Black Forest Dutch Baby

Ugh… we’re having a snow day here in Virginia so I was looking online for some recipe inspiration and I stumbled upon a yummy looking Chocolate Dutch Baby (or German pancake), which got me thinking… what if I took that chocolate idea and elevated it a bit by adding sweetened whipped cream and a delicious cherry topping? That was it - I decided making a Black Forest Dutch Baby would be part of my snow day activities! So glad I did because it’s definitely a treat worth trying, snow day or not.

We’ll start by making the cherry topping. In a skillet over medium-high heat, combine tart cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and a salt. I used tart cherries I stashed away in the freezer this past spring, but if you have fresh tart cherries, you can certainly use ‘em.

Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to boil; continue cooking for a full minute, then turn off the heat.

mmmm… set the yummy cherry topping aside until needed.

The Dutch Baby (German Pancake) is really easy to make… just preheat an oven-proof skillet in your hot oven, melt the butter in the skillet and swirl it all around, then pour the excess melted butter into the a blender with all the other dutch baby ingredients, give it a whirl, and pour the batter into the prepared skillet. For some reason I didn’t get any photos while I was making the chocolate dutch baby, but you can see exactly how it’s done here in my Vanilla Dutch Baby post from a few years ago. The only difference, besides this one being chocolate instead of vanilla, is that this recipe is made in a smaller skillet.

The Dutch Baby will puff up in the oven and collapse almost immediately upon removal. To serve, cut the dutch baby into 4 wedges and top with sweetened whipped cream and the cherry topping. Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• 9-inch cast iron skillet https://amzn.to/2ROOgn4

• pure almond extract https://amzn.to/2VRjqJB

• really good dutch processed cocoa powder https://amzn.to/3oHW09H

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Black Forest Dutch Baby

makes one 9-inch skillet, 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cherry Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups (140g) tart cherries, fresh or frozen, pitted

• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 tablespoons (6g) cornstarch

• pinch of fine salt

• 1/16 (6 drops) pure almond extract

Chocolate Dutch Baby:

• 2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter

• 2 large eggs (100g), room temperature

• 1 tablespoon (12.5g) granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

• 3 tablespoons (25g) all purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tablespoons (7.5g) dutch processed cocoa powder, sifted

• 1/4 cup (61g) whole milk

Directions

To make the cherry topping:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and salt; bring to a boil, stirring constantly; continue cooking for a full minute.

2. Remove from heat and stir in pure almond extract; set aside until needed.

To make the chocolate dutch baby:

1. Preheat oven and 9-inch cast iron skillet in the center of a 425F oven.

2. In a blender, combine the eggs, sugar, salt, flour, cocoa, and milk; set aside until the next step.

3. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and add the butter.

4. Swirl pan until butter is completely melted and coats the entire pan; pour excess butter into batter and mix to combine.

5. Slowly pour the batter into the hot, buttered skillet and return to the oven; bake for 12-15 minutes or until the dutch baby puffs up (it will deflate almost immediately when removed from the oven so don’t be alarmed when this happens).

6. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before topping with cherry topping and lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Note

• Try not to pour all the batter into the skillet in one spot - the force of the pour will remove the butter coating in the pour spot and the pancake will inevitably end up sticking. To avoid this, I like to hold an upside down serving spoon a few inches over the skillet and pour the batter slowly over the back of the spoon while moving the spoon around the skillet. This helps diffuse the force of the pour.

cherry topping adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum from Real Baking with Rose; chocolate dutch baby adapted from Deb Perelman from Smitten Kitchen.

Keto Cheesy Spinach and Egg Casserole

We love the combination of spinach and cheese, especially in this Keto-friendly egg casserole that only has 2 net carbs per serving. It reheats beautifully so it’s great for breakfast or lunch meal prep. Let me show you how easy it is to make.

Start by sautéing baby spinach for a couple of minutes until it wilts.

I’m always amazed how much spinach cooks down.

Now, before we proceed, you MUST spray your casserole dish with nonstick baking spray. Baker’s Joy is my favorite. DON’T SKIP THIS STEP!! If you forgot to spray your dish, the eggs will most definitely stick and you’ll have to chisel them out of the pan. Don’t ask me how I know.

Okay, layer the wilted spinach evenly in the bottom of the sprayed casserole dish, then add the mozzarella cheesier an even layer, and sprinkle the chopped scallions on the top.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and Jane’s Krazy Mixed-Up Salt.

We love this stuff. If you don’t have any, use your favorite salt blend, or just substitute salt and pepper.

Carefully pour the egg mixture over the spinach, cheese, and scallions. Make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• 9x13 ceramic casserole dish https://amzn.to/2Bo1flr

• flat whisk https://amzn.to/2QV0tpP

• jane’s krazy mixed up salt https://amzn.to/367ulZr

• baker’s joy https://amzn.to/3oE77Af

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Keto Cheesy Spinach and Egg Casserole

makes 8 servings (2 net carbs each)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 ounces fresh baby spinach, washed (see note below)

• 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (low moisture, part skim)

• 6 scallions, sliced (or more)

• 12 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and place rack in center position.

2. In a 12-inch skillet, cook the spinach oven medium-high heat, turning frequently, until it wilts, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Spray a 9x13 or similar baking dish with nonstick baking spray.

4. Arrange in an even layer, the wilted spinach; followed by the mozzarella and then the scallions.

5. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs together with the Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt.

6. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the spinach, cheese, and scallions (make sure everything distributed evenly throughout the baking dish).

7. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.

8. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Variation

• To make a smoked salmon variation: Add 2 additional eggs, 6 ounces of chopped smoked salmon, 1 teaspoon of capers, and replace the cheddar cheese with an equal amount of shredded gruyere.

Note

• if you don’t have fresh spinach on hand, you can substitute about a 12-ounce bag of thawed frozen spinach that has been squeezed dry and chopped.

adapted from kalynskitchen.com

Keto stats: each serving contains 196 calories, 17g protein, 13g fat, 4g carbs, 2g fiber (net carbs: 2g)