Classic German baking The very best recipes for traditional favorites, from pfeffernüsse to streuselkuchen

Berlin-born food writer Weiss (My Berlin Kitchen) collects masterpieces of time-tested recipes to create this traditional classic that, like her lebkuchen (old-fashioned German gingerbread), is bound to stand the test of time and taste. Dividing the recipes into seven sections, Weiss highlights the best of German baking and reveals the culture behind each recipe. Cakes and cookies are spotlighted, with five sections dedicated to both of them. The rich, soft, and gluten-free mandelhörnchen (chocolate-dipped almond crescents) to bienstich (honey almond cake), will never make you doubt the exquisite quality of yeasted cakes. The pantry ingredients section is a must-read, providing such helpful information as the difference between high-fat European-style butter and American butter and the difference between fresh, instant, and active dry yeast. Weiss also provides a section on German baking basics, giving recipes for necessities such as marzipanroh-masse (almond paste) and vanillezuker (vanilla sugar). For those without easy access to European grocery stores, Weiss also provides online resources to locate specialty items, ensuring the classical quality of German baking in everyone's homes. Collected from various places and people-whether it's a cookbook or from her German assistant-this cookbook presents a beautiful piece of German tradition. Agent: Brettne Bloom, the Book Group. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Berlin-born baker Weiss (My Berlin Kitchen) delivers precise recipes for classic German baking favorites, including friesentorte (plum cream torte), streuselkuchen (yeasted streusel cake), christbrot (sweet Christmas bread), and zimsterne (cinnamon-almond meringue stars). Throughout, Weiss capably explains the ingredients and equipment needed to achieve a traditional result while providing recipes, online sources, or alternatives for hard-to-find items (e.g., quark, vanilla sugar, baker's ammonia). Full-page color photographs and entertaining recipe headnotes lend a modern feel to this timeless title. VERDICT Weiss's latest will complement most baking collections, filling the void left by out-of-print books such as Sarah Kelly Iaia's Festive Baking. Highly recommended, especially for anyone who loves raisins, poppy seeds, anise, and candied fruits. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

NUSSKUCHEN  Toasted Hazelnut Loaf Cake  MAKES 1 (9 BY 5-INCH/23 BY 12CM) CAKE  In the United States, loaf cakes and quick breads are quite moist and rich affairs. In Germany, they tend to be drier and lighter; in sum, a little more restrained. In this classic Nusskuchen , hazelnuts are toasted until fragrant, and then pulsed finely before being folded into a simple cake batter plumped up with a bit of milk or brandy. You can take the basic recipe further by folding in chopped chocolate or grated lemon peel. The chocolate gives the cake more heft and makes for a great autumn weekend cake, while the lemon pairs nicely with the roasted hazelnuts for a more delicately flavored cake. Either way, slices of Nusskuchen are wonderful eaten with a hot cup of coffee or tea.  The cake keeps well for a few days wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. But if it does get stale, you may be interested to know that an acquaintance of my assistant on this book, Maja Welker, once told her that her family used to repurpose stale loaf cakes like this one by placing slices of them on buttered rye bread at snack time. Ever curious, Maja tried this unusual snack and reported back that it is indeed delicious, if a little unorthodox. What we still haven't figured out is whether this is a regional oddity or simply a familial one. In any case, it speaks to the resourcefulness of most Germans, who are loath to waste any food.  18 tablespoons/250g unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan  2 cups/200g whole hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and finely ground  1 cup/200g granulated sugar  1 teaspoon vanilla extract  4 eggs  1 2⁄3 cups, scooped and leveled, minus 1 tablespoon/200g all-purpose flour  2 teaspoons baking powder  2 tablespoons whole milk or brandy  5 1⁄4 ounces/150g bittersweet chocolate (minimum 50% cacao), chopped (optional)  Grated peel of 1 organic lemon (optional)  Confectioners' sugar (optional), for dusting  Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter a 9 by 5-inch/23 by 12cm loaf pan. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast in the oven, until the nuts are toasted and fragrant. Remove the pan from the oven and let the nuts cool completely before rubbing them gently with a clean dishcloth (this will remove most of their skins). Place the cooled hazelnuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the nuts are ground to a very fine meal. Take care not to overprocess by pulsing after they are finely ground, or you will end up with hazelnut paste.  Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment and beat until creamy and fluffy; beat in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until each one is incorporated into the batter. Slowly add the ground hazelnuts and beat until combined.  Sift the flour and baking powder together, and then, with the mixer running at medium speed, gradually add the flour to the butter and sugar. Finally, beat in the milk or brandy and fold in the chocolate or grated lemon peel. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Place the pan on a rack to cool for a few minutes before unmolding. Let the cake cool completely. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar before slicing and serving. Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, the cake will keep at room temperature for at least 3 days and up to 5. Excerpted from Classic German Baking: The Very Best Recipes for Traditional Favorites, from Gugelhupf to Streuselkuchen by Luisa Weiss All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.