Rote Grütze (Red Fruit Pudding) and a trip to the island of Sylt

Today I have a traditional German dessert for you, and it's the Rote Grütze. It is basically a fruit pudding thickened with tapioca pearls, and sometimes corn starch. You can use your favorite fruits and berries for this. The most popular choice is a mix of cherries, currants, strawberries and raspberries.

Rote Grütze is probably the most popular dessert on the island of Sylt, situated in the German North Sea. It is often served with heavy cream or crème anglais, but you can also serve it as a topping for waffles, cheesecakes, rice pudding or ice-cream.

Sylt is one of the popular spots for Germans to spend their holidays. A over 40 km long, unbroken chain of sandy beaches and mud flat makes up the island's coastline. There are many protected nature habitats for fishes and birds to feed and rest. Majority of the houses are decked with traditional north German thatch roofs which gives a very rustic characters to the island. There are also many, many fine restaurants. It also has some of Germany's most expensive real estate, and is also known as a place for the rich and famous. Therefor you can probably say that it has a similar feel to the Hamptons.

I am in love with this beautiful place. The landscape is unbelievable. Everyday we were greeted with a clear blue sky and refreshing ocean breeze. I felt connected with this island, even though I have not been there for a long time, probably because I am born in north Germany, not too far from Sylt.

Since the land is mostly flat, one of the most popular tourist activities is cycling. There are plenty of shops where you can rent bicycles. You can probably travel around the island that way within half a day or so. Where bikes are not accessible, it is still very comfortable to reach these destinations at walking pace. There are hiking trails for those who wish to experience nature.

Another regional icon for Sylt, and perhaps north Germany, is something called Strandkorb. It literally means "beach basket", but are basically the Cadillac of beach benches. Traditionally built with woven wickers, the Strandkorb comes with accessories such as sun shield, collapsible mini-tables, and pull-out foot rests. You can see these little boxes peppered over the island, and they are a very comfortable place for spending a day on the beach.

Rhubarb Cheesecake Muffins

Spring came quite late this year in Germany; our garden was still covered in snow six weeks ago, and I was worried when we would finally get to see the first rhubarb. Once the snow was gone, everything started growing in a hurry. My beloved rhubarb grew very nicely, and after a few weeks I was already able to harvest some for my baking.

Rhubarb is a very good ingredient for making cheesecakes since it makes them less sweet. I posted a recipe for a rhubarb cheesecake with a nice buttery crust before. This time I have decided to make them in muffin forms. The recipe is super quick and easy to make. They are not very sweet, so you might want to add more sugar to it if you want your cheesecake a little sweeter.

Cherry Blossom (Sakura) Petits Fours

Finally spring has arrived here in Germany. It's about time, I don't remember when we still had snow in April. Within 2 weeks the landscape changed from grey and white to pretty greens and spring colors. Trees are starting to bloom and we can finally sit outside to have a nice cup of tea. Inspired by the starting blossoms I made some cherry blossom petits fours.

I was lucky to find some Cherry Blossom (Sakura) extract, when I was traveling to Japan last year. It was not that easy to get as you might think. I got offered many things, when asking for sakura, like pickled sakura, sakura drinks, or sakura candies, before I got the right thing. The taste is very subtle, maybe a little bit like almond.

I used the same butter-cream I made here as macaron filling, which was really good. Please go ahead and share your sakura desserts, if you have made some.

Mini Angel Food Cakes topped with Advocaat

Something that is very popular in Germany around Easter is "Advocaat". It is a liqueur made with egg yolks, and is often used in cakes and desserts. People also drink it straight, usually in chocolate shot glasses.

It is widely available in Germany in supermarkets or from Artisan manufactures. Many people also make their own. I have never tried it, but I found a recipe for homemade Advocaat, in case you want to try.

I don't make angel food cake often, because you need so many egg whites, but those little ones are perfect for just using up a few. For me angel food cake always needs some kind of topping, and this is really the easiest cake dress up you can do. Just pour as much on the ready baked cakes as you like, and you are done. The advocaat is pretty thick, so no need for adding anything else to it. I think the color is really pretty for any Easter table.

White Chocolate - Raspberry Mousse Cakes

I made those little cakes for Valentine's Day. They have a very silky texture and every bite tastes like a kiss.  My husband loves white chocolate and I love raspberries, so it was the perfect pairing.

Both mousses taste very good together, one sweet and creamy, and the other more tart and fruity. I wish I would have made some more, but I just made two this time.

To make the decorative strip I used chocolate transfer sheets, which are acetate sheets embossed with cocoa butter and powdered food coloring. They are a great and easy way to really dress up your cakes. Read more: How to Use Chocolate Transfer Sheets.