Dutch recipes: Limburgse Vlaai

Limburgse Vlaai ( regional cake of Limburg )

The Limburgse Vlaai is a cake that was first created in the Dutch region of Limburg.

Limburg is a district in the south east corner of the Netherlands and is Borderd to both Belgium and Germany.
Both these countries are famouse for their sweet delicasies. Belgium is famouse for their waffels and chocolates and Germany for their wornderfull cakes like the Schwarzwalder Kirsch ( Black forest gataux).
The Limburse vlaai has so many variaties but all with the same basic homemade shortcrust like base.
Their fillings can be made up out of many things, whatever takes your fancy.
Because of the wide spread choise of fillings and the Dutch peoples love for this cake has made sure there are thousends of Vlaai shops in Holland that sell most of these variaties.
Some of these are diverent kind of fruits like Apple, Banana, Strawberry, Pineapple, Mango or a fresh fruit mix.
Other great fillings are Chocolade, coffee cream or even sweet cooked rice.

Serves: 12 slices

Time: around 35 minutes

Ingredients: ( these are just for the cake base !!!)

For a pie pan of 24 cm diameter

- 200 grams of flour
- half a teaspoon of salt
- 115 grams of cooled butter or margarine
- 1 egg yolk
- quarter of a theaspoon of lemon juice
- 2 dinnerspoons of ice cold water

Step 1:

Sif your flour and salt into a large bowl.
Add the butter or margarine to the flour and salt mixture and rub the butter/ margarine into it till it starts to form a sand like texture.

Step 2:

Wisk your egg yolk then add this to the bown together with your lemon juice and the 2 dinner spoons of ice cold water.
Use a fork to mix all this together, make sure it is well mixed.

Step 3:

Get your dough and form a ball, if it is to dry add a small amount of water and mix this in well.
Now put your dough on your work surface.

Step 4:

Kneed the dough by puching your palm into the it and puching it away from you to the outsides. Keep turning it clockwise and repeat this process till you have a nice flat and flexible piece of dough that can be easily removed from your work surface.

Step 5:

Now kneed the dough into a ball and wrip this in Clingfilm.
Place your dough in the fridge and leave it to rest for at least 30 minutes.



While your dough is resting you can prepare your filling. There are so many choises that i can only give you a guideline for some of them.
If you master these easier fillings you can experiment and make your own variation to this brilliant cake.
At the bottom of this site i will mention most of the variaties made of this cake to boost your creative ideas a little.

Step 6:

After your dough has cooled for at least 30 minutes it is time to bake your cake base.

Step 7:

Grease your pie tin ut your dough with a rollingpin on your work  surface.
Make sure it is large enough to fit your tin then gently place your dough inside.
Push it into the tin so it covers the bottom and sides nicely, don't use to much force as the dough will split.

Step 8:

The dough is not allowed to rise at the bottom so you have to fill the tin with some dry beans to weigh the dough down into the tin.

Step 9:

Half bake your cabe base at a temperature of 200C for
15 - 20 minutes in a pre heated oven.
After this you take your base out the oven and take out
your dry beans.
Now it is time for filling,finishing bake and
of course decorating.


If you master these easier fillings you can experiment and make your own variation to this brilliant cake.
At the bottom of this site i will mention most of the variaties made of this cake to boost your creative ideas a little.

This Basic filling is used for all your fruit topped vlaais

   
- 200 grams of cream cheese ( Philidelhia cheese)
- 50 grams of Icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 egg white
- 4 dinner spoons of double cream or whipping cream                     



Step 1:

Mix together the cream cheese, icing sugar, egg yolk and the double/ whipping cream.
Keep stering this untill all the ingredients are mixed well together and has a smooth texture.


Step 2:

Beat your egg white untill it is stiff and forms nice white peaks.
Gently scoop the beaten egg white trough your cream cheese mix untill smooth.
Make sure you do this gentle to keep al the air in so your filling nice and light.

Step 3:

Pour your filling into your cake base and smooth it out.
Place your cake back into the oven at a temperature of 180C and bake for 15- 20 minutes.

Step 4:

Bake your vlaai untill the filling has gone slightly firm then take it out the oven and leave to cool down.
Your filling will get firmer whilst cooling.

Step 5:

Time to start decorating!!!

If your deciding to use make a diverent version to the original fruit vlaai then you can add one of these to your base mixture before baking and mix in well.

- Chocolade : desolve 3 teaspoons of coco powder in small amount of water and add to basic mix.
- Coffee : desole 3 teaspoons of instant coffee in small amount of water and add to basic mix
- Hazalnut: add small amount of hazalnut syrup or liquer
-Irish coffee: same as the coffee filling but also add 15 ml of Irish Whiskey.

 

Fresh fruit Vlaai

                

Cherry and cream Vlaai

Apple and cream Vlaai

If your choosing to make the rice vlaai then here is how to make your filling.

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of milk

- 1/2 cup of pearl rice

- 1 egg yolk

- 1 egg white

- pinch of salt

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

-2 table spoons of sugar

Wash your rice in cold water untill a the water runs clear.

Place milk and salt in a pan and bring this to a boil.

When milk boils add rice and bring back to a boil till rice is tender.

Set rice aside to cool.

Mix egg yolk with the sugar and vanilla essence.

Beat egg whites till they are firm and form peaks, gently spoon the whites trough the yolk mixture.

Again make sure you do this genle so you dont loose any of the air of the egg white.

Your mixture can now be added to your base and baked till firm for around 15-20 minutes.

After baking your vlaai take it out the oven and let it cool before serving with whipped cream.

Sweet Rice Vlaai

Sweet Rice Vlaai with cream and coco curls

Variaties you can try:

- Aprikot and cream

- Apple crumble

-Apple and walnuts

-Banoffee

-Strawberry and cream

- Gooseberry

-Pear

-Mango

-Hazelnut

-Walnut

- Irish Coffee

- Tiramisue

- Schwarzwalder Kirsch ( Black forest guataux)

- Pineapple and cream

- Peaches and cream

-chocolade feast

If you would like any advise on how to prepare any of these please leave your comment and i will get back to you as soon as i possibly can.

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