This has to be one of my favourite German Cakes. I have to say German, as I don’t think I can restrict it to Bavaria alone – but Bavaria is the only place I have enjoyed one (alright several) so far. I think its origins are French however, but boy do they know how to make them here too! En Francais I imagine this particular gateaux in its many guises to be called something elegant and descriptive. Down here, it’s descriptive alright – windbeutel roughly translates as wind bag, which always makes me laugh.
There’s none of that French daintiness to worry about in terms of the cake itself either, here, when you can find them (and there are restaurants dedicated to them as we found with the very fabulous Berg Gasthof Almhuette near Garmisch) they are more often than not ENORMOUS, and if you are extra lucky, some of them are fashioned into elaborate swans and the like. I say when you can find them, as I picture them as autumn cakes as apart from the specialist restaurants it seems to be the only time of year I have found them, but then again my head might have made that up…
Anyway, if you are partial to a lot of choux pastry, fruit and cream, then this is for you. I promise it’s not as complicated as it might seem either. This is truly a case of if I can make it, then so can you! And if you don’t like blueberries, then cherries are a typical filling here. Raspberries would work well too, as would strawberries.
Ingredients:
For the Windbeutel
250ml Water;
100g Unsalted cubed butter;
125g plain organic flour;
a small pinch of salt, a larger pinch of sugar;
4 medium organic eggs.
For the Blueberry Cream:
85g chopped blueberries
150ml Whipping Cream;
40g Icing Sugar;
1tsp Vanilla Extract
Heat the oven to 200DegC. In a heavy bottomed pan, bring the water to a boil. Add the cubes of butter to the water to melt, then bring to a rolling boil. Sift the flour, salt and sugar, and add to the pan. Beat the dough until thickened, and it easily leaves the side of the pan clean. Set aside to cool. Beat the four eggs in a separate bowl and stir in drop by drop to the cooled dough mixture until you get a consistency that isn’t too runny (you might not need to use all the eggs!) and that can easily be piped. Spoon into a piping bag and leaving at least two inches between each windbeutel (to allow for rising) then pipe four ovals measuring roughly around 5×3 inches. If you are not that greedy you might prefer to create six smaller windbeutel instead of four larger ones!
Place a small ovenproof dish of water in the bottom of the oven (to create a nice steamy environment for the choux pastry!) and then bake the windbeutel (WITHOUT OPENING THE OVEN) for 25-30 minutes). Once baked, move to a cooling rack and split the windbeutel open to allow to cool in the middle whilst you get on with making the cream.
Whip the cream together with the icing sugar, the vanilla extract, and the chopped blueberries. Only when the windbeutel are completely cool should you generously spoon the cream into the buns, dust with icing sugar, begrudgingly share with your family and stuff your face. Enjoy!
I can’t wait to try this out! I have been meaning to make them for a long time. Since I was a tiny kid, I have LOVED windbeutel! my grandmother used to make them and there is nothing quite like it :) could you imagine them stuffed with ice cream too?
I can definitely definitely imagine them stuffed with ice cream, especially some True & 12! :) Thanks Davina!
Oh wow! that’s a seriously delicious looking choux bun! I’m not surprised it’s one of your favourites.
Great to catch up with you at last! Being offline is a nightmare :( x
Hello! So lovely to hear from you! Glad you are back online too! :) Thank you! x
I haven’t made choux pastry in years because of Kieran’s egg allergy (pines for proper cream cakery).
That must be hard Aly… For you, and for Kieran! x
That looks delicious! Although the name wind bag made me giggle a bit!
Me too Andrea. I know plenty of windbags, but this has to be the best kind! :D
i want to eat that now!
Me too Becky! :D Thank you! :)
I’m not a fan of choux pastry, but that looks so delicious and moist, I bet it could change my mind.
Love the new look too. xx
I reckon it might just change your mind. None of that cardboard profiterole rubbish in this house! :D PS. Thank you! xx
We are making choux pastry this week so now I feel more confident in having a go. I want to eat one now- yum!
I reckon your little expert will have absolutely no problem with this! :) Thank you!
WOW, this just made me so hungry. I’ such an awful baker I don’t think I can attempt this recipe, but I have added it to the list of things I must try the next time we are in Germany!
Thank you Angie! And yes, you really must! (:
Love the new blog, love the wind bag which made me chuckle but I’d still happily eat one.
Thank you lovely Mari xx
Those look delicious! I love the sound of blueberry cream. Yum!
Thank you Sarah! They didn’t last long! (:
Ohh yum, that looks divine and who isn’t partitial toa bit of choux, cream and fruit?? Mich x
Only strange people Mich! :D Thank you x
Yummy scrummy in my tummy please? So satisfying making something like this I bet? I made apple pie – didn’t care about eating it, just making it was enough! Blog looks gorgeous too missis!
Thank you Penny! I love Apple pie too! (:
Ooooh, yum! I love windbeutel almost as much as I love blueberries… so I will have to give this a whirl! Side note: tried to comment on a few of your recent posts, not sure if they got through, but happy to see the comments are showing up now!
Thank you Heather, yes comments should be back up and running now! (:
This looks scrumptious, but aside from that, your new blog look is gorgeous. Very clean and smart! X
Thanks so much! I am really pleased with it! (: x
Emma, if you love Windbeutel you have to go Schulenberg/Harz and eat a Windbeutel at the Windbeutel-Koenig restaurant. They are of epic proportions, super delicious and filled with the most random stuff. You can obviously get sweet ones (I recommend cherry), but they also have savoury fillings such as smoked salmon, sour cream or even Rollmops. You will love it, plus the Harz mountains are beautiful. Not quite the Alps, but gorgeous walks and lots of history x
I LOVE this comment Carolin, thanks so much! I will definitely try and get there, and I had no idea they came with savoury fillings!! :) x
This does look sooo delicious, all the ingredients that I like in a cake. I’m impressed that you’ve made it, as the choux pastry is something that would put the fear of dread in me. I think visiting a nice little bakery or a cafe to enjoy one would be more up my street.
Thanks Sarah! Honestly, if I can do it then you totally can! Hope all is well x
I haven’t tackled choux pastry before but I watched my brother make profiteroles earlier this year, and if he can do it… These have really got me inspired. I am that person who goes for choux pastry, cream and fruit… Can;t say I’ve ever seen anything similar in France – probably all gone before I got there…
Thanks Sally, and honestly choux pastry isn’t that hard. Just don’t open the oven!! :D x
Yum! I will make them today, Frau Dietz…just make a cone from baking paper, and snip the end off. Brave words, and straight from Prue Leith, I’ll give it a try, these cakes look too good!
Thanks Heather! Good luck! (I just bought a piping bag from the supermarket, never good get to grips with the paper piping bag explosions!) :D
I’m not going to pretend that I’ll try to make this, but I would LOVE to try one! In fact, I love birthdays in the staff room at work, because it seems that even the youngest, most fresh-out-of-uni staff member (many of whom have ovens even smaller than mine) can bake pastries that are expert-quality. Perhaps I’ll just casually mention Windbeuteln and see if anyone takes the challenge….
Or you could just go to a really lovely bakery, take cakes in and then take all the credit yourself?!?!? :D x
Your wind bag looks FABULOUS and so does your blog facelift too – lovely and clear and clean and beautiful! Congratulations :)
The recipe seems quite straightforward but as soon as piping bags are mentioned I tend to switch off because it always sounds too complicated. Am I being a wimp?
Thanks so much, all down to an incredibly talented friend of mine should you need anything doing I can pm you her deets! And yes, dig out the piping bag!! :) xx