Upper Middle Rhine Valley

A beautiful UNESCO site visited by millions of tourists every year .

You can start your journey in Koblenz and finish in Mainz. By car or by boat the views are magnificent.

*Arenfels Castle

* Bacharach

* Boppard

* Koblenz

*Linz am Rhein

*Loreley

* Oberwesel

* Rudesheim am Rhein

* Sankt Goar

* Unkel

* Other pictures from the Rhine Cruise

Caramelized apples and pears in wine - cake recipe with photos

Maybe you will find the combination strange, but the taste is yummy.

 Ingredients for the layers

• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp. wheat flour
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. sunflower oil
• a pinch of salt

Ingredients for the apple filling

• 50 grams sugar
• 20 grams of butter
• 2 apples
• 1 tbsp. water
• 1 gram gelatin

Ingredients for the pear filling

• 200 ml red wine
• 50 milliliters water
• 2 pears
• a pinch of  clove powder
• a pinch of anise powder
• a cardamom pod
• a pinch of nutmeg
• a pinch of cinnamon
• an orange peel

Ingredients for the yogurt filling

• 200 grams of yogurt
• 200 grams of fresh cream
• 3 grams of gelatin
• 1 tbsp. sugar

Ingredients for the decoration

• 50 grams of caramel
• a few slices of drained pears
• a few wild strawberries
• a few mint leaves

First prepare the layers.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.

Beat the egg whites with 1 spoon of sugar and the egg yolks with the other 2.

Add the sunflower oil in the beaten egg yolks and beat for a minute. Add the flour and the salt and beat until well incorporated.

Now, slowly incorporate the beaten egg white into the composition.

Separate the composition in 3 equal parts.

On a baking paper, make a round shape and add 1 part of the composition. Bake it at 180 Celsius degrees for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat with the other 2 parts. When done, put them aside to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the caramelized apple filling.

In a pot, add the sugar and the water and let it caramelize. Clean and cut the apples while waiting.

When the sugar has a nice light brown color, remove from fire, add the butter and mix until well incorporated. Add the apples and put it back at slow fire for 10-15 minutes or until the apples are tender. 

When done, remove from fire and while still warm add the gelatin and mix until dissolved. Put aside for later.

Prepare the pear filling.

First clean and cut the pears.

In a pot add the wine and the water, the condiments, the orange peel and the pears cut in cubes.

 

Let it simmer until the pears are tender and a nice red color. When done remove the pears from the whine and add the gelatin. Mix until dissolved and put it aside for later.

Prepare the yogurt filling.

Beat the fresh cream. Heat 100 grams of yogurt and the sugar. When warm add the gelatin and mix until dissolved. Let it cool. When cooled, mix all the yogurt with the beaten fresh cream and put it aside for later. Divide the composition in 3 parts.

Assembling the cake

On a plate in a detachable circle add one dough layer, then on sides add one part of the yogurt composition and just a bit on the bottom of the layer. In the middle add the caramelized apples.

Add the next dough layer, on the sides and on the bottom yogurt and in the middle the pears. 

Add the last dough layer and cover it with the remaining yogurt composition. Put it in the fridge for the night.

The next day you can cover the cake in cream or leave it like this. Add the caramel on one side and the drained pears. Complete with some fresh fruits and mint leaves.

Enjoy!

 

Chocolate and sour cherry cake - recipe (including photos)

 There are many variants of this combination, but this is easy and really simple .

Ingredients for 3 layers of 15 cm

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. wheat flour
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. sunflower oil

Ingredients for the cherry layer

• 150 grams of sour cherries (cleaned and without seeds )
• 30 grams of sugar

Ingredients for the chocolate filling

• 200 grams of fresh cream
• 50 grams of milk chocolate
• 1 gelatin sheet
  

Decoration

• 200 grams of fresh cream
• 8 sour cherries
• mint leaves
• syrup from the boiled sour cherries

First prepare the layers.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.

Beat the egg whites with 1tbsp of sugar and the egg yolks with the other tbsp of sugar.

In the beaten egg yolks add the sunflower oil and beat for a few seconds. Add the flour and beat until well incorporated.

Incorporate the beaten egg whites into the egg yolks composition.

Divide the dough in 3 equal parts and bake them at 180 Celsius degrees for 7-10 minutes or until done.

Put them aside to cool!

Meanwhile prepare the sour cherries mix.

Wash them well and take out the seeds.

Put them in a pot together with the sugar. Let it simmer at slow fire for about 10 minutes.

When done, take out the sour cherries and keep the syrup for later (divide the syrup into 4 portions).

Prepare the chocolate filling.

Heat 50 grams of fresh cream and when hot add the hydrated gelatin and mix until dissolved. Strain the composition if needed. Let it cool!

 

Melt the chocolate and mix it with the fresh cream/ gelatin composition. Mix until well incorporated.

Separately beat the remaining fresh cream and then incorporate the chocolate mix in it. 

Assembling the cake.

On a plate in a detachable circle, add one dough layer then add some syrup above and then add half of the sour cherries.

On top, add half of the chocolate filling.

Then add another dough layer, some syrup, the other half of sour cherries and chocolate filling on top.

 

Cover with the third dough layer and some syrup and put it in the fridge for a few hours.

Cover the cake in the beaten fresh cream.

On the edges of the cake, add the remaining syrup, some sour cherries and mint leaves and enjoy!

Keep it in the fridge until served.