baking Archives — Days of Jay

Eierlikörtorte – German Advocaat Cake

28th March 202028th March 2020 baking, German, sweet-things

The sun is out, I’ve got my balcony door open to the kitchen letting in some lovely fresh air and I’ve been baking one of my all-time favourite cakes. All things that are so good for the soul. I think it’s so important at the moment when we’ve all had

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pies

21st March 202024th March 2020 baking, main-event, New Zealand / Australia, Pastry

Munich is quiet today. The streets are empty of all but the occasional car, and the weather has turned to cool and drizzly. We’re all staying inside by order of the government, hoping to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy and safe. It feels like the city is collectively

Classic Chocolate Berry Roulade

12th March 202024th March 2020 baking, sweet-things

One of the surest signs that summer is on the way to Munich is the re-emergence of my local fruit stand on Munich’s Sonnenstraße. Perched in the most unlikely place amid the hustle and bustle, trams, buses, commuters and traffic of this busy street, this fruit stand appears only for

Peaches and Cream Cake

11th March 202024th March 2020 baking, German, Pastry, sweet-things

Blue skies over Munich today. There is a hint of summer in the air, in the warmth of the sun and the gentle smell of grass and hay that wafts through the city when the wind comes from the south. I know, we haven’t even had spring yet, but the

Pastéis de Nata – Portuguese Custard Tarts

5th March 202024th March 2020 baking, Pastry, Portuguese, sweet-things Polish

More wanderlust today. Maybe it’s the rain, and being cooped up inside. Maybe it’s the consistent doom and gloom in the news. Maybe I just like to think about sunny days at the beachside? Today I’ve got beautiful Portugal on my mind. I adore Portugal. The warm and friendly people.

Homemade Sesame Bagels

2nd March 202024th March 2020 baking, bread, light-bites Polish

March has arrived. The weather doesn’t know whether it is up or down, there seems to be one international crisis after the other in the news, Mercury is retrograde - is it just me or does everything seem a little topsy-turvy at the moment? When everything seems a little upside-down

Asparagus and Bacon Quiche

27th February 202024th March 2020 baking, French, light-bites, main-event, Pastry, spring

I’m looking out the kitchen window watching huge fluffy snowflakes drift down from the sky. Just two days ago it was so gorgeously warm and sunny that I thought maybe, just maybe we’d escaped winter and spring was on the way. It’s not that I mind winter, but as it

German Strawberry Cream Torte

26th February 202024th March 2020 baking, Bavarian, German, sweet-things

The first strawberries have started appearing in the markets, juicy and glossy, fragrant with the promise of summer and sun. Of course, it’s much too early for German strawberries, these ones are imported from the sunnier climes of Greece, but that doesn’t make them any less irresistible after the chill

Krapfen – German Carnival Doughnuts

19th February 202024th March 2020 Austrian, baking, Bavarian, sweet-things

It’s that time of year again, when ‘Fasching’ or Carnival in Germany reaches a week long peak of festivities, partying and general frivolity before the gloomier days of Lent begin on Ash Wednesday. The streets are littered with confetti and streamers, the Faschings-Narren (Carnival Jesters) pop up in the unlikeliest

Millionaire’s Shortbread or Caramel Slice

13th February 202018th February 2020 baking, New Zealand / Australia, sweet-things

Valentine’s Day tomorrow and lovers all over the world are looking for recipes to impress the guy or girl of their dreams. It’s my opinion that you can’t go past chocolate when looking for a romantic recipe so today I’m sharing my recipe for Millionaire’s Shortbread: a deliciously sweet and sticky