BAKING

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 »This recipe reminds me of INGREDIENTS Apfel-Zimt-Brot
my childhood.« APPLE CINNAMON BREAD
500 g apples (plus 1 apple for
decoration)
1 pkg baking powder
Name: INSTRUCTIONS
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
Hadi Ftouni 2 pns salt 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C upper/lower heat (or
Location: 4 eggs
160°C with air circulation). Grease the loaf pan with
Berlin 50 ml melted coconut oil (alter-
natively rapeseed oil)
some oil.
In CCC since: 320 g wholemeal spelt flour 2. Wash and grate apples, mix with the rest of the in-
06/2019 140 g coconut sugar (alternatively gredients and stir well for few minutes. Fill the batter in
cane sugar) + some extra for the loaf pan and smooth the surface with a spatula.
Job position:
decoration 3. Wash one whole apple and slice it. Place on top of
Agent oil for greasing the pan the dough and sprinkle the surface with some coconut
sugar.
4. Bake for ca. 1h30 in the middle section of the pre-
Why is this meal my favorite:
heated oven. After 50–60 minutes baking, cover the
This recipe reminds me of my childhood. loaf with aluminium foil, so the surface doesn’t get too
dark.
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: 5. Test with a toothpick, if the cake is done – if not,
My mother always used to bake it for my birthday, which is qui- continue baking for few more minutes. When the cake
te unusual, because most people wish for a traditional birthday is done, let it cool down completely.
cake. Today I live separately from my mother, because I study in 6. Enjoy!
Berlin, so now I have to bake it myself. But even though I follow
her recipe, it never tastes like the one from her own hands! :-)

3
 INGREDIENTS Bienenstich Tiramisu
»BEE STING« TIRAMISU
Name: 200 g ladyfingers (more if your form
Nanzi Farid is bigger)
250 g butter
Location: 800 ml milk INSTRUCTIONS
Dresden vanilla extract 1. Let‘s start with the pudding cream. Mix some cold
4 tbsp starch
In CCC since: milk with starch and sugar. Bring the rest of the milk with
3 tbsp sugar
10/2012 vanilla extract to boil, add starch and sugar mixture
almonds, sliced
Job position: 2 tbsp honey and stir well until the cream thickens. Take it down from
2nd Level Agent 1 dash amaretto the heat and pour into a bowl. Cover with plastic foil,
200 ml milk so that no skin appears on the cream. Let it cool down.
2. As soon as the cream is firm and cool, fold in the
butter at room temperature and stir well.
3. Mix 200 ml milk with 1 tablespoon of honey and
a dash of amaretto. Soak the ladyfingers one by one
from both sides in the liquid and place next to each
Why is this meal my favorite:
other in the form.
Because I like the »Bienenstich« filling (from the typical German 4. Then spread the first layer of the cream on top of it,
cake called »Bee sting cake«) and the light ladyfingers with it. cover with another layer of ladyfingers and finally dis-
tribute the remaining cream on top.
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: 5. Spread the sliced almonds on parchment paper
»Bienenstich« is one of my favorite sheet cakes. I show you a more and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Then dis-
simple variation of this recipe, without the need to bake the yeast tribute them evenly over the top of the cake.
dough. 6. Warm up one tablespoon of honey in the micro-
wave for 30 seconds and sprinkle the honey over the
almonds to make them shine nicely.
7. Let the tiramisu cool in the fridge for at least 6 hours.

5
 »... we always eat this dessert INGREDIENTS Bûche de Noël Praliné-Chocolat
for Christmas ...« FRENCH YULE LOG CAKE
Bûche biscuit
100 g powdered sugar
4 eggs
Name: INSTRUCTIONS
100 g sifted flour
Laura Anita Fondrevert 1 pkg dry yeast 1. Insider tip: it’s better to prepare the buttercream first.
Location: 30 g butter
2. In a saucepan, heat 100 g of sugar along with the
Barcelona extra butter for greasing the
baking tray
hazelnuts until you reach liquid and amber coloured
In CCC since: caramel. When the caramel is cold and hardened,
Praliné buttercream
07/2018 grind in the blender to powder.
250 g powdered sugar
3. In another saucepan, mix 150 g of sugar and the
Job position: 100 g roasted hazelnuts
4 egg yolks egg yolks, add the corn flour and dilute with the boiling
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1 tsp corn flour milk.
250 ml milk 4. Warm up this cream over a very low heat and stir
200 g farm butter with the spatula without ever letting it boil, leave to thi-
Why is this meal my favorite: 60 g chocolate
cken, then let cool in the fridge.
My grandmother always made this dessert at Christmas and it 5. Whip the softened butter and gradually incorporate
allowed me to spend time with her. This dessert is so good, it into the cooled cream. Then add the caramel powder.
pleases both young and older. 6. Take 1 3 of this buttercream and add the melted
chocolate. Store this part of the cream, which will be
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: used to decorate the outside of the log, in a cool place. 10. Bake 8–10 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover
The Bûche de Noël is a cake ending the Christmas meal in France. 7. To prepare the biscuit, preheat the oven to 200°C. with a tea towel and leave to rest. Then gently remove
This culinary tradition reproduces a rite linked to the celebration 8. In a big bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks, then the aluminium foil.
of the winter solstice. The invention of the Bûche as a cake dates add the sifted flour with the yeast and then the beaten 11. Spread the cream evenly over the warm biscuit,
back to the 19th century, without anyone really knowing who is egg whites. Finally add the melted butter. then roll the cake into a log.
behind it, it only began being popular in 1945–1950. In my fa- 9. Place a well-buttered sheet of aluminium foil on a To make it prettier, cut off both edges.
mily, we always eat this dessert for Christmas and it‘s good to be baking sheet, spread the dough on it, giving it a regular 12. Cover with chocolate cream and add decorations
all together. thickness of one centimetre. of your choice.

7
 INGREDIENTS Carrot cake
Name: Batter
Maria Antonieta Leal Lemus 2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Location: ½ tsp fine salt INSTRUCTIONS
Barcelona 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
In CCC since: 2. Grease two 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and
(coconut is excellent option)
01/2020 line the bottom with parchment paper, then grease the
1 cup granulated sugar
Job position: 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar top of the paper or grease and flour the bottom and
Content Moderator (panela) sides of both pans.
1 tsp vanilla extract 3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt
4 large eggs and cinnamon until well blended.
3 cups grated peeled carrots 4. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, both sugars and
(5–6 medium carrots)
vanilla extract. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until com-
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
(optional)
bined.
Why is this meal my favorite:
½ cup raisins (optional) 5. Switch to a large rubber spatula, scrape the sides
Because it always reminds me of my grandmother and Christmas and bottom of the bowl, then add the dry ingredients
Creamy frosting
at home, together with all the family. in 3 parts, gently stirring, until they disappear and the
225 g cream cheese (at room
temperature) batter is smooth.
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it:
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar 6. Stir in the grated carrots, nuts and raisin. Mix per- 9. Whip the cream and when it’s perfectly whipped,
This is my Granny‘s recipe, she was the best at preparing it and 1 3 cup heavy whipping cream fectly and divide the batter between the prepared pans. add the powdered sugar, little by little, until you reach
she wanted us to learn how to do it and enjoy it … She used to ½ cup coarsely chopped pecans 7. Bake for 45–60 minutes (until the fork is clean af- the desired taste. Then add the cream cheese and mix.
say: »Every time you bake this, think of me«. (for decoration)
ter pinching it). 10. Frost one cake layer and place the other cake lay-
8. Cool both cakes in pans for 15 minutes then turn er on top. Spread the remaining frosting on top and
out onto cooling racks, peel off parchment paper and sides of the cake.
cool completely. 11. Decorate with nuts on top.

9
 INGREDIENTS Childhood cake
Name: Sponge
Andreea Zanfir 150 g flour
150 g sugar
Location: 25 g cocoa powder
Bucharest 6 eggs
4 tbsp oil INSTRUCTIONS
In CCC since:
2 pkgs vanilla sugar
2018 1. To prepare the sponge, beat eggs with sugar and
Cream then add flour, oil, vanilla sugar and cocoa. Mix gently
Job position: 250 g soft butter (80% fat) until an aerated batter is obtained.
Welcome Desk 200 g mascarpone
2. Place the batter into a buttered baking tray and put
400 g chocolate (65% cocoa)
150 g sugar
in the oven for 30–40 minutes at 180°C.
4 eggs 3. Now you can start preparing the syrup: put the su-
1 tbsp rum gar in a pan and melt it. After the sugar has melted,
1 pn salt carefully add water and stir well. Finally add rum. 8. Now you can assemble the cake. Put a layer of
Syrup 4. Next, prepare the cream. At first, melt chocolate sponge cake in a round tin and pour the syrup made
150 ml water over bain-marie (put a bowl over the pan with simme- earlier over the sponge, which has cooled in the mean-
Why is this meal my favorite:
50 g sugar ring water). time.
My grandmother used to make this cake every Christmas. 1 tbsp rum 5. In another bowl, put eggs over bain-marie, add 9. Add a layer of cream, another layer of sponge
Glaze sugar and then a pinch of salt, mix well until it burns cake, another layer of cream followed by a layer of
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: 240 g chocolate (65% cocoa) a little on your fingers, which means that the eggs are sponge and at the end put a very thin layer of cream.
As in every family, we also had our Christmas traditions: every 240 ml whipped cream done. 10. Leave the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes before
Christmas, grandma used to make this well-syruped chocolate 6. Take the bowl off the heat and mix well with the adding the icing.
cake, a recipe she also inherited from her mother. That‘s why it‘s mixer until the mass doubles in volume and then add 11. For the icing, put the whipped cream into a pan,
called Childhood cake, because you remain marked by the deli- the melted chocolate. heat it and add the chocolate, stir until an icing is for-
cious chocolate cream and once you grow up, you start making 7. Let the cream cool for 30 minutes, then add the med.
this recipe to remember the taste of childhood. butter gradually and then add the mascarpone at room 12. At the end, take the cake out of the fridge, add the
temperature. icing and decorate it as you like.

11
 »... bake these cookies!« INGREDIENTS Christmas cookies
250 g all purpose flour
90 g powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
Name: INSTRUCTIONS
190 g cold butter (the temperature
Małgorzata Redelbach is important, otherwise the 1. Cut the butter into smaller pieces. Knead all of the
Location: cookies won’t be crunchy!)
ingredients together until you achieve a solid mass.
Gdansk Decoration Wrap the dough in food wrap and put it in the fridge
icing (powdered sugar +
In CCC since: for ca. 1 hour.
lemon juice + food colouring)
07/2019 2. Knead the cooled dough and roll it out on the
sprinkles
flour sprinkled counter until it’s about 5 mm thick. Don’t
Job position:
knead it too long, the warmer it gets, the less crunchy
Human Resources
the cookies will be.
Use cookie cutters to get the shape you desire or simply
a glass. :-)
Why is this meal my favorite:
3. Put them on a baking sheet and don’t allow them to
It‘s a must have for Christmas! Easy and super fun. :-) touch (they will grow a little while baking). You will get
approximately 3 sheets of cookies.
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it:
4. Bake the cookies at 180°C for about 10 minutes,
Every year I meet up with my sister to bake a huge batch of these until they are lightly browned. After this, let them cool.
cookies and then decorate them. We put them in nice decorative 5. Go crazy with your decorations and icing, this is
boxes and give them away as gifts at our family Christmas dinner. the fun part!
Some of them are traditional shapes like stars or snowmen, some
of them are more creative, there are no limits! So if you don‘t have
any ideas for presents yet – bake these cookies! It‘s super fun and
your apartment will smell like heaven. :-)

13
 »... it fits perfectly to Christmas time!« INGREDIENTS Dunkler Kirschkuchen
DARK CHERRY CAKE
125 g butter
180 g sugar
4 eggs
Name: INSTRUCTIONS
125 g flour
Jacqueline Führich 2 tsp baking powder 1. In a big bowl, mix butter with sugar until fluffy. Add
Location: 125 g ground hazelnuts or almonds
eggs and stir well until you reach a nice, homogenous
Biel 150 g dark chocolate, grated
1 tsp cinnamon
mass.
In CCC since: 1–2 jars cherries, drained
2. Add other ingredients in following order: flour
08/2018 rum essence (optional) mixed with baking powder, ground nuts and cinna-
butter for greasing the pan mon. Mix well, then add cherries and mix again.
Job position:
powdered sugar for 3. If you like, you can add a few drops of rum essen-
Agent
decoration ce – it’s a matter of taste.
4. Grease a pie pan with butter and preheat the oven
to 180°C (preferably air circulation or upper/lower
heat).
Why is this meal my favorite: 5. Pour the batter in the pan and bake for approx.
Because it is easy to make and tastes very very good. 60 minutes. If the cake starts turning too dark, you can
cover it with aluminium foil. The baking time can vary
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: depending on the pan size.
There‘s no particular tradition connected with this cake, I just love 6. After the cake is ready, take it out of the oven, let it
to try new things. And it fits perfectly to Christmas time! :-) sit for a while, then take it out of the pan and let it cool
down on a cake rack.
7. When the cake is cooled down, sprinkle with some
powdered sugar.

15
 INGREDIENTS Family‘s favorite pie
Name: 2 eggs
Olena Babenko 200 ml milk
300 g flour
Location: 120 g melted butter INSTRUCTIONS
Gdansk 180 g sugar 1. In a bowl, whisk eggs together with sugar and
15 g baking powder
In CCC since: baking powder. Add 200 ml of milk and mix every-
jam or any seasonal
06/2020 berries/fruit
thing together properly.
Job position: 2. Add already melted butter and gradually sift the
6–8 servings
Agent flour into the mixture. The dough should be smooth at
the end.
3. Prepare a baking form with diameter 24–26 cm
and line it with foil or baking paper. Smear the edges
of the baking form with melted butter leftovers and pour
1 layer of dough into the form (estimated 60–70 % of
Why is this meal my favorite:
total mass).
Because it is delicious and very simple to be done at any time. It 4. Add jam or what you have ready for your fruit
also recalls my family memories. I bake something almost every filling on top of the first layer of dough. Then cover the
day because my family likes it and is used to it and their joy is my fruit filling with the second layer of the dough.
reward. 5. Put your pie to the oven for 40–45 minutes at a
temperature not exceeding 170–175°C. You may also
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: decorate the cake at your own discretion after cooling
The recipe came from my mom to me and she received it about down.
20 years ago, when we moved to Italy from Ukraine. There, in 6. Bon Appétit!
San Severino Marche, my mom received it from one very kind old
lady. She held the house which we rented and was really loving
and compassionate to our family. So basically it is an old recipe,
that came from Italy and was supplemented with some new con-
temporary ingredients.

17
 »Even my children love to eat them.« INGREDIENTS Hafer Cookies
OATMEAL COOKIES
100 g rolled oats
2 ripe bananas
20 g walnuts, chopped
Name: INSTRUCTIONS
20 g almonds, chopped
Manuela Kühn 20 g pecans, chopped 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (upper/lower heat).
Location: 1 tbsp maple syrup
2. Slightly roast the chopped nuts along with 1 table-
Dresden spoon maple syrup in a pan.
In CCC since: 3. Mash the bananas with a fork and mix in the rolled
07/2015 oats.
4. Add the caramelized nuts and with a spoon, place
Job position:
little portions of the mixture on a baking tray lined with
Finance
parchment paper (1 tbsp = 1 cookie).
5. Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes until golden
brown.
Why is this meal my favorite:
I was looking for cookies without flour and sugar. This recipe is
fast, healthy and tasty!

The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it:

Due to diabetes, I was no longer allowed to eat sugar, but since I
have a sweet tooth, I had to look for and try new recipes myself.
After a few tries, this was the fastest and tastiest recipe for a
healthy alternative to ready-made cookies. Even my children
love to eat them.

19
 »... my entire family can‘t get enough INGREDIENTS Heidesandplätzchen
of my cookies ...« GERMAN HEIDESAND COOKIES
100 g powdered sugar
200 g margarine
300 g flour
Name: INSTRUCTIONS
cocoa powder (to taste)
Jennifer Knorr
1. Melt margarine in a pot or microwave for about
Location: 30 seconds – be careful, it splatters.
Leipzig 2. Knead melted margarine, flour and powdered
In CCC since: sugar to a dough.
11/2019 3. Separate the dough in two halves and knead
cocoa into half of the dough.
Job position:
4. Roll both doughs into a roll and then cut into slices.
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5. Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with
parchment paper and bake at 180°C for about 10–12
minutes until golden.
Why is this meal my favorite:
6. Please note: the cookies only become hard when
It is such an easy recipe and so fast! Most of the ingredients you they cool down, so remove them from the tray carefully
have at home or you can find them anywhere. or let them cool down first.
7. For those who like to experiment: instead of cocoa,
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: you can use food colouring.
Since my entire family can‘t get enough of my cookies, I always 8. Enjoy the cookies!
take a whole weekend at the end of November and bake several
types of cookies for everyone. For me, baking involves good mu-
sic and a delicious cream liqueur.

21
 »... enjoyable all year long.« INGREDIENTS Kekse
COOKIES
2 eggs
140 g powdered sugar
250 g butter
Name: INSTRUCTIONS
440 g flour
Marcel Kunz
1. Mix all the ingredients.
Location: 2. Roll out the batter and cut out the cookies with any
Dresden cookie cutters you like.
In CCC since: 3. Place the cookies onto a baking tray lined with
06/2020 parchment paper and bake at 170°C (air circulation)
for about 10 minutes.
Job position:
4. After baking and cooling down, you can decorate
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them as you like.
5. Enjoy!
Why is this meal my favorite:
It is simple and you usually have all ingredients at home.

The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it:

The traditional baking recipe for Christmas cookies, also enjoy-
able all year long. ;-)

23
 INGREDIENTS Lebkuchen-Glühwein Cupcakes
GINGERBREADMULLED WINE CUPCAKES
Name: Batter
Romina Hermesmeyer 240 ml milk
1 tsp apple vinegar
Location: 80 ml rapeseed oil INSTRUCTIONS
Aachen 160 g sugar 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, line a muffin tray or
180 g flour
In CCC since: muffin cups with paper liners.
25 g cocoa powder
04/2020 2. In a big bowl, mix milk with apple vinegar, let it
½ tsp baking powder
Job position: 3 4 tsp baking soda curdle for a moment. Add sugar and rapeseed oil and
Agent ¼ tsp salt beat it with whisk until it gets foamy.
2 tsp gingerbread seasoning 3. Put a sieve over the bowl, measure the dry ingre-
Filling dients, sift through the sieve and mix with the liquid in-
16 canned plum halves or gredients in the bowl. A few small lumps may remain in
8 cooked plums the mixture.
1 tbsp sugar 4. Pour the batter into the liners. This works best with
Why is this meal my favorite: 1 tsp cinnamon
an ice cream scoop with an eject function or by filling
Because it combines all Christmas flavors (gingerbread, cinna- Frosting a freezer bag with the batter, cutting off a corner and
mon, mulled wine) and because of the fruity filling. 180 ml mulled wine squirting the batter into the liners.
2 tbsp sugar
5. Bake the cupcakes for 18–23 minutes, try with a
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: 2 tbsp starch
toothpick (if it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done).
150 g butter
Not really ... but I always associate Christmas bakery with family 1 tbsp powdered sugar When taken out of the oven, let them sit in the muffin 9. Let the pudding and butter reach the room tempe-
time. I have two sisters, that are 11 years younger than me and tray for 5 minutes. After that, place them on a cake rack rature. Then whip the butter with the powdered sugar
a twin sister. Since we were children, my mother always made and let them cool completely. for 3–4 minutes until white and foamy and then add in
a cookie baking day. Even nowadays, all five of us come toge- 6. Use the baking and cooling time to prepare the fil- the pudding a tablespoon at a time. It takes a few mi-
ther on one Sunday in December, we bake together and listen to ling and frosting. nutes for the frosting to get really foamy. Then it is ready
Christmas carols. 7. For the filling, puree plums, sugar and cinnamon. for use.
8. For the frosting, boil the mulled wine with sugar 10. Slightly hollow out the muffins in the middle and
and starch while constantly stirring. Put it in a small add a teaspoon of the filling. Put a piece of the muffin
bowl and cover with cling film directly on the pudding back on as a lid, fill a piping bag with the frosting and
so that no skin forms. decorate the cupcakes.
25
 INGREDIENTS Linecké koláčiky
TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS LINZER COOKIES
Name: 300 g all purpose flour
Nikoleta Kovácsová 200 g cold unsalted butter
100 g powdered sugar
Location: 1 egg yolk INSTRUCTIONS
Bratislava lemon zest 1. Start with butter – must be cold and diced. Stir it
vanilla extract
In CCC since: into a mixture of flour and sugar and work the crumbs
jam (preferably raspberry and
2014 out of the dough first (now you could add some poppy
apricot jam)
Job position: poppy seed (optional) seed if you like).
Human Resources 2. Now add the yolk, lemon zest and vanilla extract
and knead well with your hands. Wrap the compact
dough in a plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at
least an hour. The dough will be stiffer, but it will not
tear when rolled.
3. Preheat the oven to 160°C, take the dough out of
Why is this meal my favorite: the fridge and roll it out on a floured board to a thick-
These cookies are easy to prepare and when you bake them, the ness of approx. 0,5 cm.
whole house smells like Christmas. 4. Cut little rounds or other shapes out of the batter,
remembering that a half of them must have a hole in the
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: middle (you can cut them out with a little shaped cutter, 6. Bake them for about 10 minutes and let them cool
My mother is a big baker and every Christmas she bakes at least for example hearts or stars). down.
10 kinds of cookies and cakes. She always tries to find new re- 5. Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with 7. Spread the jam on the flat side of each solid coo-
cipes and bake something new. But one thing is a »must have«: parchment paper. Place the solid wheels on one paper kie. Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with powdered
The Linzer cookies. When I was a kid, I loved to help her to fill the and the ones with the hole on the other, as these are sugar and press the flat sides together with the jam in
cookies with jam, because I felt like a baker too. Now I grew up usually done a little faster. the middle and the powdered sugar on the top.
and I bake Linzer cookies every year too.

27
 INGREDIENTS Macadamia cookies
Name: 200 g salted macadamia nuts
Nicole Matternja 150 g white chocolate
150 g butter, softened
Location: 120 g brown sugar INSTRUCTIONS
Dresden 1 pkg vanilla sugar 1. Chop the nuts and chocolate into big chunks.
200 g flour
In CCC since: 2. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla sugar until fluffy.
1 egg
03/2020 1 tsp baking powder
3. Add egg, flour and baking powder and stir well.
Job position: 4. Add nuts and chocolate and fold in.
Welcome Desk 5. Place little heaps of the dough on the baking tray
leaving some space between them because they will
spread a little.
6. Bake for 12–15 minutes at 180°C.
7. Let it cool down a little and enjoy.
Why is this meal my favorite:
The macadamia cookies are not typical Christmas cookies. But
that is actually good, because they‘re way too delicious to just
bake and enjoy them at Christmas time. That is also the reason,
why I like to bake them the most.

The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it:

The first time I ate these cookies was on board of a cruise ship I
worked on. A friend baked the macadamia cookies at Christmas
time and wanted to share a little Christmas spirit with me. She
packed them into a package and the cookies made their way
to me by post. Unfortunately, I was in Asia at the time and the
package was on the way for a long time. It finally reached me in
February. But that didn‘t affect the taste. Even at over 30°C and
with Christmas far behind us, the cookies were simply delicious.
Since then, I have been baking the cookies several times a year.
29
 INGREDIENTS Makovo-ríbezľový mrežovník
POPPY SEED AND CURRANT CAKE
Name: Dough
Oliver Krupčiak 500 g semi-coarse flour
200 ml milk
Location: 120 ml oil INSTRUCTIONS
Bratislava 100 g granulated sugar 1. Prepare a sourdough starter – mix milk, one tea-
½ pkg yeast
In CCC since: spoon of granulated sugar and yeast and let it sit for a
2 egg yolks
10/2019 while.
½ tsp salt
Job position: 1 egg 2. Mix the semi-coarse flour, the rest of the granula-
Agent 1 tbsp milk ted sugar, oil, egg yolks, salt and add to the sourdough
Filling starter.
250 g poppy seed 3. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
400 g red currants 4. Roll out the sourdough, separate a smaller part
sugar (to taste) and place the bigger part on a greased baking sheet
and spread the poppy seed and currants over it.
Why is this meal my favorite:
5. From the set-aside part, roll out a thinner sheet, cut
I‘ve tasted a lot of cakes but this recipe from my grandmother is out stripes of various sizes and place them on the surfa-
the best! Poppy seed and currants? My favorite combination. ce of the filling as a grid.
6. Spread the grid with the egg whisked with milk.
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: 7. Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake for about 30
I remember this cake from my childhood. My grandmother loved minutes.
to experiment in the kitchen and so this tasty cake was created, 8. Sprinkle the cooled cake with powdered sugar.
which at first glance is characterized by an unusual taste combi-
nation. When we tasted it for the first time, we all immediately
liked it.

31
 INGREDIENTS Makowiec
Name:
POPPY SEED ROLL
Dough
Aleksandra Kasperska 500 g wheat flour
50 g fresh yeast
Location: 50 g sugar INSTRUCTIONS
Gdansk 200 ml milk 1. Pour flour into a bowl, make a hole in the middle,
In CCC since: 4 egg yolks
crush the yeast into it and sprinkle with sugar.
50 g butter
08/2016 2. Gradually pour warm milk into the well, mixing it
Poppy seed mass
Job position: with yeast and scooping a few tablespoons of flour in-
850 g ready-made poppy seed
Human Resources Manager side. Cover it with a cloth and let it rise for 10 minutes.
filling
2 tbsp breadcrumbs 3. Add the eggs and start mixing all ingredients
4 egg whites gently with a spoon. When they thicken, add the melted
50 g raisins, dried cranberries or warm butter and start kneading the ingredients.
chopped nuts (optional) 4. Knead the dough for 10–15 minutes until it is 9. Roll the roulade along the long side and stick the
Why is this meal my favorite:
Frosting smooth and elastic. edges together, place on greased baking paper. Wrap
I really like the taste of this cake. It‘s a traditional Polish Christmas juice of ½ lemon or hot water 5. Shape into a ball, put it in a bowl and set aside in the roulade into the paper, leaving approx. 2 cm of
cake and one of few that I like for this occassion. First time I tried 1 cup powdered sugar a warm place for about 1 hour to rise. free space inside for the dough to rise (very import-
it, I fell in love with the taste and texture. (all ingredients for 2 rolls ca. 35 cm) 6. Mix the poppy seed filling with breadcrumbs and ant for the shape of the cake). Repeat with the second
chopped nuts and raisins – if you use them. piece of dough.
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: 10. Place both poppy seed rolls (along with the paper)
7. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff,
Since I was a little kid, this cake was one of the few I liked eating mix gently with the poppy seed filling. with the joint facing down on a large baking tray and
during Christmas. My grandpa was always waiting in a queue to 8. Put the dough on the pastry board and knead for a set aside for about 20 minutes to mature.
the best bakery ever to get it for us and it was the best Makowiec while, then divide into 2 parts. Roll out one part of the 11. Bake for 35 minutes in an oven preheated to
I‘ve ever eaten. But after a couple of years, they closed the bake- dough into a rectangle measuring approx. 30 x 35 cm 180°C. After cooling, pour the icing: mix the hot lemon
ry and the cake we bought in other bakeries was never that good. and spread half of the poppy seed filling over it, juice or just hot water with the gradually added pow-
It was always very dry. That is why last year, I decided to try and keeping a free edge of approx. 1,5 cm. dered sugar.
do it on my own. I did, and it may not be as perfect as the one
from the beloved bakery, but it‘s way better than any other mako-
wiec now. My grandpa is so happy when I make it for Christmas.

33
 INGREDIENTS Pear cake
Name: 2 eggs
Valerija Blinkova 320 g flour (I used rice flour because
it is gluten free, but can be
Location: also all purpose flour) INSTRUCTIONS
Riga 1 cup sugar 1. Whisk together egg yolks and sugar, add milk and
In CCC since: 4–5 pears, peeled slowly stir together.
09/2018 1 cup of milk (I used lactose free,
2. Slowly stirring, add baking powder and flour.
but can be also regular or
Job position: plant-based)
3. Aside, whisk egg whites to foam and add to the
Payroll Admin 2 tsp cinnamon powder rest of dough.
1 tsp baking powder 4. After stirring all together until the dough is homo-
olive oil geneous, put everything in a baking form, oiled with
olive oil. Dough looks very liquid and that is completely
okay, do not add more flour as it would make the cake
less spongy and soft.
Why is this meal my favorite:
5. Then place pieces of peeled pears on top of the
Easy, fast and delicious! dough in a pattern you like, add cinnamon on top of
pears and place in the oven for 50–60 minutes, until
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: the cake is golden brown.
I just love baking, have very sweet tooth and like experimenting 6. In the end, check with a fork in the middle of the
with bakery. I especially like to experiment with non-traditional cake, if the dough is ready (if the fork comes out clean,
ingredients, such as pumpkin or zucchini ... But to participate in then the cake is ready) and set aside to chill.
this cookbook, I decided to make something traditional.

35
 INGREDIENTS Santa‘s cookies
Name: 50 ml milk
Simona Mitu 7g yeast
1 tsp sugar
Location: 1 egg INSTRUCTIONS
Bucharest ½ tsp salt 1. Add the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar to the warm
100 g vanilla powdered sugar (plus
In CCC since: milk and leave for 5 minutes.
some extra for the decoration)
04/2020 2. Separately in a bowl, mix the flour, salt and softe-
200 g butter (with 82% fat, at room
Job position: temperature) ned butter, knead a little until the butter is incorporated
Commercial Operator 375 g flour and then add the milk, egg and vanilla sugar.
3. Knead until a soft but non-sticky dough is formed,
wrap it in a foil and leave it in the fridge for an hour.
4. After an hour, take the dough out, divide it into four
parts and roll out each part on the floured table and cut
Why is this meal my favorite: the cookies into the desired shape.
I prepare this recipe with the children every year on Christmas 5. Bake at 180°C for 10–15 minutes until golden
Eve. brown.
6. Remove from the oven and decorate with vanilla
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: powdered sugar.
For me and my family, the winter holidays start with this easy re-
cipe for butter cookies. They are delicious and if they are glazed
and cut with Christmas motifs, they can easily turn into wonderful
Christmas tree decorations. I prepare these little delicacies with
the children and on Christmas Eve, we serve them to Santa with a
glass of milk.

37
 »Baking means pure relaxation for me ...« INGREDIENTS Schoko Cookies
CHOCOLATE COOKIES
100 g cornflakes
120 g cane sugar
1 egg
Name: INSTRUCTIONS
120 g butter, softened
Shyla Kamber 250 g chocolate, dark or milk 1. In a bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy and
Location: 125 g flour
stiff. Add the egg first and then cornflakes, milk and va-
2–3 tbsp milk
Biel nilla flavouring.
1–2 tbsp vanilla flavouring (to taste)
In CCC since: 1 tbsp cocoa powder 2. Sieve flour, baking powder and cocoa powder
06/2016 1 tsp baking powder into the mixture and stir well. Finally add the chocolate,
broke or cut into small pieces.
Job position:
3. With a teaspoon, scoop little portions of the dough
Quality Support
onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray and flatten
every portion slightly with a fork.
4. Place into the oven, preheated to 180°C and bake
Why is this meal my favorite: for 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool down.
5. In a closed box, they can be stored for 2–4 weeks,
Simple, tasty, sweet, addictive.
possibly even longer, but usually they are gone way
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: earlier. :-)
It is a simple yet wonderful recipe. Baking means pure relaxation
for me, I love pampering my close ones with my cookies. Sweet
little seduction.

39
 INGREDIENTS Schoko-Nuss-Berge
CHOCOLATE NUT MOUNTAINS
Name: 250 g wheat flour
Anika Wurlitzer 50 g starch
100 g sugar
Location: 1 pkg vanilla sugar INSTRUCTIONS
Leipzig 2 eggs 1. Mix flour with starch and sieve onto the working
125 g butter
In CCC since: surface. Add sugar and vanilla sugar and create a little
100 g ground hazelnuts
08/2009 »well« in the centre.
125 g grated chocolate
Job position: 1 pkg chocolate glaze 2. Crack the eggs open and pour into the well. Place
HR Manager the flakes of butter on top and sprinkle with ground ha-
zelnuts and grated chocolate.
3. Knead the whole thing into a smooth batter, wrap
it in a cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
4. Take the dough out, knead again well, form small
pieces of dough into little balls and place them on a
Why is this meal my favorite:
baking tray lined with parchment paper. Press lightly to
This pastry is really yummy and it brings back so many memories. form little cookies and bake in the oven preheated to
180°C for 12–15 minutes.
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it:
5. Take the »mountains« out and let them cool on the
My family has been making this recipe for as long as I can re- cake grid. Let the chocolate glaze melt in a water bath,
member. When I was 3 years old, I stood in the kitchen with my dip the mountains halfway into the melted chocolate
grandma and baked the little »mountains«. Of course, a bit of raw glaze and let them dry on the grid.
dough always landed in the stomach, but luckily always without
a stomach ache. ;-) This year I baked this recipe for the first time
with my little daughter (3 years old) and it was a wonderful expe-
rience. Small hands can be very practical when baking and look
really cute too. We both had a lot of fun and the family tradition
goes on. :-)

41
 INGREDIENTS Sequilhos de coco Natalino
COCONUT CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Name: 1 cup flour
Liz Rodrigues Silva 1 cup »Maizena« (corn starch)
½ tsp salt
Location: ½ cup sugar INSTRUCTIONS
Barcelona 200 g unsalted butter 1. First of all, mix the butter, sugar and egg yolks in a
1 egg yolk
In CCC since: bowl until lighter in colour and fluffy in consistency.
½ cup grated coconut
07/2018 2. Now add the grated coconut, condensed milk, salt
1 tbsp condensed milk (optional)
Job position: ½ cup sanding sugar (coloured sugar and mix everything together with a large spoon.
Content Moderator for decorating) 3. In another bowl, mix the flour and corn starch. Re-
member to sift the flour before.
4. Pour the mixture into the bowl with flour and corn
starch and mix both until incorporated. It is better, if you
use your hands, but carefully, so that you don´t warm it
up.
Why is this meal my favorite:
5. To make cutting out the shapes easier, it is good to
Because it feels like home, with coconut flavour and smell. roll the dough between two parchment papers (don’t
roll the dough out too thin) and let it refrigerate for 8. Put a new parchment paper on the baking tray and
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: about 30 minutes. place the cookies onto it, leaving some space between
This is a typical recipe of a snack, that we used to have in our 6. Take out of the fridge and cut out the shapes you them.
pocket to eat between things to do during the day. Especially for prefer. You can do hearts, deer, Christmas trees, wha- 9. Bake at 180°C for 20–25 minutes, just until turning
Christmas, my aunt used to do this same recipe, that we love so tever makes you happy! golden at the edge.
much, with some lovely shapes. Obviously, we take some for later 7. Using a deep dish with the sanding sugar, dip the 10. Use your imagination and give them life with some
as well!!! She likes to make us happy on this day and we love to cookies in and roll them in the sugar. jam or Nutella if you like or just eat them as they are!
eat them! :-)

43
 INGREDIENTS Shakarlama ( Zuckerplätzchen)
SHAKARLAMA SUGAR COOKIES
Name: 500 g flour
Nanzi Farid 250 g clarified butter
200 g powdered sugar
Location: INSTRUCTIONS
For different flavours e.g.:
Dresden
4g lemon essence 1. Stir the clarified butter at room temperature until it
In CCC since: 2 tsp rose water reaches a creamy texture and the colour becomes very
10/2012 50 g ground almonds light. Add powdered sugar and keep stirring.
50 g ground pistachios
Job position: 2. Add the flour and stir until a dough is formed that
2nd Level Agent doesn‘t crumble when being formed.
3. Divide the dough into as many parts as many fla-
vours you have chosen and mix in the essences and
nuts. You can of course leave the natural colour or add
some food colouring and knead.
4. Form little balls and then lightly press the almonds,
Why is this meal my favorite:
pistachios or other decorations into them.
Because they simply melt in your mouth. 5. Place them in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
6. Bake at 150°C for 12 minutes.
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it:
Shakarlama are Iraqi sugar cookies that only consist of 3 basic
ingredients. The special thing about these cookies is that they melt
in the mouth and are made with different flavors. Since the dough
is so easy to shape, you can get pretty creative. I made four dif-
ferent flavours from the basic dough. Green is pistachio, blue is
almond, red is rose water and yellow is lemon.

45
 INGREDIENTS Tiramisutorte
Name:
TIRAMISU CAKE
Cake
Jacqueline Führich 2 eggs
75 g sugar
Location: 1 pkg vanilla sugar INSTRUCTIONS
Biel 1 pn salt 1. Beat 2 eggs until fluffy, add sugar, vanilla sugar
In CCC since: 75 g flour
and a pinch of salt and beat again. Add sieved flour,
25 g starch
08/2018 starch, baking powder and cocoa powder spoon by
1 tsp baking powder
Job position: 1 tbsp cocoa powder spoon and incorporate by stirring slowly.
Agent 2. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C on upper/lo-
Soaking
50 ml milk wer heat for 15–20 minutes in a round springform pan.
1 tbsp sugar 3. Place on a cake grid and let it cool down. It should
150 ml strong espresso be quite solid.
15 tbsp Amaretto liqueur (optional, 4. For the soaking: mix milk, 1 tablespoon sugar,
can be replaced by orange Amaretto liqueur and warm strong espresso, pour 2 3
Why is this meal my favorite: juice, milk or more coffee)
of the mixture over the cake and let it soak in. Save the
It is not just tiramisu but a cake! Cream rest of the liquid for the cream.
500 g mascarpone 5. For the cream: beat whipped cream with cream
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: 250 g curd
stiffener. Mix mascarpone, curd and sugar very well
500 g whipped cream
It has no special tradition, it‘s simply delicious and fits well to and slightly add the stiff whipped cream and the rest of
2 pkgs cream stiffener
Christmas time. 100 g sugar the liquid. Mix in the gelatine.
8 sheets gelatine 6. Spread 1 3 of the cream onto the soaked base
and cover with ladyfingers. Spread another layer of 7. Put it in the fridge for few hours.
1 pkg ladyfingers the cream over them and smooth it down. Keep some 8. Take out of the springform pan and spread the rest
cocoa powder for decoration cream for later, for the sides of the cake. Sprinkle with of the cream on the sides of the cake and cover the
cocoa powder. sides with ladyfingers in upright position.

47
 INGREDIENTS Tschak Tschak
Name: Dough
Heda Isaewa 300 g flour (more if needed)
3 eggs
Location: 2 tbsp oil INSTRUCTIONS
Vienna ½ pkg baking powder 1. Put flour in a bowl, add the eggs, oil and baking
In CCC since: Honey powder. Mix until the dough no longer sticks to your
07/2018 ½ cup honey hands. Add some more flour, if needed.
2 tbsp sugar
Job position: 2. Roll out the finished dough thinly and cut the roll
Agent into thin strips.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the
strips in hot oil until they turn golden brown. Take the
strips out of the pot and add to another bowl.
4. Heat the honey and sugar in a small saucepan and
simmer over medium heat until the honey taste disap-
Why is this meal my favorite:
pears.
Tschak Tschak is not a complicated dessert and it tastes great. 5. As soon as it is done: pour the honey over the fried
strips, mix everything together and squeeze into a cer-
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: tain shape.
Tschak Tschak originates from the Caucasian region of Chechnya, 6. If you like, you can also mix in raisins or nuts.
which is to be found in the south of Russia. It is a typical dessert 7. Our Tschak Tschak is ready. :-)
from my homeland. Tschak Tschak takes me back to my childhood.
I grew up with this dessert. Especially the smell when preparing it
and the taste when eating it are like a journey to the past. Most of
the ingredients can be found at home. A simple preparation if you
spontaneously feel like having something sweet. :-) For me it is a
special dessert, which is why I want to share it with you.

49
 »Because they are super tasty!« INGREDIENTS Vanille Kipferl
VANILLA CRESCENTS
200 g margarine
80 g sugar
100 g ground almonds
Name: 280 g wheat flour INSTRUCTIONS
Jennifer Knorr 2 pkgs vanilla sugar 1. Melt margarine in a pot or microwave for about
Location: 100 g powdered sugar
30 seconds – be careful, it splatters.
Leipzig 2. Knead melted margarine, sugar, almonds, wheat
In CCC since: flour and a package of vanilla sugar into a dough and
11/2019 form small crescents.
3. Place them on a baking tray and bake at 180°C
Job position:
for 10 –12 minutes until golden.
HR Recruiter
4. Mix the powdered sugar with the other package
of vanilla sugar. Roll the lukewarm cookies in the sugar
mixture or sieve and sprinkle the sugar mixture over the
Why is this meal my favorite:
cookies (you might need to prepare one more batch of
Because they are super tasty! Unfortunately it can be very time powdered sugar and vanilla sugar mixture, it depends
consuming to shape the crescents, but if you make them a little on size of your crescents).
bigger, you‘ll be done faster. 5. For those who like to experiment: you are welcome
to cut 1–2 vanilla pods lengthways and add the con-
The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it: tents to the dough. This recipe also works very well with
Since my entire family can‘t get enough of my cookies, I always ground hazelnuts (the pack is larger and cheaper, but
take a whole weekend at the end of November and bake several not suitable for allergy sufferers).
types of cookies for everyone. For me, baking involves good mu- 6. Enjoy the tasty crescents!
sic and a delicious cream liqueur.

51
 »... I associate it with fond memories INGREDIENTS Vegan Struffoli
of my childhood.« VEGAN HONEY BALLS
Batter
2 cups flour
2 tsp lemon zest
Name: INSTRUCTIONS
3 tbsp sugar
Ilaria Pompei ½ tsp salt 1. First knead the flax eggs with the butter/oil and
Location: ¼ pkg baking powder
then with the rest of the ingredients. Work the dough
Leipzig 4 tbsp vegan butter or oil
3 flax eggs
until it doesn‘t stick to your hands anymore.
In CCC since: 1 tsp vanilla 2. Cut the dough into homogenous, narrow strips,
07/2020 plant oil for frying then cut them into small pieces from which you have to
Decoration roll balls (approx. 1 cm). Fry the balls in hot oil.
Job position:
½ cup vegan honey 3. When they are ready, they need to be placed on
Agent
sugar pearls and/or a large serving plate. Pour the vegan honey on top (it
candied fruit is best to warm it up first) and stir everything with the
spoon.
Why is this meal my favorite: 4. At the end, decorate to taste, for example with
Because I associate it with fond memories of my childhood. And I sugar pearls and/or candied fruit.
veganized the recipe so I can keep enjoying it! :-) 5. Enjoy!

The tradition connected with the meal/the story behind it:

Although the »Struffoli« (small fried dough balls) are part of the
Neapolitan tradition, they come from Greece. The word »Struf-
folo« could come from the Greek adjective »strongoulos« (round
shape). It is therefore assumed that the Struffoli were already
widespread in ancient Greek times.

53