Since the beginning of the first lock down there has been a massive increase in homebaking the world over. And Give Something Back to Berlin hasn’t been spared by the hype! We’ve shared recipes, created brilliant masterpieces and accidentally invented new delicacies. So we wanted to share some of those with you with… The Great Berlin Bake Off!

GSBTB Open Kitchen has an active Facebook group and you can best follow the Great Berlin Bake Off when you join us there. We will give you a category every time (for example brownies, cheesecakes, pancakes etc) along with a basic recipe to start you off and then hand the spoon over to you.

Using the hashtag #TheGreatBerlinBakeOff you can post your creations in the GSBTB Open Kitchen Facebook group. You will also post them in your Instagram and tag us. Our Instagram account is here.

On your marks, get set, bake 🙂

Below, Leonie, long-term participant and avid baker, shares a lemon tart recipe for some inspiration.

Lemon Tart 

Ingredients

2 organic lemons, zest grated and juiced
50g butter
150g sugar
1 pack bourbon vanilla sugar
1 pinch of salt
2 organic eggs, beaten
200g flour (type 550)
50g sugar
Pinch of sea salt
125g butter, cubed
1 egg yolk

Instructions

Make the lemon curd first. Put zest and juice of the lemon, butter, sugar and vanilla sugar in a bowl over gently simmering water until the butter and sugar are dissolved. Add salt, and then using a fork or whisk, stir in the beaten egg. Keep whisking gently for about 10 minutes until it thickens nicely. Put aside.

For the pastry sift the flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl and make a little well in the middle. Add the butter and using your cold fingers or knives work the butter in the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Make sure you don’t overwork this, or the butter will melt and the pastry won’t be crumbly after baking but get quite tough. Add the egg yolk and combine so the pastry comes together into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Line a tart case or 20cm cake tin with baking paper. Roll out the pastry so that it covers the base of the tin and goes up the side for about 3cm. Chill for 30 min. Preheat the oven to 180C. Remove the pastry for the fridge and cover with baking paper and cover with dried beans or lentils to blind bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and take off the layer of beans. And bake for another 5 minutes. Add the lemon curd to the pastry case and bake for another 20 minutes until set.

Leave to cool in tin for 30 minutes and then at least another 30 min before slicing.