Orange and Chocolate Chip Cake

If you like chocolate with orange, then you will love this cake. This orange and chocolate chip cake is a really moist cake baked with chocolate chips, with an orange sirup poured on top. The orange sirup adds a crunchy texture and caramelization to the cake. 

Chocolate Chip Cake with an Orange Sirup on top

So here is the recipe!

Ingredients

Cake:

200 g butter

250 g sugar (I used 100 g cane sugar and 150 g normal sugar)

150 g flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 eggs
100-150 grams chocolate chips

Orange Sirup:
2 oranges
2 dl sugar

Cake Directions:

1. First, soften the butter and whisk in the sugar with an electric hand mixer, continue to whisk while adding in the eggs one by one. 
2. Then, in a separate bowl mix the flour and baking powder together. 
3. Next, mix the flour mixture into the batter little by little. 
4. After that, stir in 100-150 grams of chocolate chips.
5. Then, pour the cake batter into a spring form pan that's lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake at 190-200c for about an hour. 

Orange Sirup Directions:

Orange Sirup

1. First, wash the oranges. Then, grate the peel (only the orange part).
2. Next, juice the oranges. Then, sift the juice, and discard the pulp. 
3. Put the sugar, orange juice and peel in a pot and bring it to a slow boil (be careful and watch over it!). 
4. Then, when it's reduced to between 3/4 and 1/2 of the original content, and the sirup has become thicker, remove from heat.

Final Step! When the cake comes out of the oven, drizzle the sirup over it so it soaks into the cake. That is it. Hope you enjoy it. :o)

A slice of Chocolate Chip Cake with an Orange Sirup topping

Klejner - Danish Christmas Pastry

In one of my first blog posts I made a list of my favorite Danish pastries. One of those listed was Klejner. It is a fried pastry found in the Scandinavian countries around Christmas time typically made with egg yolks, flour, and sugar.

Today I noticed my local grocery store in Denmark, Føtex, had two kinds of Klejner for sale, Norwegian and Danish, and they looked very different.

Danish Klejner (left) and Norwegian Klejner (right)

I get the feeling that Føtex is probably not the best place to try Klejner at. :o) I have had Klejner before at Tivoli and it was really tasty. These weren't that great. The one on the left was the Danish Klejner. The flavor reminds me of Barnum and Bailey Animal Crackers. If you are from the U.S. you will understand that reference, but it also had a hint of orange. This particular one was pretty dry, and very crunchy, more like a big dry cookie. The one pictured on the right is the Norwegian Klejner. This was totally different. It tasted like a fried donut, without the frosting, and no orange flavoring. Just a plain fried donut, but not a fresh one. hehe

I would say if you have never tried Klejner before, try it at a non-grocery store bakery. :o)

Danish Apple Cake

Today my boyfriend decided to make a Danish Apple Cake, and I didn't complain! :o)

Homemade Danish Apple Cake

He said the cake was very easy to make, and he got the recipe from this website. Let me tell you, this cake is sooooo yummy! It has a crunchy topping and a really good flavor. The cake is very moist as well, and has a perfect ratio of apples to cake, with a nice mix of cinnamon and sugar. If you want to make this cake, the recipe is below, translated from Danish to English, and partially typed by the baker himself!

Ingredients

Cake:

200 g butter

250 g sugar (I used 100 g cane sugar and 150 g normal sugar)

150 g flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

Topping:

3 apples

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon 

Directions:

1. First, soften the butter and whisk in the sugar with an electric hand mixer, continue to whisk while adding in the eggs one by one. 
2. Then, in a separate bowl mix the flour and baking powder together. 
3. Next, mix the flour mixture into the batter little by little. 
4. Then, pour the cake batter into a spring form pan that's lined with parchment paper.
5. Finally, peel and de-core the apples, then cut them into chunky slices. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, and toss the apple slices in the mixture. Gently push the slices a bit into the top of the cake batter.
6. Bake at 190-200c for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes (insert a toothpick into the cake to check when it is done, if the toothpick is clean then the cake is finished). :)

That is it. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Here are some more pictures! Let me know if you tried this recipe.

Ingredients ready to be mixed in

Apple Cake ready for the oven

Apple Cake fresh out of the oven

Apple cake with fresh whipped cream

Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe

This weekend I decided to make Pumpkin Spice Cake.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with powdered sugar and fresh whipped cream on top

I have never liked pumpkin pie, even though back home in Texas, it is very popular. So instead, around Thanksgiving time, I make Pumpkin Spice Cake. The recipe calls for half a can of pumpkin puree, which makes the cake very moist, and it has a similar flavor to pumpkin pie but tastes sooo much better. :o) If you live in Denmark, you can find pumpkin puree at Meny and Kvickly in the British/American section. The recipe is pretty simple, and makes a large cake. I used a rectangular cake pan, but you could also use two round cake pans.

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions

1. First, set your oven to 176C or 350F, and butter and flour cake pan(s).
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy with an electric mixer.
3. Then, add eggs, one at a time, and mix well.
4. Next, add the pumpkin puree and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
6. Then, add the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternately to the pumpkin batter. In three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
7. Next, if using two round cake pans, divide the batter, and pour into each cake pan. If using a rectangular pan then pour all of the batter in that pan.
8. Bake cake(s) for 25 - 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Once cooled, dust the cake with powdered sugar or top with your favorite frosting. This recipe recommends using a cream cheese frosting, but I didn't use any.

That is it! Note: I baked my cake for 35 minutes at 190C, but I think my oven is a bit off. So just use your own judgement, and check your cake at 20-25 minutes. :o)

Pumpkin Spice Cake with just powdered sugar on top :o)

Homemade Pasta with Meatballs Recipe

Last night I made homemade pasta with meatballs. This is one of my favorite recipes, and it is actually quite simple, and sooooo yummy. So I thought I would share how I make homemade pasta with meatballs. :o)

Homemade pasta with tomato sauce, and meatballs with freshly grated parmesan cheese

First, you need to make pasta dough. It is actually pretty easy to make homemade pasta, but it is easiest if you have a pasta maker. If you don't have one then it may be more difficult to get the pasta as thin as you want, and you would have to hand cut the fettuccine. It's not impossible to do, but it is going to be a little more work. As a solution you could just buy pasta at your local grocery store instead, if you don't want to make homemade pasta.

I will say, though, that once you have had homemade pasta you can really taste the difference. It is creamier, and has a better texture and flavor. I really love it. So, if you would like to try it this is the recipe. Note: Further down is the recipe for the meatballs and sauce. :)

Homemade Pasta Recipe
150 grams Pasta flour (plus more for dusting)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

1. First, pour pasta flour in a bowl mixed with salt. Then, make a well in the center of the flour, and crack the eggs into the well. Next, gently scoop some of the flour into the egg (repeatedly) until a dough starts to form. You can then place the dough onto a clean surface dusted with pasta flour, and knead it just until it comes together.
2. Cover dough with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using.
3. When ready, divide the dough in half, and dust it lightly with pasta flour. Take half of the dough and run it through the pasta maker starting at 0 until desired thickness. I stop at setting 5. You can always just hand roll out the dough if you don't have a pasta maker.
4. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough.
5. Next, either take a dull knife and hand cut strips or switch to the fettuccine setting on your pasta maker to make the pasta into fettuccine. I split each layer of dough into two so the fettuccine wasn't too long.
6. Then, lightly dust the fettuccine in pasta flour so that it doesn't stick together.
7. Boil pasta in salted water for 2-3 minutes.
8. Drain pasta before serving. :o)

• Tip: Don't boil pasta until dinner is almost ready.

Now onto the meatball recipe. :) This is a recipe that I have adapted by Gordon Ramsay that I found online three years ago, and I have to say these meatballs are the best I have ever tasted.

Homemade Meatballs

The recipe is so easy that I feel anyone can make this. I usually use dry parsley, and have added salt and pepper to the recipe. You can always prepare the meatballs while the homemade pasta dough is chilling in the fridge.

Homemade Meatballs Recipe
200 grams minced beef
200 grams minced pork
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp fine breadcrumbs
Milk, enough to cover bread crumbs
salt
pepper

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, place 3 tbsp breadcrumbs, and drizzle milk on top, just enough so the bread crumbs soak up all of the milk, so it is a very little amount.
2. Then, add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl, and with your hands mix it altogether.
3. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in fridge until ready to use. Tip: You can prepare the pasta sauce in the meantime. To make a simple pasta sauce just blend a can of pelati (whole tomatoes) in a chopper mixed with a couple of pinches of salt. Place in a sauce pan and warm on a medium to low setting until time to serve. With a good can of tomatoes you don't have to add a lot to them so don't buy the cheapest kind you can find.
4. Next, place a non-stick frying pan on the stove on a medium to high setting.
5. Then, shape the meat into walnut sized balls, and lightly coat with flour.
6. Finally, fry the meatballs in olive oil until golden. You will have to flip them over, and my advice is to let them sit a bit on each side so they get nice and toasted.

That is it! Typing this makes me feel like this recipe is so much work, but trust me, it isn't. Once you have done it once you will see it is quite simple, and delicious. I hope someone out there enjoys it! By the way this recipe is enough for two to three people, and in case you missed it the pasta sauce recipe is written in the directions of the meatball recipe. Let me know if you have any questions. Happy eating! :o)

Homemade Pasta, tomato sauce, and meatballs with freshly grated parmesan cheese

Caesar Salad Dressing

Yesterday was my birthday and all I really wanted as part of my birthday dinner was a really good Caesar salad. This might sound like a simple request, but here in Denmark the only way you can find an assumingly good Caesar salad is at a restaurant for $18!! I don't even know if those ones are good, but I sometimes see "Caesar Salad" pre-made at the grocery stores here and they are weird. There is cooked pasta on the bottom, tomato, and corn, amongst the usual lettuce, parmesan cheese and pre-cooked chicken. Sorry, but that is not a Caesar salad. Corn and cooked pasta?? So I am not taking the risk on paying that much for something at a restaurant that also might be weird, and not good.

I don't think Caesar salad is very popular here. I have found maybe 3 or 4 varieties of Caesar dressing here and they all taste horrible. As a solution, I have brought dressing from the U.S., to have here (without having tried them), but each one of those also lacks flavor or tastes boring. I can't exactly bring one that needs to be refrigerated at all times, from the U.S. so that kind of limits my selection.

I have also tried to make my own, and I have to say a homemade Caesar dressing tastes really good. The flavor is there, but the dressings come out too thick or don't mix together well. So, yesterday I decided to go to Magasin to buy a fancy Caesar dressing. Magasin is an upscale department store here, that also has a grocery store in the basement with gourmet food, and imported goods. Needless to say it is a lot pricier than a regular grocery store. Kind of like H-E-B Central Market back home.

There were three Caesar dressings there to choose from. One I have tried before, Cardini's, and it's okay, but I don't really like it. The other two were from Belgium and the U.K. Each dressing cost $10 a bottle so I had to make a wise decision. It was a tough decision. Surely the Brits know more about Caesar dressing, right? Do the Belgians even like Caesar dressing??

I decided to just try the one from Belgium called Natura Vinaigrette Cesar.

The decision was ultimately based on the color of the dressing and the ingredients listed. Basically this dressing had real parmesan cheese and real ingredients vs. the other dressing that had parmesan powder, and garlic powder, among other things.

Ingredients listed in Danish: sunflower oil, vinegar, egg yolks, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, anchovies, salt, lemon juice, spices etc.

Also this dressing had a slight yellow tint, and the other was very white. Over all it just looked better, and it looked homemade with real natural ingredients, and no preservatives. I was so surprised when I made a salad and tasted it and it tasted amazing!! Who knew that Caesar dressing could taste good from Belgium. :o)

Since it is a vinaigrette, it mixed very well in the salad. It was really flavorful, and tasted like a restaurant quality caesar dressing I might get back home. It was so good, I think I'll buy my mom a bottle to bring back home to Texas. :o) If you ever see this dressing you should try it. I noticed the brand had other varieties of dressings so I think I might try one of those as well. Here is the link to their website if you are interested: http://www.natura.be

Now lets hope my local Magasin doesn't stop carrying this dressing!! :o)

Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and Natura Vinaigrette Cesar dressing

Apple Cinnamon Muffin Recipe

Last weekend I decided to try a new recipe. I had some leftover apples and wanted to make a dessert that might go good with coffee or tea on the side. So I searched online and found a recipe that sounded good, and I was right! These muffins are exactly what I wanted and turned out so delicious.

Apple Cinnamon Muffin

The cake is really moist and light with chunks of apples, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla. I will definitely be making this recipe again. :o) If you want to try it out yourself, I will write the recipe below. The recipe makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients:

For the muffin batter:
2 cups flour (+ 2 tsp. for coating apples)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon (+ 1/2 tsp. for coating apples)
2 cups diced apples (about 2 - 2.5 apples)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
1/2 cup milk

For the topping:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

---

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190 C. Place cupcake wrappers in muffin tin or spray tin with baking spray

2. Sift or whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside. Note: If using vanilla sugar also add it to the flour mixture.

3. Dice apples, and in a separate bowl toss apples together with 2 tsp. of flour, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until lightened in color, about 3 minutes. Add an egg, one at a time, taking care to fully incorporate before adding the other. Mix in vanilla (if using vanilla extract). Tip: If butter is not softened you can grate it and then mix with sugar. 

5. Gently fold in flour mixture, alternating with milk just until combined. Then, fold in diced apples.

6. Scoop mixture into prepared muffin tin, filling about 2/3 to 3/4 full.

7. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

8. Prepare topping for muffins while the muffins are baking by melting the butter and allowing it to cool slightly. Then, mix together granulated sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl and set aside.

9. Once muffins have baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the muffin tin. Then remove each muffin, brush each muffin top with butter, and then dip the top in the cinnamon/sugar mixture, one by one.

10. Place onto a plate to finish cooling.

I hope you like these muffins as much as I did. The original recipe uses a different ratio for the cinnamon/sugar topping, and the steps might be written slightly different. I re-wrote the recipe to how I made these muffins and I also added some tips. Enjoy! :o)

Apple Cinnamon Muffins (without topping) fresh out of the oven

Apple Cinnamon Muffins with cinnamon/sugar topping

Gorm's Chocolate Cake Recipe

Today I decided to make my boyfriend his favorite chocolate cake. It is a recipe by the Danish chef called Gorm Wisweh. Gorm owns several bakeries and pizza restaurants in Copenhagen, but I have to admit I have not visited any, yet.

Chocolate cake with mint dark chocolate and fresh raspberries

What makes this cake recipe different is that it has very little flour, which makes the cake a very rich chocolate cake. It also develops a crunchy chocolate crust on top. It is kind of like a brownie, but the texture is more airy and smooth, if that makes sense. :o)

The original recipe is in Danish but I will translate it into English. :o) I am also writing the recipe in the way in which I make it, so hopefully it is easier to understand. Since it is just my boyfriend and I here I decided to halve the recipe. You can always double the recipe if you want to make a large cake. Personally, I prefer the cake without coffee added, so I wrote that step as optional. I will also mention that I made the recipe before with dark chocolate (like the recipe states), but today I decided to use 100 grams of mint dark chocolate and 50 grams of dark chocolate. You are welcome to try something similar if you want. :)

Here is the recipe!

Ingredients:
150 g good dark chocolate
125 g butter
125 g sugar
3 whole eggs
1/2 dl strong coffee (optional)
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
salt
pepper

Directions:

• First, place a bowl over a pot of hot water and melt the butter. Then, break the chocolate into pieces and melt it together with the butter.
• Remove bowl from heat.
• Next, set oven temperature to 160 C.
• Then, add coffee (optional) to the chocolate and mix together. Then, add a pinch of salt, pepper, and 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder to the chocolate mixture and stir together.
• Fill pot with cold water and place the bowl of chocolate on top to cool.
• Then, whisk egg, sugar, and flour together with a hand mixer. Set aside.
• While chocolate is cooling, prepare the baking dish by taking some baking paper/parchment paper and placing it in the baking dish to prevent sticking. I used a round spring form cake pan.
• Finally, check to see if the chocolate is no longer hot and then gradually add the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture and whisk with a hand mixer until it develops and looks airy.
• Then, pour the cake batter into a baking dish and bake for 40 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it collapse. If it doesn't on its own you can tap it on a table. If you used a spring form pan, it might be best to remove the spring form from the cake immediately so it collapses more evenly (I didn't do this).
• Refrigerate after cake cools. Enjoy! :o)

Cake just removed from the oven

Finished collapsed Chocolate Cake

Best Pizza in Amager - Copenhagen, Denmark

The pizza is really good in Copenhagen. It tastes unlike any pizza I have had back home (in Texas), not to say it isn't good back home, but it's different. Maybe it's because the pizza here is often made by Italian immigrants, so it is the real deal. There are other pizza places here that tend to sell more than just pizza, such as burgers, Danish food, shawarma sandwiches, Indian food, Chinese food, etc. If you want really good pizza then stay away from those places. :o)

Since there are so many good pizza places in Copenhagen, I thought I would list my favorite pizza places in each part of the city (in multiple blog posts), and I am going to include Frederiksberg because it's practically Copenhagen hehe.

First, if you are new to Copenhagen, I will give you a little insight on the pizza places here. The Italian run places tend to either only make pizza or make Italian bread, pasta, salad, dessert, and/or sandwiches in addition to pizza. The pizza is almost always thin, and usually comes in two sizes: normal (almindelig) and family size (familie). A normal size pizza can be compared to a medium size thin pizza in the U.S. and a family size pizza is more like a large U.S. pizza. There are usually always lunch specials, and it tends to be a normal size pizza for a cheaper price than usual, and it's only select varieties. This is not to say that the places I will list meet all of this criteria. I am just giving you a rough idea on what is most common here.

So lets start with Amager. Part of Amager is located in what is considered Copenhagen. There are actually a lot of really good pizza places in Amager, believe it or not, but I will just narrow down my list to 5 (in no particular order). :o)

Delle Alpi
Location: Amagerbrogade 17

Delle Alpi has been open since 1998. They sell pizza, pasta dishes, homemade tiramisu, homemade bread, pizza slices, sandwiches, salads, tærter (savoury pies), and gelato ice cream.

The crust on the family size pizza is not super thin, but I like that. So I feel like this pizza is a little bit more filling than normal. The pizza tastes different than most Italian run pizza places here, the crust is very good, has a nice crunch and flavor, and they use fresh ingredients. So if you want something a little bit different than the standard super thin pizza you should try the family size pizza at this place. I am not saying the crust is thick but it just isn't paper thin. :o) I love it!

regular size pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, and peppers

regular size pizza with pepperoni and buffalo mozzarella

There is limited seating inside (a bar with two chairs) so it is more of a takeaway place.

Pizzeria Sardegna
Location: Gullandsgade 2

Pizzeria Sardegna is a place I found by chance. It is located in the middle of apartment blocks and not on a main street at all, but the pizza is really good. In fact it is so good that I have eaten here a lot now and even have taken my friends. In addition to pizza this place also sells pasta dishes, sandwiches, and gelato ice cream.

What is also neat about this place is that you can eat inside comfortably. There are two tables, and you are provided with a knife and fork and a view of the not so busy street, but it's still nice. The owner is also very smiley, and often sings in Italian while he is making pizzas so you might just get a true Italian experience while here. :o)

Here is a pepperoni pizza I ordered. You might notice this is my favorite pizza topping hehe.

Pepperoni Pizza from Pizzeria Sardegna

Pizzeria Cavallino
Location: Kongedybet 28

Pizzeria Cavallino is located near Amagerbrogade and it is a chain (I just found out). I really like this place too, and actually the Italian bread here is the best I have tasted. The pizza here has a very thin crust, but I promise you won't be disappointed. You can also sit inside and it was recently remodeled so it looks very nice, and cozy. Unlike other pizza places that tend to have bright lights and a fast food atmosphere, this place has a few dark wood tables and candles lit, so it has a more restaurant feel on a small scale.

In addition to pizza, this place also has pasta, sandwiches, homemade bread, salads, italian drinks, and gelato ice cream.

Piccolo Mondo
Location: Holmbladsgade 83

Piccolo Mondo is another one of my favorite pizza places in Amager. I have probably ordered pizza from here more than any other place in Copenhagen. The pizzas are made in a stone oven. The pizza has a thin crust as well. In addition to pizza, this place also has pasta, bread, sandwiches, and gelato ice cream. It is more of a takeaway place, but there are some seats outside.

Pizza with salami, pepperoni, and mushrooms from Piccolo Mondo

Pepperoni Pizza from Piccolo Mondo

Pizza Art Copenhagen
Location: Sundbyøster plads

Last but not least let me tell you about this little gem I recently stumbled upon, Pizza Art Copenhagen. It is located at Sundbyøster plads off of Amagerbrogade and it is a pizza food truck!

Pizza Art Food Truck

By the looks of it I didn't know what to think, but I noticed a lot of people went out of their way to come to this little pizza place, and it sometimes had a bit of a line. This was intriguing considering another pizza place was located just across the street. So I thought it must be good, and when I took a look inside this guy had a pizza stone in there! I had to try it.

Once I did, I realized the pizza tasted amazing. I loved how fresh mozzarella was used, and not only did the crust have a good flavor, but so did the sauce. This just might be my new favorite pizza place in Copenhagen.

I have no idea if it is here all year round, but it is a great place to visit on a nice day. It is located in a square so you can easily have lunch outside on a bench, and there is a playground and small green area nearby.

Pepperoni pizza from Pizza Art Copenhagen

So that is it. My top 5 favorite places to get pizza in Amager. I hope someone enjoyed reading this. Let me know if you have tried any of these places or do you have a different favorite? :)

To check out my top pizza places in Central Copenhagen click here!

Mon Amour - Copenhagen, Denmark

Back in 2014 I ate at a French restaurant in Copenhagen called Mon Amour. It is located near Strøget on Skindergade 22, but a bit off the beaten path, so again very non-touristy. This is always a plus for me, if you haven't noticed. :o)

I recommend that you make a reservation through their online booking system if you want to eat here. The restaurant is only open for dinner, and it can get really busy, but it is really cozy inside, and well worth visiting.

I decided to get the 3 course menu, which I think changes every now and then. I thought the food was very good, but I think next time I eat here I will just order one course. It turned out to be a bit too much food for me, but it was nice to try several things. If you decide to eat at Mon Amour I think it's a good idea to try the 3 course menu, it's a nice experience, and who knows maybe it is not too much food for you. :) It costs 375 dkk ($57) to order a 3 course menu, but compared to other upscale restaurants in Copenhagen, it's actually a really good price.

Vol a vent a la poularde (French pie with free range chicken)

As an appetizer I ordered Vol a vent a la poularde which is a French pie made with free range chicken. I remember at the time this dish was not an option for the menu I ordered, but I was able to pay a little bit extra so I could try it. I don't think substituting is an option anymore.

This was my first time to ever eat free range chicken, and the idea of it sounded great, but I didn't know the flavor of the chicken would be different than what I am used to. It just had a slightly wild flavor, so it's definitely an acquired taste. Apart from that, the dish tasted fine, but I couldn't get past this wild taste. :o/





My favorite dish here was the main course, Steak Frites. It was absolutely delicious. It came with homemade fries, a fresh salad, homemade pepper sauce, and steak. It was the first time I ever had pepper sauce before and it was soooooooo amazing. I tried to make it myself since, but I just couldn't pull it off like this place. Everything was really amazing, and the steak was so tender, cooked perfectly, and fell apart when I ate it. I highly recommend the Steak Frites.

Steak Frites (Steak, Salad, Pepper Sauce, and Fries)

For the dessert I ordered Profiteroles, which are cream puffs with homemade ice cream, and chocolate sauce. It was really good too. :o)

Profitroles (Cream puffs with homemade ice cream and chocolate sauce)

I went to eat here with my boyfriend and he ordered the Soupe de champignons (Mushroom Soup) as an appetizer and creme brulee for dessert. He also really loved his food.

Soupe de champignons (Mushroom Soup)

Creme Brulee

So if you are ever in Copenhagen and want to eat authentic French food, then you should try Mon Amour. I hope to eat here again someday!

Here are some more pictures of the interior.

How to make a semi-homemade Danish Lagkage

If you ever go to Denmark you will notice that lagkage (layer cake) can probably be found in every bakery. The reason is because it is a traditional celebration/birthday cake here, but just one slice of lagkage at a bakery can cost you around 45 dkk ($7), so if you want a whole lagkage that can be very expensive.

There is a cheaper way, however, to make your own lagkage here and it is way too easy. You can buy a pre-baked lagkagebunde (layer cake bottoms) in both "chocolate" and "light" at any grocery store here and there are several brands to choose from. I like the lyse lagkagebunde by Karen Volf the best.

Then all you have to do is buy whipping cream, jam, and fruit, and you can make your own lagkage. It is a really refreshing cake, and there is actually no particular way to make lagkage. You can choose any fruit you like, any jam, flavor the whipped cream if you want, add cake creme if you like or chocolate ganache, it is up to you. Just remember to put it all between the layers of cake and you have yourself a lagkage. :)

I decided I wanted to make a lagkage with fresh strawberries, raspberry jam (I didn't have strawberry on hand), and whipped cream with vanilla.

This is how I made a semi-homemade Danish lagkage (pictures below). If you want to see a video on it click here:


                               

Cake layers, strawberries, whipping cream, and raspberry jam

First, I made the whipped cream. I prefer freshly whipped cream, and since I am lactose intolerant it is best for me to use lactose free cream. To make homemade whipped cream all you have to do is whisk 1 cup of whipping cream until it is stiff. I added about a teaspoon of vanilla to the whipping cream before I whipped it. A good tip is to use an electric whisk, and turn the bowl upside down once stiff to check if it is ready. If it starts to slide around, keep whipping. :)

freshly whipped cream

Next, I spread a layer of jam on top of the first layer (bottom layer) of cake.

raspberry jam spread on top of bottom layer of cake

Then, I spread a layer of whipped cream on top of the jam. You can make the layers as thick as you want.

layer of whipped cream spread on top of jam

Then, I placed some sliced strawberries on top of the whipped cream. I sliced each strawberry into three layers when I made this lagkage.

I then placed the middle layer of cake on top of the strawberries and repeated the process until all three layers were complete. 

Once complete you should refridgerate the cake, and actually it tastes best the next day because the cake gets more moist over time. This is the finished product. 

Doesn't it look tasty? :) So for around 60 dkk ($9) I was able to make a whole lagkage. If you want to make a layer cake and don't have access to pre-baked cake layers at your grocery store, you can always buy a boxed cake mix or make a cake from scratch. Once baked and cooled, take a perforated knife and carefully divide the cake into three layers. I have done this before myself.

Have you ever made lagkage before? How do you make it and can you buy pre-baked cake to make a layer cake in your country? Let me know in the comments section below. :o)

Flyvergrillen - Kastrup, Denmark

If you ever want to go plane spotting and have some Danish fast food at the same time, then you should check out Flyvergrillen in Amager.

The plane I spotted :)

Flyvergrillen is a "grill bar" as it's called in Denmark located near the airport on Amagerlandevej 290. The best way to get there is by car or motorcycle hehe, so it's probably more of a local hang out.

Parking lot outside Flyvergrillen

There are a lot of choices on the menu from burgers, hot dogs, pita bread sandwiches, and schnitzel to traditional danish food like smørrebrød, hakkebøf, frikadeller and fiskefilleter. You can even order belgium waffles with ice cream, æbleskiver or have a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate. There is a little of everything. :o)

The first time I went to Flyvergrillen it was a nice summer day and pretty crowded, but the service was fast and I was able to find a seat anyways. It is a bit chaotic when busy and pretty cramped inside with limited seating, but there are more places to sit outside, and there is even a playground for kids.

playground and parking lot

I ordered a frankfurter hot dog for 30 dkk with fries for an additional cost when I ate at Flyvergrillen. It was very good. Even though the fries looked like normal frozen fries, they were really crispy and almost tasted homemade. I have to say all of the food looked good, and the prices were cheap, so that's always a plus. :)

frankfurter and fries with mustard and ketchup

It's a really neat and unique place. So you should check it out on a nice summer day, especially if you have children since it can be great fun to just check out all of the planes taking off and landing!

me plane spotting

Also, if you are a tourist on a budget and want to try traditional danish food like smørrebrød it is relatively cheap at this place. I haven't tried it myself here, but it could be a good way to try a variety.