Baking Monster

New Blog head on over to www.butteraneggs.wordpress.com

2011-05-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

New Blog head on over to http://www.butteraneggs.wordpress.com/
I'm trying to figure out how to redirect you but for now just click on the link. Baking Monster was great but it was time for a change. Thanks for supporting me through the years!

Strawberry Lemon Layer Cake

2011-03-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

I have been in a funk. A baking funk that is. I love to bake and most of the time I have a long list of items I want to try and make. Recently though I felt so pressured to bake what other people wanted that I wasn't baking for my own enjoyment anymore. When it comes to paid orders I'm obviously completely happy baking what the customer wants and I'm also happy doing that when it's not a paid order, but recently it has become too much of what everyone else wants. I want to experiment with weird ingredients, new baking equipment, and challenging recipes. What everyone else wants seems to being boring traditional recipes. The other day I was out to lunch and ordered a strawberry lemonade and I thought to myself "what if I made a cake this flavor?". So I set out to do it, and I made one heck of a cake. I may be getting out of the funk.

Cake
2 C A.P. Flour
1 1/2 C sugar
3 1/2 tsp. B.P.
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or shortening
1 C milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
2 tsp lemon zest
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour baking two 9" or 8" round pans. Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. Blend 1/2 minute on low speed. Scrape down sides. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool. Once cooled slice each cake in half. Put the first piece of cake on a round 9" or 8" cake board. Fill a pastry bag with a medium sized tip with some frosting. Pipe around the edge the edge of the cake. Then fill with lemon curd. Then repeat for the next two layers. Then put the last piece on top. Do a crumb coat and then put the cake in the fridge for 15 minutes. Then take out and put final frosting layer on and decorate.

Lemon Curd:
3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions:
Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.
Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.
Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.
Strawberry Frosting:
2 C butter room temp
6 C confectioner sugar
2/3 C seedless strawberry jam
Directions:
In a mixer beat the butter and sugar together. Once combined at the jam and beat until combined.

Cream Cheese Swirled Brownies

2011-03-06T14:57:00.000-08:00

Since I bake so much, I usually send the majority of baked goods either with my dad to work or sometime with my mum. Recently though I have started baking for my book group that comes over to my house. It's really fun to bake new things for a new group of people. I had a whole towering plate of these and thought that I would have too many left over but to my surprise there were only two left. I think those two were eaten by my dad that night. The light bit of cream cheese swirled into the dark chocolate cake bites was a terrific combination.
Brownie Ingredients:

1/2 cup, 2 Tbls cocoa powder
1/2 cup, 2 Tbls flour
6 oz butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Topping:

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Sift together cocoa powder and the flour. Melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Add the eggs, 2 at a time stirring after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan. In a mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and cinnamon. Drop dollops of the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownies. Using dull knife swirl the cream cheese mixture in. Bake for 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Enjoy.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns

2011-02-27T14:10:00.000-08:00

I pushed my foot against the gas pedal ever so lightly as the car rolled slowly over the gravel road. I brought my foot off the gas pedal when we were greeted by a group of cows lazily walking on the road, every now and then chewing on some near by weeds. We continued on to the top of the hill. My best friend since childhood and I wanted to go somewhere that we could discuss photography and she had the perfect place in mind. Since it's winter it had rained the last few days, but that day was sunny and warm. We parked the car on the side of the road and walked to the edge of the hill. We were met with a scene of rolling green hills, old farms in the distance, the cows we passed on the way up, and glittering sun looking down on us. We lingered around for awhile talking about photography and other daily activities. We weren't worried about what else was going on, we just focused on the view and simple things discussed. These are the moments I live for, truly enjoying the little things. I'm constantly thinking about how grateful for having the family and friends I have and where I have gotten to grow up. These breakfast buns are one of those little things I'm grateful for. Snuggling up with good book, a bun and some hot tea on a rainy day; something I think I have lacked in my busy life these days. The cream cheese makes these buns awesome, so moist and the little bit of strawberry flavor is great addition. I would suggest putting it into regular muffin pans because these were a bit to big to my liking, but great for sharing with a friend.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns adapted from here
Bun1 3/4 a.p. flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (one 8 oz package)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping1/2 cup strawberry preserves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour 9 bun pans or large muffin cups.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar until smooth about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the dry ingredients in two parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Spoon the batter into the bun pans or muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 full. Drop 3 small dollops of strawberry preserves into the batter, forming a decorative batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the bun comes out clean. Serve once cooled.

Bakerella and Cupcakes

2011-02-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

Today I finally got to meet Bakerella! It was rather rainy in the city today and I got to the book store a bit too early; so I walked around in the rain and went into some scrumptious bakeries. Once it was time for the signing I was second in line, which was exciting in itself. I met the lovely Armi who was first in line. Luckily we didn't have to wait to long. When Bakerella came into the Store, I started to shake I was so excited, it's safe to say I was star struck. Once I sat down to get my picture taken with her I calmed down. When I was handing her my book she said "You're BakingMonster." I was so shocked she knew who I was, that alone made me start to shake again. She was so nice and I'm glad I finally got to meet her! After I said goodbye I ran into Starbucks where my parents were. Man do I feel bad for the people sitting there. A slurry of words came tumbling out of my mouth as I told my parents each and every detail. I still have not calmed down yet from meeting her.

Above is Chronicle Books where the signing took place. All the employees were so nice.

After the signing I went into American Cupcake to snap some photos. Above are all the cupcakes. Some flavors were cotton candy, butterscotch, bubble gum and pixie stick.

The awesome decor.

The menu, yes they had a cotton candy machine there!

The bar where they had candy themed cocktails and did wine pairings with the cupcakes!

Lastly above is a Carmel Macron from La Boulange Bakery. I have never had a macron that was so good. It has a soft Carmel center. The shell was crunchy and then feathery on the inside with bits of toffee on top.
It was an awesome day and on the way home I met Bubba Paris an ex 49ers player!

Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Mascarpone Tart

2011-02-14T17:53:00.000-08:00

Today is the 2 year anniversary of this blog. I started it my senior year of high school. I made this Lemon Cake. It's very interesting to go back and look at how the blog has changed through the months and years. If you look at that lemon cake post you can see how horrible my photography was then, not that mine is at it's best now either but my point is we learn from our mistakes. I have learned lot of different things through the blogging world that I had no idea about when I first started. The reason I love blogging even if it's just about baking you're able to go through the pages of posts and see what was going on in your life at the time and how your baking has changed. I'm very grateful for all the great people who follow my blog and the great bloggers that have taught me so much. I made this Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Mascarpone tart because it is full of all the flavors I love. It's really simple to make and it's the perfect dessert after a big Sunday dinner.

Ingredients for Filling:
250g mascarpone
1 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 small container of blueberries
icing (confectioner’s) sugar, for dusting
sweet shortcrust pastry:
1½ cups plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
4 oz cold butter, chopped
½ cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon iced water
To make the pastry, place the flour, butter and icing sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process in short bursts until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. While the motor is running, add the egg yolk and vanilla. Add the iced water and process until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and bring together to form a ball. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to (350ºF). Roll the pastry out between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper to 3mm thick. Line a lightly greased 12 inch loose-bottomed round tart tin with the pastry. Trim the edges and prick the base with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line the pastry case with non-stick baking paper, fill with baking weights or rice and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and the weights and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool. While the tart is baking, make the filling. Place the mascarpone, lemon and icing sugar in a bowl and mix well to combine. Spread onto the base of the cooled tart shell, top with the blueberries and dust with icing sugar to serve. Serves 8–10.

Penuche Cake

2011-02-08T17:25:00.000-08:00

Penuche Cake, Brown Sugar Cake, Starlight cake; many different names for a very simple cake. Growing up this was the birthday cake all my cousins and I got on our birthdays from our Grandma. There are 12 of us so it makes sense that she would make a simple cake. This cake is like wine it gets better with aging. The not so sweet cake gets a sweet caramel taste after a few days of sitting. The Penuche frosting is simply a brown sugar frosting smeared quickly inside the cake and then poured on top of the cake quickly pushed around to perfection before the frosting hardens. The cake not being too sweet is perfect since the frosting is like eating a hunk of brown sugar fudge. This cake is great when you have little time, ingredients and money. Whenever I bite into a slice a swarm of memories take over my mind as the cake and frosting melt into a sweet harmony of flavor.

Penuche Cake
2 C A.P. Flour
1 1/2 C sugar
3 1/2 tsp. B.P.
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or shortening
1 C milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour baking two 8" round pans. Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. Blend 1/2 minute on low speed. Scrape down sides. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool.

Penuche
3/4 C butter
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C 2Tbs. Milk
3 C Powderered Sugar
Directions:
Melt butter in a pot stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Stir over low heat for 2 minutes, stir in milk, and reheat to boiling. Then remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in powdered sugar, beat until spreading consistency. Then 1/4 of the frosting on top the first layer, then put second layer on and frost the rest of the cake quickly.

Blueberry Fianciers

2011-02-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

Whenever I go into a french bakery I always have to try one of their Fianciers. These little cakeletts are great with tea for dipping and these blueberries one in particular are great. The blueberries give it a sweet floral kind of smell and adds just the right amount of sweetness to the cake.
Blueberry Fianciers
½ cup + ½ tablespoon all purpose flour, sifted
1 ½ cup icing sugar, sifted
1 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
4 egg whites
180g unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 C blueberries
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter ten ½ cup (120ml) capacity fluted pans.
Place the flour, icing sugar and almond meal in a bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the center, add the egg whites, butter and vanilla and stir well to combine. Add the blueberries and mix well. Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake for 10-20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Allow to cool in the pans for 5 minutes then carefully unmold onto a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar before serving, if desired.

Lemon Mousse Eclairs

2011-01-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

The new semester has started and it's a really strange feeling. The weather has been like summer non stop. I drive with the windows down, I have been to the beach multiple times to tan, I feel like I'm in summer session. The idea that there are four months ahead of me is scary to think of. While I soak up the sun, I'm going to bake like it's summer. I made these petite Eclairs with a Lemon Mousse filling. Since the mousse was so rich, the size made these perfect. When my mum started describing them to some people at work they requested she bring some in, they were delighted to say the least.

Pate a choux

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
Directions
1.Bring butter, sugar, salt, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides and a film forms on bottom of pan, about 3 minutes.
2.Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Raise speed to medium; add whole eggs, 1 at a time, until a soft peak forms when batter is touched with your finger. If peak does not form, lightly beat remaining egg white, and mix it into batter a little at a time until it does.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Transfer pate a choux to a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip and pipe out the eclairs. Put in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

For the Lemon mousse:

1 1/2 teaspoons gelatin
1 tablespoon cold water
1 cup whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped (throw the seeds in the pot with the milk)
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup lemon curd
1 cup heavy cream
In a ramekin, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand until you prepare the cream. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, egg and egg yolk together, add the cornstarch mixing until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.
Meanwhile in a saucepan combine the milk and vanilla bean on medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling, (pour through a strainer if this happens). Remove vanilla bean. Place the egg mixture back into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Add the curd, cook another 30 seconds and remove from the heat. Immediately add in the gelatin and stir until completely dissolved. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream so that it does not develop a skin as it cools to room temperature.
Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form and gently fold it into the pastry cream. With pastry tip poke holes in the side of each cooled eclair. Then put pastry cream in pastry bag and pipe into eclairs. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Eggnog Muffins

2011-01-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

After the holidays we had a lot of leftover eggnog. It's so rich that I can hardly drink any, but it's tradition to get it. I loved these muffins because have these were baked the whole house smelled like Eggnog. Of course I added cinnamon chips to these which was the perfect touch.
For the muffins:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
2 large eggs
¾ cup eggnog
5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups cinnamon chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line 14-16 muffin cups with paper liners. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir to combine. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, eggs, eggnog, melted butter and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Toss the cinnamon chips in, and fold into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin liners, filling them about two thirds of the way full.
Bake for about 18-22 minutes, or a until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Boysenberry Mousse Tarts

2011-01-09T21:53:00.001-08:00

San Francisco is now fully being hit by winter. It's been incredibly icy(well maybe not compared to New York) and I haven't seen the sun in days. I'm already wanting to bake with summer fruits but there's not too much in the markets. I found this recipe on Tartlette which is one of my favorite blogs. It was a recipe for raspberry mousse using raspberry jam,which gave me the idea to use different kinds of jams. This recipe will be one I will use until summer fruits come around, so that I can feel like I'm eating a berry tart on a summer day. When I took my first bite of the mousse tart I felt like it was from a Patisserie in France. It was so luscious and light.

Boysenberry Mousse Tarts Makes six 3-inch tarts.
For the sable crust:
1 stick butter butter, at room temperature
¼ cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 to 2 tablespoons of cream, optional
1/2 cup boysenberry jam
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping the bottom and side of the bowl in between each addition. Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just starts to come together. If the dough seems too crumbly, add some cream, one tablespoon at a time. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it a little to a small disk and wrap it well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate one hour before using.
Preheat oven to 350F. Flour your work area well and start rolling the dough from the center out, lifting it from the work area every 2-3 times you roll over it. Do not be afraid to flour the work area well as you feel the dough getting warmer and softer.
Cut out six 4 inch rounds and fit them inside six 3 inch tartlet molds pastry dough inside them, patting the dough in with your fingertips if needed. Place a small piece of parchment paper inside the tart shells, fill with beans or pie weights and blind bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and remove the shells from the rings. Divide the boysenberry jam evenly among the tart shells.

For the Boysenberry cream mousse:
1 1/2 teaspoons gelatin
1 tablespoon cold water
1 cup whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped (throw the seeds in the pot with the milk)
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup raspberry jam
1 cup heavy cream
In a ramekin, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand until you prepare the cream. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, egg and egg yolk together, add the cornstarch mixing until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.
Meanwhile in a saucepan combine the milk and vanilla bean on medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling, (pour through a strainer if this happens). Remove vanilla bean. Place the egg mixture back into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Add the jam, cook another 30 seconds and remove from the heat. Immediately add in the gelatin and stir until completely dissolved. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream so that it does not develop a skin as it cools to room temperature.
Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form and gently fold it into the pastry cream. Pipe or spoon the mousse immediately in the cake rings.

Poppy Seed Challah for the New Year

2010-12-31T11:36:00.000-08:00

I remember one new years eve I got up at about five in the morning. I was maybe 12 years old. I quietly took out all the ingredients to make Challah. I gingerly kneaded the dough, and then as if it were a new born baby I wrapped the dough in a towel and let it rest. By that point my parents had woken up and we all went for a walk. The thick morning mist lingered around us as we took in the last day of the year, before everyone woke up.

When we entered our house the warmth of the heater quickly welcomed us in. I braided the bread as if it were my only job, and then gently put it in the oven for it to bake. It was the first yeasted bread I had done on my own. I put so much time into it, only focusing on the task at hand. I think that's something we forget how to do. In such a fast paced world it's hard sometimes to focus; but what I find and experience when I focus on one thing at a time is delightful; and when I'm baking something a whole lot more delicious. Putting Challah it the circular shape is done for the New Year, and the long braided look is done all year long.
I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and that it would bring a fresh start for you! Some things to think about this New Years: 3 things you accomplished this year! 3 things you would like to accomplish next year!

Time: about 1 hour, plus 2 1/2 hours’ rising

Yield: 2 loaves(I ended up with two large loaves and one mini loaf)
1 1/2 packages active dry yeast (1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon salt
8 to 8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling.
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.
2. Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading, but be careful if using a standard size KitchenAid–it’s a bit much for it, though it can be done.)
3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
4. At this point, you can knead the raisins into the challah, if you’re using them, before forming the loaves. To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.
5. Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.
6. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. Sprinkle bread with seeds, if using. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.
7. Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool loaves on a rack.

Marshmallows

2010-12-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

These had been on my list for so long, but I never had the time or so I thought. It turns out that homemade marshmallows are rather easy to make. I will never eat store bought marshmallows again, I'm spoiled now. These are fluffy, soft and the perfect sweetness. I packaged these up and handed them out to neighbors for Christmas gifts. I want to try a more exotic flavor next time.

Marshmallows via Alton Brown

1/4 c (40 g) confectioners' sugar
1/4 c (30 g) cornstarch
Nonstick spray
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 c (237 ml) ice cold water, divided
1 1/2 c (298 g) granulated sugar
1 c (237 ml) light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Combine the confectioner's sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside. Spray a 9" x 13" pan with nonstick spray, and pour in the sugar/cornstarch mixture. Tip the pan to coat all sides, then reserve the excess in a small bowl.

Place the gelatin in the bowl of a stand mixer and add 1/2 c of the water. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Refrain from stirring the pot; simply swirl it to distribute the granules. Uncover after the sugar has dissolved, and put a candy thermometer into the pot. Continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the gelatin, being careful not to hit the beater or the bowl. Once all of the syrup has been added, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping.
When ready, pour into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula to spread. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover and reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit, uncovered, for at least 4 hours and up to overnight to set.
Turn the marshmallows onto a cutting board and cut into desired shapes, using a greased knife or pizza wheel. Dust all cut sides with the remaining sugar mixture, and store in a covered container until ready to use.

Cinful Cookies

2010-12-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

Yes you read it right, these are Cinful Cookies. I gave them that name because the cookies are full of cinnamon chips, cinnamon, and pecans. The cookies are full of Cinnamon and they are delicious. These are going to be the new non-chocolate, chocolate chip cookies in our house.

Cinful Cookies

(4 ½oz) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (4oz) granulated sugar
¼ cup (1 ½oz) light brown sugar
1 egg
1 ¼ cups (6 ½oz) all purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup pecan nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat the oven to 350ºF; line two large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper. Place the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat well. Fold through the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans and cinnamon chips – dough will be very stiff. With a ice cream scoop put dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches (5cm) apart – cookies won’t spread much.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer cookies to wire racks.

Sweetened condensed milk cake

2010-12-09T01:17:00.000-08:00

I feel like I'm in the trenches. School has been insane, I haven't gone to bed before 2:30am and haven't woken up later then 7am. I'm running off of Starbucks and just pure motivation. I live in the library at school and my head feels like it's about to explode. It didn't help that I got two hideous colds in a row putting me on the nebulizer machine. With all of this going on I haven't enjoyed the holidays or gotten to bake much at all. I found though tonight I had a little break, my finals are next week and I have all my study guides done and papers done so I figured I would bake something. I was organizing the pantry and I found that we had cans and cans of sweetened condensed milk, and that's because every time I go to the store I buy some. I'm not sure why because I never use it. As I was browsing through one of my favorite blogs I found this recipe. I was so excited, I would get to use the milk and it was simple, and that's what I need right now is simplicity. The cake is sweet and perfect with tea.

Sweetened condensed milk cake

adapted from Technicolor Kitchen

1 can (395g) sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
1 C all purpose flour
½ tablespoon baking powder
4 Tb. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350ºF; generously butter a (9in) ring cake pan or bundt pan.
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until risen and a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before unmolding.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Soft Dinner Rolls

2010-11-16T22:58:00.000-08:00

The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving I have been testing out different recipes for dinner rolls, patiently waiting for the thumbs up from family. Finally I found it, these are soft and chewy and with a little salt on top they are perfect. The secret to these soft rolls is that there are instant potato flakes in them which makes them extra soft.

Soft Dinner Rolls

makes about 12

1 1/4 cups water, heated to 110 degrees

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T sugar

1 envelope (2 1/4 t) instant yeast

3 C A.P. flour

1/2 C instant potato flakes

1 1/2 t salt

1 egg lightly beaten

1. Warm oven to 200 degrees, when it reaches 200 degrees turn it off. Line sheet pan with parchment paper. Oil a large bowl.

2. Whisk water, oil, sugar, and yeast in a liquid measuring cup until the yeast is dissolved. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook mix flour, potato flakes and salt. With the mixer on low add the water mixture in a steady stream until the dough comes together. Increase speed and knead for about 6 minutes, until the dough comes away from the walls of the bowl.

3. Knead on a floured work surface to mold it into a cohesive ball. Put in oil bowl and cover it with oil on all sides. Put plastic wrap on top and put in the turned off oven for 45 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

4. Punch dough down on a lightly floured work surface. Divide into quarters and divide those into 3 pieces each. On a clean surface, make a rough ball with a chunk of dough by pinching and pulling the sides down so the top is smooth. Then cup each round with your palm and move in a circular motion on the unfloured work surface to shape a smooth ball. Transfer the rolls to the prepared pan and cover with plastic wrap. Put back in the turned off oven for another 20 minutes.

5. Remove rolls from oven and remove plastic wrap. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush rolls with egg and sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and then serve.

Mini Pumpkin Pies

2010-11-14T10:56:00.001-08:00

I made Mini Pumpkin Pies but this recipe is traditionally for three large pies. It's the recipe my dad uses every year but he adds more spices to it. It's really delicious and perfect when you make them smaller.

1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust or small tart pans.
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can Pure Pumpkin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can Evaporated Milk
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2.Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.
3.Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies

2010-11-12T17:12:00.000-08:00

I'm not to sure why these are called Blondie's, because Blondie's are usually firmer; but heck if you want another excuse to bake with pumpkin these are perfect. Really moist little cake squares.

Pumpkin Blondie's via The Girl Who Ate Everything
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Stir together and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined. Mix in the pumpkin puree. With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Fold in the white chocolate and butterscotch chips (and pecans, if using) with a rubber spatula.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs, about 35-40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting.
To serve, lift the cake from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Peel off the foil and using a sharp knife, cut into 24 squares.

Classic Brownies

2010-11-10T16:36:00.001-08:00

These are the classic brownies I make, and in my opinion are the best. I say in my opinioun because I know how people have different prefences when it comes to brownies, and these are my personel prefence. Moist, fluffy, rich brownies. The guys at my dad's work always request these, and they can never get enough of them. They have this candy jar filled with a assortment of candys and nobody every eats the m&ms, so whenever it's just the m&ms leftover they send them home with my dad, and I then make these brownies and put the m&ms ontop. When I don't have time to experiement or think of something new to bring to a gathering I always go for these and everyone loves them.
Brownie Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups flour
12 oz butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Sift together cocoa powder and the flour. Melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Add the eggs, 2 at a time stirring after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

2010-11-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

I made these cupcakes for one of the world series games and they were a huge hit, and the Giants won!! I got this recipe from Martha Stewart.
Makes 22
1 sugar pumpkin, (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and seeded
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree, or canned pumpkin puree
1 cup pecans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
Cream Cheese Frosting Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with paper liners. Grate pumpkin in a food processor or on the large holes of a box grater (you should have about 2 1/2 cups). Transfer to a medium bowl, and add pumpkin puree and pecans.
2.In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves; pulse to combine. With machine running, add oil and eggs; process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add pumpkin mixture; pulse to combine.
3.Spoon about 1/3 cup batter into each cupcake liner. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
5.Decorate cupcakes with frosting

Pumpkin Milk Shake

2010-11-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Milkshake via Our Best Bites (I changed a little bit)
1/3 C pumpkin, canned or homemade
1/4 - 1/2 C milk
1/4 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t allspice
1/4 t nutmeg
2 C vanilla ice cream
Put everything in blender and blend. Pour in cup and put whipped cream and cinnamon on top!Enjoy!

Apple Hill

2010-11-04T14:52:00.001-07:00

Every October since I was about 9 years old my family and I have been going to Apple Hill. It's a bunch of Apple orchard farms located in Camino Ca. Near Halloween there are Halloween festivities for kids,craft fairs, hot cider tastings, apple picking, everything and everything apple baked goods.

Our favorite places to go are Grandpa's Cellar for their Delicious baked goods, Rainbow Orchards for there hot fresh cinnamon apple doughnuts and fresh Apple Cider in mini milk jugs. We also do most of our Apple Picking at Bolster's Hilltop ranch, which connects through a nature trail to Apple Ridge farm where theres a petting zoo,BBQ shop, and a awesome pie shop with frozen pies to bring home.

I'm sorry that I'm cruel and I stuck the two pig pictures together. It is not the same pig. I just thought it was awesome that they roast a whole pig daily.

I loved the petting zoo even if it was for the children. They also have pony rides and face painting.

Lots of different kinds of Apples for you to pick yourself or to buy in boxes at a warehouse store. I think we bought a box of 40 pounds of apples for. Also plenty of gourds I wanted to take them all home. Also there are Christmas tree farms up there so you can also go at Christmas time. Year round they also have wine tasting, so there's something there for everyone. When and if you go; go to Rainbow orchards and get their donates, they are the best ever!

Petri Dish Goodies

2010-10-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

This is a last minute treat you can do today to have out at your halloween party. It's so simple. My mum had that big work party she went to and a lady who works in the lab made these little treat, there reallly something!!

What you need:
Jello
Gummy bugs
Petri Dishes

All you need to do is pour some jello in the petri dishes and stick the gummy bugs into it and put in the fridge. Then serve when firm.

Marble Witch Hat Cupcakes

2010-10-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

I have hardly felt like it is Halloween yet, school has loaded me up with so many midterms and papers I haven't had much time to think about much else. I thought for Halloween I would get a break but no the day after Halloween I have two exams and a paper due, terrific! Just because I have a lot of school work though doesn't mean I haven't been baking; my mums work is having a really big Halloween party today so I made these witch hat cupcakes and a few other goodies. I got this idea from two really awesome blogs Back to the Cutting Board and Whisk Kid. Right now everything I have been baking has not just been pumpkin because of the season but the Giants are in the world series!!! Everywhere you look around here people are wearing black and orange it's really been fun!
Chocolate-Pumpkin Marble Cupcakes Adapted from Back to The Cutting Board
Ingredients

Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened*
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 cups cake flour, divided
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. baking powder, divided
1 tsp. salt, divided
3/4 cup Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa
1 1/3 cup regular or low-fat buttermilk, divided

Process
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Put 24 cupcake wrappers in the cupcake pans.
Meanwhile, in a large mixer bowl cream butter until light. Add both sugars in a steady stream and mix on medium for about 5 minutes.

Add eggs, one at time, mixing well after each. Add in vanilla.

Transfer half of the mixture into another large bowl (another mixer bowl would be helpful, but any large bowl will work). Set aside.

Add pumpkin to the first bowl. Mix well.

In a smaller bowl combine 1 3/4 cup flour, pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt.
Add half of the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Mix in 1/3 cup buttermilk. Then add the remaining flour and mix until combined. Set aside.
In the smaller bowl combine 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup cocoa, 1 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt.
Add half of the flour/cocoa mixture to the other large bowl and mix well with a whisk or your mixer. Mix in 1 cup of buttermilk. Then add the remaining flour and mix until combined.
Spoon about a tablespoon of pumpkin in each cupcake liner, then a tablespoon of chocolate batter, then another tablespoon on pumpkin. Using a toothpick swirl the layers together.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes.
Then Frost with Cream Cheese frosting.
Witch Hats via Whisk Kid
Chocolate kisses
Chocolate coins
Red royal icing

Pipe a thick line of icing around the bottom of a chocolate kiss. Press firmly onto the center of a chocolate coin so the icing spreads around the kiss to hold it in place. Stick on top of Cupcakes and enjoy!

Apple Pancakes

2010-10-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to Apple Hill with my family. We have been going since I was about 10 and it's my favorite part of fall. I will do a whole post on it later. So while we were there we bought over 40 pounds of apples because their so cheap their, and so I have been baking apple desserts like a mad women. I made these Apple pancakes for my parents with a Apple cinnamon syrup we bought there to go on top. They were delicious.

Apple Pancakes via Smitten Kitchen2 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups of milk or yogurt (I used milk and am only assuming that the yogurt will work as well)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 medium apples, peeled and coarsely grated (I used yellow delicious, but will use a more tart variety next time)
Extra flavorings (see recipe notes)
Vegetable oil, for frying
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

1. Mix the eggs with the milk or yogurt in a large bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together.
3. Combine the wet and the dry ingredients and stir in the apples and whatever other flavorings you see fit.
4. Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over low to medium heat. Drop large spoonful of batter into the pan and flatten it out a little (otherwise, you might have trouble getting them to cook in the center) and cook until golden brown underneath. Flip the pancakes and cook them for an additional two or three minutes.
5. Either dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately, or keep on a tray in a warmed oven until you are ready to serve them.

Cream Puffs

2010-10-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

About month ago I did a dessert table for a party and on that dessert table was cream puffs. I love this recipe more then any that I have tried. It's really nice because the tart dough adds a nice crunch to the other wise soft texture. I made them bite size which is great because these are really rich.
Pate a choux
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, plus 1 large egg white
Directions
1.Bring butter, sugar, salt, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides and a film forms on bottom of pan, about 3 minutes.
2.Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Raise speed to medium; add whole eggs, 1 at a time, until a soft peak forms when batter is touched with your finger. If peak does not form, lightly beat remaining egg white, and mix it into batter a little at a time until it does.
Tart Dough
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons heavy cream
Directions
1.Put butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks, and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup flour, and mix just until flour is incorporated. Add remaining 3/4 cup flour, the salt, and cream; mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
2.Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Pastry Cream
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Directions
1.Bring milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2.Whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Whisking, slowly pour about 1/2 cup of hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. Slowly add remaining milk mixture until incorporated. Pour mixture back into the saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat, whisking, until it begins to bubble in center and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; discard vanilla bean.
3.Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add butter; beat on medium speed until butter has melted and mixture has cooled, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Just before using, beat on low speed or whisk by hand until smooth.

Directions
1.Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or with nonstick baking mats, such as Silpats. Dip a 2-inch round cookie cutter in flour, and mark circles 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Transfer pate a choux to a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip and pipe puffs to fit in flour circles. Smooth peaks with a moistened finger, rounding tops to ensure even rising. Freeze pastry puffs on baking sheets until firm, about 30 minutes.
2.Meanwhile, sprinkle a clean work surface with 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and place tart dough on top of sugar, patting it into a round. Sprinkle another 1/2 cup sugar over dough, and roll to a scant 1/8-inch thick, coating both sides of dough with the sugar to keep it from sticking. Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out 36 rounds, and place a round on top of each frozen puff. Return to freezer until firm, at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds.
3.Bake puffs until pale golden brown all over, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheets on wire racks. Puffs can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature overnight.
4.Put heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Whisk the pastry cream to soften. Working in 2 batches, fold whipped cream into pastry cream. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Insert tip into bottom of each puff, and fill. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cream puffs are best eaten within a few hours; refrigerate in an airtight container.

Turtle Cake

2010-10-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

The month of October is filled with birthday's in my family, so there are lots of gifts to get and lots of party's to be attended, but also many cakes to be made. A few weeks ago was my fathers birthday and he loves chocolate and those turtle Candy's so I knew this would be the perfect cake. I ended up making two for his birthday weekend because we had two separate parties and although it's a large cake we really didn't have much left over.

Ingredients:
1 C heavy cream
6 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped
2 T. light corn syrup
1 pound soft caramel Candy's(if you buy soft caramels go with Kraft I did experimenting and Kraft worked the best)
1/8 tsp. salt
3 (8 inch) chocolate cake rounds (the recipe i have only makes two rounds so you will have to make 1 1/2 of the recipe in the link.)
Directions:
For the icing:In medium saucepan, cook 1/2 C heavy cream, chocolate, and corn syrup over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until smooth. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and refrigerate mixture overnight until set. Let sit at room temperature until softened and spreadable, about 1 hour.)
For the caramel:Finely chop 1 1/2 cups pecans. Heat caramels, remaining cream, and salt in saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until smooth. Reserve 3/4 C caramel mixture topping. Stir chopped pecans into the remaining caramel mixture.
To assemble: Place 1 cake layer on cake serving platter. Spread half of pecan-caramel mixture in even layer over top, leaving 1/2- inch border around edge. Place second layer on top and repeat with remaining caramel pecan mixture. Top with third cake layer. Spread chocolate icing over top and sides of cake and refrigerate until set about 30 minutes. Spread reserved caramel mixture over the top of cake, allowing caramel to drip over sides. Decorate with remaining pecans. Slice and serve!

Pumpkin Scones with Cinnamon Drizzle

2010-10-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

School has taken over my life, it's made it rather difficult to bake, but with fall in the air, pumpkin patches setting up I had to bake something with pumpkin. This morning it was just me and my mum in the house it was chilly so we went to Starbucks and I got a pumpkin spice chai latte and she had tea, we came back home, snuggled up with our tea and talked. That's when a pumpkin scone came to mind. I got to work right away, I gently mixed the dough, rolled it out and cut it. A few minutes after putting the triangles in the oven a sweet pumpkin aroma filled the house. Then when they were cooled I drizzled a cinnamon frosting on top, the perfect combination.
2 C. Flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. ground ginger
6 T. unsalted butter
1/3 C. pumpkin puree
1/3 C. heavy cream
6 T. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Get out a baking sheet and line with parchment paper. Cut the butter into small pieces, put it in a small bowl and put it back in the refridgerator. In a medium bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, salt, and all spices. Whisk together well.
2. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk together well. Get the butter pieces out of the fridge and dump them into the bowl with the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins if you are using them.

3. Get the liquid mixture and pour into the flour mixture all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is just moistened. The dough will be very crumbly, this is the way it should be. Turn the mixture out onto the counter and push the pile together with your hands. It should stick together fairly well. Knead it just a couple of times until everything is together. Don’t knead it too much or the dough will get too sticky.
4. Pat the dough out into a rough circle, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut it like a pie into 8 pieces. Place pieces on the baking sheet so that they are not touching. Bake scones for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. They should be light brown on the bottom, the tops will darken as they cool.
5. Cinnamon Frosting:
1 C powdered sugar
2 T. milk
2 t. cinnamon
Mix above ingriedents and drizzle ontop of cooled scones.

Apple Sauce Cinnamon Chip Bread

2010-09-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

My family has obsession with Cinnamon chips, we always have them, it's basically our chocolate chips since my mum is allergic to chocolate. I decided to make this bread because we still have tons of homemade applesauce from all the apples we have had the past few weeks. It makes the bread very moist and yummy, best when it's warm.
Apple Sauce Cinnamon Chip Bread
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine (softened)
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups of flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup sweetened applesauce
1 cup cinnamon chips
The Process:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease a 9x6x3-inch loaf pan. (I think that’s just the standard size)
2. In a large bowl gradually add sugar into butter, cream until light. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients.
4. Combine half the dry mixture with the butter mixture. Then add in 1/2 cup of applesauce and combine. Repeat with remaining dry mixture and 1/2 cup of applesauce, mixing after each. Mix in cinnamon chips.
4. Pour into pan. Bake for about 1 hour. It’ll be a nice golden brown and a toothpick will come out clean. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.

Dessert Table How-To

2010-09-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

Over last weekend I did my first full blown event. Not just a cake but was fully in charge of everything that went on. It was stressful and demanding but it was so fun! To look at the smiling faces as people munch on my food and the compliments on the event felt awesome. I'm sure you have seen dessert tables popping up all over the place. Well I'm going to tell you how I did my first dessert table, and man is it easy.

First you gonna want to decide whats going to be on your dessert table. Then you figure out how to display these tasty treats. I have stocked on many different cake stands and serving platters during the last year so I had that covered for the baked goods but I then needed to find something to hold the candies. I found at target the above canisters between prices of $5-$8. It doesn't have to have a lid it can be any kind of vase, I just liked the lids because it kept the food fresh.

Then you need to choose a theme, or colors. I chose rainbow, which went with the theme of the party. It's really fun when you go for a certain color and only get candies in that color. The ribbon I found at a craft store for about $2. Then get some cute stationary paper that goes with your theme. Then I went on the computer and typed out what was going to be in each jar and printed it.

Cut out the words in a certain shape and cut out that same shape from the stationary slightly bigger then the printed word. Glue the word on the stationary using a hot glue gun. Then measure out the ribbon to fully fit around the jar. Glue the ribbon around the jar(don't worry glue will easily peel off for later use of the jar) and then glue the wording on the front of the jar on the ribbon.

Make sure to give your table some bounce by adding different levels. Put square cake pans where you like under your chosen table cloth and then put treats on however you would like, so there are levels.

Fill jars with candies, and place baked goods one various sized platters. That's how to make a basic dessert table but the possibilities are endless. Have Fun!

Apple Cinnamon Chip Muffins

2010-09-05T20:34:00.001-07:00

Adjusting back to regular life has been rather hard. I flew home the day before school started for me while the kids were still at camp enjoying their last week. On the plane ride home I thought to myself the kids are at the creek now and their eating grilled cheese now. Then as if I had been a daze for the whole flight I realized we had landed in Oakland and I was home. There was no way I could go back now. I slowly walked off the plane and entered the empty airport. As I walked down I saw behind a gate my parents, my mum waving at me like a mad women and my dad just smiling. As soon as I got close enough, my mum wrapped her arms around me like I had been gone an eternity but I really didn't mind. We got my luggage and drove home. When I got home both my sisters were there and my parents had made a feast. We talked,laughed and ate. That night I went to sleep in my bedroom that had four walls around it unlike the tent I slept in all summer that had no walls and I could look out at the stars at night. Then the next morning I woke up and went to class. That's when it really hit me that I wasn't at camp anymore, I had to wear normal clothes, put make up on and actually do something decent with my hair. But I quickly got in the swing of things, but everyday I thought about what everyone was doing. Now though camp is over, the kids are home, counselors are traveling, and the camp has been shut down. I think it was one of the best experiences and that if given the chance to do work at a summer camp one should take that opportunity in a heartbeat. I have fully gotten back into the swing of things and have been baking up a storm. A friend of my mum's has given us so many apples we don't know what to do. I have made so many things but my favorite thing so far are these muffins. The apple sauce that's in it make them really moist, and the cinnamon chips and crumble add the perfect sweetness.

Apple Cinnamon Chip Muffins
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups chopped apples
1 cup miniature cinnamon chips
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
Method
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla and applesauce. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Fold in the cinnamon chips. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
4. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.
5. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Lemon Bars

2010-08-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

I was having a BBQ before I left with all my friends home from college and decided upon making these because it just screams summer. These are a classic and very easy.
For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.
Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Classic Vanilla Cupcakes with Sri Lanka Buttercream

2010-08-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have been searching for just the right vanilla cake, and with the many different graduations and different church events I have gotten to experiment, and by far these are the best. The frosting that goes on top is a traditional easy Buttercream, and when my mum brought some cupcakes into work with this frosting, one of her coworkers said it reminded her of the frosting her mother use to make in Sri Lanka, so needless to say we call it Sri Lanka frosting now. It’s just very simple and delicious.
Vanilla Cupcakes:
3 C A.P. flour
2 ½ tsps. Baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
8 oz butter, room temp
1 ¾ C sugar
5 egg yolks at room temp
2 tsps. Vanilla extract
1 ½ C milk, room temp
5 egg whites
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 dozen cupcake pans with cupcake liners. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt together and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated, then add the vanilla. Gently add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix the batter gently until smooth. Whip the eggs white with the cream of tartar until they hold soft peaks. Fold the whites into the batter. Fold gently and thoroughly. Fill cupcake liners ¾ of the way full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and then frost.

Sri Lanka Frosting
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
Directions
In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Cinnamon Chip Blondies

2010-08-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

Since my mum can't have chocolate, I'm always trying to find a new treat for her to have. I made these just on a whim and she ended up liking them more then the snickerdoodle Blondie's.
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 lb. light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
11.5 ounce package cinnamon chips
1 cup chopped pecans
By mixer:
Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Combine butter and sugar using a mixer until blended.
Add eggs, one at a time to sugar mixture, mixing on low in between each addition.
Add vanilla and mix.
Add flour and mix until combined.
Stir in chips and then pecans.
By hand:
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
Stir brown sugar into softened (not melted) butter in another large bowl until butter disappears. You can use the back of your spoon to help incorporate the two together.
Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture and stir well after each egg.
Add vanilla, cinnamon chips and nuts. Mix well.
Add dry flour mixture and stir until well combined.
Coat a 13 X 9 pan with non-stick spray and spread batter evenly into dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake.

Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

2010-07-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Ever Since I stopped using cake mixes, which was when I was maybe 12, I have been looking for the perfect chocolate cake recipe. This one has satisfied what I was looking for. It's moist, light and just the right amount of chocolate. I have a feeling I'm going to start using this for any recipe that has chocolate cake involved.
Devil's Food Cake:
2 C A.P. flour (10 oz)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C cocoa powder
1/2 C warm water
4 oz butter, room temperature
1 C granulated sugar (7 oz)
1 C brown sugar
2 tsps. vanilla
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 C buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 C water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8 inch round cake pans or line 2 dozen cupcake cups. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a small bowl whisk together the cocoa powder and warm water until all the cocoa is dissolved. Set aside. In a bowl of a mixer beat butter and sugars until light fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs a beat until light and fluffy. Add the cocoa mixture until well combined. Combine milk and water then alternate between milk and flour starting and ending with flour. Spread the batter evenly in the pans or fill cups 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let Cool completely.
Vanilla Buttercream
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
Directions
In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Chocolate French Macarons with Peanut Butter Filling

2010-07-19T05:53:00.000-07:00

Since the first time I tried a French Macaroon at Bouchon Bakery I have been hooked. My first attempt was horrific so I didn't try again until I was in pastry class. With my instructor’s help I did it and now I can't stop. There are just so many different kinds that you can make. The key is to make sure you whip the egg whites to stiff peaks and to let the piped out cookies sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before putting them in the oven. Those were my mistakes.
Chocolate French Macaroons
1-1/4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1-1/2 cups (4 ounces) sliced almonds, finely ground, or almond flour
All purpose flour for dipping
3 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Sift confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl. Whisk in ground almonds; set aside. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats, and mark circles using a 1-1/2 inch cookie cutter dipped in flour.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy; add salt. Gradually add granulated sugar, a teaspoon at a time, until the whites reach medium-soft peaks. Transfer to a large bowl.
Sprinkle half of the sugar-almond mixture over the egg-white mixture. Using a large rubber spatula, fold until just incorporated. Add ¼ teaspoon vanilla and remaining sugar-along mixture, folding just until incorporated. Firmly tap the bottom of the bowl on a counter or work surface to eliminate any air pockets.
Transfer mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch plain tip. Pipe mixture into marked circles on prepared baking sheet.
Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until macaroons feel slightly firm to the touch and can be gently lifted off the parchment (the bottoms will be dry), 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer parchment and macaroons to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a small offset spatula, carefully remove macaroons from parchment. Make filling, below.

Peanut Butter Filling
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup confectioner’s sugar
¾ cup smooth peanut butter
3 Tablespoons heavy cream

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all ingredients. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Immediately, spread 2 teaspoons filling on the flat sides of half the macaroons; sandwich with the other halves, keeping flat sides down. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes, before serving. Filled cookies can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Gluten Free Yellow Cupcakes

2010-07-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

I was asked to to a cupcake tower and they consisted of Gluten Free Cupcakes, I was a little worried because usually things I make with the xanthan gum and other weird gluten free ingredients makes it taste bad but these tastes terrific. It's defiantly a different texture a little more chewy but still good. The lady that ordered has a whole family with celiac disease and one daughter ate 11 of these cupcakes in one day so I would say their pretty good.

Gluten Free Yellow cake
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups white rice flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Put cupcake paper liners in 2 dozen slots.2. Mix the white rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and xanthan gum together and set aside.
3. Mix the eggs, sugar, and mayonnaise until fluffy. Add the flour mixture, milk and vanilla and mix well. Spread batter into the prepared pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Cupcakes are done when they spring back when lightly touched or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool completely then frost with Buttercream frosting.
Vanilla Buttercream
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
Directions
In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Peach, Apricot, and Cherry Pie

2010-07-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

There has been so many fresh fruits everywhere I go and each time I see these juicy summer fruits a different recipe pops into my head. Since I got the Martha stewart baking book in Christmas I have wanted to try this recipe. It uses some of my favorite summer fruit and I’m not much of a pie person and I wanted to get past that fear. So I set out to make this for a BBQ we had when my Aunt was visiting from Hawaii. She was one of my first followers on here so she knows how much I love to bake so I went all out for her BBQ. This was very good but it bothered me that it was so liquidy, next time I might try more cornstarch to try and have it be not so runny. Other then that the crust it fantastic and you can’t go wrong with fresh fruit.

Pate Brisee
2 ½ C A.P. flour
1 Tsp. salt
2 sticks(1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, and cut into cubes
¼ C ice water
In the bowl of a food processer pulse flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse until coarse crumble. Slowly add water and pulse until it barely comes together. Clump together and wrap in plastic wrap and put in the refridgrator.
Filling
1 # fresh, ripe peaches pitted and sliced into ¼ inch cubes
1 # fresh, ripe apricots pitted and sliced into sixths
1 # fresh sweet cherries, stemmed, pitted, and halved
2/3 C granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ tsp. salt
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbl. Unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tb. Heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a piece of parchment generously dusted with flour, and roll out half disk of dough to a 12 inch round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour, fit dough into 9 inch pie plate. Trim dough of the over hang. Chill pie dough for 30 minutes. In large bowl, toss together peaches, apricots, and cherries. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon juice; toss to combine. Roll out other half of disk and cut into ¾ to 1 inch wide strips. Spoon the fruit mixture and any juices into the chilled pie shell, mounding fruit slightly in the center. Dot with butter. Brush the rim of the pie shell with water. Weave a tight lattice ontop of the pie. In a small bowl whisk the egg yolk and heavy cream until combined and brush ontop of the crust. Sprinkle with sanding sugar if desired. Put pie on a half sheet pan so it wont leak. Bake until the crust turns golden about 20 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Berry Parfaits

2010-06-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

I'm Leaving this Thursday for New York! I won't be back until the end of August. My mum is going to continue to update the blog each week. I most likely won't be on the Internet all that much so don't take it personally if I'm not reading or commenting on you blog, It's just something that won't be possible for the next few months. But there are plenty of tasty treats that will be posted on here weekly. Have a terrific Summer! These are terrific little cups of deliciousness to have out for 4Th of July. Just pound cake, fresh cream, and berries set up like a parfait.
Fresh cream:
1 1/2 C cream
1/2 C sugar
Whip together until stiff peaks form.
For cake use this poundcake recipe and instead of putting it in a bundt pan just put it in a 13 x 9 inch pan and when cooled cut into cubes. Then use whatever kind of Berry's you would like. It makes about 2 dozen cups. Layer however you like.

Congo Bar

2010-06-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

I have been scrambling around like a mad person these last few days. I’m leaving next Thursday so there is so much to get done, not to mention I’m having a BBQ a few days before I leave, what was I thinking? I have been creating blog posts for the coming weeks while I’m gone and my mum will be updating since I won't have any access to a computer. If You like chocolate chip cookies then theres no doubt that you will like these. These are a sister to blondies their the same idea. I different chips and nuts you can add are endless. I have been on a bar/brownie kick lately so I found these and their a terrific add to the collection of recipes.
Congo Bars
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 lb. light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
11.5 ounce package milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
By mixer:
Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Combine butter and sugar using a mixer until blended.
Add eggs, one at a time to sugar mixture, mixing on low in between each addition.
Add vanilla and mix.
Add flour and mix until combined.
Stir in chips and then pecans.
By hand:
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
Stir brown sugar into softened (not melted) butter in another large bowl until butter disappears. You can use the back of your spoon to help incorporate the two together.
Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture and stir well after each egg.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well.
Add dry flour mixture and stir until well combined.
Coat a 13 X 9 pan with non-stick spray and spread batter evenly into dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake.

Ganache Brownies

2010-06-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

These are just real simple and really moist and chocolatey. I made them for BBQ we had where I made few other things including the Buttermilk Poundcake and Corn Pop Brownies and a Cherry,Apricot,Peach pie that I will be posting later on.
Brownie Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups flour
12 oz butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Sift together cocoa powder and the flour. Melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Add the eggs, 2 at a time stirring after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
9 ounces dark chocolate coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
Making the Ganache
Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour the cream mixture over the chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes, then, starting in the center of the bowl and working your way out to the edges, slowly stir the chocolate and cream mixture in a circle until the chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Whisk for another few minutes to cool the ganache slightly. Then pour over cooled brownies and put in the fridge until cooled completely.

Pineapple, Berry, and Mango Sorbet

2010-06-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

The weather has finally been acting like summer and there has been a lot of Popsicle eating. Sorbet's are really easy to make and really refreshing. It's also been fun experimenting with different flavors.
Berry Sorbet
4 C fresh or frozen berries
superfine sugar to taste
juice of one lemon
Puree the berries in a food processor until smooth. Add the sugar to taste, and add the lemon juice just to bring out the flavor of the berries. Strain the mixture through a fine wire mesh to extract the seeds from the juice, and churn the mixture in an ice cream freezer until firm. Spoon into a bowl, and freeze until hard.

Pineapple Sorbet
16 oz frozen or fresh pineapple
superfine sugar to taste
juice of 1 lemon
Do above directions.
Mango Sorbet
16 oz fresh or frozen mango
superfine sugar to taste
juice of 1 lemon
Do above Directions.

So I just found out I got this awesome award today from Tanja's Cupcakes! Thank you so much! Below I have given the award to a few of my favorite blogs.

10 things that make me happy:
baking
friends
family
surfing
sunny days
adventures
getting things done
upbeat music
smiles
relaxing
I'm passing this award on to:
Bittersweet Baker
A southern Grace
Bake at 350
Edible Moments
Dessert First
Dessert for Breakfast
Bakezilla
Cookies and Cups
My sweet and Saucy
My Baking addiction
The rules are:
copy and paste the award on your blog
list who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog
list 10 things that make you happy
pass the award on to 10 other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know!

Buttermilk Pound cake w/ fresh berries and cream

2010-05-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend I have spent lounging around on the beach in Santa Cruz, eating the best that Santa Cruz has to offer and reminiscing on the years I use to spend in that great town. Both my sisters attended UCSC, So I spent much of my vacations there mostly on the off season when the boardwalk was a ghost town, and the only people on the beach were the committed surfers that lived right around the bend. As you know this weekend is Memorial day weekend the unofficial start to summer and until this weekend it has been pouring here in Nor Cal. The trip to Santa Cruz was an unexpected one but turned out to be a great little trip. I didn't expect this cake to be to great but it turned out great and full of flavor and moistness, the fresh cream and berries were the perfect touch.

Buttermilk Pound cake1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted room temperature butter, plus more for greasing the pan
3 1⁄2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring the pan
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter and flour a bundt pan.
Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and drizzle in the sugar, creaming it well. Add the eggs one at a time, after the egg before it has been incorporated. Beat in the vanilla extract, scraping down the sides. On low speed, add a third of the flour mixture until just combined. Then add a third of the buttermilk mixture until just combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk. Stir in the lemon juice.
Smooth the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick or thin knife comes out clean, about 75 minutes. The cake should be browned and the edges should be starting to pull away. Cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a rack and cool completely.
Then for cream do about 1 C cream to 1/2 C of sugar and whip to stiff peaks. Use any kind of berries or other summer fruits you would like.

Strawberry Compote Panna Cotta

2010-05-22T00:50:00.000-07:00

Panna Cotta? The easiest creamy custard to make and impressive too. It wasn't something I knew existed until I was in Culinary School and now I'm obsessed. I finished my last class on Friday and I'm going to receive my certificate in the mail, It went by so quickly, now I have to figure out school for the next few years. I'm continuing my education in business hoping to transfer to a four year college in the coming years, but right now I'm open for suggestions of great schools no matter the state. Have any suggestions, let me know. For now though it's my first day of summer and I'm gonna go bake something.

Panna Cotta
2 C heavy cream
1/2 C sugar
1 C milk
3/4 tlb. gelatin
add any flavoring you would like.
Combine the cream, sugar, flavoring and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover the pot, and let the cream infuse for 10-15 minutes. Pour milk into a metal bowl and sprinkle the gelatin into it. Stir with your fingers to dissolve, and let it stand 5 minutes until it gets spongy.
After infusing, bring the cream back to a boil and remove from the heat. Liquefy the gelatin over low heat and stir into hot cream. Strain the mixture into the ramekins and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or overnight. To serve out of ramekins run a sharp knife around the edge of the cream, place a plate over the ramekin, invert it and shake it out onto the plate.

Strawberry Compote
2 pints of strawberry's
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C water
1 Tbs. corn starch
Put all in ingredients in small pot and put on medium heat stirring often. Cook until you can drag you finger across the back of the spoon and leave a trail. Let cool in fridge then add to panna cotta.

Summer Fruit Tarts

2010-05-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

This is perfect for the summer, with all fresh fruit. It has a nice crisp tart shell filled with fresh creamy pastry cream and just some summer fruits on top. I'm always getting requests from the guys at my dads work and this was one of the things I got a request for and it turned out perfectly.
Tart Dough:
6 tbs.unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 C confectioners sugar
2 lrge eggs
1 1/2 C A.P flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons heavy cream
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and confectioners sugar. Mix on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes.
Add egg yolks, and mix until incorporated, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add 3/4 C flour, and mix on low speed until flour is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add remaining 3/4 C flour along with salt and cream and mix just until flour is no longer visible, about 1 minute.
Turn out dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, and shape into a flattened disk. Wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Turn oven on to 350 degrees. Then roll out to proper dimension for whatever size tart pan your using. Put in tart pan put baking beans in it and bake for 15 minutes until crisp and take out and let cool.

Pastry Cream:
2 C whole milk
1/2 c sugar
1 tbs. vanilla
pinch of salt
4 lrge egg yolks
1/4 c cornstarch
2 tbs butter, cut into pieces
In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, 1/4 C sugar,vanilla and salt. Cook over medium high heat until mixture comes to a simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1/4 C sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour out 1/2 C hot milk mixture into egg yolk mixture. continue adding milk mixture, 1/2 c at a time until it has been incorporated. pour mixture back into saucepan and cook over medium high heat whisking constantly, until it thickens about 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment and beat in the cubes of butter for about 5 minutes. Place plastic wrap directly on top so skin doesn't form and put in the fridge for 2 hours.
Once everything is cooked and cooled assemble, put any favorite fruits on top.

Corn Pop Brownies

2010-05-09T12:54:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I was told that I had to provide the desserts for my cousins birthday party, He's an adult so It would not be children but many adults that I would be serving. I didn't find out I was doing the desserts until 12 pm that day and the party would be that night, So I set out to make something tasty but quick and easy too. That's where these came into play, I decided on brownies because he loves brownies and then just adding whatever I had in my kitchen cabinet to that. People were a little scared at first to try them because I said there were corn pops in it but once people tried them they couldn't stop, they kept on raving about these tasty morsels and I would suggest trying different kinds of cereals.
Brownie Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups flour
12 oz butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
Topping Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup of marshmallow cream
1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup Jiff peanut butter
1 TBSP unsalted butter
2 cups Corn Pops cereal(or any cereal you have or want to use up)
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Sift together cocoa powder and the flour. Melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Add the eggs, 2 at a time stirring after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Remove the brownies from the oven, and immediately spread with marshmallow cream.
Place the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat, add the cereal,and mix well. Allow this to cool for 3 minutes or so.
Spread the mixture evenly over the marshmallow layer. Refrigerate until chilled before cutting.

Baked Doughnuts

2010-05-03T20:23:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I went on a road trip with 6 girlfriends to San Diego, it was a blast and everything that could go wrong did but that just made it better. It was a 9 hour drive, we drove through Friday night, we went surfing,shopping,to a padres game,the rock church, downtown Disney,and Hollywood strip. We are poor college students so we didn't eat out at all we lived off of snacks, peanut butter and jelly sandwich's and anything not refrigerated. Before we left I made these baked doughnuts which I would also like to call healthy doughnuts, you can use a muffin tin but i got a doughnut pan for it. These are really terrific, it doesn't stink up the house and you don't feel horrible after eating it, but it's something to get use to it's not the airy traditional doughnut, but something defiantly good for your health more so.

Baked Doughnuts:
2 C flour
3/4 granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 c buttermilk
2 eggs lightly beaten
2 tbs butter melted

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. spray muffin tins or doughnut molds with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl mix together flour,sugar, baking powder and salt. Add buttermilk, eggs, and and butter. Stir just until combined. Fill 2/3's of the way up. Bake 7-9 minutes or until springs back when touched. Let cool for 5 minutes and then finish off with glaze.
Glaze:
1 C powder sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
6 tbs milk
mix and then put on each doughnut, you could also just put cinnamon sugar on top too.

Here we are at the padres game with a Elvis group.

Simple Berry Layer Cake

2010-04-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday it was my 19th Birthday. It was a great day I had my Ice cream, Custards, and soft desserts class for 5 hours and then came home to family and friends where we went out to dinner and then ate this terrific cake my mum made. It was perfect, the past few weeks I have been making many different cakes for orders, most with different fillings and complexity so this was such a great change. Simple. Delicious. Perfect. Something else great is it has fresh berries in it. I think this cake and California weather is messing with my mind I feel like it's summer(I already have a severe sunburn). So this is a great cake to make for a Sunday dinner or for a summer barbecue.
Simple Berry Layer Cake
1 C a.p. flour
1/4 C cornstarch
6 large eggs, plus 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 C granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 C vegetable oil
4 C heavy cream
1/2 C confectioner sugar
1 pint of strawberries sliced in half
1/2 pint blackberries
1/2 pint red raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans, put parchment paper cut out of the size of the bottom of the pan in. Into a large bowl sift together flour and cornstarch, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the whole eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, salt, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Beat on high until thick and pale about 5 min, scrape down the bowl as needed.
Add flour mixture to the egg mixture. With mixer on low speed until just combined, then steadily add the oil until combined.

Divide batter between the two pans and put in oven. Rotate half way through. Take out when cake tester comes out clean about 30 minutes. Immediately invert onto a wire rack to cool.
In the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine cream, confectioners sugar, and remaining tsp of vanilla. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium high, whip until stiff peaks form, about 2 Min's.
Using a serrated knife, trim the top of the cakes to make level. Slice each cake in half horizontally into two layers.Place one of the bottom layers on a serving plate. Spread a quarter of the whipped cream over the layer; arrange a quarter of the mixed berries on top. Repeat with remaining cake layers, cream, and berries. Serve!

Black and White Cookies

2010-04-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

I'm Done with one major cake order for the week which is a relief, Wednesday is my birthday and my mum has agreed to give me a break and make my cake for me. I made these cookies in honor of some exciting news I have. These cookies are a New York classic, and when I was there in January I went to a bakery that had these and had to perfect them myself, these cookies defiantly fulfilled that void. The good news is that I'm heading back to New York the 1st of July and wont be back until the end of august, because.....I got a job there! It's for the summer and I'm gonna be at a sleep away camp in the Hampton's teaching kids how to cook, how sick is that? I think it's the perfect job for a college student, and I'm very excited! I get out of school on May 20Th so the next few weeks will be hectic with finals and such but I'm sure I'm gonna get new baking gear, So I will be blogging a lot.

Cookie
3 C a.p. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 sticks(10 tbs) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 C vegetable shortening
1 C plus 3 tbs. sugar
2 eggs, 1 egg yolk
1 tbs. vanilla
1/4 C heavy cream
Frosting
4 C confectioner sugar
2 tbs. plus 2 tsp corn syrup
1 tbs. plus 2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbs. cocoa powder
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flours, baking powder,baking soda and salt; set aside. In the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter,shortening,sugar together until fluffy. beat in the eggs and egg yolks until smooth.Add vanilla. Add milk and flour mixture, alternating between the two, ending with flour. Cover, and chill for 1 hour.
2.Line baking pans with Silpat nonstick baking mats. Using a 2-ounce scoop, drop five cookies per pan, 3 inches apart. Bake until edges are light brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack set over parchment paper to cool.
3.In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons hot water,vanilla, lemon and corn syrup. Whisk until smooth. Using a small offset spatula, ice half of each cookie. Return cookies to rack to drip, if necessary.
4.Add chocolate to remaining icing. Stir until smooth. Add additional corn syrup to thin to desired consistency, if necessary. Spread chocolate icing over second half of each cookie. Allow cookies to set, about 10 minutes.

Chewy Peanut Butter Blondies

2010-04-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

Since my mum can't have chocolate I'm continuously looking for yummy desserts without chocolate, and ones that a lot of the time mock chocolate desserts,that's what I found with these, just like the snickerdoodle blondies, their just like a brownie with out the chocolate.
Chewy Peanut Butter Blondies
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup plain / all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup peanut butter chips
Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan.
Melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in the peanut butter and brown sugar. Leave aside to cool for a minute.
Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
Stir in the flour and baking powder. Stir in the peanut butter chips.
Spread the mixture into the prepared pan, and bake for 20 – 25Min's, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

On a side note these are some of the Easter cupcakes I did for some people around Easter.

Chocolate ice cream

2010-04-05T18:20:00.001-07:00

So I have had alot of cake orders recently and have been using the cooked meringue recipe for all the frosting, which has left me with many egg yolks so I decided to make some creamy chocolate ice cream to use up the yolks and this is truly one of the best ice creams I have ever made. To tell the truth I'm not really an ice cream kind of gal but I think if my dad hadn't been eating it I would have eaten the whole container.
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup
2 C half-and-half
2 C heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
9 ounces sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.

Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

Easter Egg Challah

2010-04-03T23:29:00.001-07:00

Easter is this Sunday, and this is a really fun and tasty bread you can do for Easter or after. The key is to use raw eggs, if you use already hard boiled they will explode in the oven, usually this is called Greek Christmas bread or Easter bread but I used a challah recipe for it and it's more commonly know as challah with Easter eggs in it.
Challah:
1 C warm water
1 Tbs. active dry yeast
1/2 C sugar
3 eggs
4 1/2 C flour
2 tsps. salt
4 oz butter
1 egg for glazing

2-3 raw eggs
gel dye
2 tsp vinegar
olive oil
Put yeast in warm water for a few minutes. Then add all ingredients together in a mixer bowl with a dough hook. Until tacky but not sticky. Then either put the dough the fridge over night or let sit in your oven(not on) for about an hour. Take dough out and shape. The easiest is 3 ropes and its just like braiding hair then you can go on from their. Put the dough back in the oven( not on again) for another hour. While the dough is rising dye your eggs,2 to 3 eggs can be used. Just put you favorite gel food coloring in a cup with 2 tsp vinegar and the rest water. Put eggs in for the color you would like. Then let the eggs dry. Take dough out when done and turn oven on to 350 degrees. Dip half of the egg in olive oil and press into crevice of braid continue with the rest of eggs. Brush with egg and then put in oven for 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Hot Cross Buns

2010-04-02T10:04:00.001-07:00

Today is good Friday so I made some Hot Cross buns, usually my grandfather make these each year and I'm sure he will for Easter but I wanted to try these out and the buns are terrific.
• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons whole milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 ounce (4 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for bowl and baking sheet
• Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 51/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 4 ounces (3/4 cup) dried cherries, coarsely chopped
• 4 ounces (3/4 cup) golden raisins, coarsely chopped
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
1. Heat 1 cup milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it registers 110 degrees on a candy thermometer. Pour milk into a mixer bowl, and fit mixer with a dough hook. With mixer on low speed, add granulated sugar, yeast, butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the nutmeg, cinnamon, and eggs. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, and knead until mixture comes together in a soft, sticky dough. Continue kneading, scraping down hook as needed, until dough is smooth, about 4 minutes.
2. Add cherries and raisins, and knead to incorporate. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead to distribute dried fruit. Coat a large bowl with butter. Shape dough into a ball, and place in prepared bowl. Cover with a piece of plastic, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Generously butter a rimmed baking sheet. Turn dough onto a surface, knead briefly, then divide into 3 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, divide each third into 10 pieces, and shape each into a tight ball. (Keep dough covered with plastic.) Place on prepared sheet, spacing 1/2 inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm spot until buns have doubled in size and are touching, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together egg white and water in a small bowl. Brush tops of buns with egg-white wash. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool on sheet on wire rack for 30 minutes.
5. Whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons milk, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Spoon icing into a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/4-inch round tip, and pipe icing on buns in the shape of a cross. Serve immediately(hence HOT cross buns).

Panettone French Toast

2010-03-31T20:44:00.001-07:00

So the last two weeks I had bread baking class and I have had a lot of bread laying around the house not knowing what to do with it. So the other morning I decided to make French Toast using some Panettone I had left over. It made the richest french toast I have ever had, I could only eat one slice, but It was delicious.
Panettone:
Sponge:
2/3 C Milk
1 1/2 Tbs. active dry yeast
1 C flour
2 Tbs. dark rum
6 eggs
4 C flour
3/4 C diced candied orange peel
3/4 C dark raisins
3/4 C golden raisins

Heat the milk to luke warm, whisk in the yeast, and stir the yeast mixture into the flour. Cover and let ferment at room temperature for about 45 minutes.
Dough:
6 oz butter
1 tsp. salt
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 tsps. vanilla
For dough beat the butter with the salt and sugar until light. Add the flavorings, and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, 2 at a time, alternately adding the flour in thirds until all the flour and eggs are mixed in. Beat in the sponge until dough is smooth. Mix in candied peels and raisins, just until incorporated. Place the dough in a buttered bowl and let ferment at room temperature for 2 hours. Divide dough in half and roll each piece a long roll, put each roll into a bundt pan. Cover and let proof for about 2 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes and let cool.

French toast:
2 eggs
1/2 C milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
4-6 slices of panettone
Once the dough is cool cut into slices. Mix eggs,milk, and cinnamon together. Put 1 tbs. butter on a frying pan and turn on heat. Soak the slices of bread in egg mixture and put on heat. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve with syrup and or powder sugar.

Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

2010-03-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

Brioche Cinnamon Rolls are alot more rich and fattening then Classic Cinnamon Rolls. One is all that's needed, I made these on Christmas morning but I think these would be a hit at a Easter Brunch.
Brioche Cinnamon Rolls:
4 C flour
2 tsps. salt
3 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. active dry yeast
1/4 C luke warm water
6-8 eggs

12 oz butter softened
Filling:
1/4 c melted butter
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar mixture
Glaze:
1/2 c cream
1 to 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Put yeast in water for a few minutes. Then add all ingredients including yeast mixture to a mixer except for the butter. Using a dough hook mix until the dough passes the windowpane test(take a chunk of dough and stretch until you can see through the dough.) Then add chunks of butter to the dough while the mixer is on until all dough is combined. Put in the fridge overnight or in your oven(turned off) for about an hour. Roll out dough until its 1/4 inch thick. Brush with butter then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll the dough up and cut with a knife or flavorless floss to the size of your liking. Put in a butter cake pan or pie pan close together. Put in the cold oven for another hour or in the fridge overnight. Then take ovens out and heat oven up to 350 degrees. Bake for about 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Stir cream, vanilla and sugar together until come to consistency you would like. Pour over cooled rolls and serve.

Cinnamon Chip Scones

2010-03-29T20:33:00.001-07:00

After making the snickerdoodle Blondie's my mum fell in love with the cinnamon chips. She had been asking for me to make her cinnamon chip scones, so I finally made these and both her and my dad loved them. The scones are moist, crumbly with the little nougats of cinnamon, their perfect.
Cinnamon Chip Scones:
2 C flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 C sugar
4 oz cold butter
3/4 C Cinnamon Chips
1 1/4 C heavy cream

3 Tbs. butter melted
2 Tbs. sugar
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
Put the flour, baking powder, the sugar, and the salt in a mixer bowl. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and put them on top pf the flour mixture in the mixer. Use a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter looks like coarse crumble. Turn machine off and use hands to smash butter flat. Then add the chips and mix for a few seconds. Turn the machine off and add almost all the cream and pulse it add more cream if needed. Do so until dough comes together roughly. Scrape the dough out onto a work surface and squeeze together dough. Flatten dough out with hands and cut to you liking. Put on parchment covered sheet pan brush with melted butter and put cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Let cool then eat.

Monkey Bread

2010-03-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

I have always heard of people talk about Monkey bread and didn't really know what it was but it sounded good so I set out to make it. I told my mum and she wasn't convinced that it would be good for she had never heard of it. So while she was off working in the yard I worked in the kitchen making sure the monkey bread would be done for dessert. Sure enough at around 7pm I took the monkey bread out of the oven, it was a glorious sight. So we started out eating it in slices but as the old saying goes monkey see monkey do, I walked out on my mum pulling it apart saying just one more piece,so all started to do it I'm pretty sure how it got its name. My mum said though its a family staple now, so it must be good.

Dough
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, divided (2 tablespoons softened, 2 tablespoons melted)
1 cup milk, warm (around 110 degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (also around 110 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package or 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise, instant or bread machine yeast
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons table salt

Brown Sugar Coating
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick or 4 ounces), melted

Butter Bundt pan with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Set aside.

Make dough: In large measuring cup, mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast.
To proceed with a stand mixer, mix flour and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes. (The dough should be sticky but if it is too wet to come together into anything cohesive, add an additional 2 tablespoons flour.) Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, round ball.
Coat large bowl with nonstick cooking spray or a tablespoon of neutral oil. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with more cooking spray or oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.

Make brown sugar coating: Place melted butter in one bowl. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a second one.

Form the bread: Flip dough out onto floured surface and gently pat into an 8-inch square. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces.

Roll each piece of dough into a ball. Working one at a time, dip balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into bowl. (I found a fork to be helpful for this process.) Roll in brown sugar mixture, then layer balls in Bundt pan, staggering seams where dough balls meet as you build layers.

Cover Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in turned-off oven until dough balls are puffy and have risen 1 to 2 inches from top of pan, 50 to 70 minutes.
Bake bread: Remove pan from oven and heat oven to 350°F. Unwrap pan and bake until top is deep brown and caramel might begin to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then turn out on platter and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Then eat it, because trust me someone else will if you don't.

Iced Chai Latte

2010-03-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

This is very simple and can be made hot too. I usually get this drink at Starbucks when I have had a long day now I can just make it at home.
It's a one to one base. So half milk half Oregon chai concentrate, then add ice. Easy as that.

Guinness Bundt

2010-03-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

St.Patricks day is this Wednesday so in honor of St.Patricks day I made a Guinness Bundt cake. We had the big family party yesterday and I brought this as dessert. I wasn't sure what to except out of this cake but it was very good. It reminds me of gingerbread because its a spice cake and the beer makes is moist and airy as a coke cake would do. Last year I made Irish soda bread and I just put some in the oven right now. For bundt I did a simple powdered sugar glaze on top.
INGREDIENTS
1 can Guinness Stout
½ cup molasses
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
Confectioners sugar for dusting
PROCEDURE
Preheat oven to 350°
In a large saucepan, combine molasses, brown sugar, Guinness and baking soda and simmer over medium heat until the brown sugar has melted. The mixture will bubble due to the baking soda, so make sure your pot is large enough! Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and all spices and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream granulated sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating between additions and scraping down the bowl.
Add flour and Guinness mixture, alternate between the two, adding a quarter of each mixture with each incorporation.
Pour the batter into a non-stick bundt mold that’s been liberally sprayed with non-stick spray.
Bake at 350° for about an hour. When the cake is cool, make a powdered sugar glaze (water and powdered sugar mixed together). Enjoy after a meal of corn beef and cabbage.

Raspberry Banana Smoothie

2010-03-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

It's been rather rainy lately but today, the sun made it through the clouds, making it a beautiful day. Although it was still chilly out I wanted to make a smoothie since it was so nice like summer and I happened to have ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 C frozen raspberry's
2 bananas
2 C plain yogurt
1/2 C milk
1/4 C Sugar
Directions:
Put all ingredients in blender, and blend. Enjoy.

Homemade Nutter Butters

2010-02-23T16:33:00.000-08:00

Although these cookies may not be in the peanut shape of a nutter butters they still have that same taste. soft peanut butter cookie with a whipped cream peanut butter filling. I have to admit I'm not really a peanut butter person but these are really addicting.
2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 C smooth peanut butter
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
peanut butter filling

In a bowl whisk together flour,baking soda and salt and set aside. Place butter, peanut butter and sugars in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. with mixer on low speed at flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Divide dough into two pieces and cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line tow large baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut dough using a 2 inch round cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to prepared pans and put in fridge for 15 minutes until firm. Then transfer the sheet pans to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Using a offset spatula, spread 1 tablespoon filling onto the flat sides of half of the cookie. Sandwich cookies.

peanut butter filling:
6 tbl. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 C confectioners sugar
3/4 C smooth peanut butter
3 tbl. heavy cream

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine all the ingredients. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Corn Bread

2010-02-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I went to Humboldt to visit some friends that go to school there the whole time it was foggy and rainy I couldn't stand it. So since yesterday was beautiful hitting 65 degrees and it was fat Tuesday I decided to make Chicken Gumbo and corn bread. This corn bread is really terrific because it has actual kernels of corn in it.
1/3 cup butter
1 TB unsalted butter
1 C corn kernels
1 C A.P. flour
1/3 C sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 c milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and butter a 8 inch square baking pan. Melt the 1 Tb. of butter in a medium sized saute pan over medium high heat with corn kernels in it for about 5 minutes or until kernels begin to brown. Remove from heat and let cool. In a medium bowl whisk together flour,sugar,baking powder,salt, and cornmeal.Using a pastry cutter, cut in the 1/3 c of butter until it looks like coarse meal. Mix in milk, egg and reserved corn. Transfer to prepared pan and put in oven for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Best when served warm and with a little honey drizzled ontop.

Carrot Ginger Cake

2010-02-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

For Christmas I got the Martha Stewart baking book because a teacher I had made up all the recipes for that book and in general I love everything Martha, I use to refer to her as my home girl in baking(I know I'm weird) anyways on Friday it was my mums birthday so I made this carrot cake for her and it turned out really great. It very rich though too so a little goes a long way.
Ginger Carrot Cake
Makes one 2 layer 8″ or 9″ cake
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup halved pecans, toasted
1 lb large carrots, peeled
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp ground cinnamon

Butter and flour two 8 or 9 inch pans and preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Chop the pecans finely and grate the carrots, about 2 1/2 cups total. You can use a food processor when you’re in a hurry, but I find grating them by hand (using the smallest holes or a food processor) gives a lighter and definitely better texture.

Whisk the carrots, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, sugar, vegetable oil, and ginger in a large bowl until well combined. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the flour mixture into the carrot mixture, taking care not to over-mix. Fold in the pecans.

Divide the batter into the two pans and bake about an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool 15 minutes in their pans on a rack, then gently turn out and cool to room temperature before leveling and frosting.

Ginger-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Frosts a 2 layer 8″ or 9″ cake

24 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
10 tbsp butter, room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
4 tbsp fresh, finely grated ginger
2 tbsp cinnamon

Beat cream cheese and butter with the paddle attachment of an electric mixer until smooth, then add powdered sugar. Mix on low for 30 seconds, then add ginger and orange juice. Beat on medium speed until light, fluffy, and well combined.

Assembly: Unless your cakes are pretty flat or you’re going for a rustic look, use a serrated knife to level each cake. On each cake cut once in half to make two pieces.Spread 3/4 cup frosting between the layers and use the remaining frosting on all the sides and the top. Then frost the cake with a very slim amount of frosting to create a crumb coat and then put in the fridge for 10 minutes. Then put alot of frosting on top and with a off set spatula smooth it out by spinning cake but keeping spatula in place. Then I dyed some frosting lavender and piped it out.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

2010-02-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

New York was a blast and I can't wait to go back there was the best bakeries. Since coming back I haven't done much baking at home since I'm in production baking 5 days a week and have plenty of homework from my night classes but I couldn't resist making these snickerdoodle Blondies which I found on my favorite blog A Southern Grace. I hadn't made these tasty treat until now because I couldn't find the cinnamon chips in any stores but luckly our local market decided stock them I bet it's because of these bars. Anyways I made them and they were so good my mum decided to hide them from my father, as she can't have chocolate so she felt she deserved these more. Needless to say I wiil be making these for her birthday. These are a must try.

Snickerdoodle Blondies
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cinnamon chips
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray down an 8x8-inch pan. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar; beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth.
Combine the flour mixture and the wet mixture and mix until well-blended. Stir in the cinnamon chips. Spread the thick batter evenly in the prepared pan.Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl and evenly sprinkle the mixture over the top of the batter.
Bake 25 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool slightly. While still warm, cut into bars with a sharp knife.

Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies

2009-12-28T14:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight I'm leaving for New York with my sister and her friend. I'm really excited because I have never been there before. I just wanted to do a quick post before I left because I will be gone for 9 days. These are cookies I made for my mums work I think a little more ginger could be added because it wasn't all that gingery(if that's a word)so add some more ginger. I hope everyone has a great new year!
Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or mini chips)
1/3 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/3 cup coarse sugar (or additional granulated sugar), for rolling
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and all spices.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg, followed by molasses, balsamic vinegar and vanilla. Either by hand or with the mixer on low speed, gradually stir in all of the flour mixture, mixing only until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in chocolate chunks.
Form dough into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheet. Press cookies gently to flatten slightly and bake for 10-12 minutes, until browned around the edges.
Makes about 3 dozen.

Traditional Cinnamon Rolls

2009-12-23T12:50:00.000-08:00

These are the cinnamon rolls I make every thanksgiving morning for while we watch the parade.I get up extra early so they are warm out of the oven when everyone else wakes up. These can be good for Christmas morning also or Christmas eve morning.
Traditional Cinnamon Rolls
6 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg slightly beaten
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar
raisins
fondant glaze(4 cups sifted powder sugar mixed with 1/2 cup of milk)
1. Cream together the sugar,salt, and butter on medium high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Whip in the egg. Then add the flour and yeast and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, nixing for approximately 10 minutes, or until dough is silky and supple. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
2.Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
3.Mist the counter with oil and transfer the dough to the counter.Roll dough out into2/3 inch thick 14 inches wide 12 inches long. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and raisins,then roll up into a cigar shape log. Cut 8 to 12 pieces about 1 3/4 inches thick.

4. spray 1 cake 9 inch pan or pie plate with nonstick spray. Stick buns close together.
5.Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes or until the cinnamon rolls double in size. You may also retard the dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and can pull out 3 to 4 hours before baking allowing to proof.
6. Preheat the oven 350 degrees with oven rack on the middle shelf.
7.Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
8.Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes then streak with fondant glaze. Then serve once set.

Molasses Sandwich Cookies

2009-12-23T12:28:00.000-08:00

These cookies were on a platter I sent to both of my parents offices. These were a favorite. With a molasses cookie and molasses cream filling a twist of on traditional gingerbread cookies.
Molasses Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
Makes 30
• 1 1/2 cups (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup light unsulfured molasses
• Creamy molasses filling, (below)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until combined. Beat in egg, then molasses, until smooth. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture until a dough forms.
3. Drop rounded measuring teaspoonfuls of dough onto two ungreased (or parchment-lined) baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.
4. Bake until centers are dry to the touch, 12 to 15 minutes; rotate pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
5. Make Creamy Molasses Filling: Whisk 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) softened unsalted butter with 3 tablespoons light unsulfured molasses until smooth. Gradually whisk in 2 cups confectioners' sugar; whisk until smooth and spreadable. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
6. Spread a rounded measuring teaspoonful of Creamy Molasses Filling on the flat side of a cookie; place another cookie on top, and gently press. Repeat until all cookies are filled. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day, or refrigerate up to 3 days (cookies may soften during refrigeration).

Oatmeal Cream Cheese Butterscotch Bars

2009-12-22T15:36:00.000-08:00

These are some bars I made for a cookie party I did. My mum really enjoyed these,their filled with a cream cheese center with a butterscotch crumble on either side.
Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pea-sized pieces, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (11-ounce) bag butterscotch chips
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Drape a 9 by 13-inch pan with overlapping pieces of aluminum foil, creating handles for easy removal. Butter the paper, and reserve.
In a food processor add the flour, oats and brown sugar and pulse to combine. Add the 2 sticks of butter, the cinnamon and the butterscotch chips. Pulse, pulse, pulse until the mixture forms clumps when pressed between your fingers. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer, reserve the other half. Bake in the preheated oven just until slightly golden and set, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Beat together the cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon zest and juice and vanilla in an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle, or with an electric hand mixer until no lumps of cream cheese remain. Spread evenly over the baked and cooled oatmeal mixture. Sprinkle the remaining half of the oatmeal mixture over the cream cheese. Bake until the top is golden, about 40 minutes.
Cool and chill before cutting. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and using the foil handles, transfer the bars to a cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares with a sharp knife and serve.

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

2009-12-22T15:11:00.000-08:00

Up until Christmas I will be posting Christmas cookie recipes daily or twice daily I have been baking for many different events in the last few days so I have many recipes to share. The first are these Pumpkin cookies with a brown butter icing.
Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
Makes about 6 dozen
• FOR THE COOKIES
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• FOR THE ICING
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk,
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
1. Make cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined.
3. Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.
4. Make icing: Put confectioners' sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter to confectioners' sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Gingerbread

2009-12-14T21:36:00.000-08:00

All I can say is finals finals and some more finals. ugh. I have wanted to post a lot more on here but school has not allowed me to do that. This is gingerbread I made a few weeks ago and is really good. I dipped it in butter and then granulated sugar at the end to give it a little more sweetness and it makes the little loaves look prettier too.
Gingerbread:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup dark Karo corn syrup
1 egg beaten
1/4 tsp.salt
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 oz knob fresh ginger finely chopped and peeled
Cream together the butter and sugar. Add molasses, corn syrup, eggs and salt, and beat until smooth. Mix together the flour and baking soda. Whisk in half the flour/baking soda mixture,then half the buttermilk, and repeat. Stir in the ginger until it is well dispersed.
Pour into mini loaf pans or 8" square buttered pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let cool then serve.

Christmas Rice Krispie Treat Pops

2009-12-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

This is a easy treat that kids will love and adults too. I made these out of boredom and really liked them.
What you will need:
Homemade Rice Krispie treats(or store bought)cut into squares
1 pound/16 oz chocolate melted
fondant
green,red,brown dye
edible markers
Popsicle sticks
tiny cookie cutters of Christmas shapes
Directions:
Stick a rice krispie treat onto a Popsicle stick then dip in melted chocolate. Let dry.Divided fondant into 3 pieces. Dye one green,red,brown. Roll out into 1/4 inch thickness and cut out for shapes. Use edible marker to do any details you want. stick the fondant onto the hard krispie treats and enjoy!

Peppermint Kiss Cookies

2009-12-05T18:58:00.000-08:00

During Halloween I made Candy Corn Kiss Cookies so I decided to do peppermint kiss cookies this time with chocolate cookies. I was asked to make the dessert for a work Christmas party and then again for someone dinner party tonight. I stayed up until 4 am Friday morning baking for the work Christmas party. It was for about 90 people. I made a few platters of bite size treats and will post the recipes in the coming weeks.
Beat 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar and 1 stick butter until fluffy, then beat in 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder; stir into the butter mixture. Chill 30 minutes, then roll into balls and bake 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Then place a kiss in the center of each cookie.

I also made:
Brownies(with Christmas m&m's scattered on top.
Bite Size Red Velvet Cupcakes

Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2009-11-30T16:46:00.000-08:00

The holidays are here,my uncle was moved out of ICU on thanksgiving day and awoke with a smile on his face. The liver is good, which is a great relief. Later in the day the nurses gave him two chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk he hasn't eaten much in the last few months and sweets definitely weren't among those things he did eat. but when the nurse set the cookies in front of him he gobbled them down. The holidays bring cookies and cookies bring a lot of happiness. I made these Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies a little twist on the traditional chocolate chip cookies. Their very moist and scrumptious.

Ingredients
Makes about 3 dozen
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces), toasted
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts.
2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 2 days.

Dinner Rolls

2009-11-24T21:26:00.000-08:00

I feel the need to share this recipe with you now before thanksgiving. I was testing recipes out yesterday for thanksgiving and this one hit the spot. It reminded me of my grandparents house on holidays with all the cousins and aunts and uncles. The warmth, the way the butter perfectly melted into the soft bread. As I said earlier I got my license today which made it terrific, a few hours ago though my mum got a call from my aunt saying my uncle had finally received a liver transplant that we have all been waiting for, for months and months. The perfect thanksgiving gift and two of their three kids made it to the hospital, my dear cousin k has swine flu so she couldn't fly out to Tennessee. but these rolls really made me think about family and how thankful I am for all my family and that I get to be with most of my family for Thanksgiving. That is what thanksgiving is about. Giving thanks for all that we have and I have so much to be thankful for. I can't promise that these rolls will bring liver transplants or the passing of tests but I can promise warm tasty bread that can be pulled apart and enjoyed with people you love.

Dinner RollsMakes about 18-20 rolls.
4 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour(I used AP)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 large egg slightly beaten
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or whole milk
1. Mix together flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in an electric mixer. Pour the egg, butter, and 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon water and mix on low speed with a paddle attachment until all the flour is absorbed and the dough forms a ball. If the dough seems very stiff and dry, trickle in more water until the dough is soft and supple.
2. Mix on medium speed with a dough hook, adding more flour if necessary, to create a dough that is soft and supple, and tacky but not sticky. Continue mixing for 6 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic warp.
3.Ferment at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
4.Remove dough from the bowl and divide into 20 2 ounce pieces for dinner rolls.
5.Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and either space the rolls apart or bunch together like in my photo.
6. Loosely cover with plastic wrap or towel. Proof the dough at room temperature for 60-90 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the rolls with egg wash.
8. Bake the rolls for about 15 minutes or until there golden brown.
9. When the rolls are done baking remove immediately and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Apple Pie

2009-11-24T11:39:00.000-08:00

Today has been a great day, I took my driving test and received my license. Until recently I haven't needed one because I take the bus everywhere but the new semester brings classes right after each other on different campuses in different towns so I had to get my license thankfully I passed the test. Today is also good because I'm preparing the pies for the thanksgiving feast one of which is a apple pie. This is as traditional as it gets and as tasty.

Pie Dough
2 1/2 cups pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, cold cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.
With the machine off drizzle the water over the flour mixture and then quickly pulse a couple times just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky. This process should happen very quickly. Test the moisture level in the dough by squeezing a small amount together, if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw in the refrigerator before using.
Filling
6 apples peeled,cored, and cut into 16ths.
3/4 cup sugar
4tbs. flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
2tbs.butter
1 9inch pie shell, lined with pie dough
pie dough for covering.
egg glaze for top.
1. preheat the oven 425 degrees.
2. In a bowl mix the apples with all the ingredients except the butter. Toss the mixture well.
3. Pile the fruit into the unbaked pie shell and dot the top with butter.
4. Arrange the top dough to the way you would like it ex.lattice,full cover etc. Crimp the bottom crust with with top crust.
5. Brush the lattice with the egg glaze and bake in the hot oven for 20-25 minutes.
6. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees. Continue Baking until the fruit is bubbling and the apples are tender about 30 more minutes.
7. Let Pie cool 2 hours before slicing.
Note:I made the pies ahead of time today by just assembling and not baking. I put foil over the pies and taped a note on that said at what temperature and time each should bake for then put them in the freezers. I will bake them off thanksgiving morning.

Lavender Chiffon Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

2009-11-17T14:31:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I went and visited my sister in the city. I took the ferry and arrived at the ferry building before she did: perfect. I was so excited I got test some cheeses and olive oils, look at Delicious baked goods, wandered through the farmers market and ended up at Sur La Table. I walked around the store a few times to take in everything and that's when I found the lavender extract. I bought it knowing it would come in handy. I decided to do a chiffon cupcake because its light and airy and delicate just perfect for lavender. The cupcakes don't taste like a flower or perfume it's very subtle and the Swiss meringue butter cream puts the perfect touch to it.

Lavender Chiffon Cupcakes
Makes about 20 regular size cupcakes
2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon lavender flavoring
6 eggs separated
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
violet dye depending on what color you want it.

Lined 20 cupcake holder with cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
sift the flour,sugar,baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl, and make a well in the center.
In a separate bowl, mix together the oil,water,lavender,and egg yolks.
Stir liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula, pulling in the dry ingredients until the batter is smooth.
Beat the eggs whites until they are frothy, then add the cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites gradually and gently into the batter.
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool and put frosting on once cupcakes are at room temperature.

Swiss Meringue Butter cream
Makes about 4 cups
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
pinch salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or any other flavor you choose.

In the bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites and sugar. Cook whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and egg white mixture is very warm to the touch.
Whisk egg white mixture on high speed until it holds stiff(but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until the mixture is fluffy and slightly cooled, about 6 minutes.
With the mixer on medium speed, add salt and butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Put the paddle attachment on and put on high speed for about 3 minutes. Beat in the extract or other flavoring.

note:these would be just regular cupcake color if I hadn't added dye.

Gingerbread Madeleines and a High Tea

2009-11-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

I love doing high teas it brings me back to my childhood days. I did this one at the request of my grandmother and one of her best friends who has known me since I was born. They had been wanting to do it for awhile and I happened to have the day off so they came. My grandmother brought two dolls with her,very old dolls ones that I played with when I was young at her house and she played with them when she was young. I thought it was the perfect touch to a magical tea party. My mum took the day off to come and join us and it was a day full of reminiscing on old times and gorging ourselves with sweet treats. I served lemon curd,clotted cream,blueberry scones,shortbread,cucumber sandwich's,egg salad sandwich's, and gingerbread Madeleine's. Also each person got their own small pot of tea it was a delightful afternoon.

1 cup flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons molasses
Directions:
Butter and flour the Madeleine tins. Melt the 2/3 cup butter. Beat the eggs and sugar until it becomes a white color. Add the flour, melted butter a little at a time. Mix Well. Mix in spices and molasses. Drop the batter a teaspoon at a time into Madeleine molds. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. The cookies came out nice and moist and with a holiday twist.

The guests at the high tea.

The search is over:Puff Pastry

2009-11-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

In my high school pastry class I received a puff pastry dough recipe that worked really well, but then the recipe stealer stole the recipe and it was nowhere to be found. I searched Hi and Low on the Internet for a recipe and all I got were dessert recipes telling me to go buy frozen puff pastry to use. If you are having that same problem don't worry because I have got you covered. I bought the CIA's baking book because I knew they would have the basic recipes but that they would work well and sure enough I got professional results. Do what you would like with the recipe I made Apple Turn overs which were fantastic.
Puff Pastry Dough
Side Note: I use just regular All-Purpose flour instead of bread and pastry flour and the recipe turns out great every time so it just depends on what you have around. Makes 8LB.
Dough:
Bread Flour 2 lb
Pastry flour 8 oz
Salt 1 oz
Butter,soft 8 oz
Water,cold 18 fl oz
Roll in:
Butter,pliable 2 lb 4 oz
Bread Flour 4 oz
Directions:
1. To Prepare the dough, place the flours,salt, butter, and water in the mixer and blend on low speed with the dough hook attachment until a smooth dough is formed. Shape the dough into a rough rectangle. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and dust the paper lightly with flour. Transfer the dough to the sheet pan,wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
2. To prepare the roll in, blend the butter and flour on low speed with a paddle attachment until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper. Form into a rectangle ½ in/1 cm thick. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm but still pliable. Do not allow the roll-in to become hard.
3. To lock the roll-in into the dough, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a rectangle twice the size of the roll-in, keeping the edges straight and the corners squared. Then perform a lock-in which means to Place the roll-in on one half of the dough then fold the dough over the roll-in.

4. Then perform a four-fold. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 30-40 minutes under refrigeration.
5. Turn the dough 90 degrees from it’s position before it was refrigerated and roll out into a rectangle 16 by 24 in, making sure the edges are straight and the corners are squared. Administer a second four fold. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest under refrigeration for 30 minutes. Repeat the process 2 more times for a total of four folds, turning the dough 90 degrees each time before rolling and allowing the dough to rest, covered in plastic wrap, under refrigeration for 30 minutes between each fold.
6. After completing the final fold, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest under refrigeration for 30 minutes before using.

Above are our jack-o-lanterns this year,since my sister don't live at home now we have a small pumpkin family this year, guess which one is mine.

Cyrus:A Dream come True

2009-10-24T00:23:00.000-07:00

As you all know I am in a small culinary program learning to become a Pastry Chef. When I first started in the program I didn't know anyone and all my friends left for college leaving me behind, a few days into one of my first classes I started to talk to a girl that looked about my age and we hit it off pretty quickly. We started to talk about restaurants and she presented the idea of going to Cyrus a famous restaurant in the area, its right next to the French Laundry in ratings and reviews. At first I thought she was insane because it's really expensive dining but we talked about it and came to the conclusion it would be a onetime thing and it would be very educational. When I think of the experience I get butterflies in my stomach. Her sister made our reservations and said we were culinary students. So Cyrus made the experience the best for us. We even got to meet the chef and go in the kitchen!P.S. you can click on any of these images to make them larger.<a The top photo was Canapes which is the starter.

This is the simple Peach starter.

Our virgin drinks they brought out for us. The yellow one Had a metal straw with a little fork at the end to pick out the pears.

Some of the bread we picked from a bread basket that a server carried around. Baked fresh twice daily.

Delectable The key to all the dishes is to eat it the way the chef intended it to be eaten so thats just what we did.

I wanted to try it all and well I did. The picture on the left is Foie Gras which is the liver of a duck just knowing what it was and its texture made it rather hard to eat but I ate almost all of it because I didn't want the chef to see.

Delish

So this shows that we really had no self control when the food came because often we started eating before I could take the picture. Also we really liked this bean salad it was one of our favorites. One more thing the black little ball in the picture is black garlic and it's really sweet and great tasting.

This picture clearl shows how much we enjoyed the second dish. It was succulent and scrumptious and I want it right now.

The cheese cart was like a candy cart for foodies. It had all different kinds of cheeses and smells. We had the guy pick for us. One of the greatest things about Cyrus is that they describe everything and where it come from.

First image is of candy from the candy cart yes there wasn't just a cheese cart but also a candy cart with candy they make right there. The candy got placed in a little box for each of us to take home. Then there’s the sorbet and there was another dessert but we ate it too fast. Then the little glasses of chocolate milk are carbonated and the little chocolate chip cookies came on a marble stone with a dome over it with a balloon attached. When they let the air out of it chocolate confetti sprayed up in the air. It's supposed to be for birthdays but since were culinary students they did everything for us.

I feel like the evening was a dream it's like I went to a concert got a backstage pass, met the lead singer and got his autograph which is exactly what happened and I have been changed into a Foodie for sure. Cyrus is the best experience thus far with eating in my life you should try it. We were there for about 4 hours in all and we did the 8 course tasting menu but there’s also a 5 course tasting menu.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream-Cheese Filling

2009-10-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I got a book from the library called "Baked", well my mum got it for me because she loves Oprah and Oprah talked about it in her magazine. I loved the book so I copied as many recipes as I could from it including these Pumpkin whoopie pies recipe but to my dismay the recipe went missing. Instead of there being a sock snatcher I think there's a recipe snatcher in my house. So I couldn't get the recipe because there was so many holds on it at the library because Oprah said to check it out but thank goodness for Martha because she had the Baked Boys on her show so now the recipe is on her site. So I got to make the whoopies for my family and my culinary class and the pies are the best whoopie pies ever!
FOR THE PUMPKIN WHOOPIE COOKIES
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
FOR THE CREAM-CHEESE FILLING
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
1.Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
2.In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
3.Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
4.Make the filling: Sift confectioner' sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
5.Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

Frosted Pumpkin Cake Squares

2009-10-08T20:41:00.001-07:00

My mum makes this cake every year right around this time. It's right when the weather changes from hot octobers days to cool rainy ones. Today it's been raining all day and it's my day off it's a day of baking for sure,this is a recipe to add to your fall desserts.
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch sqaure pan.
2.Prepare cake: In bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat sugar and eggs 2 minutes. Beat in Pumpkin and oil. At low speed, add flour, and cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; beat 1 minute.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
4. Prepare frosting: In bowl with mixer on low speed, beat confectioners' sugar and remaining ingredients 2 minutes or until fluffy, frost cake.

Caramel-Glazed Apple Cake

2009-10-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

The other day my mum came to me requesting that I make her this cake. She had been flipping through the Costco Magazine and found it and since she can't have chocolate she loves it when she finds a good dessert with out it. This cake is great, best served right out of the oven and perfect for the holidays coming. I made it again a few days later for my dads birthday because he requested it and usually likes chocolate so that says a lot for the cake.

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
5 baking apple cored,peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Caramel Glaze Ingredients:
4 Tbl butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions:
1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 by 13 inch pan.
2. To prepare the cake beat both sugars and oil in a mixing bowl until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together flour,baking soda,Cinnamon,nutmeg, and salt; gradually add to egg mixture,mixing just until blended. Stir in apples,nuts, vanilla. Pour into pan.
3.Bake for 50 to 75 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan while preparing the glaze.
4. To prepare the glaze put the butter in a sauce pan over low heat. Stir in both sugars and salt; cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Add cream and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Poke holes in the cake with skewer or toothpicks. Pour on the glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. Makes 12 rather large servings.

Candy Corn Hershey Kiss Cookies

2009-10-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

The other day I went to the store and was surprised to find that they had all there Halloween supplies out. I saw the candy corn kisses and thought of doing a Halloween spin on the traditional Hershey kiss cookies. I am preparing a Halloween package for one of my friends at college and I cant wait for her to see these. There really great.
Candy corn Hershey cookies
2 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Additional sugar
4 dozen candy corn kisses, unwrapped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking soda. Add butter and peanut butter and mix until smooth. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Make balls out of level tablespoons of dough - add flour if needed. Roll in sugar.
Bake 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet for 6 minutes.
Remove from oven and add 1 kiss to the center of each cookie. Cool and enjoy.

Pumpkin Brownies

2009-10-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

After a long day of studying I thought I would explode with all the information. It was the first day that really felt like fall and it was very chilly out. I needed to take a break from studying so I went for a fall dessert. Pumpkin Brownies. I was interested in seeing if it would actually taste good. So I whipped up a batch. When the batch was still warm I cut a square and sat on my couch staring out at the thrashing trees I took a bite and it felt like everything stopped for a minute. My head had been spinning the whole day until I took a bite out of this gooey,moist warm pumpkin brownies. I knew this was going to be my favorite thing to whip up this fall. Then that evening my dad ate most of the plate then brought the rest to work for his buddies to try, they liked them. So try these brownies out there fantastic.
Ingredients
Makes 16
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
4. Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer the chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with the pumpkin batter.
5. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Muffins

2009-09-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

I'm sure there are other Starbucks fans on here, so if you are a fan of their holiday treats then check this recipe out. To get home from my culinary classes I take two buses that still don't get me close to home but there is a Starbucks near by so I go in and do homework and get a drink while I wait for a ride. I was amazed though when I walked in one of the first days of September and saw they already had there fall treats out. So a few days later my mum got the cream cheese filled pumpkin muffin for us to share and it was good but I knew I could make it better and it would be cheaper.
So I used my other Pumpkin Muffin recipe for the muffin itself.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. Libby's solid pack pumpkin
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
In large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and coriander; set aside. In small bowl, combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla; mix well. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients; stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into 12greased or paper-lined muffin cups, filling 3/4 the way full.
Cream cheese filling:
cream cheese 8 oz
confectioners sugar 2 oz
vanilla extract 1 oz
1. cream together the cream cheese,sugar,vanilla on medium speed with the paddle attachment,scraping down the bowl periodically, until smooth in texture and light in color about 5 minutes. Do a teaspoon or more of the filling into the center of batter you put in each muffin liner. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!

Apple Strudel

2009-09-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

Now it is officially fall I have been baking a lot with apples,pumkin and spices. The weather still feels like summer here but there's something in the air that makes it feel like fall. Every October my mum and I try and go to Apple Hill which is somewhere near Tahoe and you have to go there if you like apples. It's a bunch of Apple orchards and different cute building that sell fresh apple cider,warm apple doughnuts, and the tradtional apple desserts. It's really fun and festive for halloween. Anyways I'm getting into the mood a little early with this tasty Apple strudel.
Ingredients for Strudel dough:
Bread flour 1/2 pound
salt 1/2 tsp
water 6 1/2 oz
Vegetable oil 1 1/4 oz
vegatible oil for coating as needed
Directions for strudel dough:
1. Sift together the flour and the salt. Transfer to mixer. Add the water and the oil and blend on low speed using a dough hook attachment until just blended. Mix on high speed until the dough is smooth,satiny, and very elastic, about 10 minutes.
2. Turn out the dough onto the work surface and gather it into a ball. Rub it with oil and wrap on plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room tempature for 1 hour, or refridgerate it overnight before using. Allow the dough to come to room tempature before streching.
Ingredients for strudel:
granny smith apples 2 1/2 pounds
raisins 2 oz
cinnamon sugar 4 oz
dried bread crumbs 3 oz
butter, melted 4 oz
Strudel dough 1/2 pound and 6 oz
Directions:
1.Peel and core the apples. Cut into slices 1/4 inch and toss with raisins and cinnamon sugar.
2.Toss the bread crums with 1 oz of butter.
3. Cover a large work surface with parchment paper and cover with bread flour. Roll the dough out into a rectangle 12 by 18 in on the floured surface and let the dough relax for 15 minuetes, covered to keep from drying.
4. To stretch the dough work with two people on the opposite sides of the table. Place your hands under the dough and begin to lift and stretch it from the center out. Continue stretching until the dough is very thin and almost transparent.
5.Brush the dough with 2 oz of butter. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the entire surface of the streched dough and then place the sliced apples on the edges of the dough. Roll up the dough, starting by lifiting up one edge of the parchment paper, then continuing using the paper to help you roll so the pastry forms a tight log. Transfer the strudel to a sheet pan.
6.Brush the tops of the strudel with the rest of the melted butter. Vent the tops of the strudel by making a 1-in cut in the dough at 2-in intervals.
7. Bake at 350 degrees until light and golden about 40 minuetes.
8.Serve immediately. Add whipped cream or ice cream.

A thunder storm and some tasty places

2009-09-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

Last night or I guess this morning at 3 am I woke up to thunder and lightning this went on for about another 2 hours and it kept me up the whole time. This isn't normal September weather for California. September is our hottest month and has been until this storm arrived it put the power out but I'm feeling it I'm ready for the cold weather. Above is a picture of a flower in our backyard after the storm I love how nature looks after a storm. A few weeks ago though I went to San Francisco for the day with my mum to explore some of the best bakeries and then we went to lunch. I decided to finally post the pictures finally and write reviews, now keep in mind I'm a crazy culinary student and my mum wants to help educate in any way possible so we brought a ice chest and let me tell you there wasn't nearly enough room for our baked goods so some pastries were harmed on the way home before the photo shoot. Bare with me.
This first baked good is from Tartine Bakery at this bakery you will have to wait in line for about 10 minutes and its well worth it. You will find young 20 something locals hanging out here getting there tartine fill for the day. It's a dark chocolate covered Éclair with a custard filling and a dash of cocoa powder sprinkled on top. It really rich and creamy and a true Éclair. The chocolate was a little too rich for me but I wasn't raised in a household with a lot of chocolate since my mum's allergic to it so maybe I'm just a wimp and it's really not that rich. The filling is my favorite though. The cost was $4.65 and it was rather large so well worth the cost.

The next item is from Tartine too. It's there bread pudding with Peaches. I didn't try it my mum did and she didn't like it at all she said it was soggy, which was strange because it's there most famous item. I'm not sure the cost.

This next item is from Tartine also and it's the Bannana Cream Pie with chocolate shavings ontop. I didn't try this either my sister that lives in SF tried it and she loved it so I would say go for it. It was $6.35 for a 4 inch pie which is pretty good.

Then we have the lemon merinuge pie from Tartine which I was told was good but not as good as the lemon meringue from Chestnut bakery which you will read about below.

Below is a fudge like brownie with chopped pecans on top my dad enjoyed it very much nothing fancy just fudgy goodness. From Tartine too.

This last baked goods from Tartine is my favorite. The simple yet elegant croissant. It was flaky on the outside and soft fluffy moist layers on the inside I hummed a little tune as the croissant melted in my mouth. It was $3.25 and worth every penny. I think if you are in the area you should defiantly stop by Tartine.

Then we went to The Chestnut Bakery and got a selection of impressive desserts. The first item is a chocolate cake with chocolate custard filling and a chocolate frosting and this was really good and wasn't too rich for me which was good. A little side note is that in the two bakeries I have reviewed so far you can see the employees baking in the kitchen it's pretty cool.

Below is the lemon mernigue that was the best and it was perfectly browned. It came from Chestnut bakery.

This last dessert from chestnut bakery was delightful the mousse was so light and fluffy. It was a mix of berry mousses with a sponge cake on the bottom it was soo good.

Then we went to Kara's cupcakes. My mum has wanted to try this place for awhile and it was right on Chestnut Street so we went. The cupcakes were great but sadly I can't tell you what kind are what because we tried jamming them into a small cooler and it didn't work to well.

This next item was from TeaCake Bake shop this is actually in Corte Madera which is not the city but was so cute we had to stop at it. They have a website and they deliver so if you’re not in the area you’re in luck. The below item is some sort of coffee cupcake my dad ate it before I could figure out what it was. I guess it was good.

This last bakery item was from the bake shop and it was the most amazing whoopie pie, this is what I modeled my whoopie pies after, I think these may be a little better.

When we were still in the city we stopped and had lunch at Greens on Fort Mason in SF. Greens It's a vegetarian restaurant with the freshest ingredients and it was so good. The salad was the best part it was a creamy lemon vinaigrette dressing. The sandwich was grilled eggplant, onions, grilled fontina, and lettuce and tomatoes; it was good except I don’t care for eggplant so that was my bad decision on getting it. Other than that it was terrific and the view was of the golden gate bridge was great too.

The day was truly terrific and I'm sure were gonna go back to SF for more bakries.

Black and White Whoopie Pies

2009-09-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting forever to make whoopie pies from scratch forever and I have now found the perfect recipe. School has kept me so busy that I have been to busy to post, I have been baking but not as much because when I'm in a kitchen for 5 hours a day I don't want to come home and stand in the kitchen some more. But finally thanks to labor day it has given me some extra time. These are just like the ones I had at a bakery which I will post about later.
Ingredients
Cookies
2 2/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
3/4 cup(s) (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
3/4 cup(s) milk
3 ounce(s) bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Filling2 cup(s) marshmallow cream
1 cup(s) (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
2 cup(s) confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting

Directions
1.Cookies: Place oven racks in upper and lower third of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 4 baking sheets with parchment.
2.Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla until blended. Add flour mixture in three additions alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until just combined.
3.Divide dough in half and add chocolate to one half, stirring until just blended. Use a scant 1/4 cup ice cream scoop to drop chocolate dough 3 inches apart on 2 baking sheets. Bake 12 to 13 minutes, or until centers are soft but firm and edges are just beginning to brown. Cool 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling. Repeat with vanilla dough using a full 1/4 cup scoop.
4.Filling: Beat marshmallow cream, butter, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar in a large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.Top each cookie with spoonful of frosting.Then put second cookie on top and serve.

Lemon Tartlets

2009-08-27T12:39:00.001-07:00

School started for me last Monday. All my closest friends have left for school and as they left I made each of them a farewell dessert. These lemon tartlets were for a friend of mine that's going to Chico state. All though I miss all my friends dearly I have been having a blast with my culinary classes. I have GED classes too so I'm keeping busy. So busy that now I'm sick, so sick that I had to miss knife skills, at least I get to update the blog. These are the perfect size. The crust is flaky and the curd is creamy and tart, its a fantastic combination.
For Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tbsp. cold water
Set oven to 450 degrees.Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add shortening and butter and blend with a fork, pastry cutter, or your hands. Blend until mixture is fairly coarse. Add water, 1 tbsp. at a time, gently mixing dough after each addiction until dough forms a ball.
2. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out 1/4 inch thick. Using a shot glass size cookie cutter, cut out dough and put into mini muffin tins.Press down into the center but make sure dough doesn't break. Put beans or a marble into each tartlet. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden.
Lemon curd
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
For lemon curd:
Whisk egg yolks, whole eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and salt to blend in top of double boiler over barely simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water); whisk constantly until mixture thickens and instant-read thermometer registers 160°F, about 6 minutes. Transfer to glass bowl; place plastic wrap directly on surface; refrigerate 40 minutes.
Assemble:
After lemon curd has been chilled put a teaspoons worth of lemon curd in each tartlet. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Bread Machine Raised Doughnuts

2009-08-17T17:17:00.001-07:00

Back when I was little my dad used to bring home a large pink box on some Sunday mornings and my sisters and I knew they were from the Doughnut Den. It contained many different doughnuts of different colors and textures and I always loved the maple bars. It had the perfect creamy maple frosting and was always airy and moist. As we got older the box visited our house less and then one day my dad just stopped getting the doughnuts, but the excitement still lives. Now I don't need the pink box because now I have this recipe that makes just as fresh and moist doughnuts as the pink box once held. This is a really easy recipe where everything just gets thrown into a bread machine and all the hard work is done in it.
Raised Doughnuts
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups very warm milk (120º to 130º)
1/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
Vegetable oil
Sugar
Put all ingredients in a bread machine and press "Dough". Let the bread machine do its work. Turn dough onto generously floured surface; roll around lightly to coat with flour. Flatten dough with hands or rolling pin to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with floured doughnut cutter. Push together scraps and gently knead 2 or 3 times. Flatten dough to 1/2-inch thickness; cut with floured 3-inch doughnut cutter or bigger cutter just depends what you want. Cover doughnuts and let rise 30 to 40 minutes or until double.

Heat oil (1 1/2 to 2 inches) in Dutch oven to 350º. Slide doughnuts into hot oil with wide spatula. Fry about 1 minute on each side or until golden brown. Remove carefully from oil (do not prick surfaces); drain on paper towels. Roll or shake in sugar or cover with glaze. You can also make it more of a frosting which is what I did.
White Doughnut Glaze
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-6 tablespoons milk (depending on your desired consistency)
Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl with a fork. If the glaze is too thin, add more confectioner’s sugar. If the glaze is too thick, stir in a little extra milk. Enjoy!

Homemade Pop-Tart's

2009-08-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

We never got Pop-Tarts as kids in our house or now for that matter. but for the first week of school we could pick a special breakfast it could be a sugary cereal or Pop-Tarts we always went for the Pop-Tarts. We haven't bought them probably since I was 12. So as school is coming around now I decided to make homemade ones,which turned out even better then the real Pop-Tarts. My sister came over and ate all of them she was the big fan of them when we were kids. These are really easy too and you can make them many different colors. The directions say to make them in the traditional rectangle way but I went for the circle look, but you could use cookie cutters and do any kind of shape.
For Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tbsp. cold water
For Filling
Jam (your choice)
For Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
milk to thin
Sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add shortening and butter and blend with a fork, pastry cutter, or your hands. Blend until mixture is fairly coarse. Add water, 1 tbsp. at a time, gently mixing dough after each addiction until dough forms a ball.
2. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a square/rectangle. To about 1/8 thickness. Cut out long strips about 2 inches wide and 3 inches long. Repeat until dough runs out.
3. Take one pie crust rectangle and lace 1 tsp. of jam on top. Cover with another piece of pie crust and crimp all four edges. Repeat with the rest of dough. Place Pop-tarts on a baking sheet with parchment paper, and bake for 7-8 minutes.
4. While pop-tarts are baking, make glaze. Place powdered sugar in a bowl. Pour milk slowing until it has a consistancy of really thick syrup. 1/2 a tbsp. to 1 tbsp. might be enough.
5. Once pop-tarts are done and cooled, top with glaze. Sprinkle and decorate with colorful sprinkle.

Raspberry Cheesecake

2009-08-07T18:58:00.001-07:00

I was recently invited to another My fair lady party. I planned on going and was asked if I could bring dessert. Of course I said yes so I asked two friends who are twins what they wanted because it would be a few days after their birthday, and they requested Raspberry Cheesecake. I know it may sound strange but I had never made cheesecake until this one. So I was a bit worried. Then to make matters worse I forgot it was my sisters birthday that day so I couldn't go, but I still made the cheesecake and dropped it off at the party. I was terrified because 1. I never made cheesecake before 2. I didn't get to try it before hand. The good thing is though that my rep wasn't ruined and everybody enjoyed it a lot.
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the topping:
1 cup red jelly (not jam), such as currant, raspberry, or strawberry
3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch spring form pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.
To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.
Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees F and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the cake from the spring form pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Leave the cake on the bottom of the spring form pan for serving.
To make the topping, melt the jelly in a small pan over low heat. In a bowl, toss the raspberries and the warm jelly gently until well mixed. Arrange the berries on top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tiramisu

2009-08-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to make Tiramisu for so long, and I finally did it. This recipe comes from the Canyon Ranch cookbook which is a wonderful cookbook and the book gave me assurance that the recipe would turn out because its a famous health resort. I tweaked the recipe a bit to my liking so its not the exact recipe, but it turned out really good and creamy and with a punch from the coffee it truly was everything I dreamed it would be. I also made mine mini, using mini loaf pans but I said how to make it both ways.
TiramisuIngredients:
2 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons white chocolate
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ tablespoon gelatin
1/3 cup mascarpone
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
½ cup brewed coffee
20 ladyfingers for one large loaf or 24 ladyfingers for four mini loaves
Dash of cocoa powder
1. In a double boiler, combine egg yolks, sugar, wine, white chocolate and vanilla. Mix well. Heat until thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Do not let simmer. Set aside to cool.
2. Combine gelatin and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan and let sit for 5 minutes to soften gelatin. Heat over low, stirring to dissolve. Cool and add to egg mixture.
3. In a small bowl, whip mascarpone cheese with and electric mixer and add to cooled egg mixture.
4. In a medium bowl, whip egg whites with an electric mixer until frothy. Increase speed and gradually add sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside. In another, small bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Do not over mix. Fold egg mixture into egg whites. Then gently fold in whipped cream.

5. Lay half the ladyfingers on bottom of a 8 ½” x 4 ½” x 2 ½” loaf pan or place 3 lady fingers on the bottom of four mini loaf pans. Brush with coffee. Spread half of the cream mixture over ladyfingers. Layer the rest of ladyfingers on top of cream mixture, and brush with coffee. Top with the remaining cream mixture. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.
6. Place in freezer for 2 hours to set. Then cut slices or take out mini loaves. Let sit for 10 minutes to soften and enjoy.

Cinnamon Blueberry Muffins

2009-08-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

I love blueberry muffins,really who doesn't.Any kind of blueberry baked good has my heart. I made miniature ones because of course I have my mini cupcake liners, which I sadly haven't made a dent in yet. These aren't so traditional though, theres a little bit of cinnamon in them which makes these baked good stand out. It's also really easy.
Ingredients:
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries (7 1/2 oz)(frozen,fresh,or dried I have used all three)
Special equipment: a muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups; 12 foil or paper muffin liners
Directions:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Put liners in muffin cups.
Whisk together butter, brown sugar, milk, and egg in a bowl until combined well. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add milk mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries gently.
Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

German Chocolate Cake

2009-07-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

Two things I missed at camp was 1.baking 2.desserts. Camp food is not good it was bearable but not good. It's OK though because I wasn't there for the food. But the dessert if they offered it was horrific. One night we had pears cut up in a little cup with flavorless yogurt it tasted like it had been sitting out for awhile. I don't blame them there was 600 kids but still it was something I missed. So when I got home I made German Chocolate Cake I knew it would fulfill my need for sweetness,creaminess,indulgence, it did the trick to say the least.
For cake layers
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup boiling-hot water
For filling
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
4 ounces coarsely chopped pecans (1 cup)
14-ounces can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
For glaze
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
10 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
equipment: 3 (9-inch) round cake pans
Preparation Make cake layers:
Preheat oven to 350°F and oil cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together whole milk, butter, whole egg, yolk, vanilla, and almond extract in another large bowl until just combined. Beat egg mixture into flour mixture with an electric mixer on low speed, then beat on high speed 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and beat in water until just combined (batter will be thin). Divide batter among cake pans (about 1 1/2 cups per pan) and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans and rotating them 180 degrees halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes total.
Cool layers in pans on racks 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove parchment or wax paper and cool layers completely.

Make filling:
Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
Spread coconut in a large shallow baking pan and pecans in another. Bake pecans in upper third of oven and coconut in lower third, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven.
Increase oven temperature to 425°F.
Pour condensed milk into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with foil. Bake milk in a water bath in middle of oven 45 minutes. Refill baking pan with water to reach halfway up pie plate and bake milk until thick and brown, about 45 minutes more. Remove pie plate from water bath.
Stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla and keep warm, covered with foil.
Make glaze while milk is baking:
Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate and corn syrup, whisking until chocolate is melted. Transfer 1 cup glaze to a bowl, reserving remaining glaze at room temperature in pan. Chill glaze in bowl, stirring occasionally, until thickened and spreadable, about 1 hour.
Assemble cake:
Put 1 cake layer on a rack set over a baking pan (to catch excess glaze). Drop half of coconut filling by spoonfuls evenly over layer and gently spread with a wet spatula. Top with another cake layer and spread with remaining filling in same manner. Top with remaining cake layer and spread chilled glaze evenly over top and side of cake. Heat reserved glaze in pan over low heat, stirring, until glossy and pourable, about 1 minute. Pour glaze evenly over top of cake, making sure it coats sides. Shake rack gently to smooth glaze.
Chill cake until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer cake to a plate.

Mini Matcha Cupcakes

2009-07-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Yes I have joined the craze for Matcha baked goods. I couldn't help myself and with all my mini liners I couldnt resist, so I made minis but you could make them regular size. These are really tasty. I'm leaving for high school camp with my church tomorrow morning at 5 am so I won't be on for a week. It will be somewhere in LA so I'm excited but I decided I needed to leave something fresh on my page before I leave. So there you go enjoy.

Makes 24 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon matcha
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon green food coloring(optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream frosting
8 oz heavy whipping cream
sugar (however much you want)
1 teaspoon of matcha
DIRECTIONS
To make cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers or mini ones like I did.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda,salt, and matcha. In a different bowl mix together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, and vanilla. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined. Then fill cups 3/4 of the way full and put in the oven for 20 minutes,test with tooth pick,then let cool.
Frosting
Put the cream, mathca and sugar in a mixing bowl whip until stiff peak forms. Put in a bag with tip of choice and decorated cupcakes.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

2009-07-09T08:58:00.001-07:00

These cookies are summer. There cakey and light with a great lemon taste.
Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.
Glaze:
Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

Summer school has been taking over my life but I have been baking just not posting. Here's some cool ice cubes we made for fourth of July.

We used red and blue Gatorade to make the ice cubes it was very festive.Here are just some plain ole sugar cookies decorated in red white and blue.

Hope you all had a good fourth.