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A Modern Rose

Light Meals and Weekend Treats from an English Woman in Berlin

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Something Sweet

White Chocolate and Berry Cheesecake

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I love cheesecake but hardly make it when it is just the two of us! I always try and save it for when we have a dinner party or a group of friends over. It was over Christmas that one of my husbands Aunt’s made a delicious white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake that I became inspired to spruce my own cheesecake recipe up a bit. The white chocolate is beautiful with the cream cheese and it is actually quite a light and smooth flavour. You can definitely taste the chocolate but it isn’t overpowering and is such a nice delicate taste that it makes this dessert feel rather special and a bit of a treat!…

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Mince Pies

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It just isn’t Christmas until you have baked that first batch of mince pies! I have fond memories of this classic British Christmas treat. When I first moved to Berlin, each Christmas I would make my way to Broken English, a store full of British food that was a must for every expat. Sadly these days there are far too many online rivals (and rivals both in convenience and price!) that I now don’t visit the shop as often as I should. Unless there is last minute dash for some pickle! But mince pies do not travel well when thrown into a delivery box,…

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Italian Chocolate Christmas Cake

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I like to call this my grown-up chocolate cake recipe. It is bursting with nuts and spices and is rich and aromatic, making it the perfect cake for Christmas! This is very much inspired by the traditional Italian dessert, Panforte and it really is pure indulgence. The middle is gooey with the chunks of chocolate while the rest of the cake has that slight crunch from the nuts. And of course, what makes this cake the ultimate Christmas treat is the orange lingering from the Cointreau. It is Christmas after all … …

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Almond and Pecan Apple Crumble

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This all time favourite dessert needs to be served with a large dose of nostalgia on the side. I mean who doesn’t love an apple crumble? It is one of those classic recipes that we all grew up on and a recipe that we all try to re-create to the same standards as our childhood memories. Even the apple crumble’s served at school dinners were actually OK… and that is really saying something. Is it because this is a dessert that is hard to get wrong, or simply that we all have a fondness for this rather stodgy and basic pudding?…

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Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Last week I baked some cookies from my Gran’s old recipe book. It was an old Be-Ro baking book and the recipes were real classics. I was flicking through them and realised that you just don’t see as many books like this anymore. Apart from Mary Berry bringing out a new collection of recipes tied in with her BBC show each year the rest is simply focused on specific foods or diets. No one really seems to be baking anymore and if they are then it is with avocados and chia seeds, superfood powders and organic nut butters. Where has the classic baking gone? …

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Chocolate Cherry Muffins

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exberliner_choc_cherry_muffins

Cherry time! I stocked up on some cherries the other day and made a batch of choc-cherry muffins. I love how Germany takes eating food that is in season seriously, just like Asparagus or Strawberry season, you can only really find cherries around this time of the year. And in my opinion that makes eating that little bit more special.

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Strawberry Cake

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Hello strawberry season! For the next couple of months Berlin will be enraptured with the sumptuous deep-red treat. The little strawberry stands are popping up outside the station exits, farmer’s markets are marked by the smell and the supermarkets have boxes of them neatly piled up. It is one of the things that I love the most about Berlin, is it’s seasonal eating. Just like with asparagus, you can really only find strawberries during it’s actual season of the summer months. It is near impossible to walk…

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Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Ah, Easter weekend – we have almost made it! And I plan to sit back, relax and enjoy delicious sweet treats such as these Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting! There is always so much chocolate around at Easter that like my Cointreau Fruit Cake, these carrot cake cupcakes provide a refreshing change. A four day weekend is the perfect opportunity to catch up on some baking, especially if you are having friends and family stopping by. I recently made these for my colleagues….

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