Cake in Cologne

Translation problems with coffee

Kaffeebud. This is one of those cases where I read German wrong. Bud is short for Büdchen, which is a small shop, a kiosk, similar to a dairy in New Zealand. Kaffeebud is in premises that used to be a Büdchen and the name comes from that. I, however, kept thinking of a bud, as in the undeveloped embryonic shoot of a plant. A coffee bud.

Obviously, the real meaning suits the place better. I’ll…

Kaffeebud. This is one of those cases where I read German wrong. Bud is short for Büdchen, which is a small shop, a kiosk, similar to a dairy in New Zealand. Kaffeebud is in premises that used to be a Büdchen and the name comes from that. I, however, kept thinking of a bud, as in the undeveloped embryonic shoot of a plant. A coffee bud.

Obviously, the real meaning suits the place better. I’ll loosely translate it as the Coffee-Joint.

This coffee joint is not only good for coffee – it’s so dam fantastic for coffee! It’s not just the beans, good coffee needs good baristas to make it. Kaffeebud stocks wares from Heilandt, one of my favourite local roasters, and has a team of beautiful baristas who know their trade. My flat-whites were perfectly temperatured made with pretty latte art. I know they do all that 3rd wave filter coffee mojo too, if that’s what you’re in to.

A year or so has passed and I’ve had Kaffeebud on my Agenda the whole time. Impressed on my first visit this May, I was back a few days later for seconds. Both times I was greeted warmly with friendly smiles by the (incidentally gorgeous) girls working there.

The first visit was a sunny weekday afternoon. I enjoyed the pleasant air with coffee on the kerbside outside with some lovely friends. Glasstraße is a quiet street splat in middle of Ehrenfeld. The café has a couple of benches outside – they are probably sought after in good weather.

Inside the high ceilings and vintage green walls give it a spacious relaxing atmosphere. I spent my second visit on a late afternoon with my notebook working on some photos. I found the tables and seating comfy and the volume pleasantly quiet. I reckon it’s a good place to spend a few hours of home-office.

Big bonus points go to places that make their own cake. I could tell Kaffeebud does by the delicious aromas wafting out of the kitchen out back. You can even get a glimpse of the baking in the making if you peer over the counter. I’ve tried two different cakes and I loved them both. This time I’ll leave out the descriptions and simply recommend you try what you think you like – I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Glassstrasse 62, Ehrenfeld Lines 3, 4, 5

Wohnraum = Living Room. It's the cosiest café in Nippes.

@ Café Wohnraum. The name is inviting – Wohnraum means living room and this café is cosy and homely. Reserve a table on Sundays because many of Nippes inhabitants move their living room there to enjoy breakfast, morning and afternoon tea, sandwiches, smoothies, cake and coffee.

I did pay Café Wohnraum a visit last year but not being impressed, I didn’t bother to feature it. Since then the café…

@ Café Wohnraum. The name is inviting – Wohnraum means living room and this café is cosy and homely. Reserve a table on Sundays because many of Nippes inhabitants move their living room there to enjoy breakfast, morning and afternoon tea, sandwiches, smoothies, cake and coffee.

I did pay Café Wohnraum a visit last year but not being impressed, I didn’t bother to feature it. Since then the café has changed hands and Jennifer & Sofyen have really improved the quality of, well, everything. They have a selection of 5-8 cakes, know how to make a good coffee and I’ve heard their breakfast is grand. The girls who served us were full of smiles and ever so attentive.

I was lucky to enough to bags a table near the ceiling high window front for my cake date. It’s an old building and the ceiling goes up about 5 meters meaning the windows let in a lot of light. The red brick of the walls has been exposed and with the mix of wooden furniture, odd bits of vintage paraphernalia and large framed pictures the room looks and feels, warm and comfy. There’s even a fire place with a small sofa in front of it.

I went for the devil’s food. It’s a chocolate cakes of larger proportions and it enticed me from the start. Expecting a heavy load of sweet cocoa I was pleasantly surprised how light it was. The filling between the layers had a cream cheese flavour to it. My company enjoyed the cheesecake – the cold, American, kind. That was very special with milky rather than cheese flavours, notes of vanilla and a chocolate scented base.

So there you have – Nippes is now really truly on my cake map!

For more pictures and a German description I recommend checking out the articles written by Nippes en Bloc, Blogleuk, Green Venue and Briefkastenliebe. There you’ll also find out more about their much-praised breakfast and sandwiches.

By the way: the famed Ehren Chutney is served with some of the dishes too!

Neusser Straße 314,Nippes. Lines 12, 15

Café Goldjunge - new kid on the block in Sülz

@ Café Goldjunge

It all started with a few beers down by the river. That’s how I met Michael, one of the three founders of the Café Goldjunge. That was in summer and six months were to pass before he popped up on my radar again.

Through our first conversation I figured out, that Michael must be a rather good chef. If I remember rightly, he did some fancy cooking events and high quality catering.…

@ Café Goldjunge

It all started with a few beers down by the river. That’s how I met Michael, one of the three founders of the Café Goldjunge. That was in summer and six months were to pass before he popped up on my radar again.

Through our first conversation I figured out, that Michael must be a rather good chef. If I remember rightly, he did some fancy cooking events and high quality catering. Naturally, I was looking forward to visiting him when I heard, from a mutual friend, that he was opening a café in Sülz.

Goldjunge opened on Saturday the 4. February. I was there the day after for a Sunday afternoon snack and cake. A pretty and charming young lady by the name of Nadja accompanied me. We arrived by tram, getting off at Sülz Lindenburg, and snapped some shots outside while the light was good before we strolled on in.

Even though Michael took about two seconds before recognition set in I was thrilled that he remembered me. He gave us a lovely warm welcome and, all the other seats being taken, showed us to a table where a couple of his friends were enjoying their own afternoon cake.

Ruth, another of the founders, took our orders. I’m remarking on that because I want to include her smile in this report. Heart felt and contagious. You see, Ruth and Michael don’t just do service, they are hosts. They understand the meaning of hospitality and show that the enjoy being hosts. The German word is Gastgeber – incidentally that’s also what Michael has under his name on his business card.

The wallpaper. I’d already glimpsed the wallpaper in photos on Facebook and was looking forward to seeing it close up. I absolutely love it! But I am sucker for geometric patterns. Take note of the light installations when you visit – copper pipes with screwed joints irrigate the room with electricity, the bulbs look like the came from Edison’s laboratory. Chairs and tables are a mix of woods and styles, comfy and homely. There’s a couple of larger ones to seat groups and over near the window a sofa and armchair to kick back and read a paper in.

I like the seats at the big open window front best. The tables running down towards the back are cosy, each one lit by a golden wall lamp. There’s also seating waiting outside, whispering its promise of relaxing street side afternoons when the weather gets warmer.

The menu showed an extensive breakfast assortment (noted for another visit). For afternoon snacks, it’s the Goldjungen (Golden Boys) that go down best. These are tasty German bread rolls with different cooked fillings and toppings. Nadja and I both went the avocado cream and pan fried veges. See the photo.

I’m supposed to write about cake but if there’s one thing, other than that, I really appreciate, then it’s a good salad dressing. Or veges you can really taste. Was the Goldjunge good? Damn yea.

When we finally got around to cake we found the assortment diminished. That is to say, the ones I was eyeing up – carrot walnut and chocolate-espresso tarte, were gone. One of the guests had told me how good the chocolate espresso was. We were not to be disappointed – Michael had a specialty freshly made out back and we were some of the first to try it.

Buttermilk apricot. It’s like a baked cheesecake, but not very sweet. The shortbread dough is more savoury, spiced with Australian salt flakes, and the apricots provide the sweet factor. If you’re sweet tooth, then you’ll better off with one of the other options. This is the perfect small morsel to have with a tea or coffee when you’re hungry but don’t want big savoury snack. Very pleasant, light and tasty.

I had a relaxing afternoon at this new place in town. I’m sure you will too. If you happen to live in Sülz or Lindenthal you’re lucky.

Zülpicher Straße 282. Line 9, Stop Sülz Lindenthal.

photo courtesy of Nadja Felk

Nippes is calling. It has cake, and a gem.

I’ve spent the last half a year asking around about cake in Nippes. Just recently a couple of hot hints have surfaced.

A Kommode is a dresser, a chest of drawers. A Kommödchen could be a rather small dresser…

…or it could be an expression for German Gemütlichkeit. I consider the Bistro Kommödchen to be an epitome of German Gemütlichkeit.

Dark wood panelled walls, solid wood tables…

I’ve spent the last half a year asking around about cake in Nippes. Just recently a couple of hot hints have surfaced.

A Kommode is a dresser, a chest of drawers. A Kommödchen could be a rather small dresser…

…or it could be an expression for German Gemütlichkeit. I consider the Bistro Kommödchen to be an epitome of German Gemütlichkeit.

Dark wood panelled walls, solid wood tables and chairs and other styles of furniture that remind me of visits I’ve made to friend’s grandparents. There are two fireplaces keeping the front and back rooms warm and there’s a conservatory out back. Even though big windows, at the front and back, let in lots of light the wood interior seems to soak it up, casting warm shadows in the niches and corners.

Kommödchen is a Bistro and they do breakfast, lunch, dinner and cake. And tea. Seeing the extensive tea menu, I opted for a Ceylon instead of a coffee (I don’t often get to have my favorite tea). There were about six cakes to choose from: the carrot and walnut and the one that looked like a tiramisu tempted me. In the end a nut slab won.

I sat at the window, near a fireplace, got comfortable and enjoyed myself. That’s all. Time floated by while I got some photos ready for Instagram, watched people come and go and the sun slowly set outside. The place simply has a contagious relaxing feeling to it.

Now I know – Nippes has cake! And a gem.

@ Weihnachtsbasar Körnerstraße

This Sunday there will be a limited edition of Südstadt Gebäck (South City Baking) available at the Christmas Basar, Körnestr, Ehrenfeld. Look out for the Ehren Manufaktur stall – that’s where you’ll find them.

Never heard of Südstadt Gebäck? I’m not surprised. It’s only been around for a couple of months and it’s only produced when I feel like. I make it, homemade,…

Edit: Südstadt Gebäck now has it’s own home on this website!

@ Weihnachtsbasar Körnerstraße

This Sunday there will be a limited edition of Südstadt Gebäck (South City Baking) available at the Christmas Bazaar, Körnestr, Ehrenfeld. Look out for the Ehren Manufaktur stall – that’s where you’ll find them.

Never heard of Südstadt Gebäck? I’m not surprised. It’s only been around for a couple of months and it’s only produced when I feel like. I make it, homemade, with love. At the moment I’m doing Christmas Specialties. At the bazaar on Sunday you’ll be able get yourself a wee baggy of English-Spekulatius (it’s English because I like to mix in some dried fruits, nuts and lots of ginger).

I’ll be hanging around at the Bazaar and the Ehren Manufaktur some of the time as well. Drop in and say hi – I’d enjoy that!

By the way – you’ll be wanting to try the Ehren Chutney, shown below, as well. Not cake but very yummy!

After the bazaar…

It’s a pity – you’ll have to wait till next year to visit the Körner Street Christmas Basar again. It’s the best Christmas market I’ve ever been to – loved it! Relaxed, friendly, christmasy but not overdone. All the wares are from the people for the people. There’s nothing commercial. But don’t be mislead by the homemade character either – the quality is extremely good. There’s hot food, mulled wine, hot hugos and all the yummy stuff to warm a belly in the cold.

I did find cake as well. Actually, an overwhelming assortment of tempting cakes. I grabbed some absolutely fabulous cupcakes to take home from a couple of girls raising money for charity. The wee cakes looked professionally garnished, were vegan, and tasted scrumptious.

I’d like to be able to tell where else you can get these beauties. Unfortunately we’ll all have to wait till next Christmas – see you there!

In the end I only got a brief look around the bazaar on Körner Street. I stayed around the little chutney stall most of time, talking to the friendly people who stopped to try the wares. Cookies were sold and it was an enjoyable day.

@Cafe Collective Fatsch

Usually we exchange music tips but she’d recently caught on that I have this thing for cake. My Hairdresser, she told me about Fudge. She knew straight away that I’d misspelt it in my head. “F.A.T.S.C.H – the way you’d spell it in German”, she explained.

I’ve started expanding my revere to the other side of the river and I was thankful for this tipoff. It’s right spank in…

@Cafe Collective Fatsch

Usually we exchange music tips but she’d recently caught on that I have this thing for cake. My Hairdresser, she told me about Fudge. She knew straight away that I’d misspelt it in my head. “F.A.T.S.C.H – the way you’d spell it in German”, she explained.

I’ve started expanding my revere to the other side of the river and I was thankful for this tipoff. It’s right spank in the middle of Kalk – a part of town my prejudice has kept me away from. It’s been long renown as a deprived area and a multicultural hot spot. I read later that the suburb is developing forward at a rapid pace and I must say – I was pleasantly surprised at what I say.

I set off after a quick lunch on a wee bike ride photo spree through Deutz on to Kalk. The route to the café ended up being longer than I intended – I kept stopping to take pictures. I could have spent the afternoon just doing that and have promised myself to go back for more.

Eventually I reached Josephskirchstrasse and found myself in front of a wonderful cosy café. It is just off the main (wild) shopping streets in the quiet residential area. Inside there’s a mix of old cottage furniture and lounge room sofas. The guests were pleasant and there were lovely people catering for food and drinks.

Fatsch is vegan. The standard milk in the coffee is soy and your options are oat and rice. They have the best range of cakes I’ve ever seen for a vegan café and I had to have two.

They have no service. They are a collective. There’s no boss. A few of the people that do the main shifts during the week are paid. Most of the people involved do it voluntarily – baking, cooking, cleaning, making coffee. That’s one of the reasons no one waits at the tables.

I felt at ease the minute I walked in. The girls behind the bar were friendly and easy going – patient while I considered the cake options. Then I relaxed at a window seat and watched the world go by outside.

I’m sorry I can’t really describe the chocolate cupcake I had. It had some cream of sorts in it and was topped off with sesame seeds. It was lovely. After that came the raspberry pie. Hmmm! Berry like with sweet crispy pastry.

Fatsch is looking for help. I’m wondering if I can fit in a weekend a month – baking, next year. I think I’d like that. Then I’d really be doing some cake in Cologne.

Josephkirchstraße 25, Kalk. Lines 1, 9.

Heimisch (Homely).

The new kid in town. The right place to go when you’re on the wrong side of the Rhine (sorry Cologne Peeps, I couldn’t resist that corny line). This is the place people are talking about. (Green Venue took some nice photos – check out her article too!)

Heimisch is fabulous. I walked in on a sunny Sunday afternoon and was greeted with warm smiles from the crew behind the…

Heimisch (Homely).

The new kid in town. The right place to go when you’re on the wrong side of the Rhine (sorry Cologne Peeps, I couldn’t resist that corny line). This is the place people are talking about. (Green Venue took some nice photos – check out her article too!)

Heimisch is fabulous. I walked in on a sunny Sunday afternoon and was greeted with warm smiles from the crew behind the counter. One of the smiling girls proudly explained the cakes they had – it was emphasized that they bake the cake themselves. The first one she named was pumpkin and after that I didn’t really listen to hear what the other ones were – I’d already made up my mind.

Gorgeous! There was cinnamon with notes of other fine spices and it was moist and fluffy with chewy nuts. The sour cream topping was left sour but sweetened with a coating of fine cinnamon sugar. Get this while it’s the season – great autumn cake!

If Heimisch was close by to my work or home I would hang out there as much as I could. I love the big open window front letting in the sunlight, the spacious interior, clean design and retro furniture. There are lots of great snacks and lunches, good Van Dyck Coffee to be had and ice-tea made by a local girl (by local I mean, she’s from around the corner kind of local). Although the cafe is open I found it restful, not loud, pleasant.

Do I like Heimisch? I love the place.

Deutzer Freiheit 72-74, Deutz. Lines 3, 4, 9

When Instagramers recommend cake

@Petit Noir...

…was recommended to me in a brewing house with no name on the wrong side of the Rhine. I’d been on my first instawalk, organised by Koelnergram and was drinking beer with some Instagram Elders. The recommendation came from @lailie, she later explained that @ollili had told her of the place.

Bevor I get to the Café and the cake, I do recommend you checkout both @lailie and @ollilion…

@Petit Noir...

…was recommended to me in a brewing house with no name on the wrong side of the Rhine. I’d been on my first instawalk, organised by Koelnergram and was drinking beer with some Instagram Elders. The recommendation came from @lailie, she later explained that @ollili had told her of the place.

Bevor I get to the Café and the cake, I do recommend you checkout both @lailie and @ollili on Instagram. Lailie has been taking photos for like forever (in social media life spans) and doesn’t just take great pictures of interesting places. I think she has a wonderful eye for capturing people in special moments. I’m amazed with what Ollili comes up with on a daily basis. He is a great photographer with an eye for the moment, angle, lighting, composition. Both have good taste when it comes to cake.

It was the start of Autumn when I visited Petit Noir but Summer was still lingering with golden sunny warmth. I locked my bike, eyed up a small table in the sun and stepped through the entrance. In that instant I felt the world around me change and found myself in a simple bare café somewhere on the southern French coast. At least it fulfilled everything I’d expect if I was entering a wee café in a small town in the south of France. White washed walls, young guys behind the bar, makeshift flare but clean and tidy. I savour these moments when they happen.

It was my lucky afternoon – they had one piece of the carrot cake lailie was so keen on. I got it reserved for me, organised a latte to go with it and bagsed my seat in the sun. I love the tables outside. No one matching chair, all slightly rusted metal. I was sitting on Zülpicher Street but as far as I was concerned it was a beach promenade that day.

The coffee was rich and smoky. That was good with the cake’s light flavours of cinnamon and nut with notes of caramel. The rich cream cheese topping had a sweet lemon tang. The real carrot (vegetable) decoration really touched me.

I would go here for cake anytime again. Maybe even in winter, definitely in spring. And summer.

Weyertal 42, Lindentahl. Line 9

My 10 Food sinkwholes

Instead of cake, here’s some stuff about the the author for a change. That’s me in the photo (courtesy of Andrea Ulrich)

Christin von Blog-Leuk challenged me to disclose my 10 Food-Schwächen – the foody things that make me go weak at the knees and my set my mouth watering. Here you are…

1. Coffee I am snobby about my coffee. I’ll send my coffee back to the bar if it doesn’t meet my expectations.…