The Cafe Gourmand at Restaurant 11A in Kaiserslautern, Germany, has a selection of small desserts, including some with chocolate and passion fruit. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Leaving room for dessert is often easier said than done in and around Kaiserslautern, Germany, where schnitzels are the size of dinner plates and single servings of käsespätzle can feed a small family.
However, some desserts at area restaurants are worth saving space for — or even skipping straight to. Here are five standout offerings I discovered that should satisfy your sweet tooth.
Cafe Gourmand at Restaurant 11A
Last month marked six years since Restaurant 11A opened in the upscale Saks Urban Design Hotel in Kaiserslautern’s Stiftsplatz.
The restaurant’s Cafe Gourmand is a selection of several small desserts served together with an espresso. The portions may be small, but they’re flavorful.
The chocolate mousse is smooth and dense, thicker than any mousse I’ve tried before. It pairs well with the vanilla sauce that decorates the plate. The panna cotta is also thick, with a mild sweetness accentuated by an even sweeter strawberry topping.
The tiramisu, on the other hand, is light and airy, with a fluffy cream layer atop a moist, but not soggy, coffee-soaked base. Each spoonful nearly dissolves in the mouth, leaving just a hint of coffee flavor.
The egg white cream with passion fruit is fresh and light, while the simple combination of mandarin orange and mint serves as a palate cleanser.
The Cafe Gourmand is a good choice for those who can’t decide on one dessert, or just like to indulge in a bit of everything.
Address: Stiftsplatz 11, Kaiserslautern, Germany
Cost: 15 euros
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.
Information: +49 631 37098730, www.11a-kl.de
The warm crepe at Julien, a French restaurant in Kaiserslautern, Germany, is made with plum filling. It paired beautifully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Warm crepe with vanilla ice cream and plum at Julien
Julien is Kaiserslautern’s best-known French restaurant. During a recent visit, I had my heart set on the plum crepe, but the staff recommended the chocolate mousse, leaving me with a tough decision. In the end, I ordered both.
Each dessert arrived beautifully arranged, featuring a dash of chocolate and fruit garnishes.
I tasted the mousse first and immediately understood the recommendation. The chocolate was rich and intense, even more pronounced than the mousse at Restaurant 11A, though its consistency was much lighter.
The two boules of chocolate mousse sat in a sweet mango jus. The dish was excellent and I’d order it again. But if I had to choose between the mousse and the crepe, I’d go with the latter.
The slightly tangy plum filling gave the crepe a sophisticated touch. Each bite was warm and gooey, with a light crunch from a sprinkling of almond pieces.
Thin slices of apple and a cloud-like whipped cream complemented the flavor and texture; and the scoop of vanilla ice cream completed it all.
Address: Altenwoogstrasse 3, Kaiserslautern
Cost: Crepe, 9.80 euros; mousse: 10.80 euros
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 6-11 p.m.; Sunday, 6-10 p.m.
Info: +49 631 64887, www.restaurant-julien.de
The star ingredient in the Lotus cake at Mommy’s Cafe in Kaiserslautern, Germany, is Lotus Biscoff, a beloved cookie with flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Lotus cake at Mommy’s Cafe
Sometimes, dessert isn’t just an afterthought. It’s the main event. That’s certainly the case at Mommy’s Cafe, which opened last summer across from the Fruchthalle and specializes in vegan cakes and coffee.
The restaurant’s most popular dessert is the Lotus cake, and it’s easy to see why it routinely sells out.
It’s made with the Lotus Biscoff brand of speculoos, a shortbread cookie spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger that is popular in Germany, France and the Low Countries.
It consists of layers of fluffy, lightly sweet lentil-based frosting, airy sponge cake and a rich spread made of Lotus cookie bits, cookie butter and vegan butter.
The portions at Mommy’s Cafe are generous, but because the Lotus cake isn’t overpoweringly sweet, it won’t leave you with a sugar crash.
New cakes are baked fresh daily and slices that are more than a day old are sold at discounted prices.
Address: Fruchthallstrasse 11, Kaiserslautern
Cost: 3.70 euros per slice
Hours: Thursday through Tuesday, 12-8 p.m.; closed Wednesday
Information: +49 1523 6802839, www.mommyscafe.de
In the warm chili chocolate cake served at Restaurant 21 in Kaiserslautern city hall, sweetness dominates the spice. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Warm chili chocolate cake at Restaurant 21
Located on the 21st floor of Kaiserslautern City Hall, Restaurant 21 bills itself as a fusion restaurant. For dessert, it aims for sweet with heat.
The warm chili chocolate cake contains peppers, though it’s far from spicy. In fact, I didn’t detect any while eating, but a subtle aftertaste lingered afterward. It was the sweetness that predominated.
The cake is topped with a runny chocolate sauce and fresh strawberries, paired with vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel. Crumbled cookies add crunch, while kiwi and blueberries provide an occasional tangy contrast.
There’s a lot happening in this dish, but in the end, the combination of chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream is the best part.
Address: Willy Brandt Platz 1, Kaiserslautern
Cost: 8.50 euros
Hours: Saturday through Thursday, 5:30-11 p.m.
Information: +49 631 3204370, www.21-lounge.de
The apple strudel at Spinnrädl with a flaky crust that gives way to a soft center. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Warm apple strudel with vanilla sauce and cream at Spinnrädl
Spinnrädl, housed in Kaiserslautern’s oldest surviving half-timbered building, is a great place to indulge in apple strudel, a beloved staple of German dessert culture despite its Austrian origins.
It arrives warm, the golden, flaky crust giving way to a soft center filled with tender, slightly tangy apples. A generous serving of rich vanilla sauce pools around the strudel.
Served with airy whipped cream, Spinnrädl’s strudel is both comforting and indulgent.
This dish is so good, in fact, that I nearly ordered it twice.
Address: Schillerstrasse 1, Kaiserslautern
Cost: 7.50 euros
Hours: Monday through Friday, 5-11 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; closed Sunday
Information: +49 631 60511, www.spinnraedl.de
