reading time: 5 min

I call this one my Persephone cake.

Why?

When I told my friend this (he was one of my taste tester guinea pigs), he said: "Isn't she the wife of Hades?"

To which I replied: "Excuse me? I think you mean: Hades is the husband of Persephone." 😜

But yes, in Greek mythology, Persephone was abducted by her uncle (!) Hades, the king of the underworld, and forced to marry him (yuck!), making her the queen of the underworld. Persephone is the daughter of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Demeter, the goddess of harvest and fertility – who is also Zeus’ sister (yay to the good old incest times!).

Persephone – also known by the name Kore or Cora which translates to "maiden" or "daughter" – is the goddess of death and life, destruction and fertility. Her equivalent in Roman mythology is the goddess Proserpina or Proserpine.

The pomegranate is to Persephone what the seashell is to Aphrodite. Well, kind of.

For once because in Greek mythology she eats six pomegranate seeds from Hades in the underworld, which forces her to stay in his realm. And furthermore, the pomegranate is a symbol of life and fertility, but also of power (like a royal orb), prosperity, blood and death. In Ancient Greek mythology, the pomegranate was known as the "fruit of the dead".

Which – finally – brings me to this cake.

A dark, moody chocolate cake with a hint of rosemary sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. By the way, Aphrodite is also associated with pomegranates 'cause seeds = fertility / sexuality. And you know what else is associated with pomegranates? Samhain.

The Day of the Dead, also known as All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween. The Witches' New Year, rebirth after death. (It's all coming full circle, see? 😅)

Persephone depicted in Dante Gabriel Rossetti's "Proserpine" (1874)

Some of the traditional correspondences for Samhain include pomegranates, nuts – and rosemary. Which is why I decided to combine all three in this tart. In my book, dark chocolate also fits the moody vibe of Samhain perfectly 🖤

So yeah, this vegan chocolate rosemary & pomegranate tart is the perfect dessert for a Samhain, Halloween or even Christmas party! Any holiday during the dark half of the year will do :)

The crumbly chocolate crust is filled with a rich rosemary-infused chocolate pudding, and adorned with fresh pomegranate seeds, nuts, and chocolate shavings.

Enjoy!

VEGAN CHOCOLATE ROSEMARY & POMEGRANATE TART

Preparation time: 2 hours
Main ingredients: whole grain flour, soy milk, chocolate
difficulty level: easy
serves: 14 (1 tart)
suitable for: vegan, lactose-free, wheat-free, yeast-free

Ingredients

Crust:
200 g whole grain spelt flour
50 g ground hazelnuts or almonds
50 g raw cane sugar or brown sugar
115 g melted vegan butter or coconut oil
2-3 tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt

Filling:
400 ml soy milk
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
125 ml coconut milk
1 package (35 g) chocolate pudding powder (we use the Dr. Oetker chocolate pudding powder)
75 g sugar
200 g high-quality dark vegan chocolate, broken into pieces (I use 70 %)
1 tsp vanilla extract

also:
1 cup pomegranate seeds
chopped hazelnuts or almonds
grated dark chocolate


Instructions

Grease and flour a tart pan or springform pan. Preheat oven to 180 °C / 350 °F.

For the tart crust:

In a medium bowl, combine whole grain spelt flour, ground hazelnuts or almonds, cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Lastly, add melted vegan butter or coconut oil, and combine until everything comes together into a crumbly dough.

Form into a ball, wrap in clingfilm or wax paper, and set aside for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Once chilled, remove dough from its wrapping and roll out on a floured surface. Line the tart pan or spingform pan, making sure the edges are raised to form a rim that will be able to hold the filling (about 4 cm / 1.5 inches high). Trim any excess, and prick all over with a fork.

Blind-bake the tart crust in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, placing a similar-sized blind weight on top to prevent rising. Remove the weight, and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Remove the tart crust from the oven, and allow to cool.

For the rosemary-infused milk:

Place 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary in 400 ml soy milk. Set aside for later.
In the meantime, prepare the filling.

For the filling:

In a heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of gently simmering water, melt the chocolate pieces over low heat, stirring constantly. Once melted, remove from heat.

To make the chocolate pudding, stir together the pudding powder and sugar with a few tablespoons of the rosemary-infused soy milk until dissolved. Bring the rest of the rosemary-infused soy milk to a gentle boil (leaving the sprigs in the milk for now!), along with the coconut milk.

Once it starts boiling, carefully remove the rosemary sprigs with a fork. Quickly stir in the pudding powder mixture using a whisk, until there are no more lumps. Bring to a brief boil again over medium heat, while constantly stirring.

Do this for 1-2 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat.

Add melted chocolate and vanilla essence to the pudding, and stir once again.

To assemble:

Generously sprinkle pomegranate seeds all over the cooled tart crust.

Pour the warm and still-liquid chocolate pudding mixture on top, and spread evenly using a spatula. Set aside until cooled completely. I recommend transferring it to the fridge after about 30 minutes.

Once cooled, feel free to decorate the chocolate tart with pomegranate seeds, chopped nuts, and shaved chocolate.

Store refrigerated until serving.

I recommend adding a dollop of fresh (vegan) whipped cream on each slice when serving!





TIPS & NOTES:
- To enhance the delicate pomegranate flavour, you could replace part of the soy milk with pomegranate juice (or even red wine!).
- If you don't like the taste of rosemary, you could substitute it with fresh mint leaves.
- Instead of pomegranates, raspberries would also go nicely with this tart. (Not a Persephone cake then, though ;-))

Looking for more chocolaty dessert recipes? Here are some of my favourites:

Vegan Snow White Cake (Donauwelle)

Vegan Dark Chocolate & Red Wine Cake

Vegan Black Forest Cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte)

Vegan Dark Chocolate & Cherry Brownies

♥

Maisy

 reading time: 3 min

Ciri is outraged at the lack of mushrooms and salad in this meal. (source)

   reading time: 4 min

Onion cake, or Zwiebelkuchen, is a German savoury "cake" or tart that is similar to pizza and quiche, and traditionally made with loads of onions, diced bacon, cream, and caraway seeds on a yeast dough. For my vegan version, I am using smoked tofu, soy creamer, and vegan sour cream.

It's hearty, it's moist, and it's super good! It's one of my favourite dishes in autumn and winter, but you definitely need to like onions for this one :) Also, I recommend not skipping on the cumin, as this is what will help you digest the "windy" onions and leek.

TIP: The dough can also be made a day in advance and can be kept in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe. That way you don't have to spend as much time in the kitchen the next day when preparing the filling and baking the onion cake for lunch or dinner.

Lightly grease and flour a 26 cm- or 10-inch springform pan or baking tray.

For the crust:

Combine the yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl and let the yeast do her magic.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Mix to combine. Add vegan margarine or vegetable oil, and knead using your clean hands or an electric mixer with a dough hook until a smooth, soft dough forms. The more you knead, the better the dough will be.

Form the dough into a ball and cover with a damp kitchen towel or a plate. Let rest in a warm spot for 1 hour.

If you are preparing the dough a day in advance, store the dough overnight in the fridge instead, then continue with the recipe the next day, giving the dough a chance to come to room temperature while you prepare the filling.

While the dough is proofing, prepare the filling.

For the filling:

To a large pan, heat 1 tbsp of vegan butter, vegetable oil or vegan lard over medium heat. Add the diced smoked tofu, and cook until it is nice and crispy. Set aside.

In the same pan with the grease left from the tofu, add 1 tbsp of vegan butter, vegetable oil or vegan lard, as well as cumin or caraway. Over medium heat, gently fry the seeds until they start to pop and release their aromatic fragrance, about 1 minute.

Then add the onions and leek. Turn down the heat to medium-low, place a lid over the pan, and sautée until soft and translucent. Remove from heat, and add the fried smoked tofu.

In a separate bowl, whisk together soy creamer, vegan sour cream, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and black pepper. Fold the mixture into the onion/leek/tofu mixture. Everything should be nicely combined.

Preheat oven to 180 °C / 350 °F.

Transfer the risen dough into the greased and floured pan, and roll it out. Make sure that the edges are raised to form a rim that will be able to hold the filling (about 5 cm / 2 inches high).

Pour the filling onto the dough and smooth it down with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Bake the onion cake for 35–40 minutes in the preheated oven. Cover after 30 minutes if necessary so that the onions don't burn.

Serve right away, or enjoy cold.

- This onion cake is also great to take with you on the go.
- If you are a bit lazy like me, you can skip frying the smoked tofu and just add it to the cooked onion/leek mixture as is.
- Feel free to replace the yeast in this recipe with 20 g of sourdough starter. Make sure to prolong the rising time to about 2-4 hours, if possible, or allow the dough to proof overnight.
- If you are short on time, you can also use store-bought pizza dough – it won't taste as good as homemade yeast dough, but it's a quick and easy alternative.

Looking for some more sweet and savoury German recipes? Here are some I could eat every day:

Rustic German Apple Cake (vegan)

Homemade German Walnut Bread

Vegan Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce and Potatoes

    reading time: 4 min

    With a flick of her wand, Queen sends raisins, apples and pastry flying into the air. The concoction neatly wraps itself up into a cylindrical pie, baking on the spot,complete with ornate decoration and a dusting of sugar.

    Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, J. K. Rowling

My birthday always falls on Mabon, the autumn equinox and fruit harvest festival, with apples being one of the main fruits that are ripe for harvest around this time where I live (along with plums, pears, crabapple, rowan berries, and hawthorn berries).

So for my birthday this year I thought this apple strudel inspired by the version we see in the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was perfect to not only celebrate my birthday, but also the autumn equinox. And of course, for a magical Harry Potter party!

Jacob Kowalski falls for the magic of Queenie's baking skills. (source)

Unfortunately, my apple roses didn't magically wrap and arrange themselves on top of the strudel, but I'm still pretty happy with how they turned out, given that they're basically just cooked apples that somehow ended up looking like marzipan roses.

To be honest, you don't need the apple roses (they don't taste like much), but if you feel like tinkering about to create pretty decorations for your strudel, go for it!

If you don't feel like adding the apple roses, I suggest cutting a few slits in-between the braids for a more interesting look.

QUEENIE'S VEGAN APPLE STRUDEL

Preparation time: 1 h 15 min
Main ingredients: puff pasty, apples, almonds, cinnamon
difficulty level: easy-moderate
serves: 4
suitable for: vegan, lactose-free, soy-free, yeast-free, low sodium

Ingredients:

2 sheets of store-bought puff pastry

strudel filling:
4 small to medium apples (e.g. gala or pink lady)
1 tbps lemon juice
1 tbsp maple syrup or agave syrup
1 tbsp raw cane sugar or brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
a pinch of salt
(optional) 1 tsp orange zest
(optional) 1 tbsp rum

1/4 cup almonds, chopped
a  handful of raisins

also:
non-dairy milk or melted vegan butter, for brushing the pastry
2 red apples
1 tbsp lemon juice
icing sugar, for dusting

Instructions:

Make the filling:

Start by preparing the filling. Rinse and chop apples into cubes.

To a medium-sized saucepan, add chopped apples and maple or agave syrup. Put on the lid, and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Remove the lid, and add remaining filling ingredients except for almonds and raisins: lemon juice, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, salt. Also add orange zest and rum if using.

Allow to simmer (without the lid) for another 5 minutes, or until the apples are starting to get nice and soft.

Remove from heat, and allow to cool completely. If there's still a lot of liquid, don't worry about it.


Make the apple roses:

(I do this while the strudel bakes, but you can also do this beforehand.)

Cut 2 cored apples into paper-thin slices, using your best knife or a mandolin. Leave the skin on for the pretty red rim.

Place apple slices into a heat-safe bowl, along with 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Pour boiling water on top, and leave to soak for about 3 minutes. Or use cold water, and microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Once the apple slices are soft and flexible, use a fork to lift out one slice at a time. Lay a couple of slices on top of each other, overlapping them about two-thirds, then roll them into an apple rose. Place into muffin cups so they will hold their shape.

Or arrange them directly in the muffin cups. Set aside.


Make the strudel:

Preheat oven to 200 °C / 390 °F.

Once the filling is fully cooled, stir in the raisins and chopped almonds.

Remove the puff pastry from the fridge. Cut one of the 2 sheets into 9 thin strips, and roll each strip into a more-or-less round ribbon. Take the first 3 ribbons, and braid them into a simple 3-strand braid. Repeat with the remaining ribbons. Set the three braids aside.

Roll out the other sheet of puff pastry to roughly the size of 12″ x 16″ or 30 x 40 cm. I do this on a sheet of baking paper.

Spoon the filling along the long side of the rolled puff pastry, keeping it about 1 inch or 2 cm away from the edge. Using the baking paper (or a tea towel), roll up the strudel with the seam side down. Slightly tuck in the ends.

To attach the braids, carefully wrap them around the strudel and tuck them under, once again using the baking paper or tea towel. (I had some braided pastry left, so I decided to add it as a fourth braid.)

Use a bit of non-dairy milk to stick the braids to the strudel.

Place strudel onto a baking sheet, and brush with non-dairy milk or melted butter.

Bake at 200 °C / 390 °F in the preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Keep an eye on it to prevent it from getting too dark.

Remove from oven, and allow to cool.

Carefully place the apple roses on top of the strudel, and dust with powdered sugar.

Serve immediately with a bit of vegan vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream, if you like.

TIPS & NOTES:

- Without the apple roses, this strudel is super easy to make! Feel free to skip them, or make them from marzipan instead (you can also buy those). The braids are very easy to make, and they look amazing without the apple roses, too.
- Instead of using store-bought puff pastry, you can also use filo / phyllo pastry, which is less airy and buttery flaky, and more crispy, I would say.

Looking for more nerdy recipes? Check out some of my other fiction-inspired creations:

Mrs. Weasley's Christmas Fudge (vegan)

Legolas' Lembas (vegan)

Sansa's Lemon Cakes (vegan)

Ezran's Jelly Tarts (vegan)

♥

Maisy

 reading time: 4 min

Until recently I always associated homesteading with owning a large piece of land, growing your own food, owning farm animals like chickens, goats, cows etc., and basically being self-sufficient. However, when looking at the term "homestead", none of that is actually needed in order to call yourself a homesteader, or to participate in a homesteading lifestyle. According to Merriam-Webster, it means no more than "the home and adjoining land occupied by a family", and, according to Wikipedia, "is characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of food, and may also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craft work for household use or sale."

In fact, it does not even matter whether you own a "home and adjoining land". What matters is your lifestyle.

So here are some – smaller and bigger – ways to homestead that don't depend on having a farm or a garden or even a permanent home! Some of the listed ideas do require a backyard or a balcony, but most of them don't.

I am definitely not saying that you need to do everything on this list in order to be "homesteading". Do what you can and what fits your personality, your preferences, and your lifestyle.

And who knows, perhaps you will – like me – find that you are already a homesteader after all!

If you want to know some of the ways that I myself practice homesteading, check out my blog post on Why Homesteading? + Homesteading on a Small Scale.



KITCHEN

• Eat seasonal foods
• Cook from scratch
• Buy locally (e. g. from local farmers)
• Preserve foods (dry, can, pickle, freeze etc.)
• Grow kitchen herbs indoor (e. g. mint, basil, parsley)
• Make fermented foods
• Make your own jams and chutneys
  
• Make apple butter and apple sauce
• Bake your own (sourdough) bread
• Make kombucha at home
  
• Make yogurt at home
  
• Stock up your pantry for the winter months
• Make your own broth from kitchen scraps
• Compost your food scraps and garden waste
• Make your own Bokashi fertilizer using food scraps (including cooked ones such as rice, pasta sauce etc!)
  
• Start vermicomposting (great for kitchens or for balconies – can double as seating area)
  
  

GARDEN *

• Grow kitchen herbs or medicinal herbs (e. g. mint, rosemary, dill, garlic mustard, garden sorrel, chamomile, calendula)
• Grow your own vegetables (e. g. tomatoes, radishes, potatoes, beans, squash)
• Learn to identify edible wild herbs in your garden (e. g. dandelion, nettle, ground elder, creeping charlie, plantain) 
• Grow strawberries
• Plant berry bushes and/or fruit trees (e. g. raspberries, blackberries, apple tree, peach tree)
• Grow pollinator plants (e. g. calendula, lavender, cosmos, nasturtium, echinacea, chamomile)
• Set up a compost for your food scraps and garden waste
• Set up a worm bin for vermicomposting (also great for balconies or indoors)
  
• Keep backyard chickens
• Use a rainwater tank to water plants (this can also be done on a smaller scale on a balcony!)
  
• Install a water pump
• Install solar panels (again, also possible for a balcony)
  
• Put up an insect hotel
• Set up a watering station for bees and other insects
  
• Set up a bird bath
  
• Save seeds for future crops
  
  
  * If you don't have a garden, almost all of these things can be applied to a balcony or a roof terrace, using raised garden beds.
  
  

WARDROBE & BEAUTY

• Sew your own clothes, pillow cases, lavender bags etc.
• Mend your own clothes
• Purchase clothes second hand
• Choose practical clothes that fit your lifestyle (I prefer natural fabrics such as cotton, wool or linen)
• Make your own beauty and skincare products (such as lip balm, rose water or herbal hair rinse, which are all great for beginners)
• Make your own toothpaste
  
• Make your own sunscreen
  

OTHER

• Focus on a slow, simple, joyful life
• Do grounding activities (digging in the dirt, picking flowers from the garden, baking bread, cuddling your pets, going for nature walks, reading etc.)
• Read books on homestead topics (permaculture, fermenting, beekeeping etc.)
• Go to a pick-your-own farm
• Go wildcrafting
• Propagate your plants (and give away or sell)
  
• Make your own pottery
• Make your own candles
  
• Make your own cleaning supplies
• Make your own laundry detergent
• Dry your clothes on a line or a drying rack
  
• Make a campfire in the summer, and cook over the fire
• Keep a first-aid kit (with homemade goodies)
• Purchase plastic-free / unpackaged foods
• Maintain, repair, install and build household objects
• Reuse, recycle and repurpose items
• Collect grey-water from your sink/bathtub/washing machine and re-use to flush the toilet
  
• Purchase items second hand
• Sell decluttered clothes and other items
• Give away or sell homemade products (e. g. healing salve, hand soap, rose water, jam etc.)
• Make homemade gifts for birthdays and holidays
• Invite friends over and host a (homegrown) dinner
• Volunteer / work on a nearby farm or orchard
• Partake in community-supported agriculture (CSA) or cropsharing
• Trade your skills/products for other skills/products (literally skill-sharing!)
  
  
  

What are small or big ways in which you are homesteading? Is there anything else I should add to this list?

 reading time: 3 min