This weeks recipe, Blankenhainer Kirschkuchen, was supposed to be Friedrich von Schiller’s favorite cake, and I can see why. It was delicious!
Unlike Jentry (see below), I didn’t have a cherry destoner, so I had to pick the stones out of the cherries by hand. I don’t know if there’s supposed to be a trick for this, but I just cut them in half and popped the stones out. If I found a cheap cherry destoner, I’d strongly consider buying it, because this cake is easy except for that step.
I whipped up the various egg mixtures using my Kitchenaid, and like Jentry, had to use the machine (with the pastry paddle and on the lowest setting), to fold in the egg whites to the batter. It’s a bit thick for doing by hand, but I suppose with time and patience it would have worked out.
I had some trouble with the baking. As I cut into the baked and cooled cake, I discovered that the center wasn’t fully cooked. I popped it back into the oven, but I think once the cake has cooled, it’s a lost cause. Unfortunately, the edges kind of dried out from this second baking, but the middle of the cake was delicious. The cherries were juicy and the cake was on the dry side, giving a nice contrast. It also wasn’t too sweet.
I’m not sure what happened with the cake not baking fully. I have an oven thermometer and had even stuck a bamboo skewer in to check that it was done (just not dead center). Anyways, I guess we’ll see how everyone else’s cakes turned out before making any judgements about whether the timing needs to be adjusted.
Other participants:
- Jentry at Jentry in Germany
- CN Heidelberg at Heidelbergerin
- Stephanie at A Greenville Life
- Yelli at 50% of my DNA
- Arashi-KIshu at The Big, Wide World
- Marta at Bedeutsched
- Kanadisches Mädchen
Next challenge!
- Scheiterhaufen – The next challenge is our first recipe from the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It’s the area of Germany running along the Baltic Sea. A Scheiterhaufen was the pile of wood used to burn people at the stake. Don’t ask me what that has to do with an apple-bread casserole, cause I haven’t a clue! Anyone else know?
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I posted mine early too! Actually, it was an accident; I meant to save it for tomorrow, but just hit post out of habit instead of saving it.
http://cndrnh.blogspot.com/2009/06/amiexpats-blankenhainer-kirschkuchen.html
@cn heidelberg: I meant to schedule this for tomorrow too and accidently hit publish instead
I forgot to respond to your post! All three of us so far needed to give it extra baking time, so maybe the recipe is the problem.
I thought it was dry, too. Germans and their dry cakes!! Maybe we should have had some whipped cream with it.
CN Heidelbergs last blog post..AmiExpat’s Blankenhainer Kirschkuchen (Cherry Cake) Challenge!
I was thinking while eating it that whipped cream would be great with this. Germans do like dry cakes, but I’ve gotten used to them by now and don’t find them nearly as bad as I used to
I also forgot to mention that this is way more than 4-6 servings. More like 8-12, depending on the hunger levels of your guests.
Mine is up too! I served it with whipped cream and it probably helped. I also had to give it extra baking time…I am guessing that 4 out of 4 means the recipe needs to be adjusted.
http://50percentdna.blogspot.com/2009/06/real-german-cuisine-challenge.htmltrouble with the baking time.
Yellis last blog post..Real German Cuisine Challenge: Blankenhainer Kirschkuchen
One thing a cherry stoner is perfect for is pitting olives. In fact, I’ve never used mine on cherries! And the pits come out of the olives perfectly if you put the pointy end of the olive facing up.
Ed Wards last blog post..Miettes Again
Hey mine is also up! I’ve actually tried several recipes from your challenge, but this is the first time I’m posting the results. I thought the dryness came from overbeating the yolks, I guess it was everybody’s problem.
My cake was dry too – and I also thought a topping would have made it relish – maybe a cherry compote. No pics on my post – I’m at the beach this week and forgot to add them b4 I left home!
Stephanies last blog post..Big Shot Video from Stampin’ Up!
@yelli: Yeah, I think it needs an extra 10 minutes.
@ed: Sounds like a good deal then, next time I see one I’ll pick it up.
@cathy: Yeah, I think it’s a typical dry German cake.
@stephanie: I was thinking a struedel-like topping might be good, but cherry compote sounds great too. Have fun at the beach! (Wish I were at the beach this week)
just wanted to let you know that it has happened. the URL for my blog was changed yesterday to:
http://rita.1on.de
i am not too happy about it.
Perfect! I just bought a bunch of cherries and was trying to figure out what to make with them.
I gave you a Great Expat Blog Award. Stop by my blog if you’d like to play.
http://blog.spottedsparrow.com/2009/06/award-show.html
@rita: Yeah, I’d be pissed. I’ll update the other post.
@spotted sparrow: Thanks for the award. I’ve got a couple I need to write up, hopefully I’ll have some time this weekend (we’ve been househunting, so spare time is at a premium!)
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