Recipe: vegan strawberry-marzipan-cake

Today will see something new on this blog: a recipe. With pictures.


A friend of mine had her birthday yesterday. So I decided to bake a cake. Since many of our friends are vegans, the cake had to be vegan as well.
So here we go.

The first principle of vegan baking is "Substitution".

So we substitute margerine for butter. Now that was easy. Also it saves money.
Now, how do we substitute the eggs? You could buy some really exspensive stuff made from soy. Or you could use apple sauce like I do. We will come back to the apple sauce later.

The second principle of vegan baking is "always read the label!"
I did that beforehand while shopping, to make sure no animal-product smuggled itself into the cake.

So here comes the step-by-step manual.

First you assemble all the ingredients:

- 100 gramms of ground almonds
- 100 gramms of magerine
- 90 gramms of sugar
- 3-4 spoons full of apple-sauce
- some flour
- about half a tea-spoon full of baking powder
- about the same amount of vanilla sugar
- some chocolate flakes
- strawberries (I had to take frozen ones, since there are no fresh ones at the stores)
- marzipan
- coating chocolate
- a pinch of salt
- a CD. Take whatever you like. I used a great recording of Dvorak's cello concerto with Jaqueline Du Pré as soloist



For the first step, take the CD carefully out of its case, put it into the CD-player and press "Play"



Once the music starts, mix sugar with fat. Then add the ground almonds, baking powder, vanilla sugar and salt.



Now add the apple-sauce.



Then add enough flour to make the dough sticky instead of runny.



Put the dough into a baking dish and put it into the oven for about 45 minutes with around 180° Celsius.



While the cake bakes, blend the strawberries with the marzipan and melt the coating chocolate.
Since i could only get marzipan covered with chocolate, I had to "peel" the chocolate away. It was a bit more tedious this way, but at least I had chocolate leftovers to eat...



Once the cake has cooled out a bit, put the strawberry-marzipane mixture onto the cake.



Now add the chocolate coating.



Then let the chocolate cool out.

If you want to do a non-vegan version of this cake, you take 3 eggs instead of the apple-sauce and a bit more sugar (100 gramms).

Intoxication by politic action

Over the last weeks, I have become rather sick of all the tedious everyday requirements of my office. I had to deal with way too much closed-mindedness from the university's administration, politicians and also, I have to admit, my colleagues as well as with the ever-mounting pile of paperwork.

Thankfully, this has changed this week. Once again, things are in motion. In the whole of Europe, over 30 universities and colleges have been squatted. We have squatted our big lecture hall two days ago after a plenary meeting of all interested students (unfortunately, only about 800 showed up). At first it looked like the university wanted to kick us out with help from the police, but by now they have accepted both the squat as well as the fact that no lectures will be held in the hall as long as we are staying there.

The last two days have been a lot of stress, of course and I spent pretty much all of yesterday answering phone calls from the press and giving interviews. I have only slept four hours per night and spent last night curled up on a sofa at our students' café (I really celebrated the shower I took an hour ago). However instead of stressing me out, the last two days were intoxicating. Elation comes from the feeling that things are finally in motion again and that we have comrades in the whole of Europe (though it is still mainly an austrian and german phenomenon). Knowing that you are not just some weird left-winger sitting in his office trying to work against the many faults in our educational system but that there are indeed lots of people who share your analysis of the situation and your willingness to fight is great.

For my american readers I will give a few basic informations about the protests:

We had a week of protest in summer in Germany. Unfortunately almost all we got were friendly words. A few weeks ago, students in Austria started to squat their universities in protest against the plans for new reforms of the austrian university-system. Main points were the terribly flawed change from the old system of academic grades to a perverted version of a bachelor/master-system (which basically turned university into just another type of school where you have almost no free choice of what to hear), the lack of funding for and the lack of democracy inside the universities, tuition-fees, the terribly selective school-system etc.
Last week, german students (as well as polish, british and french) followed suit.
We share most of the problems the austrians have.
Also, there are of course always the specific problems of each individual university.

So on wednesday, we finally decided to squat as well. We have organized into several small groups, each responsible for some specific task. There is the food-group which so far has provided us with great breakfast and dinner, the public-relations-group, which works ever more efficient as the time goes on (yesterday it still was a rather bumpy ride), the culture-group (organizing showing films, concerts, and the like) etc.
There is a meeting of all squatters (and everyone else who is interested) twice a day, discussing everything that is on the agenda at that point.
In the background we members of the student administration are there for everything that crops up (keeping in touch with the university's administration, or helping out with megaphone, press-contacts, computers, printers etc.).

So far it all works more or less splendidly.

There will be a big demonstration on tuesday. We will see what happens after that.

I am just one very happy camper right now. Or at least a man in a tent who enjoys himself quite tremendously ;-)

No new chapter tonight

I was going to translate a bit tonight, but that has been cancelled.

We have squatted the great lecture hall of our university and now I am running around trying to organize things.
The whole main building is surrounded by police and so far only the university's head of public relations keeps the police from storming the place.
Also he keeps the university's president's aide from kicking us out.

Lets wait and see.

In between posts

Today just a short update.

First of all, I am back to more or less healthy again. Sure, my lungs still rattle like the contents of a kitchen-drawer, but I am feeling a lot better. Thanks for all the well-wishes.

Also, I need your help with my translation. I need an onomatopoeia for the sound of a blown trumpet (something like "Tada", but more trumpety). It is needed for the next chapter of the book and if you do not help me, I will have to make something up or just use the german original.

Let me end on a picture. Taken pretty much from my doorstep looking towards the city centre.

The 35th of May, part four

second part of chapter two

Occasionally they met chickens. The chickens pulled little pans around and if they saw people coming along, they stopped and quickly laid fried eggs with ham or omelets with asparagus. Konrad declined. He was stuffed. So the chickens disappeared into the bushes, pulling their little pans behind them.
„There seem to be no humans at all“, said the boy.
„Of course there are some“, Ringelhuth said, „after all without humans the automate-trees would not make any sense.“
The uncle was right. After a turn in the path they met some houses. The houses had wheels and were drawn by horses. That way the inhabitants could get everywhere while staying in bed. Also there were loudspeakers build into the bedroom-windows. If two cockaignians wanted to talk to each other, they let their houses draw up next to each other and then spoke over the loudspeakers. Without seeing each other's faces!
Konrad pointed at two of these houses. Uncle and nephew tip-toed closer and heard a tired voice speak from one speaker. „Dear president“, said the one loudspeaker, „how is the weather today?“
„I have no clue“, said the other one, „I have not left my bed in the last ten days“
„Well“, the other grumbled, „you could at least look out off the window, after all you are governing us.“
„Why don't you look out off the window, dear Hannemann?“
„I'm lying with my face to the wall and am too lazy to turn around“
„It is the same with me, my dear Hannemann“
„Oh well, Mr president, I guess we have to miss out on the weather report.“
„I agree with you, dear Hannemann, good bye and sleep well!“
„Same to you, Mr. President, bye-bye!“ The two loudspeakers yawned. Then the houses rolled away from each other.
„We should take a look at this president“, Ringelhuth suggested.
They followed the slowly rolling presidential palace. When it stopped in an orchard of automate-trees, they couriously looked through the window.
„What a fat guy“, whispered the uncle.
„Good lord!“, Konrad exclaimed, „that is the fat Seidelbast!“
„How do you know the president of Cockaigne?“
„The fat Seidelbast had to repeat classes eleven times because he was so lazy.“, the boy explained. „He married in third grade and moved out off town. Rumor had it that he wanted to become a farmer. I had no clue that he became president of Cockaigne.“ Then Konrad tapped on the window and shouted: „Seidelbast!“
The president, fat as a balloon, turned around in his bed and asked, clearly annoyed, „whazza matter?“
„Don't you remember me?“, the boy asked.
Seidelbast opened his small eyes, which were almost invisible in the fat face, smiled and asked: „What are you doing here, Konrad?“
Uncle Ringelhuth tipped his hat and said he was the uncle and that they were on their way to the South Sea.
„I'll bring you to the border“, president Seidelbast said. „I just need to eat something first. Just a moment, dear sirs!“ He fumbled around in the bedside locker and pulled out a few pills. „A few piquant starters first.“ He took a white Pill and pressed a button. On the opposite wall a picture of sardines in oil and deviled eggs appeared. „Now a nice crispy duck-roast“, said the president, took a pink pill and again pressed a button. The picture of a grandiose duck-roast with baked apples and cucumber-salad appeared on the wall.
„And now ice-cream with fruits“, Seidelbast said, took a yellow pill and again pressed on of the buttons. The wall showed a big cup full of ice-cream and peaches.
„Why are you eating pills?“, asked the uncle. As an apothecary, he was of course very interested in that.
„Eating would be too straining otherwise“. Claimed the president. „In the form of pills backed by slides, it tastes just as well with way less work.“
While the two tourists were busy being baffled, Seidelbast rolled out off bed. He wore swimming trunks. All the other clothes were painted on: the shirt, the trousers, the jacket, the tie, the socks and the shoes. „Nice, isn't it?“, he asked. „My invention! All this constant putting clothes on or off takes way too much time. And is unnecessary work.“
He groaned and sighed and left the room.
It took quite a while before he rolled out off the house. He greeted his old school-friend quite cordially and shook the uncle's hand.
„Before you run off to the South Sea, I have to show you our testing grounds“, he said. And then they walked slowly over a blue-grey meadow. Suddenly it started to rain. „I should have left the cane at home and instead have brought an umbrella“, said Ringelhuth.
„Don't fret“, president Seidelbast said, „Now you can see what conveniences our country can offer!“ He was right, of course. Just as the first drops fell onto the earth, dozens of umbrellas grew on the meadow. One could step under one and wait out the rain. Or one could pull one out off the ground and carry it around.
The three plucked one umbrella each and walked on.
„Once the rain ends, they will fade again“, said Seidelbast. The two guests were duly impressed.
The rain ended and the umbrellas faded like flowers. The president and his guests threw their umbrellas into the ditch.
„The testing ground I have established“, Seidelbast said, „helps to entertain inhabitants with a lively fantasy without straining them.“
„Please tell us more about it“, the uncle said.
„To a normal cockaignian, the 24 hours of the day are just enough to eat and to sleep“, said Seidelbast. „You have to keep in mind that anyone under two and a half hundredweights has to leave the country. There are those who reach the national weight with ease, but who are extremely lively. What could we do? Boredom saps one's energy. The number of expelled could grow and the population density could drop. We had to find a way out. I'm quite proud to have found it. Here is the testing ground! Pay good attention!“
They had arrived on a lawn. Around them stood beds and in the beds lay many people.
„Whatever you think here will become real!“ said Seidelbast. „That is a great way to entertain oneself. If one has had enough, one just has to shout 'off you go' and it's gone.“
„I don't believe you“, said Konrad, „Seidelbast, you're pulling my leg.“
„I'll be damned!“, shouted the uncle. „Do you see the calf with two heads?“
In front of one of the beds stood a calf with two heads and eyeballed with his four eyes the fat man who had wished it into existence. He giggled and eventually called „off you go!“ and the calf vanished.
The three went on and came to a big lady. She was lying in a bed, too and had a thousand wrinkles on her forehead from thinking. Suddenly an old man with a vasculum stood in front of her. „Off you go!“, she grumbled and he was gone. Then she thought again and another old man with a vasculum in front of her bed. He looked a lot like the first one, he just had fewer teeth and longer white hair.
„Off you go!“, commanded the woman, and he disappeared as well. And then a third man stood there, looking very similar to the other two. But he had a bigger nose and no hair. „Off you go!“ the woman shouted angrily and closed her eyes from exhaustion.
„What are you doing there, Mrs Bruckner?“, asked Seidelbast.
„Oh Mr. President“, the woman answered, „I'm trying to imagine my grandfather. But I can't get him together anymore. I have forgotten how he looked.“
„Don't get angry“, Seidelbast warned her. „Since last week you only weigh 255 pounds. I would be very sorry if I had to expel you from Cockaigne.“
„I have been trying this for the last eight days“, the crying Mrs Bruckner said, „and every time I get the old man wrong. Good night, Seidelbast.“ Then she fell asleep. She had strained her brain that hard.
„Look“, cried Konrad, „Look! Over there! A lion!“
In front of one of the beds stood a huge blond lion with his giant mouth open, showing of his teeth.
„Of course, ol' Borgmeier“, Seidelbast grumbled. „He thinks of wild beasts all the time. It is a fixation of his. I just hope it won't all end in tears.“
The blond lion crept closer to the bed, arched his back and hissed terribly. Borgmeier went pale. „Back!“, he shouted, „Back off you stupid cat!“ But the lion came closer still. He was already nibbling on the blankets. „Go away!“, Borgmeier cried.
„He is so afraid that he has forgotten that it is supposed to be 'Off you go!'“, Seidelbast said. „If he does not remember it quickly enough, he will be eaten, I'm afraid.“
„In that case, I will just run over and shout it into the lion's ear“, said Konrad and started to walk over. But uncle Ringelhuth held him and said: „You stay here, young man. If I told your parents that you had been eaten by an imaginary lion, they would kill me.“
Seidelbast also advised staying put. „It would not help“, he explained, „he has to say it himself.“
In the mean time the lion had jumped onto the bed, stepped on his belly with his front paws, looked at him and was clearly moved. He had not had such a fat breakfast in a very long time. He open his mouth...
„Off you go!“, Borgmeier cried, and the lion was gone.
„Have you lost your mind?“, Seidelbast asked the shaking man. „I would be angry with you, if it wouldn't be that much work.“
„I won't do it ever again!“, Borgmeier wailed.
„You will not be allowed on the testing ground for the next 14 days“, said the president severely and went on with his visitors.
Suddenly uncle Ringelhuth began to shrink. „I'm going mad!“, he cried. „What's going on?“
Konrad laughed and rubbed his hands. Seidelbast laughed as well and said: „You are quite a rascal.“
And the uncle shrank more and more. Now he was just as tall as Konrad. And then just as tall as a cane. And in the end he was just as tall as a pencil.
Konrad stooped down, took the small uncle in his hand and said: „I have imagined you to be as small as on the photograph we have at home.“
„Stop joking around“, said the miniature-uncle. „Say 'Off you go!' at once!“ He raised his small hand as if he wanted to give his nephew a slap in the face, even though he was just as big Konrad's palm on which he was standing. „I order you!“
Seidelbast laughed tears. The boy said to his uncle: „You ugly dwarf!“ and put him into his breast pocket. Now uncle Ringelhuth was looking out off there, waved about with his little arms and shouted until his voice was croaky.
At that moment the horse showed up, and Konrad introduced him to the president.
„I'm very honored“, said both. The horse praised Cockaigne to the sky. It was the ideal place to be for unemployed circus horses. And then he asked: „Where did our apothecary end up?“
Konrad just pointed onto his pocket. The horse almost lost his straw hat out of astonishment. Now the boy told him how the uncle had shrunk and what had happened to them with Mrs Bruckner's grandfather and the lion.
„Oh“, said the horse, „That is an idea I have to try out myself. I want my ball bearing roller skates here.“ And wham! He had four roller skates on his hooves, since he had imagined it that way.
He was very happy about that and immediately made two eights and a pirouette. It was great joy for connoisseurs and laymen. Seidelbast said that he would applaud if he was not so lazy. The horse curtsied and thanked for the praise.
„My dear nephew“, said uncle Ringelhuth, „please let me out off your pocket.“
„My dear uncle“, replied Konrad, „I don't think so.“
„No?“
„No!“
„Well, you wanted it this way“, said the uncle. „For that you shall get a giant head as punishment. And green hair. And instead of your fingers ten frankfurters.“
And that's what happened. Konrad got a terribly big head with green hair on top. And on his hands ten frankfurters. The horse laughed and said he looked like something from a cheap ghost train ride. And Seidelbast gave a mirror to the boy so he could have a look at his new beauty. Konrad started to cry. And uncle Ringelhuth had to laugh so much because of the frankfurters that the pocket split.
Seidelbast said they should have imagined something nice and wished for something good for others. „Alas, that's humans for you“, he growled wisely. „Now magic each other back, please.“
So the uncle called out: „Off you go!“ and the nephew got his old appearance back. Now Konrad took the uncle from his pocket, put him down onto the lawn and also said: „Off you go!“
The uncle had his old height back in no time.
„Someone should have taken a picture of you, you looked rather stupid.“, said Seidelbast.
„Lets get going then“, said the horse and pawed the ground with his roller skates. So they left the testing ground and Seidelbast accompanied them to the border.
„Do you still have room in Cockaigne?“, Ringelhuth asked as they were saying good-bye.
„Why?“, asked the president.
„We have a lot of people who have nothing to do or to eat.“, answered the uncle.
„Go away with those“, cried Seidelbast. „Those guys want to work! We have no use for people like that!“
„Too bad“, said the horse. And then they shook each other's hands. Konrad and the uncle climbed onto their roller-skates-horse and rolled over the border. Seidelbast wave with the little finger to not tire too quickly and shouted: „Always straight ahead!“

Back again

Welcome to Berlin. The outside temperature is way too cold and the weather is crap.

The last night in London was nicely quiet and surprisingly long. Going to bed before midnight has its good sides, too.
I awoke to a great sunny autumn-morning, had one last full english breakfast and then went on my way. The flight was uneventful. But still not loving Ryanair.

So, how was the trip? Here it comes, the blow by blow account:

I got up rather early last friday. To be exact around 6. Went to the airport after some frantic last-minute packing, took the plane and showed up in Stansted around 11. The first thing I discovered was that England is a lot warmer than Berlin at this time of year. I needed not have packed my gloves after all. Bugger.

I found the cheapest transportation into London short of walking, a bus that dropped me off at Liverpool Street Station. A short look on the map should have told me that this was the wrong line, since I had an appointment under Nelson's column and the bus to Victoria would have suited me better. One never stops learning, right?
That way I got to wander around a bit. After all, I was way too early anyhow.

Pretty much exactly at 15:00 Linda and Rachel showed up. We had a short chat but postponed the real catching up until later, since Rachel wanted to go to the National Gallery.
In the evening we met a friend of Linda and had pub-food for dinner.
Since I had not been able to reach the people who I wanted to couchsurf with, I decided to sleep at the hostel. After we had dropped Linda off at the hostel (and stored my stuff), Rachel and I went out. We ended up driving around with busses, looking at London at night.

On sturday the girls wanted to go to Portobello Road market. I came along but let them to their market quickly and instead found me two shops for second hand books and CDs. I picked up a copy of Douglas Adam's Dirk-Gently-books (two books is not enough to call it a saga or cycle in my opinion) as well as a great recording of Schütz' Musikalische Exequien.
Later we went to a completely different part of town to go to some bee-related shop Linda's friend had told us about. I got my revenge, though, by dragging them into a bookstore later on. I did not find what I was looking for ("Moab is my Washpot" by Stephen Fry, which I got this morning on my way to the airport) but instead could do some practical literary advisory for Rachel (i.e. bought her a book; "Good Omens" by Gaiman and Pratchett, which I can only recommend warmly to everyone who enjoys english humor).
That evening saw Rachel and me realizing that we had nothing to dress up in for Halloween. So we went to the cinema to see "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" which is a rather enjoyable little piece of fantasy-cinema. Also we could watch sexy dead people in it ;-)

On sunday we originally had planned to go to Bath (the town, not the facility), but Linda did not feel so well and Rachel and I decided that the weather (rain, rain, rain) was more suitable to a day spend indoors, preferably a nice museum. So we were good little tourists and saw the Tower.
After a bit more bussing around we decided to go to the movies again and ended up in "Surrogate", a quite OK sci-fi-flick.

On monday we got our car and went to York (via Oxford). The trip had a bit adrenalin in it but apart from that was pleasant. I did, however, finally got sick and tired of fish and chips. It was good that Rachel and I had indian food for dinner ;-) It was really good indian food, too. Us two then took a walk through York, which was cut short by bad weather.

Yesterday was to be my last day with the two. We poked around York for a bit. Unfortunately the minster was closed during the morning due to preparations for some big event.
Also we go into a hailstorm during our tour.
At this point I decided that I should take at least a few pictures, even if it was only with my cellphone. So here are the first two, from York's old abbey:





notice the rather dramatic weather...

Then we went to Howard castle. After finding out that the Tunnells are a (rather disgraced) side-line of the Howard family, I had to take a picture of Linda and Rachel in front of their ancestral home.



The park was beautiful, too and we were almost alone in it.





After that, they dropped me off at York station. It was finally time to say good-bye. I was very sad, but the world moves on.
Over the whole trip the two made it rather clear to me that they would very much appreciate me going to Snohomish, rather sooner than later. The ways they presented their point to persuade me were a bit different, though.
At the ticket counter I was told that the next train to London would cost me 85 Pounds, but if I took a later one, I could get a ticket for 35. Which I of course did.
That way, I had a chance to see the Minster and the remains of the castle.
After waving Linda and Rachel a last good-bye, I went back into town. At the Minster, they were just preparing for the evensong service. Seeing a chance of getting into the Minster for free, I decided to attend the service. The name also promised good music to take place.
I was a little bit disappointed. The choir sang very well, but the congregation was not allowed to sing anything. On the other hand, the service was over very quickly.

I took a quick look at the castle (unfortunately, my cell-phone had just died, so no pictures) and then jumped unto the train to London.

Thus ends the lecture for today...

Holidays... and they are already over

First things first, I hate not being able to change the keyboard-layout at the youth hostel computers...

I just arrived back in London, after yesterday's roadtrip to York.

We arrived in York alright and all in one piece. Rachel and I did have the occasional fight about where to turn, how to turn or how to not get us killed, but apart from that it was a nice trip. And she did really well, considering that it was her first attempt at left-side-driving. Don't mention the roundabout, though. At least during daytime. ;)

It is amazing how you get comfortable around people you have not seen for years almost instantly. And how sad it is to leave them again.
I loved traveling with Linda and Rachel. I hope they see this in a similar way. I love them both tremendously and this trip just showed me again how much I miss the whole american meshpoche.
Now I have to raise quite a lot of money to go to the States asap. I have left things there on their own for way too long ;)

A longer account of the trip (including precious few pictures) will have to wait until I am back in Berlin.

Once I get home, I will also take my book-translation up again.