Pööripäev or Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year in Estonia, taking place on 21 December. On the solstice, there are only 6 hours of daylight, whereas, in summer, the longest day of the year has 18 hours of daylight.
Celebrate this day with Very Simple Chocolate Cake
A bitter-sweet old school retro cake. I like this cake because it is very easy to do. Just mix together all ingredients.
This cake has a very sweet story.
Estonian famous and popular presenter Priit Kuusk lost his mother a long time ago when he was the child. A few years ago he was a guest in one broadcast and reminded childhood. Told about his mother and wonderful apple cake his mother had baked. He did not know the recipe but remembered the aroma and flavour of this cake.
And after broadcast one listener wrote a letter and told that she knew Priit`s mother and she has an apple cake recipe.
This cake is eggless, very easy to do. Between crispy layers is juicy and tart apple filling.
One more remark: Estonian apples are not very sweet, we use sour apples. And Estonian apples are quite soft. We do not cook them before. If you use sweet apples, use less sugar. And if you like very soft apple filling, cook apples before using.
Continue reading “Eggless Apple Pie by Anne Kuusk. Kuuse Anne õunakook”
Juicy, grainy and healthy autumn cake. ( of course, you can bake it in winter or summer, too).
But sweet carrots, tart apples make wonderful and moisture and juicy combination.
You can replace sugar to unrefined sugar or honey and get a healthier result. But my recipe is from the seventies. From the time when people used sugar and butter 🙂
Continue reading “Juicy apple-carrot and oatmeal cake. Õuna- porgandikook”
This is a very soft, tender pie. Use for toppings apples, berries or just cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Milk keeps this pie fresh and soft for days… in case you really have leftovers.
The fragrant smell of cinnamon and baked apples mingling with the heady blend of soft bread……
You know. So
Take a glass of cold milk and.. there is cake no more 🙂
Continue reading “Milky and Tender Apple Pie. Piimane õunaplaadikook”
Peipsi area is home to Old 
Believers, a traditional religious minority recognised as hard-working and skilful fishermen, builders and keen onion cultivators
This region has become famous for her onions and cucumbers. Peipsi onions have a flat shape and a very strong flavour.
So, visiting Estonia, find out about Sibulatee (Onion Road). Admire beautiful Peipsi lake and discover very interesting Seto culture. And buy a few onions. To bake for example this old Seto Onion Pie.
Setos (Seto: setokõsõq, setoq, Estonian: setud) are an indigenous ethnic and linguistic minority in south-eastern Estonia and north-western Russia.
Setos are mostly Seto-speaking Orthodox Christians of Estonian nationality. The Seto language (like Finnish and Estonian) belongs to the Finnic group of the Uralic languages. The Setos seek greater recognition, rather than having their language considered a dialect of Estonian. Along with Orthodox Christianity, vernacular traditional folk religion is widely practised and supported by Setos.
Continue reading “Traditional Seto Onion Pie. Seto Sibulapiirak”
A delicious and very sweet old school real food cake.
Wonderful combination and good old flavours. Light quark cream complements rich and sweet cacao layers. Sour and sweet berries give juiciest and moisture. And to get real Estonian touch and twist, use for seasoning Vana Tallinn liqueur. Vana Tallinn is a dark brown and robust Rum based liqueur developed in the 1960s. he liqueur is sweet with a hint of Jamaican rum, flavoured by various natural spices, including Citrus oil, cinnamon and vanilla .
Vana Tallinn is the Must Be souvenir from Estonia. But… if you do not have this. Of course. Add some other rum or bake it without alcohol 🙂
Continue reading “Red Currant and Cacao Cake. Punasesõstra ja kakaokook”
This recipe is suitable for all people who do not like or have not time or skills to use and prepare yeast dough.
Very easy to prepare.
I used sweet filling and combined cowberries, nuts and cheese. I love savoury-sweet and sour combination. Nuts give texture and crustiness.
You are free to change it, of course. I would suggest for example carrot filling. Find the recipe from my blog.
Did you know
The coldest months in Estonia are January and February, where temperatures can drop down to -35C. The coldest temperature ever measured in Estonia is -43.5C, recorded in eastern Estonia on 17 January 1940.
Honey cake is known and famous in many countries. Estonian honey cake is simple. The sweetness of honey is balanced with sour cream.
This time I did this cake in a little bit different way. With vertical layers.
Trust me: It is much simpler to make than you might think. I won’t tell if you don’t 😉 It sounds and seems complicated and difficult, but in reality it is simple. Read this recipe, understand what to do and this is very simple! 🙂
Have I said that I just love gingerbread.
The real and my favourite gingerbread is very thin and crispy. Look at for recipe here.
But sometimes you want some change and something different.
Soft gingerbread cake has all best features of gingerbread: flavour, smell, aroma, seasons… but soft.
Juicy and fruity cowberry- apple sauce complements very well gingerbread flavour and reduce sweetness ( and makes it healthier dessert :))
Continue reading “Soft Gingerbread Cake. Pehme plaadipiparkook”
Halva has nothing to do with Estonia. But I love halva.
This cake is a real fusion. Mix of Estonian traditional quark and eastern halva.
A delicious sweet and sour and juicy apple filling, complemented by Eastern flavours of halva, makes together for an amazing cake.
This cake is an eggfree.
In case you have not quark, use ricotta or mascarpone or cream cheese. But to get orignal and the best result prepare quark by yourself.
You can not imagine how simple it is !
Estonian Cuisine. Eesti Toit. 