake won’t be firm and it won’t cook evenly.
• Do not add more baking powder (than called for in the recipe) thinking it might give you a higher cake
• Do not open the oven door during baking.

With these tips, you are sure to get a fluffy vanilla cake out of the oven! Read on for even more tips on baking that perfect cake.

In need of more baking tips? In this post I share all my tips on how to bake a perfect cake.

What do I need to bake a cake?

If you’re going to make a vanilla loaf cake, it’s important to know what you need and why. So I have listed and explained the most important ingredients for this cake recipe below. If you stick to them, I am sure you will make the most delicious cake! In terms of equipment you need a loaf pan (but you can also bake this recipe in a bundt pan if you want)

• Unsalted butter, this gives the vanilla cake a lot of flavor but also a crunchy edge.
• Self-rising flour, you can replace this with all purpose flour + baking powder
• Fine granulated sugar, not only does it give your cake a sweet taste, but it is also a real structure builder.
• Vanilla sugar, essential for a real vanilla cake. You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste as well
• Eggs, I always use medium sized eggs.
• A pinch of salt, this brings out the sweet taste of the cake.
• Loaf pan or cake tin, I have been baking my cakes in a 25 cm (10 inch) tin forever.

As you can see, the ingredients are few and the preparation method is simple. Not only will you bake a delicious cake, but you will also make endless variations on this easy recipe

Making the basic vanilla loaf cake recipe

Start by taking a large bowl and add butter, sugar and vanilla sugar. Mix this until creamy and scrape the sides of the mixing bowl from time to time. Now add the eggs one by one and beat until smooth. You can use a hand electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer for this process.

Now gradually add the self rising flour and salt to the egg mix. Continue mixing until you have a smooth dough. The best way to make sure your cake comes out perfect every time is to first grease the loaf pan and than sprinkle on a little flour. Tap out the excess flour and make sure all corners of the tin are covered in a light dusting of flour. If you’re unsure you can use parchment paper to cover the tin as well.

Add the batter to the prepared pan and bake the loaf cake for about an hour at 175˚C (350˚F). Make sure to test if the cake is done by inserting a wooden skewer or cake tester in the top of the cake. If the skewer comes out clean the cake is cooked. Make sure to test in the center of the cake and not on the sides!

After baking, leave the cake in the tin to cool for a few minutes. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Don’t be too impatient. If the cake is still too hot it might break when you want to take it out.

What other cakes can I make with this basic Vanilla Cake recipe?

This basic recipe can be used to make many different types of cake. The possibilities are endless! And while that’s really fun and delicious, it can also be tricky for a novice baker.

Want to make a vanilla cake with a twist? I have included a few ready-made cake recipes that are a delicious twist on vanilla loaf cake, so you can easily make your own unique cake:

• Chocolate loaf cake
• Vanilla cupcakes
• Lemon loaf cake

So vary this basic vanilla loaf cake recipe as much as you want, but don’t forget that it’s delicious without anything added!

The easy recipe you’ve been waiting for! 🙂 Traditional dutch pepernoten cookies. Also known as spicy cookies, pepper nuts or gingerbread cookies. In the Netherlands there is a never ending debate about wether or not these should be called pepernoten or kruidnoten. The official term is kruidnoten and most Dutch people would know this, but the most used term for describing these delicious cookies is pepernoten. So I’m gonna stick with that for the purpose of this recipe.

Recipe for Dutch pepernoten

This recipe makes the one and only ‘pepernoten’ for me. When I was a toddler, the teacher gave me a sheet of paper with the recipe to take home when we made pepernoten at school. After that day, we made the recipe many times at home, adapting it to our tastes. It’s the ultimate childhood memory for me.

I remember that my sister and I were allowed to help my mother make the dough. Then we would sit at the table with our own ball of dough and a plate on which we could put all our pepernoten. When my mother wasn’t looking, we would sneak little pieces of dough into our mouths, assuming our mother didn’t notice. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.

The dough for these kruidnoten does not need to rest in the fridge. However, it can still be a good idea, because the flavor of the spices will intensify even more.

A perfect Sinterklaas treat

Pepernoten are popular cookies associated with the Dutch holiday Sinterklaas. Just like candy canes are with Christmas. These small spiced cookies can be bought in stores from august trough september, but are eaten most from mid November trough the holiday itself on december 5.

This Dutch holiday has multiple treats and snacks specifically for this day, just like chocolate letters! People will often get the first letter of their name in chocolate.

What are pepernoten anyway?

First a little bit of history. Pepernoten (literall translation is pepper nuts) originate all the way back to the year 1700. To be more precise; pepernoten are from the 16th century, but kruidnoten came around a little later. At the time a lot of spices came out of the East Indies and for the sake of convenience all those spices got the name ‘peper’ (pepper) In reality the spices were nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and white pepper, which later became the famous ‘speculaas’ spice mix. And this is the same mix that is used for making Dutch pepernoten

So why add ‘nut’ at the end of the word? Well at the same time the spices were imported the Dutch also imported lots of nuts. And because the shape of the little cookies kind of looked like half of a nut the name soon became ‘pepernoot’.

To add even more confusion; there are pepernoten and kruidnoten. Those are not the same! I will share a recipe for Old Dutch pepernoten later on. But it’s good to know that while they are not the same, the names have gotten mingled over time and most Dutch actually refer to kruidnootjes as pepernoten. Are you still following?

But regardless of the history, these crunchy cookies are a staple during Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) festivities. Saint Nicholas is not the same as Santa claus (even though they do kind of look the same and both have a long white beard) and ‘de sint’ is the patron saint of childen. His birthday is celebrated on December 5th or 6th and every Sinterklaas evening small presents are exchanged and loads of pepernoten are consumed! It’s a typical treat to serve on St. Nicholas day.

St. Nicholas goes around on a white horse and arrives in the Netherlands by boat. Just another difference between ‘Sint’ and Santa.

How to make pepernoten

Making pepernoten is very easy to do. They are small crispy cookies and are shaped into small half ball sizes. The recipe contains really only a few ingredients; all purpose flour, self-rising flour, speculaas spice mix, brown sugar, salt butter and milk.

The flavor is somewhat similar to gingerbread although classic gingerbread usually contains anise seed and pepernoten do not.

You add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl, add the wet ingredients and mix it into a firm pliable dough. Roll into little balls and place each small ball on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Press each ball gently into the shape of a half sphere.

The fun part is that you can do lots of different things with the pepernoten and give them all sorts of different flavors, dip them into melted chocolate to make chocolate kruidnoten or add additional spices. A Dutch speculaas spice mix is not exactly the same as a pumpkin spice mix or gingerbread spices, but you can definitely use that for making these pepernoten. But it’s also very easy to make your own speculaas spice mix with my recipe.

Looking for more Dutch recipes?

• Dutch apple pie
• Dutch bitterballen
• Bokkenpootjes (almond meringue cookies)
• Appelflappen

Yes you can temper chocolate without using a thermometer! How you do it I’ll explain here.

How to temper chocolate without a thermometer

A few years ago, I knew nothing about melting chocolate or the world of chocolate, but I wanted to know why it stayed so soft after it had set to room temperature, so I did some research. If you’ve ever melted chocolate, you’ve probably come across the word tempering. In a nutshell, by heating the chocolate you break up the cocoa butter and crystal structure of the sugar, and by lowering the temperature you repair them.

Before the chocolate sets again, you are able to change the shape of the chocolate. For example; dipping truffles in melted chocolate, making chocolate-covered Oreo’s or pretzels or simply filling a candy mould. Or try and make these traditional ‘bokkenpootjes‘! Today I’ll share my top tip for tempered chocolate without a candy thermometer.

With or without a thermometer

There are two ways to temper your chocolate: with or without a thermometer. Without a thermometer, the tempering process is a little less fiddly and therefore easier, but because you can’t be sure of the exact temperature, there’s a chance it won’t be quite right.

Nevertheless, I almost always opt for the tempering method without a thermometer. I do this by melting part of the chocolate and then adding the rest. This is also called the seeding method. When I first started using this method it didn’t always work, but now that I got the hang of it it hardly ever goes wrong.

With a little practice you get to know how chocolate behaves and you will know when it has just the right temperature. Of course there are a couple of tips and tricks on how to get this right. I’ll explain below.

Au bain marie/double boiler

First you start by dividing the chocolate into three separate parts. Melt two of them at a time and add the last one later to lower the temperature. Due to the different temperatures of the chocolate, the mixture will cool down.

Chocolate can be melted in a double boiler or in the microwave. Different types of chocolate will react different. Milk and dark chocolate are easier to melt than white chocolate. This is because white chocolate is sensitive to heat. If it gets too hot, it burns and becomes grainy. In the microwave, I always melt the chocolate in 10-second intervals in a microwave-safe bowl, so you can keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn’t go too fast and get too hot.

Of course, you can also melt the chocolate in a double boiler, just make sure the bowl does not touch the water and keep a close eye on it. For any type of chocolate, stop heating as soon as it is completely melted.

For a microwave you can use a glass bowl, for melting it in a double boiler you can use either a glass bowl or a heat proof bowl

Make sure the first part of the chocolate is completely melted before you add the remaining chocolate. The extra chocolate will bring down the heat of the already melted part which brings the temperature down and repairs the crystals.

Keep stirring until all chocolate has melted and is at the right temperature.

What is a double boiler

A double boiler (also called by the french name ‘au bain marie’) is usually a pan containing a small amount of water and a heat proof bowl that sits on top of the pan. You add the chocolate bars, chopped chocolate or couverture chocolate to the bowl and let it slowly melt. The bottom of the bowl should never touch the water bath in the pan and by heating the water in the pan the chocolate will slowly melt from the steam of the hot water. This is the best way to melt chocolate.

Upper lip

Once the chocolate is melted, check the temperature. Since you won’t be using a thermometer, you’ll have to rely on yourself with a simple trick. Dip the tip of your finger into the chocolate and dab it on your upper lip. Your skin is much more sensitive here, so it acts as a thermometer. Does the chocolate feel slightly cool? Then it’s at the desired temperature and you can keep working with it! If it is still a little warm, continue to stir gently, checking the temperature of the chocolate from time to time.

Some chocolate connoisseurs will raise their eyebrows and call me crazy (or maybe they will anyway) because this is not the official method. If you want to have absolute control over your chocolate tempering, use a thermometer. However, I learnt this trick from a chocolatier at the Baking Museum and it works every time (after a few practices). And since not every home baker has a (sugar) thermometer in the kitchen drawer, I’m happy to share this tip with you!

The result

Whichever method you use, once the chocolate is at the right temperature, you can work with it. The result? The chocolate sets faster, has a beautiful glossy finish and you hear the desired ‘snap’ when you break the chocolate. No more dull, whitish and soft chocolate! It might not work the first time, but don’t give up. I had to practice a few times too before I got the hang of it and knew exactly how the chocolate should feel in terms of temperature.

Do you prefer to play it safe? Soon I will also cover the traditional method with the thermometer method of tempering.

Making your own applesauce is incredibly easy. With just 3 ingredients, you can have the tastiest applesauce ever in no time at all. Perfect for when the apple season hits!

Making applesauce

When I was in nursery school, we all had to bring an apple. All the kids together had to make applesauce, which was a great activity and so much fun! I do remember that I wasn’t all too fond of warm applesauce. I like my applesauce to be cold, which I think tastes best!

So the idea of making my own applesauce was not completely foreign to me. I had already done it before for making a cake with applesauce on my blog (soon to follow!) but I had never actually published a recipe for it. With so much apples in my house, I figured it was time to change that!

Do you have too many apples in the house, or do you just feel like making your own applesauce? Then try this easy recipe! You can also add some extra flavor like cinnamon, vanilla or lemon.

What do you need to make a homemade applesauce?

For making applesauce at home you don’t need more than just three ingredients, but you can add additional ingredients to enhance the flavor. I’ll give some tips on great additions later on.

You will need:

• apples – you can really use any apple you like. But if you need a hint, for a bit sweeter applesauce choose Honeycrisp apples, Golden Delicious or Fuji apples. If you like tart apples go for Granny Smith apples or Braeburn. I like to use a variety of apples and like a combination of some sweet apples and some tart apples for the best applesauce. Pink lady is also a great apple to use.
• sugar – I use granulated sugar but you can use brown sugar as well. Keep in mind that brown sugar will make the applesauce darker too.
• water – you need a little splash of water to get things going.

There is really nothing like the taste of homemade applesauce and it is easy to vary in flavor. I sometimes add a bit of lemon juice or lemon zest or a cinnamon stick for an even better autumn flavor. If you want additional flavors think about adding some vanilla extract or ginger.

Other than that you need a large pot for cooking the apples and possibly a food mill or an immersion blender. Depending on how smooth or how chunky you want the end result to be. For a chunky applesauce you don’t really need any tools (except maybe a potato masher) but for a smoother texture a food processor is also an option. Once made you can keep the applesauce in an airtight container.

Making the applesauce

Once you have collected all three ingredients (can’t be much work right?) you can start making this perfect little side dish. You chop the apples into manageable pieces. If you’re using organic apples you can even leave the peel of the apple on. A tip on that is below.

Add all the apple pieces to the pan together with the sugar and a little water. Place it on low heat and let it come to the boil.

After about 10 to 15 minutes the apples should be soft enough to mash. I like my applesauce chunky so I used a potato masher, but if you want it smooth use an immersion blender or food processor.

Baking with applesauce

You can very easily use applesauce in baking. It’s delicious for instance in these applesauce muffins I made before. It’s less sweet than adding sugar, so it’s a great replacement if you want your baking to be a bit healthier.

When you add applesauce, you are also adding a lot of liquid to the recipe. This is something to bear in mind if you want to experiment with baking yourself. I have already developed a couple of recipes with applesauce and will be sharing more in the near future, but those applesauce muffins are a great start!

​Replacing eggs with applesauce

Did you know that you can also use applesauce to replace eggs in some recipes? For example, in the recipe for gevulde speculaas (Dutch almond paste filled spiced cookies), you can replace the egg mixed with the almond paste with applesauce. You can’t blindly apply this trick to every recipe that contains eggs, so it does take a bit of trial and error. I’ll soon share more tips on how to do this the best way!

Baking tip: I use an apple corer to easily remove the core from apples.

A tasty and easy recipe for pastry cream or crème pâtissière. One of those great basic recipes that you can use for endless different recipes.

What is pastry cream?

To start with a simple explanation on what pastry cream is; it’s essentially a type of custard that is thick enough to hold its shape. It’s delicious and can be used for different kinds of fillings. The recipe below is my favorite vanilla pastry cream but there is so much you can do with it.

And the good news is; it is incredibly easy to make. Sure you can buy a ready made bag of powder in the grocery store but trust me when I say it is so much tastier if you make it yourself!

Once you’ve made your own, you won’t be so quick to use a ready-made mix again. Not only is it much tastier, it is also incredibly easy to make.

BAKING TIP: As described at the end of the recipe, the pastry cream will keep for several days in an airtight container.

How to make crème patissière

The recipe for making your own pastry cream is super easy. You use pretty simple ingredients and I will soon be giving you lots of ways to use pastry cream in your favorite recipes too. Cream puffs are just one example of what you can do.

You need the following ingredients:

• sugar – I use fine white granulated sugar
• vanilla sugar – you can use a bit of vanilla bean paste or a vanilla pod as well
• egg yolks – I use medium eggs
• flour – I use all purpose flour
• milk – I use whole milk for the best flavor

First you make your egg mixture by splitting the whole eggs and separating yolk from egg white. Take a medium bowl and whisk sugar, vanilla sugar and egg yolks together. You’re not using the egg whites in this recipe but you can save them for making a meringue later.

TIP: Check out my tips on how to beat egg whites to perfect stiff peaks.

Now take a medium saucepan and add the milk. Gently heat the milk until it is hot. Now add a little bit of the hot milk into your egg yolk mixture and whisk till it is incorporated and smooth. While you keep stirring add the remaining milk gradually until you have a smooth milk mixture.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and turn up to medium-high heat. Keep stirring while you bring it to the boil and keep stirring until it has a custard consistency. Pour the hot pastry cream into a clean large bowl and cover the top of the cream with a piece of plastic wrap. That way you prevent a film from forming on top of the pastry cream. Leave to cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge to cool completely.

Check the full recipe in the recipe card below. Some of my favorite desserts like this strawberry custard tart are made with pastry cream!

How to add different flavors to the pastry cream

Once you’ve mastered making this delicious vanilla flavor pastry cream you can vary with adding flavors. You can make a lemon pastry cream or a chocolate cream version for instance. Using chocolate milk instead of regular milk will give it a nice chocolate flavor.

Adding a bit of lemon zest will give it a subtle lemon flavor and there are more ways to add flavors. A common used method is to add some extract. Almond extract is a classic but I will be sharing more tips on flavoring the pastry cream later.

TIP: Looking for more recipes with egg yolks? Try this recipe for Dutch eggnog (advocaat).

A delicious recipe for making your no bake cherry cheesecake (Dutch MonChou pie). This pie is made without an oven and has a tasty Bastogne biscuit base. Bastogne cookies are originally from Belgium and while super tasty, you can easily replace them for another kind of cookie you like. Graham crackers is a classic of course so that will work just fine.

Making No bake cherry cheesecake

The first time I made this recipe back in 2014 I wasn’t a big fan of MonChou or cream cheese in desserts in general. Over time I have grown to love and appreciate cream cheese in recipes but in the beginning I found it really weird to have a sweet dish with cheese in it.

In fact, thanks in part to the delicious biscuit base, I am in love with this no bake cherry cheesecake recipe. It has a lovely creamy cheesecake filling and in combination with the cherries it’s the perfect summer dessert.

Ever since my first no bake cherry cheesecake recipe I make it on a regular basis. It’s incredible easy and a perfect crowd pleaser.

Baking tip: I like to use a loose-bottom pie tin for this type of no bake dessert. This makes it easy to remove the Dutch MonChou pie from the tin and the tin is easy to clean.

What is MonChou?

To first explain a bit about the origin of MonChou. It was originally made by a company in the Netherlands called Friesland Campina. They marketed a cream cheese in small square packages and called it monchou. It’s not made anywhere else, but you can very easily replace it with any other kind of firm cream cheese. So if you want to make this no bake cherry cheesecake you can absolutely do that.

MonChou can be found online in a few different stores but it might be easier swapping for another full-fat cream cheese filling. Make sure it is a firm cream cheese and not too soft or the cheesecake will not hold.

Cherry season

Summer roughly coincides with cherry season, which I love. If you’re making this during cherry season, it’s fun to make your own cherry pie filling. There is nothing wrong with the store-bought stuff, but there is nothing like making it yourself.

If cherries are out of season, you can still make a homemade cherry filling. Instead of fresh you can use a can of cherry pie filling or use canned cherries (with juice)

Making the no bake cherry cheesecake

Making the cherry cheesecake starts by making the crust first. You place the cookies of your choice in a food processor and grind them into small crumbs. Add the melted butter and mix the two together. A package of Bastogne cookies that I used here is 260 grams (9.2 ounce). If you’re using graham crackers or another type of cookie you might have to vary the butter content. Make sure all crumbs have some butter.

Press the cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of the tin firmly. You can use a springform pan for this but I like to use a pie dish with a loose bottom. This makes it easier to release the cheesecake once cooled. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

Making the cherry pie filling

For making this easy no bake cherry cheesecake you need tins of cherry pie filling. It’s easiest to buy this ready made. You need roughly 800 grams (1.8 pound) or two tins of the cherry pie filling.

Next step is to prepared the cream cheese mixture. First you whip the double cream or heavy whipping cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar to stiff peaks. You can replace the double cream with cool whip to make the cake firmer or if you do not have very firm cream cheese. Set the cream aside and take a separate bowl for making the cream cheese filling.

Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla sugar and mix till you have a creamy filling. You can use a hand mixer to do that or use the mixing bowl of the food processor. Fold the whipped cream through the cream cheese with a rubber spatula.

Take the tin out of the fridge and pour the filling on top of the buttery graham cracker (or Bastogne cookie) crust. Smooth the surface and let it sit in the fridge for at least two hours or until it is set. Cover with plastic wrap.

Once set add the cherry pie filling on top of the cream cheese layer. And the perfect dessert is ready! It is one of my favorite no bake desserts. It’s also a great recipe to make mini cheesecakes. It’s a favorite here at family gatherings or for any special occasions. It doesn’t take much time at all to make it and although you do have to wait for the cheesecake to set, that is not active time!

Are you a fan of cheesecake?

You might want to try these recipes below as well:

• No bake strawberry cheesecake bites
• Strawberry cheesecake cookies
• No bake apple caramel cheesecakes

This delicious vanilla ermine frosting recipe is a must if you bake regularly! This airy buttercream does not taste of butter and is silky smooth, making it perfect for many different uses.

What is ermine frosting?

You’ve probably all heard of buttercream but might not be so familiair with ermine frosting. It is still a cream made mainly from butter and sugar. When you’re working with fondant you might want to use a 1:1 ratio of butter and sugar. This recipe for ermine frosting is essentially a flour buttercream. I’ll explain the difference with American buttercream below. Ermine frosting uses a thick paste of a milk-flour mixture in addition to the regular butter and sugar. This makes for a smoother end result and a much less buttery taste.

What is the difference between ermine frosting and buttercream?

In general a traditional frosting used in the US is made up of butter and sugar. That sometimes gets quite a grainy result due to the large amounts of sugar used. It also is quite heavy and the butter mixture tastes of butter. Due to the different method used ermine frosting is sometimes called a German buttercream or a French buttercream and it is more widely used in Europe, as compared to the United States. It’s sometimes also called a roux frosting as you first make a roux.

It’s made with less sugar and it has a lovely smooth texture. It is without a doubt the best frosting if you ask me!

TIP: Do you want to know more about the difference between cream cheese frosting and buttercream, I’ve got you covered!

This ermine frosting or buttercream recipe is very easy to make and very versatile. And the best thing about it for me is the taste. I completely dislike (butter) creams in which you can taste the butter, even though I am not particularly averse to butter. Thanks to the method I use in this recipe, the result is a silky, airy and delicious frosting. I highly recommend this vanilla ermine frosting!

What do you need to make the ermine frosting?

The ingredients used for this flour frosting are pretty simple and you will most likely have everything you need at hand.

• All purpose flour
• Milk – I like to use whole milk for making this
• Unsalted butter – at room temperature
• Icing sugar
• Vanilla extract

Before you start making your ermine frosting make sure all ingredients are at room temperature for the best results.

How to make the ermine icing

For making the ermine buttercream frosting you start by making your flour-milk mixture first. For that you use a small saucepan and place it on medium heat. Whisk it so there are no lumps and keep whisking while you bring it slowly to the boil. Let it boil gently and lower the heat once it boils. The mixture will now thicken which should take roughly 5 minutes or so. You know the mix has the right pudding-like consistency if a wooden skewer will stay upright if you stick it in the middle.

Now place it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to cool to room temperature. Make sure there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth. If you do have lumps, press them through a sieve to get rid of those.

While the mixture is cooling, in another bowl, beat the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl in between. You can also use the bowl of a stand mixer for this. Lastly add the vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

Once the flour mixture has cooled, add it to the butter mixture. Continue to beat at medium speed for five minutes. Then put the bowl back in the fridge for about half an hour. Your vanilla ermine frosting is now ready to use!

Recipes using buttercream

I use this recipe as a base for almost all the toppings in my cupcake recipes, and many cake fillings also use this ermine frosting as a base. So it can be used in many recipes.

Whenever I make my recipe for vanilla cupcakes, I add a nice swirl of ermine frosting.

Storing buttercream

This buttercream will keep for up to a week in the fridge. Remember that the cream will be much firmer if it has been in the fridge for a while. That also means that in order for the best results you should allow the ermine frosting to warm up an hour or so before using it. Stir of mix it well before using.

You can also store buttercream in the freezer for up to three months. In this case, defrost the cream in the fridge to avoid large temperature differences. Then follow the same steps as above.

Personally, I make my buttercream no more than 1 day before I want to use it, and in that case I do not store it in the fridge, but in a cooler place in the house. Obviously depending on the weather conditions at the time.

Vanilla butter cream requirements

As well as the ingredients, you will need a few other things to make buttercream. A pan and a mixer (with a whisk attachment), of course, to make the cream. But when your buttercream is ready, you will want to use it. You might want to fill and frost a cake, or pipe pretty rounds on a cupcake. With the following baking items you have everything you need to work with buttercream in general and this ermine frosting as well:

Spatula – you can use this to fill and frost your cake. I can’t live without my palette knives in different sizes.

Metal cake scraper – the 90-degree angle of the scraper makes it really easy to spread frosting on your cake evenly. You place the spatula against the cake on a cake turntable and turn it around. Your cake is quickly iced.

The turntable (for cake) – in my opinion essential when icing a cake. I have done it without, but the results are not as smooth.

Nozzles – You don’t need a lot of different nozzles, but I use about four specific ones all the time. For making clusters, filling cakes and one to get a head start on icing a cake. Wilton 1M is my absolute favorite.

Disposable piping bag – I prefer to use disposable piping bags. Not only do I find them more comfortable to work with, but they are also much more hygienic. You can also use re-usable piping bags if you prefer.

Colors – If you want to add color to your buttercream you will need gel based colors. I personally find the result with gel colors the most beautiful. They come in all the colors of the rainbow, so just pick your favorites.

How to flavor your buttercream

The great thing about this ermine frosting buttercream recipe is that you can vary it endlessly. I have given it many different flavors: cinnamon, caramel, blueberry, hazelnut, chocolate, strawberry and many more. In fact, anything is possible with this buttercream!

If you want to add other flavors to the vanilla buttercream, add them little by little and taste in between. It’s a shame if you add too much because you can’t take it back. Also, your buttercream can turn sour and split if you add too much liquid at once.

For a different kind of frosting check out this delicious cream cheese frosting too.