The Baking Society
We bake and blog (and eat). Though baking takes up a lot more of our life than blogging.
Blog / johannah
Twelve Days of Holiday Cookies: Icelandic Kleinur
December 16, 2015 / By johannah
The Nordic countries share many food traditions, none more delicious than klejner, a deep-fried pastry that dates back to the middle ages and is a common Christmas treat across Scandinavia and Northern Germany. Some differences persist. Danish klejner are typically unleavened. The same is true for Swedish klenäter. In Denmark, we also have Norwegian klejner, which are…
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Twelve Days of Holiday Cookies: Boozy Holiday Kisses
December 14, 2015 / By johannah
Entering the darkest two weeks of the year – when our days here in Copenhagen shrink to a mere seven hours and oftentimes seem much shorter – keeping the winter blues at bay can sometimes feel like a losing game. A friend who comes from the furthest reaches of northern Norway, where it stays dark…
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Baked to the Rescue: A Very Vanilla Celebration Cake
October 8, 2014 / By johannah
In my family we have a time-honored tradition: there has to be cake. However, when you make cake a part of your daily life, this ups the ante when there’s actually something to celebrate. No regular old cake will do. There must be layers. Frosting is mandatory, as is tasteful decoration. Of course, it…
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A Danish Christmas Tradition and A Recipe for Stout Cake
November 22, 2013 / By johannah
In Denmark, the holiday season officially starts on the first Friday of November, when the annual Christmas beers are released. Christmas beer – julebryg in Danish – is a Scandinavian tradition that dates back to the Vikings. J-dag, as the release day is called here, not so much. It was launched in 1990 by Tuborg…
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Report from Italy: Pear and Chestnut Cake Recipe
November 14, 2013 / By johannah
After declaring an undying love for chestnuts in my last post, I couldn’t get the little nuggets of pure joy off my mind. During a trip to Italy last fall, I picked up a flyer for a chestnut festival in the small Piedmontese town of Cuneo. I had kept the flyer, thinking I might like…
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How To Make Chestnut bread
October 10, 2013 / By johannah
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it?” exclaims Anne in an early chapter of Anne of Green Gables. Well, Octobers in Copenhagen are just about the polar opposite of those at Green Gables. No crimson maple…
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Late Summer Plum Tart
September 20, 2013 / By johannah
How did this happen?! I left Copenhagen two weeks ago wearing shorts and a t-shirt and on my return had to pull out a down jacket for the morning bike ride to the office. During that same time, the market went from a veritable bounty of summer produce – mountains of tomatoes, peaches, green beans…
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Swiss Apricot Custard Tart
August 29, 2013 / By johannah
Returning from Italy a few weeks ago, I had one thing on my mind, and one thing only: how to get my hands on some Swiss apricots. You see, the drive from Turin to Copenhagen would take us right through the heart of Swiss apricot country and I wasn’t going to pass up this chance…
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A summer report from Italy: Lemon Ricotta Cake recipe
August 1, 2013 / By johannah
A week ago I decided on a whim to go to Italy for a few days. After a trip to Piemonte last fall, I’ve been dreaming of a summertime return. Last year, my sister and her husband returned from their summer holiday in Piemonte – where his parents have a house – with crates of…
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Jordbærlagkage
July 11, 2013 / By johannah
Following US-based food magazines and blogs can be a disheartening experience for someone living in Scandinavia. Well before any sign of spring here in Copenhagen, my newsfeed starts filling with asparagus and rhubarb. While I’m still picking through last season’s potatoes at the supermarket and making due with sad fruit flown in from overseas, an abundance of…
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