Tuula's Cafe
Originally from Finland, Tuula Mallonen first opened the doors of her café in 2008. The café doesn’t have a menu – Tuula keeps selections as fresh as possible, so you never know what delicious smells and sights you’ll encounter when you walk through the door.
A self-taught baker, Mallonen uses a combination of her mother’s family recipes and her own creations. Her goodies range from cakes and cupcakes to quiche to sandwiches and salads.
Mallonen's Christmas goodies incorporate marzipan, peppermint and chocolate flavors. The cranberry gingerbread brita is a favorite around the holidays.
Mallonen’s favorite dessert is pulla. This traditional Finnish bread is soft, rich and flavored with cardamom.
“My customers love it also,” she says.
Brittany Mosley is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Grandmother’s Gingerbread
The recipe Mallonen made during her childhood Christmases
Ingredients
- 250 grams butter
- 250 grams sugar
- 2 Tbsp. dark corn syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp. baking soda
- 500 grams flour
- 3/4 Tbsp. ginger
- 3/4 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 3/4 Tbsp. ground cloves
Directions
Mix flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and clove. Set aside. Beat room temperature butter with sugar until light and creamy. Slowly mix in corn syrup. Mix in egg. Add dry ingredients until well combined. Roll out dough onto well-floured surface. Cut out into desired shapes. Bake 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.
