Thursday, March 13, 2014

East Frisian Tea Cake - Ostfriesischer Teekuchen


Around here in between lunch and dinner, there is traditionally a short break for a social gathering around a piece of cake or two and a hot steaming cup of coffee or tea. This lovely German ritual is referred to as “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake). These days, it is still quite common to get together with friends and family on Sunday afternoon to share some coffee, cake and good conversation.
Zwischen Mittag- und Abendessen gibt es traditionell eine Pause für ein geselliges Beisammensein rund um ein oder zwei Stück Kuchen und einer Tasse Kaffee. Dieses schöne deutsche Ritual wird ja bekanntermaßen "Kaffee und Kuchen" genannt. Heutzutage ist es noch durchaus üblich, sich gemeinsam mit Freunden und Familie am Sonntagnachmittag zu Kaffee, Kuchen und einem Gedankenaustausch zu treffen.




Whether the gathering takes place at home or in a café, this tradition of enjoying coffee and cake in the afternoon is a long-standing one in Germany. Records show that cakes have been baked in Germany for some 400 years. If you ever had the distinct pleasure of enjoying this wonderful German afternoon tradition, you will have noticed that there is quite an array of cakes and other baked goods being offered in the afternoon, and they do vary from region to region.

A good number of German cakes have achieved international popularity. Take the “Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte” (Black Forest cake), for example, a chocolate cake with layers of chocolate sponge cake, whipped cream, a cherry filling, Kirsch and chocolate shavings. Or the most delightfully named cake the “Bienenstich” (bee sting cake), a yeast based cake with a sugar-almond topping that caramelizes during baking, hence the name.
Ob man sich nun zu Hause oder in einem Café trifft, die Tradition des „Kaffee und Kuchens“ gibt es in seit langem in Deutschland. Aufzeichnungen zeigen, dass Kuchen in Deutschland seit mehr als 400 Jahren gebacken wird. Dabei werden durchaus eine Reihe von verschiedenen Kuchen und Gebäck zubereitet, das Angebot variiert sehr und ist von Region zu Region unterschiedlich.

Eine ganze Reihe von deutschen Kuchen haben einen gewissen internationalen Bekanntheitsgrad errungen, wie zum Beispiel die "Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte", eine Sahnetorte, die aus mit Kirschwasser aromatisierten Schokoladenbiskuitböden, einer Kirschfüllung, Sahne, sowie Schokoladenraspeln als Verzierung hergestellt wird. Oder der Kuchen mit dem wohlklingenden Namen "Bienenstich", ein traditioneller Blechkuchen aus Hefeteig mit einem Belag aus einer Zucker-Mandel-Masse, die beim Backen karamellisiert.




But not everyone takes coffee with their cake, and some areas of Germany have long-standing preference for tea. Tea was sold in the “Apotheke” (pharmacy), as a medicine beginning in the 17th century. In the 18th century tea imports increased in Northern German cities, especially in Hamburg and Bremen.
Aber nicht jeder trinkt gerne einen Kaffee zum Kuchen und in einigen Gegenden Deutschlands gibt es definitiv eine Vorliebe für Tee. Tee wurde am Anfang des 17. Jahrhunderts in Apotheken als Medizin verkauft. Im 18. Jahrhundert dann nahmen die Tee Importe in deutschen Städten Norddeutschland enorm zu, vor allem in Hamburg und Bremen.




Today, a quarter of the tea imported in Germany is consumed in the sparsely populated East Friesland, a coastal region on the North Sea in the northwest corner of the German state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), where the per capita rate of consumption is on par with that of England.

 Just a few hours west of Kiel, East Friesland is known for its independent spirit, having avoided adopting a feudalistic system during medieval times and playing an important role in the Reformation.  This independent streak, as well as its proximity to the Netherlands, made it the perfect spot for the development of a rather distinctive tea culture.
Heutzutage wird ein Viertel des nach Deutschland importierten Tees in Ostfriesland getrunken. Ostfriesland ist eine Küstenregion an der Nordsee im Nordwesten des Bundeslandes Niedersachsen. Der pro-Kopf-Verbrauch in Ostfriesland steht dem Verbrauch in Englands mit Nichts nach.

Nur ein paar Stunden westlich von Kiel gelegen, ist Ostfriesland bekannt für eine gewisse geistige Unabhängigkeit, vermied man doch die Übernahme eines feudalistischen Systems im Mittelalter und spielte während der Reformation eine wichtige Rolle. Das Streben nach einer gewissen Unabhängigkeit war der ideale Nährboden für die Entwicklung einer unverwechselbaren Teekultur.




The tea time traditions – including the delectable cakes and cookies – which became en vogue in the 19th century still have many followers in this part of the country, where it is known as the East Friesland tea ceremony.
Die Traditionen der Ostfriesischen Teezeremonie – einschließlich der köstlichen Kuchen und Gebäcks – die schon seit dem 19. Jahrhundert zelebriert werden, haben in Ostfriesland bis heute viele Anhänger.




For the people of East Friesland, tea is not tea unless it is strong black tea – often a blend of teas from Assam, Darjeeling, and Sri Lanka – served over “kluntjes”, a light brown or white rock candy sugar that melts slowly and makes a crackling sound as the tea is poured.  To this, a spoonful of heavy cream is added, which sinks into the tea then rises to the surface, where it floats like a tiny white cloud.

Stirring the tea is strictly discouraged, as an evolving taste over the course of drinking a cup is valued over a consistent one. First you can taste the strong, somewhat malty aroma of the East Frisian tea from the edge of the teacup, then the milky taste from the middle of the cup and finally the sweet tea on the bottom of the cup.

 Traditionally during an East Frisian tea ceremony, it is said that “three are East Friesian right,” meaning no one drinks just one cup, but rather a minimum of three, drinking less is considered rude.
Für die Menschen in Ostfriesland ist Tee nicht gleich Tee, es muss schon ein starker schwarzer Tee sein, der oft eine Mischung aus Tees aus Assam, Darjeeling und Sri Lanka ist. Der Tee wird mit vorzugsweise mit „Kluntjes“, braunem oder weißem Kandiszucker, serviert. Das Besondere an Kandis ist, dass sich die Süße je nachdem, wie sehr man sich die Kristalle lösen lässt, ganz langsam entfaltet. Dann wird noch ein Löffel Sahne zu der Tasse Tee hinzugefügt. Die Sahne lässt man langsam am Rand der Tasse in den Tee laufen, die flüssige Sahne steigt dann an die Oberfläche des Tees, wobei eine kleine „Sahnewolke“ entsteht.

Der Tee wird traditionell ohne Umrühren getrunken, so dass erst das herbe Teearoma vom Tassenrand, dann der milchige Teegeschmack der Tassenmitte und zum Schluss die Süße des gezuckerten Tees auf dem Tassengrund geschmeckt werden.

Für jeden Teilnehmer an einer Teerunde sind drei Tassen ein Mindestmaß – wird vorher abgelehnt, gilt das als unhöflich.




Tea is generally served in small porcelain cups and is accompanied by cookies, cakes, and other delicacies.  During the colder winter months, brown rum is also added to one’s tea, as extra protection against the icy winds blowing off the North Sea.  As in many other parts of the world, guests are always greeted with a steaming cup of tea.
Der Tee wird in der Regel in kleinen Porzellantassen serviert und es werden Kekse, Kuchen und anderen Köstlichkeiten zum Tee gereicht.  In den kälteren Wintermonaten wird brauner Rum in den Tee gegeben, als zusätzlicher Schutz gegen die eisigen Winde von der Nordsee.  Wie in vielen anderen Teilen der Welt werden Gäste immer mit einer heißen Tasse Tee begrüßt.




So in order to be able to celebrate a true East Frisian tea ceremony at home,I am posting a recipe for a wonderfully uncomplicated East Frisian Tea Cake – an easy yeast-based cake that is perfect with a cup of strong East Frisian or other black tea – it tastes just like the cake my grandmother used to serve - wonderful!
Also um auch einmal Zuhause ein wenig Ostfriesische Teekultur zelebrieren zu können, gibt es heute ein Rezept für einen wunderbar unkomplizierten Ostfriesischen Teekuchen – ein schneller Hefekuchen, der perfekt zu starkem Ostfriesischen Tee passt – der schmeckt so wie bei meiner Großmutte früher. Wunderbar!




East Frisian Tea Cake

Ingredients for the Yeast Dough
  • 250 grams strong flour
  • 20 grams fresh yeast* (or 1 1/2 tsps dry yeast)
  • 125 ml milk
  • 50 grams unsalted butter
  • 1 egg (M), organic or free-range
  • 40 grams superfine sugar
  • 1 ½ tsps. pure vanilla sugar
  • 1 pinch of fine sea salt

Ingredients for the Topping
  • 60 grams unsalted butter
  • 60 grams superfine sugar
  • 1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
  • 50 grams slithered almonds

Additional
  • one springform pan (26 – 28 cm)
  • parchment paper
Ostfriesischer Teekuchen

Zutaten für den Hefeteig
  • 250 Gramm Weizenmehl (Typ „1050“)
  • 20 Gramm frische Hefe (oder 1 1/2  TL Trockenhefe)
  • 125 ml Milch
  • 50 Gramm Butter, ungesalzen
  • 1 Ei (M), Bio oder Freiland
  • 40 Gramm feinster Zucker
  • 1 ½ TL Bourbon Vanillezucker
  • 1 Prise feines Meersalz

Zutaten für den Belag
  • 60 Gramm Butter, ungesalzen
  • 60 Gramm feinster Zucker
  • 1 TL Ceylon Zimt
  • 50 Gramm Mandelblättchen

Außerdem
  • eine Springform (26 – 28 cm)
  • Backpapier



Preparation of the Yeast Dough
  1. Put the flour in a bowl, make an indentation in the center of the flour and crumble the yeast into the indentation.NOTE: fresh yeast is available in the US here
  2. Heat the milk until lukewarm, dissolve the butter in the milk and pour the milk mixture over the crumbled yeast.
  3. Add the egg, sugar, vanilla sugar and salt and mix all the ingredients together and mix all the ingredients together and knead, until bubbles form and the dough does not stick to the mixing bowl anymore.
  4. Leave the dough to rise in a warm draft free area for 60 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
  5. Grease the springform pan and line with parchment paper.
  6. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  7. Place the dough in the prepared baking pan and set aside.
  8. For the topping, heat the butter in a medium saucepan, stir in the sugar and cinnamon, stirring continously. Then stir in the almonds.
  9. Brush the dough with the butter-sugar-cinnamon mixture.
  10. Bake the cake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Make sure that the cake does not get too dark.
  11. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for a a few minutes. Unmold and serve while still warm.
Zubereitung des Hefeteigs
  1. Das Mehl in eine Schüssel geben, in die Mitte eine Vertiefung drücken und Hefe hineinbröckeln.
  2. Milch lauwarm erwärmen, Butter darin auflösen und dann die Milchmischung auf die Hefe gießen
  3. Ei, Zucker, Vanillezucker und Salz dazugeben und alle Zutaten miteinander verkneten, bis sich Blasen bilden und der Teig sich vom Schüsselrand löst.
  4. Teig an einem warmen Ort gut 60 Minuten gehen lassen.
  5. Die Springform einfetten und mit Backpapier auskleiden.
  6. Den Ofen auf 180 Grad Celsius vorheizen.
  7. Den Hefeteig in die vorbereitete Backform geben und kurz beiseite stellen.
  8. Für den Belag Butter in einem Topf erwärmen, Zucker und Zimt unter ständigem Rühren dazugeben. Dann die Mandelblättchen unterheben.
  9. Den Hefeteig mit der Butter-Zucker-Zimt-Mischung einstreichen.
  10. Hefeteig etwa 25 bis 30 Minuten backen. Dabei darauf achten, dass der Kuchen nicht zu dunkel wird.
  11. Kuchen auf einem Kuchenrost etwas abkühlen lassen. Aus der Form nehmen und noch lauwarm servieren.



Enjoy baking this East Frisian Tea Cake and have fun re-creating a true East Frisian tea ceremony with strong black or East Frisian tea, rock candy sugar and a bit of cream!

Product Info:
East Frisian tea and rock candy sugar can be ordered online HERE
Gutes Gelingen beim Backen des Ostfriesischen Teekuchens und viel Spaß bei einer Ostfriesischen Teezeremonie mit starkem Ostfriesischen Tee, Kluntjes und etwas Sahne!

Produkt Info:
Ostfriesische Blatt-Mischung und Kandiszucker kann man zum Beispiel hier bestellen



60 comments:

  1. Your tea cake sounds wonderful. And I love the tea ceremony you described. The idea of getting a slightly different flavour as you drink the tea is so enchanting!

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    1. Beth, thank you so much - it is quite s special way of enjoying a strong, malty cup of black tea and the tea ceremony becomes all the more special if you can enjoy your tea with a nice slice of East Frisian Tea Cake, of course!

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  2. This is such a beautiful post - I don't know where to start! Well, for one, thank you for the link to finding fresh yeast in the U.S.! I buy so much online but never thought of looking there for yeast! (It is NOT easily available in our markets.) Your photos are ganz schön! I especially like the ones of the cream going into the tea! The tea company looks amazing - I know Mark woudl lvoe that, being a good tea drinker. And, finally - and certainly not least of all - the cake is so beautiful! These are my favorite kinds of cakes and I really remember Kaffee und Kuchenzeit when I lived in Heidelberg, although I would always have ein Kakao! Thank you, Andrea, for a wonderful way to start my day! Hugs, David

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    1. Dear David, I am very touched by your thoughtful comment - this post is dear to me, although I am an avid coffee drinker, I have always also enjoyed drinking tea, especially black tea. The tea merchant where I always buy my loose tea is just amazing - I love going there and smell all kinds of tea, new and seasonal creations and tried-and-true blends. The latest is an Easter blend with cornflowers and citrus aromas - delicious.How fun that you remember the lovely "Kaffee and Kuchen" you enjoyed during your time in Heidelberg! The fresh yeast can be hard to find in US and I hope that the link helps - however, you can always sub dry yeast - although we believe that the baked goods taste just a tad better when baked with fresh yeast.
      Liebe Grüße!

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  3. The tea rituals are very interesting, I love things like this that have history and purpose. This cake reminds of a Swedish visiting cake that I have made but the one big difference is that yours is yeasted. Just pinned,

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    1. Cheri, the Swedish visiting cake is a nice cake too but as you mentioned already, it is made without yeast.We do have a very distinct weakness for everything yeasty and sweet so, this is one of our very favorite tea cakes - thank you so much for the kind comment.As a food history buff, I am quite happy that you enjoy this post!

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  4. Gorgeous.
    Inviting.
    Welcoming.
    Home.
    I love coming into your world, Andrea. xxx

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  5. What a wonderful way to have a short break between lunch and dinner, I wouldn't mind introducing this in my family at all, after seeing these wonderful tea cake! The description of making the tea is superb…. We usually have hot tea with sugar and hot milk, mix everything well before sipping it…
    Tea cake is simply gorgeous!

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    1. You are so very kind - there is more than one way to enjoy tea and I love learning about all kinds of different customs. The East Frisian way of enjoying a cup of tea is quite fun and different and the whole ceremony with some lovely tea cake is pretty hard to beat.

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  6. Dear Andrea, thank you so much for writing about some of the traditions of coffee and tea in Germany. I found the whole Frisian tea ritual just fascinating! I never knew Germans were ardent tea drinkers. Of course, I enjoy any tradition involving tea, coffee and cakes! This cake is wonderful and looking at the list of ingredients, its one that goes perfectly with tea and coffee. I wish I were closer to you because then we'd sure be having our own coffee and cake break!! Take care dear friend.

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    1. Dear Nazneen, same here - I would not mind a much shorter distance between our two countries so we could share our respective treats and food and most certainly a really good cup of coffee and tea plus a nice thick slice of cake. Thank you so very much for your very kind words, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and your enthusiasm.

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  7. When I was young, my mom and her sisters would get together for cake and coffee almost every afternoon. It was a way to connect with each other way before the internet! Your cake is absolutely mouthwatering…I am definitely making this one! I still have some rock sugar that I brought back form my last trip to Holland…I need to enjoy my tea German style! Andrea, that last photo makes me want to reach into my computer and take a bite…gorgeous!

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    1. Kathy, afternoon coffee and cake is such a nice tradition - how nice to learn that your mom and her sister enjoyed this kind of social "interaction" - it is made all the more wonderful and enjoyable if there is tea, coffee and cake to share! So nice of you to let me know that you enjoy this post, thank you, dear friend!

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  8. Wie herrlich du die Frühlingssonne mit dem Ostfriesentee und dem köstlichen Kuchen in Komposition gebracht hast. Ich trinke sehr gerne Kaffee, aber zu Hefegebäck, Waffeln und Mürbeteig ziehe ich immer den Tee vor. Die Teestunde oder die Kaffeetafel sind in den USA so unüblich, wo man den Kuchen gleich nach dem Essen als Nachtisch zu sich nimmt.
    Dieser Post wärmt und sagt, nimm dir Zeit für den Genuss :-) Danke!

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    1. Liebe Wally, manche Traditionen sind halt unglaublich schön - dazu gehört für uns immer noch ein schönes Stück Kuchen oder anderes Gebäck aund Tee oder Kaffee - und du hast Recht, zu Hefegebäck ist guter Tee einfach unschlagbar. Meine Oma stammte aus Norddeutschland und sie servierte Punkt 15: 00 Uhr Tee uns Hefekuchen - ich erinnere mich ziemlich gerne daran.
      Die Sonne hat die ganze Woche geschienen und da waren ausgiebige Fotosessions an der Tagesordnung - ein bißchen "Vorarbeit" kann nicht schaden...
      Ganz liebe Grüße aus dem sonnigen Bonn und herzlichen Dank für den tollen Kommentar!

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  9. Such a delightful post, Andrea. I love the picture of the rock candy in the spoon, and the cream being poured into the cup - well, all of them actually - but, those are my favorite. The cake looks delightfully delicious!

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    1. Cathleen, absolutely my favs too - I too so many pictures fo the tea being poured, it took me way too long to decide which ones to post...but I loved putting this post together! Thank you for the very kind comment!

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  10. This is the kind of treat that just sends me into foodie rapture. I have always enjoyed sweet yeast breads. I love your description of the East Friesland tea culture. I knew nothing of this. As always, your photographs are particularly tempting and add so much to my enjoyment of your writing. How beautiful the brown rock candy sugar looks! Ever since I was little I have loved it. Thanks as always, Andrea for sharing your knowledge and broadening my horizons.

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    1. Adri, you are such a kind person - it means the world to me to have you like my blog post so much. These kinds of posts are the ones that are quite dear to me and it makes me very happy when wonderful friends such as you enjoy my ramblings about food history and traditions!!! And thanks also for linking the post on FB!

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  11. Was für ein wunderbar stimmungsvoller und stilvoller Post.
    Der Kuchen schaut köstlich aus, ebenso der Tee und die wunderschönen Fotos
    sind eine Augenweide!

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    1. Liebe Daniela, freut mich sehr, dass dir mein Post gefällt - es hat mir Freude bereitet, den Beitrag zu schreiben, da Ostfriesischer Tee einer meiner Lieblngstees und so einer netter und einfacher Kuchen zu meinen absoluten Lieblingkuchen zählt und dann erinnert mich die ganze Teezeremonie an meine Oma - schön!

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  12. What a gorgeous post, Andrea doll. I enjoyed reading it so much. Love the pics. That cake is killing me. I have to make one this w/end!
    We Armenians (from Iran) are serious tea-drinkers, too. My cousin says that the perfect cup of tea is one so strong that the spoon stands at attention!
    Wishing you & your family a very lazy w/end! xo

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    1. Colette, when I go to my favorite veg store, I always admire the dark teas that are sold there alongside the lovely vegetables - dark, black teas that the customers with Armenina roots always buy - I have yet to taste some, I would love to know how it taste - I shall ask you for instructions on how to properly brew that strong tea, so I can make it together with some traditional sweets from Armenia, now that sounds great!
      Thank you for the kind comment and many hugs for Daisy!

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  13. Well, dear Andrea, when I can get it figured out and at the appropriate time, your family will receive some American bagels. This will require a little research but those young ladies of yours need to "know" bagels. This post is wonderful and, as you know, I relish the history lessons. You sent me tea, not this tea, correct? Melissa and I had some when she was in Aspen with me but she made it so I don't know the kind. I do know we didn't have rock candy to pour it over. Andrea, that candy picture is fabulous. As usual with you, your presentations of food jump off the page and look delicious. This is a lovely post.

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    1. Dear Mary, real American bagels are truly the best - the ones that we can get around here are not at all like the North American ones that I tasted before - they do not even come close! As far as the tea is concerned, the one that I sent to you was from the same tea merchant but a different blend than this one. The one that I feature here is the "real" East Frisan tea blend - when I buy this tea, we always have rock candy to go with it - a must - it tastes heavenly together with a good spoonful of cream - a nice indulgence on a sunny afternoon and made even better with a slice of cake alongside - whish I could share this with you. But what I can share is the tea blend, let me know when you get back to Aspen, I will mail you some together with Freya´s guardian angel and drawings!

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  14. What an interesting way to drink tea! Fascinating, in fact. I'd love to join you for a frisian tea one day...especially if I could have a slice of this tea cake :)

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    1. Liz, thank you so much - I am sure that you would enjoy the taste of Frisian tea - from your posts I know that you are an avid tea drinker - and the cake is simply delicious, perfect for those yeasty cake lovers like we are.

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  15. Your pictures are making my mouth water Andrea! This looks amazing. My daughter spent a year in Germany as a foreign exchange studentl (part of the time in Cologne!). She always talked about the wonderful tradition of drinking coffee and eating kuchen! I vote for doing more of that here in the States.
    Oh, and thanks for your kind, sweet comment, the party was so sweet :)

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    1. Chris, so nice to hear that the birthday party for Emery Kate was such a success - I loved hearing about it and I am looking forward to seeing pictures of all the wonderful dishes that you prepared!

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  16. I love hearing about the German tea culture. I am much more of a tea drinker than coffee, though I prefer it black, not sweet or with milk or cream. The cake looks like a wonderful sweet to share with friends over conversation. I will try to make my own East Frisian Tea Cake and have a virtual tea party with you, dear Andrea! Enjoy the weekend.

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    1. Betsy, thank you very much for your wonderful comment - I seem to go through different phases when it comes to enjoying tea sometimes I like it black, sometimes with milk...it depends on the kind of tea that I drink and what mood I am in. If you do get a chance to make this cake and enjoy a cup of tea alongside - I would be honored to have a "virtual tea party" with you!

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  17. This looks like the kind of coffee cake my grandmother used to make, it's lovely!

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    1. Sue, thank you for the kind comment and dropping by my blog - so nice of you to let me know that you like this traditional cake - we are all for traditional baked goods that taste wonderful.

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  18. wonderful afternoon to spend time with friends and enjoy the delicious cake.

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    1. Candy, thank you very much - this is indeed a nice tradition - afternoon tea and tea cake, what more could one ask for?!

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  19. I love the tradition of tea and cake. Your cake looks delicious. I love the tea that is prepared to go with the cake.

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    1. Geraldine, I am sure that you would really enjoy this easy and delicious cake together with a lovely cup of Frisian tea. Thanks for stopping by!

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  20. Thank you for sharing the beautiful story of German cakes and tea! Lovely storytelling as always. Cheers,
    ahu.

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    1. Dear Ahu, nice to hear from you again - glad that you enjoy the history around the East Frisian tea ceremony and the cake!

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  21. Lovely cake, looks so wonderful with that perfect cup of sweet tea!

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    1. Jeannie, so kind of you - thank you very much for dropping by my blog - I just "visited" you and look at your nice blog.

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    2. Jeannie, my pleasure - I shall be back for many more visits! And that should have read "looked" at your nice blog...


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  22. Gosh, your photograph always intimidating me...
    looks really2 great my friend!!!

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    1. Dedy, thank you, dear friend - so nice of you to mention that you enjoy my photography. I really enjoyed your latest blog post about your "kid-friendly" cooking adventures with your nieces and nephews.

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  23. Wow. These photos are so, so beautiful Andrea! The one of the tea cup in particular. I'd put that on my kitchen wall! Anyway, back to the beautiful tea cake here. It looks so light, fluffy and delicious. I definitely want to learn how to make it for myself. Looks absolutely perfect for morning tea in the sunshine :) x

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    1. Laura, that is a huge compliment coming from you - as I certainly enjoy your style of phoography quite a bit, it is amazing, And I so like all your props too. So, thank you very much for your very kind words, I certainly appreciate them!

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  24. Andrea, I cannot wait to try that gorgeous cake! What an interesting, informative post, written with affection. Isn't Kaffee und Kuchen such a civilized thing to do. I'd probably have tea though. You know how I feel about your photos but that photo of the cup of tea with the cream being poured is outstanding! Wow!

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    1. Hester, so glad that you like the photos - it was fun putting that post together and it transported my back to my childhood for a while. The Kaffee und Kuchen is a nice tradition indeed but I love tea too and this cake just begs fro some lovely strong East Frisian tea! Thank you for the marvelous comment!

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  25. OMG, I love this recipe, especially that yeast is used...and the topping on it just sounds and looks delicious...I so wish I live close to you so I could have tea with you...
    Awesome pictures Andrea...hope you are having a beautiful week my dear :D

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    1. Juliana, that would be fun to share a piece or two of this wonderful cake with you!

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  26. Your tea cake with its wonderful almond topping would be perfect with a cup of tea today…it was snowing earlier but has now turned to cold rain. I didn't know that tea was more popular in the northern part of Germany. I have always been impressed at the wonderful selection of imported teas that I've seen available in markets such as Dallmayr in Munich and in the hotels all over Germany.

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    1. Karen, tea is extremly popular in the North of Germany - and I love the East Frisian tea, its strong, malty flavor goes so well with some cream and rock candy sugar - to make things perfect, a nice slice of East Frisain tea cake is wonderful too. And, yes, Dallmayr in Munich does carry a wide selection of imported teas - I always get my favorite tea from the tea mercahnat in Bonn that I mentioned in m ypost!
      Thank you so much for your kind words! Hope the weather in your parts will turn friendly soon!

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  27. So airy and delicious! I always dream about your outdoor tea time with baked goods... it must be so relaxing and delicious time. I wish I lived there. Then I know where to go on Sunday afternoon! ;)

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    1. Nami, afternoon tea with you and a nice slice of tea cake - I cannot imagine anything I would rather be doing on a sunny Sunday afternoon!

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  28. Just wanted to leave a little note to thank you for sharing the recipe. My daughter is a high school student and taking a German class. For their unit on food, the teacher told the students they could earn a bit of extra credit if they brought in something homemade (and was German recipe). She and I are excited to try this recipe together next week so she can share it with her classmates. We have also shared a link with her teacher because of the wonderful way you provide the English and German instructions side by side. Thank you!

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    1. Dear Khysmet, thank you so very much for your absolutely wonderful comment and support! How great to read that you enjoy the bi-lingual posts and that you find them helpful. Thanks also for sharing the lik to my blog. If you do get a chance to make this traditional cake, please let me know whether you liked it - the best of luck to your daughter with her German studies - German is certainly not the easiests of languages to learn!

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  29. Where can one purchase a Frisian tea gift set with the sugar and tea?

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    1. Here is the link to a German tea merchant for East Frisian tea and rock sugar: https://www.teegschwendner.de/anbaugebiet-ostfriesland/
      As far as the china/cups are concerned, the merchant carries some of that as well!
      Hope that help!
      Otherwise go here: https://www.amazon.de/teeservice-ostfriesisch
      Kind regards,
      Andrea

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