Bastelesel

Everybody likes it and there is hardly any festivity without it. It received its name from the grandchildren of our family and since then it’s simply called “Granny’s apple cake”. You may eat it soon after baking but it’s best the day after because then the pastry is really tender. It’s a cake made of shortpastry with rather sour apples preferably a red russet called Boskoop. Just fill all the pastry ingredients in a large bowl and knead with the dough hooks of your food processor. Let rest for at least half an hour in the fridge and peel the apples in the meantime. Take off the core and cut the apples in halves. Then unreel a bit more than the half of the pastry and put it in  a springform pan raising it a bit on the edge. Place the apples with their cut face in the pan and unreel the balance of pastry. Cover the apples with it and give your cake in the oven at 390°C for about 25-30 minutes until it’s lightly brown. Take off the frame of your pan and spread some icing sugar on the top.
Served with some whipped cream this cake is worth a sin.

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Remembering sunday breakfasts at home I can still feel the taste of Mum’s sweet bread in my mouth. Last month then I discovered it in a bakery in good old Heidelberg and decided to make one by myself back home. As it’s in the middle of the week now I simply tried to make it with salt instead of sugar. The trick is the way of doing it and not whether it’s made with sugar or salt. The yeast dough is to be made as usual. Give wheat flour, corn meal, crumbled yeast, salt and egg in the bowl of your food processor and knead well with dough hooks while adding milk successively until dough is soft and smooth. Then stir in melted butter and knead once again. Let rise for at least 20 minutes, knead and form dough to a roll. Cut it into 12 portions and assemble again on the baking tray. Apply some whisked egg yolk and give in the oven for about 20-25 minutes at 390°F until it’s golden brown. After baking pull bread with parchment paper on a rack and let cool down.
The assembling of the dough pieces allows to simply break them away for eating. They may be served with jam as well as with cold cuts or cheese.

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It’s the first time I tried to follow a recipe for a cake with grapes. I was incredulous about the outcome but the description sounded too attractive and in terms of yeast dough I never say no. Prepare your tray with a baking paper and heat the oven  to 350°F. Blend wheat flour, yeast, sugar and vanilla-sugar carefully and add 0,8-0,9 cups of milk successively. Then mix in the melted butter. If you like it a bit more tasty you may replace 2oz of wheat flour by the same quantity of cornmeal(maize meal). Let rise for at least 20 minutes. For the crumbles mix flour, sugar, vanilla-sugar and the butter having room temperature.
Wash grapes and if necessary cut in halves. Pour the unflavoured gelatine into the grape  juice and blend with egg whip.
Then make a roll of the dough and cut into 12 equal poritons. Flatten them with your hands on the parchment paper and make ovals. Give one tablespoon of fruit in the middle of each oval and spread crumbles equally. Bake 20-25 minutes and brush with milk 5 minutes when golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on the paper.
The first bite already convinced me and my family. The fruity taste of  baked grapes on tender yeast pastry -delicious.

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