Sweet baking ideas for you and your favorite people
Four recipes you can master without any baking experience: vegan doughnuts, crêpes, blueberry muffins, and a no-bake chocolate tiramisu. Perfect for gray days, cozy afternoons, and little moments of joy.
Baking doesn’t need a Sunday or professional equipment. These four recipes work even if you rarely step into the kitchen: vegan doughnuts, delicate crêpes, moist blueberry muffins, and a chocolate tiramisu that doesn’t require an oven. Quantities are modest, steps are straightforward. Pick one, invite someone to join you, or simply make it for yourself.
- Vegan doughnuts: yeast dough made from 6 ingredients, baked instead of fried, filled with jam.
- Crêpes: one batter, ten minutes of rest, four servings sweet or savory.
- Blueberry muffins: with yogurt in the batter, makes 12, ready in 25 minutes.
- Chocolate tiramisu: no baking, layered in a glass, best prepared the evening before.
Before you begin, it’s worth taking a quick look in the drawer. For all four recipes you only need a bowl, whisk, and hand mixer. A piping bag and ice-cream scoop make doughnuts and muffins neater, but they’re not essential: a resealable bag with a corner snipped off does the same job, and two tablespoons distribute batter just as reliably. You’ll find all the ingredients in any supermarket; vegan butter and oat milk now sit alongside classic products on the shelves.
Opinions on baking are all over the map. If you love to get creative, precise gram measurements can feel like a party pooper. Good news: these recipes give you room to play. A handful more berries, a splash less liqueur-every batter forgives it. We start with the most involved recipe and work our way down to the quickest.
Oven-Baked Vegan Doughnuts
Doughnuts or Berliners, depending on which side of the Weisswurst equator you’re on. This version doesn’t require eggs or frying oil; it’s baked in the oven.
Ingredients for 6 pieces:
- 300 g flour
- 40 g sugar
- 1 packet dry yeast
- 50 g vegan butter
- 150 ml oat milk
- Jam and powdered sugar for filling and dusting
Melt oat milk and butter at low heat, not boiling. Knead flour, yeast, sugar, and the lukewarm milk-butter mixture until a smooth dough forms. Let it rise, covered, for 1 to 2 hours until it has visibly increased in size.
Knead the dough briefly and divide it into six balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover, and let rest for another 45 minutes. This second rising time makes the difference between fluffy and dense, so don’t skip it.
Preheat the oven to 200°C top and bottom heat. Brush the balls with liquid butter and bake for 15 minutes until golden yellow. Let cool briefly, brush with butter again, and roll in sugar. Fill with jam using a piping bag and dust with powdered sugar.
The second rising time is not an optional step. It determines whether your doughnut turns out airy or compact.
Crêpes for Four
The quick classic. One batter, short resting time, then fill to your heart’s content: Nutella and banana, lemon and sugar, or savory with cheese.
Ingredients for 4 portions:
- 200 g wheat flour
- A pinch of salt
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 4 eggs (size M)
- 500 ml milk
- approx. 20 g butter for frying
Mix flour, salt, and vanilla sugar, then whisk in eggs and milk until the batter is lump-free. Let rest for 20 minutes to allow the flour to absorb and the crêpes to not tear later.
Heat a small amount of butter in a pan, add half a soup ladle of batter, and distribute thinly by tilting. Cook at low to medium heat until golden yellow, flip, and cook the second side briefly. Done.
Blueberry Muffins with Yogurt
Yogurt in the batter keeps the muffins moist, even the next day. Fresh or frozen berries work equally well.
Ingredients for 12 muffins:
- 75 g soft butter
- 100 g sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 2 eggs (size M)
- 150 g natural yogurt
- 250 g wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- A pinch of salt
- 200 to 250 g blueberries
Preheat the oven to 180°C top and bottom heat (160°C with convection). Cream butter with sugar and vanilla sugar, then gradually incorporate eggs and yogurt. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt, and fold in. Gently fold in the berries at the end to prevent the batter from turning blue.
Divide into muffin tin using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, adding a few berries on top if desired. Bake for about 25 minutes. Toothpick test: if it comes out clean, they’re done.
No-bake Chocolate Tiramisu
A recipe for anyone who doesn’t feel like baking today. Just layer and chill-the flavours develop overnight.
Ingredients for approx. 6 servings:
- 1 packet chocolate instant pudding mix
- 400 ml milk
- 250 g mascarpone
- 100 ml espresso
- 1 packet chocolate drops
- 3 tbsp amaretto
- approx. 100 g ladyfingers
- 1 tsp cocoa powder for dusting
Prepare the pudding with 400 ml milk according to the packet instructions, pour into a bowl and immediately cover the surface with cling film to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool.
Once cold, whisk the pudding smooth, then fold in the mascarpone, 3 tbsp espresso and the chocolate drops. Mix the remaining espresso with the amaretto. Crumble the ladyfingers, soak in the espresso mixture and alternate layers with the chocolate cream in six glasses. Chill for at least one hour-ideally overnight. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving.
You don’t need a master’s degree to whip up something delicious. Whether it’s for you alone or for the people you love, an hour with a whisk instead of a screen does wonders. More seasonal recipes are waiting in our best recipes for autumn, and if you’re aiming for vegan and festive, check out our vegan Easter buffet for big and small.
Good to Know
▸Can I really deep-fry the doughnuts?
Absolutely. Fans of the classic method simply drop the risen balls into 170 °C hot oil for about two minutes per side until golden brown. The oven version saves fat and odour but can taste a little drier-both work.
▸Can the crêpes be made vegan?
Yes. Swap the eggs for 1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water per egg and use oat or soy milk. The batter will be less elastic but still bakes well if you keep it thin.
▸Frozen or fresh blueberries for the muffins?
Either works. Use frozen berries straight from the freezer-no thawing-so they bleed less. Dusting them with a little flour also helps them stay suspended in the batter instead of sinking to the bottom.
▸How long does the chocolate tiramisu keep?
Two to three days in the fridge, covered. Without raw eggs it’s simpler than the classic version. Add the cocoa powder only just before serving, otherwise it’ll absorb moisture.
