Foodandme

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 fluid ounce red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 12 cup muffin pans or line with 20 paper baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, red food coloring and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and vinegar. Combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. When cool, arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter and frost with desired frosting.

Hello all, 

I have been SUPREMELY lazy and I know it has been awhile since I’ve updated this (even though I’m pretty sure not alot of people read this). BUT nonetheless, I have finally decided to post these tiny red velvet cupcakes. I never really understood the craze about them simply because its literally just red food colouring that makes it red and not anything else special about them. But I guess it’s worth it when you take your first bite and take in the sweet cocoa taste from these delightful sweets. I’d like to say that cupcakes take literally a few hours to make by the time you let them cool down and frosting them. It’s quite intensive, but the final product is always rewarding… well unless they’re dry. 

Anyways, this recipe was quite nice, I would recommend putting a more generous amount of buttermilk and butter to make it softer and less dry. As well, I made these cupcakes in mini sizes rather than normal ones because it was for a bridal shower and people often like bite sizes rather than whole ones.  If you do mini cupcakes, I’d cook them for 10-13 minutes and watch it rise cause you don’t want to be eating cardboard cupcakes. 

Enjoy! 

PS. I realize there is no point in posting any ratings because I think a review is a good enough indication of how “good” the recipe is. And if there are further questions, you can just ask me… not that I get request… BUT YES, i will answer them :). 

Japanese Cheesecake
Source: Dianna’s Dessert website

140g/5 oz. fine granulated sugar 
6 egg whites 
6 egg yolks 
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar 
50g/2 oz. butter 
250g/9 oz. cream cheese 
100 ml/3 fluid oz. fresh milk 
1 tbsp. lemon juice 
60g/2 oz. cake flour /superfine flour 
20g/1 oz. cornflour (cornstarch) 
1/4 tsp. salt
 

Directions:
1. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, egg yolks, lemon juice and mix well. 

2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form. 

3. Add the cheese mixture to the egg white mixture and mix well. Pour into a 8-inch round cake pan (Lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper). 

4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 degrees C (325 degrees F). 

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Hi!

I know it’s been awhile, I didn’t mean for next week to be actually months for this cheesecake. Anyways, this cheesecake was delicious! I was quite confused when the instructions said cornflour and then corn starch, but luckily I took the first ingredient instead of corn starch and my first time ever making cheesecake was a success. Now I know that the photo definitely does not do the cheesecake any justice as I didn’t even decorate it in any appealing way, but believe me when I say that it taste amazing. The taste was light and but yet still cheesy unlike the typical New York cheesecakes. Another reason why it was just a lonely little slice on a plate was because my mom decided to cut my cheesecake in the most unconventional way ever. She cut the cheesecake vertically instead of in wedges. When i got home I was quite disappointed to see how much my mom butchered my cheesecake. 

Overall, I’d say this recipe is delightful as but quite dangerous because when you’re eating this cake, you don’t feel like you’ve added quite a bit to your calorie quota but little do you know that you just ate a whole block of cream cheese and 1/4 cup of butter. But lets not get carried away with how much fat is put into this cake though because this recipe is relatively easy to make.  Don’t get discouraged by the fancy double boiler instructions as it it only means to simmer water in a bowl and then putting another glass bowl over it to melt the ingredients. Please enjoy this recipe and follow the instructions properly (or look at what you put in) because my sister once replaced some sugar with baking soda, needless to say, she got completely pissed off and stabbed a knife through the cake when it exploded. Lesson to be learned while making these recipes, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE YOU MAKE IT. 

Above you can see the damage my mom has down to the left side of the cake. Thanks mom, now I will make a note to myself that I should inform you to cut the cake in wedges instead of blocks.

Ps. the method where you bath the tin with water is called Bain-Marie (Which is to fill a cooking tin with enough water to make the other cooking tin containing your cheesecake to float)

Next: Green tea Creme Brulee

PPs. Credits to Claudia for helping me in making this cake :). She thought that this cake wouldn’t turn out well simply because she was involved in it, but we have broken that curse !!

Ingredients:

Loaf
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp grated lemon zest (about one lemon)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp poppy seeds

Lemon Glaze
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and lemon juice. Combine well.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flower, baking powder, lemon zest and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, meating lightly after each addition. Stir in poppy seeds and spread into a greased 9-inch loaf pan.
4. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before removing from the pan and onto a lined wire rack.
5. While the cake is cooling, prepare the lemon glaze by mixing the juice of 1/2 lemon in a bowl with the vanilla, then gradually adding the confectioner’s sugar until well-dissolved (if mixture is too stiff add some more lemon juice or a drop of water).
6. With the loaf still warm, spread the glaze mixture over the top so that it gently drips down the sides of the loaf (this is where lining your counter with paper town or parchment paper below your wire rack will come in handy).
7. Cool completely (glaze will harden) and serve.

Hello!

As promised, the lemon poppy seed loaf! And it only required one lemon! one mistake that I should have paid close attention to was definitely zesting the lemon before squeezing the juices out as it was gruesomely hard for me to grate it after it was squeezed. What i loved about this recipe was that it didn’t take alot of butter and the only ingredient I was missing were the poppy seeds. The glaze is a MUST with this recipe as it does add that extra touch of sweetness/sourness to the outside of the loaf. Although the recipe calls for one cup of sugar for the glaze it is ultimately up to you. When making this glaze, you should definitely taste test it as you put the sugar into the lemon juice because what the recipe calls for may be overly sweet. Anyways, this recipe was very rewarding and surprisingly light, my sister decided to eat 2 slices already once it was out of the oven! This will definitely be a crowd pleaser if you were to bring it to work for your coworkers. Besides, they don’t pack as much calories as a cookie would probably carry. 

Enjoy!

Next week: …… Cheesecake?  

Recipe: 

·         142ml pot single cream

·         25g caster sugar

·         100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), broken into pieces

·         25g butter

·         melted butter , for greasing

·         50g caster sugar , plus 2 tbsp extra

·         175g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), broken into pieces

·         2 tbsp double cream

·         4 egg yolks

·         5 egg whites

·         2 tbsp double cream

·         icing sugar , to serve

 

1.     Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 and place a baking tray on the top shelf. For the sauce, heat the cream and sugar until boiling. Remove from the heat, stir in the chocolate and butter until melted, then keep warm. 

2.     Brush 6 x 150ml ramekins with melted butter, sprinkle with the 2 tbsp caster sugar, then tip out any excess. Melt the chocolate and cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, cool, then mix in the egg yolks. Whisk the egg whites until they hold their shape, then add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking back to the same consistency. Mix a spoonful into the chocolate, then gently fold in the rest.

3.     Working quickly, fill the ramekins, wipe the rims clean and run your thumb around the edges. Turn oven down to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6, place the ramekins onto the baking tray, then bake for 8-10 mins until risen with a slight wobble. Don’t open the oven door too early as this may make them collapse.

4.     Once the soufflés are ready, dust with icing sugar, scoop a small hole from their tops, then pour in some of the hot chocolate sauce. Replace the lids and serve straight away.

I’m back! After a long hiatus. To be very honest I have been baking alot, but its been the same thing over and over again, those banana cupcakes are amazing. Anyways, these souffles took me forever to make a total of 2.5 hours but they were worth the hard labour I put into them. I think the most important part of this dish was to wipe the rims clean by running your thumb around the edges because it allows the souffle to rise easily, also make sure you really grease those ramekins or it would also prevent it from rising. One thing I would change about this recipe is the level of sweetness, maybe i just like my desserts too sweet but adding more sugar would’ve definitely taken this dish to a whole new level!

All in all, this recipe is delicious only for those who are chocolate lovers (which i’m sure most of you guys are). 

Rating: 7/10 

Next up: lemon poppyseed loaf

Hey guys! 

So a few days ago I was originally going to eat dinner with my friend Wendy, but instead, we baked cookies! The best thing about baking cookies together is that you can catch up with your friend and also enjoy eating the cookies as well. Anyways, these oatmeal cookies were really easy to make and only took around 30 minutes to make. I found that if you wanted the oatmeal cookies to be soft and chewy, watch your time and make sure the cookies aren’t a dark golden yellow/orangy colour (unless you want your cookies to be dry and crunchy). We also added chocolate chips to it just because we could without compromising the way that it would be baked. I’ve been using this recipe for years and it has never failed me (probably because of the massive amount of artery clogging butter that is incorporated into it)… But all in all, if you ever have 45-60minutes to spare, try baking these cookies, they are super easy to make and very enjoyable to eat!

Overall Rating: 8.5

Next: Chocolate Soufflés  

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OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

Whisk together and set aside

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Cream wet ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Then stir in

• 3 cups oats (not instant)
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:

Prep Time:  15 mins

Total Time:  26 mins

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Whisk dry ingredients; set aside.
3. Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer on low.
4. To cream, increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and the color lightens.
5. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until no flour is visible.
6. (Over mixing develops the gluten, making a tough cookie.) Now add the oats and raisins; stir to incorporate.
7. Fill cookie scoop with dough.
8. (Use a #40 cookie scoop; it measures 2 tablespoon of dough) Press against side of bowl, pulling up to level dough.
9. Drop 2-inches apart onto baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.
10. Bake 11-13 minutes (on center rack), until golden, but still moist beneath cracks on top.
11. Remove from oven; let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 24 cupcakes

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large)
• 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Dried Pineapple Flowers

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.with rack in center. Line cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, vanilla, and sugar until combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next. Beat at medium speed until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together banana, pineapple, walnuts, and coconut. Add to egg mixture, mixing until combined. Stir in flour mixture.
4. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes.
5. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with dried pineapple flowers, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

My first post!

I made these cupcakes before I left for my friends birthday who went to University of Western Ontario. I think the biggest challenge of making these cupcakes was just patience. This recipe was a-m-a-z-i-n-g, the cake inside was very moist because of the bananas the crunch of walnuts along with the hint of pineapple and coconut was very satisfying. I would definitely make these cupcakes again because they were such a great hit with my family and friends. One thing I would say is that when making these cupcakes, REMEMBER to let it cool, or the cream cheese frosting will melt right off. 

Overall rating: 8