My Birthday is in September and I usually like to organize something to bring together all the lovely people around me.
Every year I choose a different theme to keep things fun. Last years I hosted pizza nights, taco parties, karaoke nights and more undefined party nights. But this time I wanted something different and more casual.
I transformed my apartment into a cozy little café and invited my friends for a daytime brunch. It turned out better than I imagined and I got some nice feedback. I am writing this blog post with my tips and tricks, so you can do the same. Turning your home into a café is easier than you think and I can definitely recommend doing this!
How I Turned My Apartment Into a Café for My Birthday
The idea was simple: coffee, pastries and music. I wanted people to feel like they could sit down, relax and enjoy the food without any rush.
Invitations
I started by creating a guest list and designing digital invitations. They were simple but matched the vibe of the café theme I wanted to go for. I used the drawing app ProCreate on my iPad and started to draw a stack of coffee cups. Then, I chose my favourite lilac colour as a background colour and picked a contrasting colour for the cups. I saved the file and sent it through whatsapp to my friends and asked them kindly to let me know if they would be able to come, in order to do a proper food planning.
Decorating the Café
I didn’t want to spend too much on decorations, but luckily had a few things already. My goal was to make my living room feel less like a regular apartment and more like a tiny café. I therefore printed the invitation on posters at the local print shop and designed a matching drink menu, so it would give the real feel and look of a cafe.
Here is what I used to decorate my living room:
- A light purple tablecloth to give the dining table a clean look. I bought this one a while ago at H&M.
- Brown wrapping paper rolled out to give that café vibe. Alternatively you can use a roll of baking paper.
- I made folded paper cards with the names of each pastry, so people knew what they were eating. I used thick cream coloured paper, cut them into even rectangles and folded them.
- Candles in matching colours.
- A MDF clipboard for the drink menu, which I used to take orders from my guests. I got mine a couple of years ago at Granit but I have seen other stores selling them as well.
- Fresh flowers, although I didn’t buy them this time since I knew a few friends would probably bring some, which they did.
Food Planning and Menu
I wanted the menu to be a mix of sweet and savoury options. Everything had to be easy to eat without a fork or knife since I didn’t want to deal with dishes later. Therefore I got napkins, instead of plates, as I rather vacuum clean than doing the dishes. I planned around 3 to 4 pieces per person and made sure there was something for everyone, including a kids and a vegan option.
Here is what I made:
- Tuna Empanadas. It’s a pastry filled with canned tuna, tomato, boiled eggs and green olives. These were gone quickly. I used my own recipe which you can find here.
- Pastel de Nata. Portuguese custard tarts made from scratch. I learned the recipe during a pastry class in Portugal. I love eating them but still need to work on my pastry shaping skills to get an even flakey edge.
- Laugenstange Caprese. A Laugenstange is similar to a German pretzel but looks more like a bread roll. I filled it with red pesto, strips of buffalo mozzarella and sliced tomatoes. Then, topped it with fresh basil, balsamic glaze, salt flakes and mixed pepper. I came up with this recipe years ago after a night out when these were the only ingredients I had at home. I still love making this from time to time!
- Chocolate Coconut Brownies. My own recipe, still under development, nearly perfect. For this party, I added mini Smarties to some of them to make them look a bit more festive.
- Butter Croissants. I bought frozen croissants from Rewe to save time, but honestly I regretted it. They didn’t have that specific crunchy and flakiness croissants usually have. Next time I would probably get again the Delifrance Croissants at Frischeparadies.
- Lemon Cake. Another recipe I’m working on. Still in testing, but we are getting there.
- Sticky Rice Mango Dessert (Vegan). A last minute recipe after I found out my friends vegan girlfriend was joining as well. It is inspired by the Thai Mango Sticky Rice I learned to make in Thailand, but I served it cold. I cooked the rice with coconut milk, then later on added sugar and vanilla, then added it to a glass and topped it with mango purée, mango cubes, caramelized sesame seeds and crushed and whole Lotus cookies.
- Poffertjes. I am Dutch and I love introducing my friends to the food culture I grew up with. Poffertjes are tiny, fluffy pancakes. In the Netherlands, we serve them with butter and powdered sugar, but for this brunch I served them with powdered sugar, berries and agave syrup. I used my own Poffertjes recipe.
I prepped most of the food the evening before (Chocolate Brownies, Lemon Cake, Sticky Rice with Mango and the Empanada filling) but baked the pastries (Croissants, Laugenstange, Empanada) fresh on the morning of the party. Nothing better than freshly baked pastries.
Half an hour before the event I started to add all the food to the table. I left some pastries in the oven (turned off) and in the fridge, so I would be able to add more later during the morning.
Drinks
I wanted the drink menu to feel like a real café, so I offered a mix of hot and cold options. Friends could choose between cow milk, oat milk and coconut milk. Additionally, I had decaf available.
Hot Drinks
- Cappuccino. Espresso, with hot milk foam
- Americano. Espresso with hot water
- Espresso. Strong shot of coffee.
- Latte Macchiato. Espresso shot with a lot of hot milk and foam
- Babycino. Frothed milk with cinnamon, served with a tiny spoon. I like to make this for my tiny friends and usually serve it in an espresso cup.
Cold Drinks
- Mango Matcha. Blended frozen mango, ice cubes, matcha and topped with frothed coconut milk.
- Iced Vanilla Cappuccino. Sugar-free vanilla syrup, cooled espresso and frothed milk, served on ice cubes.
- Homemade Lemon Iced Tea. Cooled Sweetened Lemon Tea, served on ice with lemon slices. Love making this as it’s budget friendly and I don’t have to carry a lot of heavy bottles back home from the supermarket. Click here for the recipe.
- Pear Schorle. Half pear juice and half sparkling water. I used juice with low sugar and carbonated the water myself with my Aarke machine. Schorle is a popular German drink made by mixing juice or wine with sparkling water. I used the German word Schorle on the menu as it’s well-known here in Berlin.
I used Lavazza Decaf Intenso for the first time and can highly recommend it. For the milk, I used my friend’s Nespresso Milk foamer as my own Milk foamer broke a few weeks ago. But one of my friends got informed about this, and gifted me a new one! <3
Grocery Shopping
My tip: make a shopping list based on all recipes you decided to make. I always plan the menu first, count how many people and snacks I need, and then write per recipe what I need. Then, I go to my kitchen cabinet and cross off what I have already. After that, I go to the supermarket to get the rest. In that way you avoid buying doubles and save money.
I bought most of the groceries at Lidl because I really like the quality and prices. Their selection of basics is great and it is where I get most of my everyday ingredients. However, Lidl doesn’t always have everything I need, so I went to another store for a few extra items like coconut milk and other specialty ingredients.
Music
It was hard to hear, but there was some music in the background, hihi. I was doubting between a “2000s slow hits” playlist and a “Come Wander with Me Radio” lists and chose the 2000s.
I will list both below, so you can pick the one you like the most:
The Recap
My tiny 3-cup Bialetti worked non stop for hours. A total of 22 young and old friends came by to celebrate my Birthday. The Tuna Empanadas and Caprese Laugenstange disappeared fast. The only disappointment were the croissants from Rewe, but I will get other ones next time.
It felt warm, cozy and stress free. It was exactly what I hoped it would be. I loved pretending to be a cafe owner for a day, making pastries and serving coffees like a real barista. The tiny friends entertained themselves by jumping from the window sill into my bed. The older ones chilled on the floor and couch and some of them also jumped on the bed. It was a bit chaotic in my tiny apartment but it was a wonderful day. I feel loved and grateful to be surrounded by wonderful people.
Let me know if you have any questions. Feel free to DM me on Instagram in case you have questions. Or leave your question below.
Until next post!
