From the Oven - Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

You know that saying about how when there are too many coincidences it's no longer a coincidence?

Well it was a coincidence that:

1. I found a really interesting chocolate cake recipe on Pinterest that I was dying to try.
2. There is Baileys that's been sitting in my fridge for way too long.
3. Russell has a new food-related toy that I gave him for his birthday that he has yet to try out.
4. We need to get beer for the house.
5. St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner!

With all these coincidences in front of me, I had no other choice but to use them to my favor...& make them into not a coincidence.

I had to substitute a couple of the ingredients...
     4 ounces all-purpose flour
     0.6 teaspoon baking soda
     0.25 teaspoon salt
     1.5 ounces all natural cocoa
     5 ounces sugar
     0.5 cup hot chocolate
     4 ounces butter
     0.75 cup Guinness
     1 egg
     0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract

Then it's melt, dump, & stir...
     In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, & salt
     In a pot, heat the cocoa, butter, sugar, & hot chocolate until the butter is melted; cook for 10 minutes
     To the chocolate mixture add in the Baileys, whisk in the egg, & then add in the vanilla
     Slowly sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix everything together until well incorporated
     Pour the batter into a cupcake tin already lined with wrappers
     Bake at 320F for 30 minutes
     Remove cupcakes & put them on a wire rack until they are cooled completely

Makes 12 cupcakes

Theses cupcakes are so good!  I honestly think these are the best things I've ever made out of an oven.  The cupcakes were moist, chocolatey, not too sweet, & end with just a hint of bitterness from the Guinness.  I think the flavors would have been much more balanced if I had used coffee instead of hot chocolate but I didn't have any coffee in the house.  Never did I envision a day when there would be no coffee in my house.  Ugh!  To complete the cupcakes I topped them with a Baileys whipped cream.  I must admit that I didn't make the whipped cream; nor was it made using conventional methods.  The truth is, Russell made the topping by combining heavy whipping cream & Baileys in his fancy siphon food whipper & then aerosolized it by adding in nitrous oxide (N₂O).  The whipped cream tasted really strong so I might do a café au lait frosting next time instead.

I wasn't sure what to these cupcakes because someone once told me that Irish car bomb is an offense name.  S/he didn't tell me why & I never figured it out; I still haven't figured it out.  Also, I didn't think this was truly really an Irish car bomb since it lacked the Jameson whiskey.  I want to try & include the whiskey into the recipe next time to accurately represent the drink I've named it after.  Maybe I should half the coffee & replace it with the Jameson.  Or Maybe I should just go with all Jameson!

From the Oven - Fluffy Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ever since I got a Pinterest account months ago, I have been seeing this one pin for fluffy & chewy chocolate chip cookies repeatedly.  Since I was in the mood to make some CCCs & didn't want to make our usual America's Test Kitchen recipe - too labor intensive - I thought I would give this popular recipe a try.

They say the trick lies with the cornstarch...
     0.75 cup unsalted butter, softened
     0.75 cup light brown sugar
     0.25 cup granulated sugar
     1 egg
     2 teaspoons vanilla extract
     2 cups all-purpose flour
     2 teaspoons cornstarch
     1 teaspoon baking soda
     0.25 teaspoon salt
     1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Just dump, stir, & scoop...
     In a medium mixing bowl, cream together butter & both sugars until really light & fluffy
     Add in the egg & vanilla extract & blend
     Add in flour, cornstarch, baking soda, & salt into the mixture; mix everything together gently
     Mix in the chocolate chips
     Scoop the dough with a tablespoon & place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
     Bake at 350F for 10 minutes

Makes about 30 cookies

I have made these cookies twice & they turned out good both times.  The first time, I used an electric mixer for all the steps & the cookie dough felt a little dry.  The cookies were fine but it was difficult to scoop.  The second time I made these, I only used an electric mixer to cream the butter & sugar & used a rubber spatula for the rest of the steps.  This time, the cookie dough was more pliable & it spread out a bit more in the oven.  These cookies are not meant to flatten out very much so if they do, it might mean the cookie dough was a little too warm before going into the oven.  Try refrigerating the dough for 20 minutes to firm everything up first.  Also, it helps to make sure that the butter is softened but not too soft.  When it comes to texture, these cookies delivered on the promise & were chewy & fluffy without feeling like it wasn't cooked all the way through.  In terms of flavor, these were nice & not too sweet.  Mine had a weird after taste to them that only I tasted (I asked Russell & my parents; they all said no) which I suspect might have to do with my really old corn starch & baking soda that has been sitting in my cupboard, exposed.  I wish things like baking soda, baking powder, & corn starch would come in resealable packages or come in much smaller quantities because it takes forever to go through one of those things!  But I digress...

I feel that I am @ a cross roads.  While I like these cookies for their texture, they lack that flavor that gets evoked in my mind when someone says "chocolate chip cookies."  Perhaps I will try to substitute cornstarch into my go to CCC recipe & see what happens.  But first I have to go get some new corn starch.

From the Oven - Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

About a month ago I made mini cinnamon sugar coffee cakes that were tasty but were dry.  I wasn't sure if it was the recipe or the super powerful motor of my Ninja food processor that made them that way, so I found this similar recipe on Baked Perfection to could see if the results would be any different.  Another way I could have done this was use the same recipe but make it without using the Ninja...but where is the fun in that?

Pretty similar ingredients with a few extra things...
     2 cups all-purpose flour (you can substitute with 1 cup of whole wheat flour)
     1 tablespoon baking powder
     0.5 tablespoon baking soda
     2 eggs
     1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
     1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
     0.67 cup brown sugar
     4 tablespoons oil (I used grape seed oil)
     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   For the topping:
     4 tablespoons butter
     0.25 cup granulated sugar
     1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

And let the experiment begin...
     In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, & cinnamon
     In another large bowl, mix together the eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil, & vanilla
     Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; mix just until everything is moistened
     Divide the batter into a greased muffin pan & bake @ 400F for 12-15 minutes
     Melt the butter over low heat & mix the sugar & cinnamon in a small bowl
     When the muffins are still hot, dip them into the melted butter & then into the cinnamon sugar

Makes 12 muffins

I ended up messing up the experiment because I didn't use the Ninja for the entire process; I only used it to mix together the wet ingredients.  Anyhow, these muffins were much fluffier than the other recipe & they were very buttery.  I am going to stick with this recipe & repeat this experiment again; this time really using the Ninja all the way through.  Stay tuned.

Quick & Easy - Apple Breakfast Smoothie

Happy 2013!  I wish everyone a fantastic year full of love, happiness, & - of course - delicious food!

I don't know when it became customary for me to make New Year's resolutions but it definitely didn't happen until a few years I moved to the US.  When I was still in school, my resolutions were almost always about how I would be more studious.  Then in the last 3 years, my resolutions shifted to how I would get healthier or how I would lose weight.  This year, I am making a different resolution: to take better care of myself.  This means physically, mentally, emotionally, nutritionally, & any other -ally that I can't think of right now.

To not only start off my year but also my day right, I am trying smoothies.  Yes, I know I'm a good number of years late to this game but I didn't have the motivation or the tools to even attempt to make this a regular thing so I never bothered.  Until now.  I didn't want to do the usual strawberries & banana smoothie so I did a bit of browsing and came across this recipe created by celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak (Katy Perry, Megan Fox).  This drink only takes a few ingredients, is quick to make, & it is super nutritious.

Throw in your blender...
     1 apple
     1 banana
     0.5 cup low fat milk
     0.75 cup plain Greek yogurt
     5 raw almonds
     1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Give it a whirl...
    Blend at high speed until the desired consistency (~30 seconds)

Makes 1 serving

After having a few of these, I wanted to know just exactly how this concoction is healthy.  I did a little bit of digging & this is what I found:  Apples are high in fiber, vitamin C, & they have phytonutrients that can help regulate blood sugar.  Bananas are high in vitamin B6, potassium, & they are a great source of energy.  Milk has plenty of protein & calcium & it is great for bone health.  Greek yogurt has tons of protein & it helps boost digestive & immune system health.  Almonds are high in manganese, vitamin E, healthy fat, & magnesium which increases blood flow as well as the distribution of oxygen & nutrients throughout the body. Cinnamon slows down stomach emptying, thereby sustaining the sensation of fullness  & lessens the body's blood sugar spike.  One additional perk about cinnamon is that its smell can increase a person's cognitive function.

This recipe comes in @ about 382 calories.  It tastes a bit like an apple pie when I could ignore the taste of the banana coming through the background.  Even though I used my super high-powered Ninja blender, there was still little bits of almond.  This was good since it gave me something to chew & tricked my brain into thinking I was eating my breakfast instead of drinking it.  Even though it doesn't look very large in the photo, this drink is filling & can keep me happy from 8am to lunch without the need for a snack.  Here is to taking better care of myself & to making this into a part of daily life!

From the Oven - Mini Cinnamon Sugar Coffee Cakes

The Boyfriend got me a Ninja kitchen system for Christmas.  If you know, the Ninja is not just a blender & food processor but it can also be used to make cake batters & dough.  Even though the informercials look really impressive, I wanted to test out the machine for myself to see if it really delivers on what it promises.  It just so happened that I have an easy coffee cake recipe that I've been meaning to try.  What better time than to do it now?

These should all be in the pantry/fridge already...
     1.75 cups all-purpose flour
     1.5 teaspoons baking powder
     0.5 teaspoon salt
     1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
     0.3 cup canola oil
     0.75 cup granulated sugar
     1 egg
     0.75 cup milk
     0.25 cup unsalted butter
     1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
     0.3 cup granulated sugar

It's as easy as 1-2-3...
     In a big bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, & cinnamon
     In another big bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, egg, & milk until it looks homogeneous
     Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture; mix until the batter is smooth
     Grease a muffin pan really well using butter, oil, or cooking spray
     Grease up a spoon & scope batter into the muffin pan, filling up about half way
     Bake at 350F for 15 minutes
     While the muffins are still hot, remove them from the pan & put onto a wire rack
     Melt the butter in a pan over low heat or in the microwave & mix the cinnamon with the sugar
     Dip hot muffins into the  butter & roll them in the cinnamon sugar until they are evenly coated
     Place them on a wire rack & let them cool down completely

Makes 12 servings

The flavor is nice & slightly reminds me of an old-fashion donut.  The texture was a little doughier than I thought it would be but it might have to do with the fact that I over mixed the batter.  As a matter of fact, my dad took 1 bite and said "it's so dry!"  Well, thanks a lot Daddy.  When it comes to using the Ninja system to make the batter, it wasn't exactly easier than using a hand mixer but it was a lot faster since the machine is really powerful (without being too loud).  Unfortunately, I think the power may be a bad thing for a batter like this since it was really easy to overdo it.  The biggest negative I have of the Ninja is that it was kind of a pain to clean around the nooks & crannies.  I am going to attempt a similar recipe using the Ninja again to see if it comes out the same; and if it doesn't, then maybe the problem stemmed from the recipe after all & not the machine.

Season's Giftings!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

I absolutely adore this time of year.  Yes, the San Francisco wind can pierce my bones & the ever existing fog is always a downer.  But how can I be in a bad mood when I am all bundled up in my coat & scarf?  And how can I be crabby when holiday decorations are filling up what seems to be every window that exists in the world?  And how can I possibly not be cheerful @ the thought of presents!  While I - along with most of humanity - love receiving presents, I also love to give them.  In years past, I tend to buy my gifts; but that seems very impersonal & can quickly create a decent-sized divot in my wallet.  So this year, I decided to make my gifts & to make them edible.  Who doesn't like a sweet treat (or 2) during the holidays??

After much browsing around the web, I found 2 recipes that seem the most manageable given the small amount of time that I had & the large number of people I was planning on treating.  The first is chocolate-covered Oreo cookie pops & the other is chocolate Chex "puppy chow" (or "muddy buddy") mixes.

To make the "suckers"you will need...
     1 package of Oreo cookies
     1 package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
     1 package of white chocolate chips
     Canola oil
     Lollipop sticks
     Small treat bags

Then you will have to...
     Melt 0.25 cup white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second intervals
     Twist open Oreo cookies carefully trying not to break the stuffing
     Dip a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate & place it onto the side of the cookie with the stuffing
     Replace the other side of the cookie and press gently
     Wait for the chocolate to dry
     Melt 0.5 cup of the semi-sweet or white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second intervals
     Stir in a few drops of canola oil at a time until the chocolate can drip off a spoon in a slow stream
     Carefully dip the cookie pop into the chocolate & let the excess drip off
     Lay cookie pops onto parchment paper, decorate them, & let them dry completely
     Wrap cookie pops in treat bags & close them with either twist ties or ribbons

I decorated the white chocolate covered cookie pops with crushed candy canes & candy cane pop rocks.  With the semi-sweet chocolate cookie pops, I covered them with crushed candy canes, toasted almonds, & white chocolate drizzles.  I didn't taste one but they were fairly well received by my co-workers & friends.  The hardest part of the whole process was getting the chocolate to be the right consistency because if it is too thick, the Oreo can get caught & break off from the lollipop stick.  Also, use plenty of white chocolate when forming the cookie pops because Oreo stuffing doesn't stick back onto the cookie so the chocolate "glue" is super important.

For the Chex mix, gather...
     4.5 cups rice Chex cereal
     4.5 cups corn Chex cereal
     1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
     0.5 cup creamy peanut butter
     0.25 cup butter
     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
     1.5 cups powdered sugar (or unsweetened cocoa powder)

Give it 15 minutes...
     In a large bowl, mix together the 2 types of cereals then set aside
     Melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter, & butter together in the microwave in 30-second intervals
     Stir the chocolate mixture until smooth & then stir in the vanilla
     Pour the chocolate over the cereal & stir until everything is evenly coated
     Pour the powdered sugar or the cocoa powder into a gallon-sized zipper bag
     Fill the bag with the cereal, zip up the bag, & shake until you see the cereal squares are nicely coated
     Lay the cereal out onto a sheet of parchment paper & let them dry

   






















I made both the powdered sugar kind & the cocoa powder kind.  The powdered sugar one was sweeter & tasted more like peanut butter; whereas the cocoa powder one tasted more like bitter-sweet chocolate.   I put the 2 batches into small treat bags & then put 1 of each into a small glass jar so my friends could get a taste for both.  On the other hand, the 2 flavors can be mixed together to give a different flavor profile.

Both of these treats were super easy to make & took me just 1 afternoon.  You can find lollipop sticks & treat bags for really cheap @ any craft store.  I got the glass jar at Ichiban Kan which is like a Japanese dollar store so they were super cheap too.  The great thing about these also, is that you can change up the flavor & the decorations for different occasions.  Oh the possibility awaits!

Quick & Easy - Hot Ginger Apple Cider

It's 11 days until Christmas!! In years past, I would have already bought all my gifts, been baking up a storm, & be watching every sappy ABC Family Christmas movie there is.  This year,  I haven't even once tuned into my Pandora Christmas music station.  How could that be?!?  Luckily, it is never too late to get into the holiday spirits & I know just what I need to kick things off.  A hot beverage to make me feel warm & cozy!

It only takes a few holiday essential ingredients...
     1 cup apple cider (not spiced)
     4 slices fresh ginger, unpeeled
     Cinnamon

In a small sauce pan...
     Heat the apple cider & ginger over medium heat until it simmers
     Turn off the stove & let the ginger steep for a few minutes
     Pour the cider into a glass or mug & sprinkle with cinnamon over the top

The cinnamon makes the cider tastes like a fresh-out-of-the-oven apple pie & the spiciness of the ginger  cuts the sweetness of the cider & warms up my whole body.  If you want to serve this as an after dinner beverage or @ a holiday brunch, considering adding a bit of bourbon to kick things up another notch.  Another idea is to reduce the cider down to almost a syrup, cool it down, & add it to some sparkling wine to make a first rate Bellini.

As I sit at my kitchen table sipping on my cider & writing this post, I wish everyone a beautiful holiday filled with love & happiness!!

Tasty Time - Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls with Icing

As the holiday season fast approaches, there are plenty of commercials advertising Pillsbury products.  I think I've had some of the cookies before when I was younger but nothing since then.  After seeing that commercial where a little boy is in the kitchen with his mom & sister & he's saying "2 inches apart, Becky, 2 inches," I was seriously tempted to see what this whole ready-to-bake pastry is about.  And with a sale of $1.11, it's like the universe is telling me I should do it.

We went for the Orange Sweet Rolls since it is out of the ordinary.  The long cylindrical canister contains 7 sweet rolls & a small thing of orange flavored frosting.  The canister itself was kind of hard to open but that's probably because I had never done it before.  The baking process was easy enough & it took just 9 minutes for the sweet rolls to come out golden brown. There was virtually no clean up since I used a piece of parchment paper on top of the cookie sheet.

Now on to the taste.  The rolls themselves were pretty small - about 2 inches in diameter - but the texture was pretty good.  We opted to use the frosting only to regret it after the first bite.  To me, the frosting was super sweet & reminded me of a cheap, generic imitation of Tang.  To him, it tasted like orange Tums.  Aside from the artificial sweetness, we really couldn't taste anything else.

I can definitely see why something like this appeals to kids & the convenience really cannot be beat.  But for people like us who don't often eat cinnamon rolls, I would definitely recommend spending the time & the effort to just make them from scratch.  And hey, all that work will likely make me not want to have any more cinnamon rolls for a good while.

From the Oven - Gingerbread Muffins

We love Arizemendi Bakery; especially the Corn cherry scone (for me) & the Ginger cup (for him).  Unfortunately, they haven't had the Ginger cup for the last few times that's we've been there.  So inspired, he asked for gingerbread muffins.  I found this recipe on Epicurious & adapted it using some of the reviews that people wrote in.

Start out with...
     23/4 cups all-purpose flour
     21/2 teaspoons baking soda
     11/2 teaspoons cinnamon
     1/2 teaspoon salt
     1/2 cup butter, softened
     1/2 cup light brown sugar
     2 eggs
     3/4 cup mild-flavored molasses
     3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
     11/3 cup milk

Then you...
     In a big bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt
     In a bigger bowl, cream together butter & brown sugar
     Add in the eggs & beat until incorporated
     Add in molasses & ginger; mix until incorporated
     Add in half of the dry ingredients & mix well
     Add in the rest of the dry ingredients & mix well
     With the electric mixer on low, gradually add in the milk until everything is together
     Pour the batter into a prepared muffin pan; bake at 350F for 25 minutes

I don't have a real muffin pan so I made mini muffins using a cupcake pan (bake for 17 minutes) instead.  The muffins are light & fluffy & don't hit you over the head with ginger flavor.  But if ginger is what you like, feel free to add more.  Note: if using dried ginger instead, reduce the amount by half since it is more potent than fresh ginger.

Quick & Easy - Coconut Mango Chia Pudding

I bought a pack of chia seeds a few weeks ago but I had no idea how to use it except to sprinkle it over my Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the morning.  And then a few days ago, Pinterest came to my rescue!  This recipe takes 2 minutes to put together, takes no skills whatsoever, & it is only 197 calories per serving.

The recipe calls for...

     1/2 cup light coconut milk

     1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk (or almond milk)

     3/4 cup fresh mango, diced

     2 tablespoons chia seeds (black & white ones are the same)

     1/4 cup agave nectar (or honey or stevia)

Everything is done in 1 simple step...

     In a container, combine every ingredient & refrigerate for 24 hours

Chia seeds expand when they come in contact with liquid, creating this thick gooey texture that is similar to sago (tapioca) so the pudding is actually quite pudding'y...if you can get over the tiny seed in the middle.  The whole thing is not super sweet but it isn't super coconut'y either so if you are a big fan of coconut, you can add some coconut flakes.  I am definitely going to make more of this; actually I think I am going to go make some more right now!

From the Oven - No Fat Banana Bread

If you read my banana cake recipe, you know that I have a pet peeve about yellow bananas.  Well it just so happened that this time around, I had some more yellow (actually they were more black) bananas around my apartment.  Not really satisfied with my previous attempt of baking banana goodies, I thought it best to go back to the basics & use a vegan banana bread recipe that I have tried before with great success; a recipe that my college roomie shared with  me.

Searching through old Facebook messages, I finally found the link to the original recipe after a good while.  *Click*.... Error 404 Page Not Found. NOOO!  What?!?  How can that be?!?

OK, so that was a dramatization of what actually happened but that doesn't mean I was any less disappointed about the disappearance of this delicious recipe.  But the show must go on - & I had to get rid of these bananas - so I searched around for a similar recipe & found this on Pinterest.

So to make a banana bread that doesn't have any fat, it will take...

     2 cups all-purpose flour

     1 teaspoon baking soda

     1/4 teaspoon salt

     1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

     1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

     3/4 cup agave nectar (or honey)

     3 bananas, mashed

And you would have to...

     Combine flour, baking soda, salt, & cinnamon together in a bowl

     Combine apple sauce, agave, & mashed bananas in another bowl

     Add the wet ingredients to the dry & combine until everything just comes together

     Bake in a prepared loaf pan @ 375F for 30 minutes uncovered

     After 30 minutes, cover the pan with foil & bake for 20 more minutes

The picture is kind of blurry but the loaf turned out pretty decent...that was, until I took a bite.  It doesn't taste bad; actually it tastes pretty good.  But the texture was...well...interesting; it is kind of dense, thick, & makes you want to smack it in between your tongue/roof of your mouth.  I can't say his is a faulty recipe & I can't say that my substitution of agave nectar for the honey messed things up; but I can say that the lack of fat might have something to do with it.

*Sigh*...why are things that are bad for you always make things taste better?!?

Nothing Homemade - Chocolate Frozen Greek Yogurt

I have an enormous sweet tooth & I would love nothing more than to sit in my chair & indulge in Häagen-Dazs while watching Big Bang Theory every single night.  But in reality, I cannot do that; at least not without negative consequences.  So begins my quest to search for tasty treats that can satisfy my cravings without blowing the scale wide-open.

I came upon this recipe while browsing around on Pinterest & thought to give it a try since it was just using things that I already had around the house.  All I had to do was mix the plain yogurt with 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder & 3 tablespoons of agave nectar.  Pop the whole thing into the freezer for 45 minutes & enjoy.  I added in some chocolate chips just for kicks.

Even though I used a lot more agave nectar than I wanted to, the yogurt was still pretty tart & the flavor was more bitter cocoa instead of chocolate.  Maybe this would be better if using chocolate syrup or a hot chocolate mix (omitting the agave).  While I really liked was how thick & creamy the yogurt became after it was frozen & how much cheaper this is compared to Ben & Jerry's frozen Greek yogurt, I don't think I will be making this again.

From the Oven - Booze Cake 之 Leopard Khalua Cake

The boyfriend's aunt makes this cake every time there is a family gathering.  Since we don't see her very often & we couldn't possibly ask her to bake us the cake all the time, we decided to see if we could recreate this delectable treat for ourselves.  I searched through a bunch of recipes & almost all of them use boxed cake mix & instant chocolate pudding; finally I found this one on a blog.

The chocolate'y yummy goodness comes from...

     13/4 cups all-purpose flour

     1/2 cup corn starch

     1/3 cup dry milk powder

     6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

     1 tablespoon baking powder

     1 teaspoon salt

     2 cups granulated sugar

     1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened unsalted butter

     3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil

     3/4 cup low-fat milk

     1 tablespoon vanilla extract

     4 large eggs @ room temperature

     1/2 cup Kahlua

All you gotta do is...

     Sift together all the dry ingredients & the sugar in a really big bowl

     Add in the butter, oil, milk, & vanilla & beat until the whole thing is smooth

     Add in the eggs and mix just until incorporated

     Add in the Kahlua & mix until just combined

     Pour batter into a prepared bunt pan & bake @ 350F for 45 minutes

After taking it out of the oven, let it cool inside of the pan for 30 minutes; flip it over onto a plate & Ta Da!!  I added chocolate chips to the recipe since that's how his aunt makes it.  But as I suspected, the batter was too thin & all the chips sunk to the bottom of the pan (top of the cake), giving it this spotty appearance; hence the name leopard Khalua cake.  Another thing I found helpful was to check the cake every 5 minutes after it's been in the oven for 25 minutes.  Take the cake out once a toothpick going into the center comes out with some wet crumbs.  I waited until the cake came out practically dry in the center (what the recipe says) & while the bottom of the cake was still moist, the center & the top got to be a bit dry.

From the Oven - Booze Cake 之 Rum Cake

I remember a few years ago my uncle & his family went on a cruise to the Caribbean Islands.  When they returned they brought with them several rum cakes that were moist, sort of rum'y, but not alcohol'y @ all.  Trying to revisit that flavor without having to hop on a cruise, I bought myself a bunt pan & went to work.


You will need to invest in...
     11/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
     11/2 cups granulated sugar
     3 eggs
     1 egg yolk
     2 teaspoons vanilla extract
     2 tablespoons lemon zest (~1 lemon)
     3/4 cup dark rum
     3 cups all-purpose flour
     2 teaspoon baking powder
     1/2 teaspoon baking soda
     1/8 teaspoon salt
     1 cup heavy whipping cream

The procedure is simple...
     In a really large bowl, cream together the butter & sugar until light & fluffy
     Add in eggs, egg yolk, & vanilla; blend until well mixed
     Add in lemon zest & mix well
     Gradually add in dark rum & mix until well incorporated
     In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt
     Add the dry ingredients & the whipping cream to the wet ingredients alternately
          Make sure you begin & end with the adding of the flour mixture
     Pour batter into prepared bunt pan & bake at 350F for 60 minutes
          Or until a toothpick comes out clean

And there you have it!  The original recipe calls for pouring a rum syrup over the cake after it comes out of the oven but I found that to be too alcohol'y & actually burnt the throat a bit.  The cake itself turned out not to be really rum'y @ all & it was not able to transport me to the Caribbean; but it was really moist & flavorful so yay!

7x7 Big Eats 2012 - Bi-Rite Creamery

Location: 3692 18th Street, San Francisco, California 94110
Date: Saturday, July 21st
Food: Salted caramel ice cream
Price: $3.50 for a single (1 or 2 flavors)
Comments: Really cream texture but it was a little too soft & melted too quickly for my liking.  It was more caramel than salt but that is often a difficult balance to achieve; I did really enjoyed the toasty'ness of the overall flavor.  If you get lucky, the line will be short, but if you go on a nice, warm, Saturday evening like we did, be prepared to wait for approximately 30 minutes...& the line goes around the corner.

7x7 Big Eats 2012 - Tartine Bakery

Location: 600 Guerrero Street, San Francisco, California 94110
Date: Wednesday, July 11th
Food: Morning bun
Price: $3.85
Comments: This is complex.  It has the flakiness of a croissant but it is more substantial and has more integrity than a croissant.  The orange flavor really comes through without being aggressive as orange can sometimes be.  I ate it at 5pm but I am sure it will go really great with a cup of morning coffee...or soy milk.

Unintentional Tiramisu Ice Cream

Armed with my homemade ladyfingers, a full bottle of Bacardi dark rum, & a recipe from Ms. Giada De Laurentiis, I was ready to conquer my second Italian dessert.  If you follow this recipe to a T, you will probably be able to turn out a delicious & decadent tiramisu.  But if anything goes wrong, keep reading & I'll share with you how I was able to rescue it...somewhat.




You should have...
     6 egg yolks
     3 tablespoons granulated sugar
     1 pound mascarpone cheese
     11/2 cups really strong espresso, cooled
     2 teaspoons dark rum
     24 ladyfingers


To create your masterpiece...
     In a bowl, whip the egg yolks & the sugar until really thick/pale (5 minutes)
     Add in mascarpone & continue to beat until smooth
     Add in 1 tablespoon of espresso & combine
     In a shallow plate, combine espresso with rum
     Dip the ladyfingers into the espresso/rum for about 5 seconds
     Line the bottom of a 9x9 square pan with a layer of dipped ladyfingers
     Spread 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers
     Line another layer of dipped ladyfingers
     Spread the rest of the mascarpone mixture over top
     Cover the pan with plastic wrap & refrigerate for @ least 2 hours




What you should have @ the end of this process is a nicely structured tiramisu with alternating layers of ladyfingers & mascarpone, like this:

But if for some reason your mascarpone mixture turns out to be soupy because the egg yolks weren't whipped long enough (it happened to me), fear not!  Take your soupy pan of delicious goodness & stick it into the freezer for a few hours.  The mascarpone will harden & you can scoop it out into balls of "ice cream".  The only thing is that freezing takes away some of the flavor & so the end product is not as sweet.


Frankly,  I think the frozen version tastes better.

From the Oven - Ladyfingers

We went out to dinner with some friends @ this great little family-style Italian restaurant in North Beach about a week ago.  While the antipasto & the pizza were delicious, the tiramisu ended the meal in somewhat of a off note.  Determined to right this wrong, I am embarking on a journey to make my very own tiramisu; all starting with homemade ladyfingers!

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com & halved it.  It was super quick & easy even though it involves piping with a pastry bag (1st time!!).

To make 24 ladyfingers, you'll need...
     2 eggs, separated
     1/3 cup granulated sugar
     1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
     1/4 teaspoon baking powder

And here is what you need to do...
     In a bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form
     Slowly add in 2 tablespoons of sugar & continue to whip the whites until stiff/glossy
     In another bowl, whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until thick/pale
     Add half the egg whites into the yolks & fold
     Sift the flour & baking powder into the yolks & fold to incorporate
     Fold in the remaining egg whites
     Gently transfer this mixture into a pastry bag that has a 1/2 in opening
     On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, pipe out the mixture into "fingers"
     Bake @ 400F for 7-8 minutes

While the pre-baked product looks slightly weird & unappetizing, they turned out pretty darn good.  To see what they are going to be a part of, stayed tuned!!

From the Oven - Banana Cake

I have been eating a lot of bananas lately but I have this thing where I don't like bananas as soon as they turn fully yellow.  Because I have this peeve, I tend to buy bananas that are mostly green so they'd last longer.  Well, for whatever reason, the bunch that I bought the other day turned from 90%-green-10%-yellow to full on yellow with black spots in 3 days!

Since I can't let 3 bananas go to waste, I decided I should make something with it.    I wanted to make this vegan banana bread that I really liked from college but for some reason the link that my old roommate sent to me no longer works.  Also, I don't have a loaf pan & you can't make banana bread without a loaf pan.  So I took a chance and Googled "banana cake" & I found this recipe on Food.com.  This recipe has 5 out of 5 stars from over 1000 ratings so there is no way I can go wrong; I hope.

The list of ingredients is pretty short...
     4 bananas
     2 teaspoons lemon juice
     3 cups all purpose flour
     11/2 teaspoons baking soda
     1/4 teaspoon salt
     3/4 cup butter, softened (this is 11/2 sticks)
     2 cups sugar
     3 eggs
     2 teaspoons vanilla extract
     11/2 cups buttermilk*

There are only 8 steps...
     Mash the bananas in a bowl & add in lemon juice
     In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, & salt
     In yet another bowl (a big one), cream together butter & sugar
     To the butter, add in vanilla extract & eggs 1 @ a time
     Add flour & butter milk to the butter/egg mixture alternately
     After everything is incorporated, mix in bananas
     Pour batter into a pre'greased 11in springform pan
     Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until the center is not wet


The recipe uses a 9x13 pan but I didn't have one so I used my 11in springform.  Whatever pan you decide to use, just make sure the batter doesn't go up past half way because the cake rises!  The recipe says to put the cake into the freezer for 45 minutes immediately after it is out of the oven but I didn't do that & the cake still turned out very moist & tasty.  There is also a frosting that comes with the original recipe that I didn't make because I think the cake itself is sweet enough & the frosting would just be overkill.

This banana cake is a great way to not waste food & it taste super delicious wether as a snack or as breakfast.  And the best part is...I don't know what color the banana is anymore so I can eat it all!


*If you do not have buttermilk @ home, you can try substituting it with 11/2 cups milk added to 11/2 tablespoons lemon juice & let it all sit in the fridge for @ least 5 minutes.

From the Oven - Raspberry Jam Crostata

We were celebrating a friend's last day @ work with a potluck & I wanted to bring something special & homemade since I always buy things from the store when we have potlucks.  And since we have braved the dangers of using the oven in my apartment without ending up in a fiery flourish, I decided that I should bake something.

The theme for the potluck was "Cuisines of the World" and while I would love to represent my heritage, not a lot of Chinese dishes are baked & even if they were, they are complicated as heck to make.  For whatever reason, Italy popped into my head and so I Google'd "easy Italian desserts."  After browsing through several recipes for Tiramisu & gelato, I fell upon this one from chow.com which sounded/looked delicious but was still easy enough for me to tackle.

This is what the finished product looks like.  I took some liberties with the original recipe by making my own raspberry jam as well as toasting the almond slices ahead of time.  I have also come upon a few tips that can help make this recipe a little easier in the future.


Here is what went into the crostata...
     For the raspberry jam
        11/2 cups fresh raspberries
        1 cup granulated sugar
        1 teaspoon lemon zest
        1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
     For the Crostata
        12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) butter @ room temperature
        1/2 cup granulated sugar
        1 teaspoon vanilla extract
        1/4 teaspoon almond extract
        1/4 teaspoon salt
        11/2 cups flour
        1/4 cup sliced almonds, raw or toasted

You can make the jam ahead of time...
     In a non'reactive pan - meaning not nonstick - over medium'low heat, put in all the ingredients.
     Smash the raspberries down with a spoon & let the whole thing come to a boil.
     Once it boils, reduce the heat down to the simmer for about 5 minutes.
     Turn off the heat & let it come to room temperature.
     Spoon into a container & put it into the fridge.

When it comes time to make the actual crostata...
     Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter & the sugar until it is light and fluffy.  Add in the vanilla extract, the almond extract, & the salt; combine everything until smooth.
     Slowly, add in the flour & combine until the whole thing looks like wet sand.
     Take 1/2 cup of the dough and press it out onto a plate; put this into the freezer for an hour or so.
     Take the remaining dough & press it out evenly across the bottom of a 10in. springform pan.  Once this is done, spread a layer of jam across, keeping about a 1in border.  Take the frozen dough, break it into small'ish pieces, & sprinkle it all over the jam.  Finally, sprinkle the almond slices.
     Bake in a 350F oven for 30-50 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
     Let the crostata cool down to room temperature before removing the springform.  Slice it into wedges & serve.

Somethings that I found could've made the process easier were...

1. Don't worry if the jam looks fairly fluid in the pan, it will thicken up in a couple of hours.
2. The crostata never forms into a real dough as the original recipe says.  I found it easier to use a spatula instead of an electric mixer since the high speed can make the flour fly everywhere.
3. Since the dough is like wet sand & therefore difficult to spread evenly, I found that you can put a piece of plastic wrap on top & use a small can/jar as a rolling pin to roll the dough around.
4. The frozen dough was very difficult to get out of the plate so a piece of plastic wrap on the plate would help a lot.

And there you have it!  You can use other types of jam or even with real fruits.  I think the next time I am going to do fresh apple slices.  Mmm.