Crazy in Copenhagen & Mingling in Malmö!

Please head over to my new blog at TheUrbanHousewife.com, where you'll find this post & more!

Well, I've made my way back to the United States & have had a few days to recover. While I wouldn't say the jet lag is entirely behind me, I can't let that deter me from bringing you the goods on vegan treats all over Europe! While it wasn't my first destination, I thought I would start with Copenhagen, Denmark & also cover my day trip to Malmö, Sweden.

Copenhagen is a gorgeous city full of bike riders & amazing architecture! We made the quick journey from Berlin to Copenhagen & were greeted at the train station by our hostess Ditte & Jojo, who had come from Brighton to hang out as well! Once we arrived at her flat, we were thrilled to find Ditte had made brunch for us! A spread of pancakes, fresh fruit, Alpro yogurt, jams, bread, & the infamous chocolate croissants from a local organic bakery were covering the table & we were downright thrilled! In fact, Ditte continued to be a fabulous hostess as she made us quite a few meals during our stay. How did we get so lucky?

Det Rene Brød an organic bakery with 3 locations in Copenhagen. While not everything is vegan, they have quite a few things that are, including plain or chocolate filled croissants, cinnamon rolls, traditional Danish pastries, & breads. The pastries are amazingly flaky & light, a texture not easily produced, & I found myself back in the bakery daily. The staff is helpful, although they may give you a crazy look when you come in for the 3rd time & take away another round of pastries. Just ask them what is vegan & you'll be all set. If you find yourself in Copenhagen, do not miss this place, or you'll be sorry!

Det Rene Brød is located at Elmegade 6, Rosenvængets Allé 17, & Ndr. Frihavnsgade 54.

Christiania is a neighborhood in Copenhagen built in the 1970's on a former military area. It's considered controversial as the residents built houses there without permission, are self governed, & drug use is not uncommon to see on the streets. Within this fun & quirky area, you'll find Morgenstedet, a vegetarian cafe with a daily rotating menu & many vegan options. Ryan & I opted to split the daily entree; mixed rice with a bean sauce & steamed vegetables, a bean salad, plus some carrot & leek soup with bread. Everything was hearty & filling with organic vegetables & although nothing was amazing here, it was a solid meal that really hit the spot. Known as one of the inexpensive spots in town, we were a bit surprised when this set us back $25, but quickly found out Copenhagen is a pricey city.

Morgenstedet is located at Fabriksområdet 134 in Christiania, 1440 Copenhagen.

The weather was mainly good to us, but if it began to drizzle, we would pop in to a cafe or coffeehouse from time to time. Folkets Hus, aka "house for the people" is a hub for art & culture & their Café Under Konstruktion is a great place to grab a beer, cup of coffee, or vegan hot chocolate & hang with friends until the weather clears up. While we didn't have any food here, I have heard they have vegan options for very reasonable prices. You'll also find free classes, movies, & other events in this great spot.

Folkets Hus is located at Stengade 50, 2200 Copenhagen.

About a 30 minute train ride away from Copenhagen is the Swedish city, Malmö. Not only is Malmö a beautiful, veg friendly place, it's also where we met up with the lovely Emmie of VegBitch & her fiancé Alex! While we had planned to go to Vegegården, it turned out it was closed for holiday. Additionally, a new all vegan cafe Astrid & Aporna– KÖK was opening the day AFTER we were there! No worries, though there were still many options to be found.

Kaptensbrons Kiosk is a large, unassuming box located in the middle of a square near the busy shopping area of Malmö. Hardly a place you would consider looking for vegan food, they actually have a full vegetarian menu, most of which is vegan! While Ryan went for the "Vegan Cheeseburger" with onion rings, I opted for a vegan version of a traditional Swedish dish called a'la Lindström. The dish consistent of two patties made of beets & beans & came with scoops of mashed potatoes topped with Lingonberry Jam, as well as a salad & pickles. It was almost like a Thanksgiving feast for lunch! For a quick meal in between sightseeing, this kiosk is a great option.

Kaptensbrons Kiosk is located at Lilla Nygatan, 211 38 Malmö.

After our tasty meal, we headed to Astrid and Aporna, a large vegetarian grocery store. I love to explore grocery stores, so this place was right up my alley & I found myself getting lost in the aisles for far too long. Every European veg product you could want from Cheezly to Alpro, gummy coke bottles to white chocolate bars is contained here. Each product has a guide on the label letting you know if it contains dairy, wheat, soy, or other allergens, so you need not brush up on Swedish to shop here! I snagged a bag full of goodies, including Tofuline Banana Chocolate ice cream to share with everyone & we headed out to our next destination.

Astrid and Aporna is located at Gustav Möllers gata 2, 211 51 Malmö.

A bit of rain started to fall on us, so we headed to a vegetarian cafe for warm drinks & ice cream eating. Kulturcenter Glassfabriken is a spot for local activists that holds meetings & demos, sells animal rights merchandise, & serves vegetarian / vegan food & drinks. While we stuck to our delicious ice cream & didn't partake in the food, the warm drinks hit the spot as we hid from the weather outside. The atmosphere was cozy & it was the perfect place to chat with our new found friends!

Kulturcenter Glassfabriken is located at Kristianstadsgatan 16, 21435 Malmö.

All in all, vegan dining in Copenhagen, Denmark & Malmö, Sweden is a breeze! I highly recommend visiting these beautiful cities for the architecture & culture, especially if you can score some croissants while taking it all in, yum! In addition to delicious food, you'll find fabulous people as well & I'm lucky to have spent time with some of them. Stay tuned for adventures in Berlin, Vienna, & Stockholm!

Rebecca's Cakes; the Vegan Cake Girl & an Jaffa Orange Drizzle Cake recipe!

Please head over to my new blog at TheUrbanHousewife.com, where you'll find this post & more!

Before departing for London, I was surprised to receive a note on Flickr asking if I'd like to sample some vegan baked goods while overseas. Being a gal with an intense sweet tooth & a love for reviewing what the vegan world has to offer, how could I say no?! Enter Rebecca; the Vegan Cake Girl. Shortly after I arrived in London, I received a notice that a box was waiting for me at the post office. My jaw dropped when I spied the large box she had sent to me; it contained a selection of baked goods from breakfast items to cakes, not to mention candies, cute little pins, & suggestions on where to find tasty vegan goods in the UK.

When looking at her website you'll see this is just a small sampling of what Rebecca does. Cupcakes, cakes, trifles, puddings, brownies, cheesecakes, & even Petit Fours are on the menu! Additionally, she does cake mixes for the less baking inclined & catering for events. Here are my thoughts on what I sampled by Rebecca's Cakes, once again using my dessert rating system.

Jaffa Orange Drizzle Cake- This sweet, fluffy, moist cake was just a bit bready & had wonderful marbled gooey parts. The orange zest throughout was lovely & it was topped with a delicious chocolate shell. It had a great flavor & my friends raved about it so much, I sent them one as a thank you for letting us stay with them! 4 ½ stars

Plum & Pine Nut Muffins- A fluffy & not-too-sweet muffin with soft pieces of plum baked in & toothsome pine nuts on top. It made for an interesting combination & the sweetness seemed to mainly come from the plums. I can't say this is a flavor combination I would pick out for myself, but nonetheless, it was not a bad muffin at all. 3 stars


Sticky Toffee Pudding- This bready, not super sweet cake contained dates & was spongy & soft. The butterscotch sauce was very sweet & had a nice burnt sugar taste. I couldn't help but steal a bit of the topping to put on Swedish Glace ice cream & it was great! I found the cake tasted best when covered in the sauce & soaked through, which made it pretty addictive! 3¾ stars

Croissants- "Buttery" & a bit wheaty & mild with a nice outer flakiness & fluffiness, while the inside was a bit more bready & savory tasting. It was nice, but I'm not sure I was ever a croissant person, so I wasn't bowled over. They reminded me a bit of the flaky dinner rolls that come in tubes. 3 stars

Maple Pecan Danish Pastry- A nice, hearty wheat, yet sweet & fluffy pastry with great maple flavor & a tasty drizzle over the top. The center contained whole pecans which Ryan loved & wished for more of. This would be very nice warmed up! 3¾ stars

Blueberry Waffles- These hearty, but still light blueberry laced waffles were perfect reheated in the toaster to start my mornings off. They had a nice wheat taste, almost like a digestive biscuit, & inspired me to make some waffles for freezing at home for a quick breakfast! 4 stars

Rebecca was kind enough to share the Jaffa Orange Drizzle cake recipe for my readers, so now you can enjoy it as much as I did! The measurements are in grams or ounces, so break out those kitchen scales or use a conversion calculator. Trust me, it's worth it!

Rebecca's Cakes Vegan Jaffa Orange Drizzle Cake
Ingredients:
140g / 5oz Vegan Margarine or Shortening, softened.
200g / 7oz Self Rising Flour (If you can't find this, use all purpose flour & increase the baking powder by 2 tsp.)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
200g Sugar
Ener-G Egg Replacer equivalent to 3 eggs (4 1/2 tsp Ener-G with 6 Tbsp water, blended)
6 Tbsp Soy or Rice Milk
Zest of 1 Big Juicy Orange

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (160 degrees centigrade).

Mix all of the ingredients using an electric mixer until they're light & fluffy.
When you lift the paddle the batter should drop easily, if it's a little stiff, add a bit more milk.

Pour the batter into a greased & lined loaf tin.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

When the cake is cooked take it out of the oven & pierce all over with a skewer or cake tester & immediately make the Orange Syrup.

Orange Syrup
the Juice of 1 Big Juicy Orange
50g/2oz sugar

Bring the juice of the orange & the sugar to a boil in a small pan.

Pour over the cake immediately & leave to cool completely. If you try & cut it while warm the syrup will make the cake fall apart!!

Once the cake has completely cooled, melt 50g/2oz of the finest, darkest chocolate you can find & drizzle it over the cake! Et Voilà!

Overall, I was thrilled with my chance to taste test this array of lovely baked goods. If you live in UK, have a friend there, or are taking a trip there, do yourself a favor & order some vegan desserts from Rebecca. She ships within the UK, has pick up available in North London, & is as sweet as her treats!