Be inspired by our store managers' favorite simple but delicious recipes and enjoy the festive season with homemade treats.

Katarina, from the Högl Store Aupark Bratislava, has a tradition of making carrot cake at Christmas.

2 dcl measuring cup

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 3 measuring spoons of finely grated carrots
• 1 measuring spoon of milk
• 1 measuring spoon of flour
• 1.5 measuring spoons of ground walnuts
• ¾ measuring spoon of oil
• ¾ measuring spoon granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 pkg. baking powder
• 1 pkg. vanilla sugar
• 1 pkg. cinnamon sugar
• a pinch of salt 

For the cream:

• 200 g white chocolate
• 400g sour cream 30%
• 1 mascarpone
• 1 dcl milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• apricot jam

Preparation of the batter

Beat the eggs with the vanilla, cinnamon and granulated sugar. While beating, gradually add the oil and milk and beat until the sugar dissolves. Carefully fold the flour and baking powder into the beaten eggs. Finally, add the grated carrots and nuts with a pinch of salt, mix everything again and pour into the cake tin. Bake at 170 °C for about 20-30 minutes.

Preparation of the cream

Melt the chocolate with the butter and milk on the stove. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream, mascarpone and citrus zest.

Cut the cooled cake in half, spread with apricot jam and top with cream. Decorate as desired. Leave to cool in the fridge for about 4 hours and then serve.

Enjoy!

Ingredients (25x30 baking tray)

• 300 g dark chocolate
• 330g butter
• 100ml red wine
• 6 eggs
• 500g granulated sugar
• 240g flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 90g cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Top with your favorite dried fruit

Preparation

Melt the chocolate, wine and butter over steam and set aside to cool.

Beat the eggs with the sugar until frothy, then mix with the melted chocolate.

Add the flour, spices, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.

Mix everything until lump-free and pour onto the baking tray lined with baking paper.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and bake the dough for 35-40 minutes.

Leave to cool slightly, then cut into cubes and decorate with the chopped dried fruit.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 10 large cabbage leaves or 20 small ones, fresh or pickled
• 1 large, finely chopped onion
• 100 g Cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 1/3 cup/ 230 g rice of any kind
• 1/3 cup/ 50 g raisins optional
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried savory
• 1 tablespoon fresh, finely chopped parsley, optional
• ½ teaspoon dried mint to taste
• Salt to taste

Preparation

If you are using sauerkraut:

Cut the large leaves in half and remove the tough ribs at the bottom of each leaf. Stack the leaves on a plate and set aside.

If using fresh cabbage:

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add 3 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of sea salt. Add the cabbage leaves to the boiling water and lower the temperature. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until soft and pliable.

Remove the cabbage from the water and leave to cool. Cut the large leaves in half and remove the hard ribs.

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 3 eggs (size M)
• 150 g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 60 g sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 75 g butter (or margarine)
• 1 jar of raspberry jam

For the topping:

• 80 g shredded coconut
• 150 g sugar
• 200 g dark chocolate coating

Preparation

Separate the eggs, set aside the egg whites. Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and egg yolks in a bowl. Add the butter in small pieces and knead into a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour. Roll out the dough to a thickness of approx. 1 cm on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Pre-bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C top/bottom heat (fan oven 180 °C) for approx. 10-15 minutes.

Stir the jam until smooth and brush the base with it after baking. Mix the grated coconut with the sugar and egg white. Bring to the boil once in a pan, pour onto the pastry case and smooth down. Bake at 200 °C top/bottom heat (fan oven 180 °C) for approx. 15-20 minutes. Cut into strips after baking. Chop the chocolate coating, melt in a hot water bath and dip half of the macaroon slices into it after cooling.