December Project: Guilty Pleasure

It's Been Awhile

Jumping jelly beans! It sure has been awhile! What can I say, I've been (select one or more of the below)
a) Attempting to develop a new form of renewable energy
b) Trying to be a peacemaker since people are blaming me for World War III
c) Avoiding blogging as there has been a disturbance in the Force and Skywalker strongly advised against doing so
d) Frantically prepping for the Queen's visit. We had tea and crumpets.
e) Busy trying to be less popular. Someone's got to do it!

Okay so none of those are true, but surely they provided a giggle or two.

Anyway to celebrate me being "back" ("Whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn't mean it, I just want you back for you. Want you back, want you back, I want you back for good") here is a recipe for a delicious Key Lime pie that I made over the Thanksgiving Holidays.

Key Lime pie?! In the Fall? For THANKSGIVING?

Imma rebel! Plus my SIL and I have been craving a good Key Lime pie since early summer. Hehe

Ingredients: 
Crust
3/4 lbs graham crackers
4 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 sticks melted butter
1/4 tsp sea salt

Filling
4 egg yolks
1 can (14 oz) condensed milk
2/3 cup fresh Key Lime juice
1 lime, grated zest

Topping
1 cup heavy or whipping cream, chilled
2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
For graham cracker crust
1. Pre-heat over to 325 degrees
2. Break up the graham crackers, place in food processor and process to crumbs. Add the melted butter* , sugar and salt and pulse until combined.
3. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan, forming an even layer on the bottom, sides and edges. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and allow crust to cool

For the Filling
1. While the crust is resting, in an electric mixer with the wire whisk attachment  whip the egg yolks and lime zest at high speed until fluffy (5-6 minutes).
2. Gradually add the condensed milk and continue to whip until thick (3-4 minutes longer). Lower the speed of the mixer and slowly add the lime juice until incorporated.
3. Pour the mixture into the cooled crust and bake for 15 minutes, or until the filling has just set. Cool on a wire rack and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

For the topping
1. Whip the cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until nearly stiff.
2. Evenly spread the whipped cream on top of the pie, and place the in the freezer for 20 minutes prior to serving.

Note: 
If you notice in the picture above, my Key Lime Pie is missing the whipped topping, that's because a) My SIL and I didn't realize that the whipping cream we had got needed to be chilled so it was a fat fail, and b) the egg whites which I had saved from the 4 egg yolks (from the filling) to make a replacement meringue topping was eaten by my niece earlier that morning. Oops.

Recipe from OPRAH

Apple Streusel Muffins

Food makes anything better- that is a fact. From stress to grief to anxiety to fear, food definitely makes everything better. It may not solve anything, but there is something about food that comforts and satisfies your soul.  Do I get an AMEN to that?

Based off of this fact, I baked a batch of Apple Streusel Muffins to take along with me to visit my dear friend Shannon who had surgery on her foot last week. I am proud to say that she devoured the muffins and her foot miraculously stopped hurting... well not quite but I'd like to think these muffins helped her along her journey to recovery.If anything, they told her I care.

Moist and massively impressive these muffins are even better than the ones you get along with your morning coffee at Starbucks. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups peeled and diced granny apples (I used about 2 to get 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Lightly dust the muffin cups with flour, shaking out the excess.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and diced apples. Gently toss to combine.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar, buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla. Gently stir into the flour mixture until blended. Spoon batter into prepared tin, dividing evenly among muffin cups.

4. For the topping, mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and toss with a fork until it resembles coarse crumbles. Sprinkle mixture over tops of muffins.

5. Bake for 23-35 minutes, until the muffins spring back when gently pressed. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan and placing on a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Recipe courtesy of Bite Me by Julie Albert & Lisa Gnat.

Fudgy Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Hellloooo! Guess what, thanksgiving is tomorrow! Are you ready and all excited for turkey day? I know I am.

But on a side note, do you recall me briefly mentioning that I made a chocolate cake over the weekend? Well, here is it, in all its fudgy, double layer greatness!

I will not be lying to you when I say this cake is just delicious! Furthermore, I'm not ashamed to admit that I've already polished off half of the cake by myself. It makes me happy. My waist line on the other hand is not too pleased.

Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
3.4 cup cocoa powder, sifted to remove lumps
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup boiling water

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
6 tbsp milk
2 tbsp corn syrup
3 cups icing sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Add sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt to an electric mixer. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to combine dry ingredients. Add the eggs, mill and oil, beating at medium speed for 2 minutes. With a spatula, fold in the boiling water. (Note: YES, this will be a very runny batter) Divide evennly into prepared tins.

3. Bake 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before removing cakes from pans. Cool completely on wire racks before icing.

4. To make the frosting, cream together butter and cocoa on low speed. Add milk and corn syrup and combine for another minute. Add the icing sugar, one cup at a time,  making sure to scrape down the sides as you go. Beat until a smooth spreading consistency is achieved.

5. To assemble cake, place one cake layer on a serving dish and top with about 3/4 cup of the frosting. Spread evenly over the cake. Top with remaining layer and use the remainder of the frosting over the top and sides of cake.

Recipe courtesy of Bite Me by Julie Albert & Lisa Gnat.

Vanilla Pudding Cake with Chocolate Buttermilk Buttercream

Taking a short break from me recounting my travel tales, let me share with you the very first thing that I made on the very first weekend that I was back in town- Vanilla Pudding Cake with chocolate Buttermilk Buttercream. Yup, even before the clothes were laundered (and the pile sure was big), or the family was seen, or the house was cleaned, I made cake. 

Can you blame me? After 2 months on the road, my poor kitchen needed some action. And what better way to welcome myself home than with some cake!

The secret ingredient, aka pudding in the batter makes this cake simply moist and scrumptious, while the chocolate buttermilk buttercream just sends it over the top.  It doesn't really need to be pointed out that the cake did wonders for my travel weary soul and made my little apartment smell delightful.

This recipe is a great basic yellow cake recipe to have in anyone's arsenal for birthdays or welcome homes :)

Ingredients:

Vanilla Pudding Cake
2 eggs
5 egg yolks
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 (3.3 oz.) vanilla instant pudding
2 tablespoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup milk

Chocolate Buttermilk Buttercream

2 sticks butter
2 pounds powdered sugar
1/4 cup high quality cocoa powder
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, butter, and sugar until extremely light and fluffy.

2. Add remaining ingredients and mix together until all ingredients are incorporated. Be careful to not over mix.You don't want a tough cookie on your hands.

3. Grease and flour two 9" cake pans. Spoon the batter into the pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or just until the center of the cake is set, and springs back to the touch. Allow the cakes to cool slightly before turning them out on a cooling rack.

4. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat together the ingredients for the frosting, adding the buttermilk in a little at a time, until light and fluffy.

5. When cakes are cooled, frost with the buttercream and enjoy!

Recipe from Cheeky Kitchen.

Peach Tatin Cake

I know I've boasted incessantly about the ever delicious cakes that my dear sister-in-law Sarah has lovingly made for my birthdays. This year, to repay the kindness, I decided to take it upon myself to make her a cake for her birthday.

After browsing through multiple cake cook books and vetoing anything that looked too complicated, I decided to go fruity and seasonal with this Peach Tatin Cake.

A cake version of a fruit tarte tatin, this Peach Tatin Cake loses the puff pastry base and replaces it with a sour cream cake. In addition, the cake has a sweet and complex flavor from the peachy caramel sauce that saturates it. Two words: Moist and yum! 

Ingredients:
Caramel Peach Topping
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
4 large, ripe peaches

Sour Cream Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs

Directions:
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 10x3 inch round cake pan. Don't use a springform pan as the caramel might leak out of the pan during baking. (I used a 9 by 1 1/2 inch cake pan and it was wa-ay too small) Line bottom of the parchment paper and grease the paper

2. To make the topping: Combine sugar and water in a medium sauce pan and cook over medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. When all sugar has dissolved, stop stirring and increase heat to high and cook. Brush the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush occasionally, to prevent crystallization. Cook until mixture turns golden brown. 

3. Remove pan from heat and immediately whisk butter in the butter, one piece at a time. Be careful- the mixture will bubble up furiously. Carefully pour hot caramel into the bottom of the prepared pan.

4. Cut the peaches into half. Discard the pits and cut each peach into 6 wedges. Arrange a circle of wedges, overlapping them slightly, around the edge of the pan, on top of the caramel sauce. Arrange another circle of wedges in the center, facing in the opposite direction.

5. To make the cake, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt, into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, and set aside.

6. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and vanilla extract, side this aside too.

7. In a bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed, until creamy. About 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar and beat at a high speed until the mixture is lightened in texture and color, 2-3 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer and add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well to fully incorporate the eggs. Scrape the side of the bowl as needed.

8. At a low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating it with the sour cream mixture and mix until blended.

9. Spoon batter in large dollops over the peaches, then smooth into an even layer. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until cake is golden brown and springs back lightly when touched. Set pan on wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.

10. Run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the pan and using pot holders, carefully invert the cake onto a cake plate or platter. Peel of parchment paper.

Serve cake warm or at room temperature. Serves 8-10.

Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.

Happy Birthday, Sarah! We love you dearly!

Recipe from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle

Food Porn for a Thursday

With Mama T in town visiting, my blogging has unfortunately taken a back seat.

But I don't want to leave my dear readers (all 5 of you, LOL!) completely in the dark. So here is some food porn from the Birthday Potluck dinner I attended last Friday...

A home-made fruit basket courtesy of one of my fellow potluck-ers. Wow huh? His creation could give Edible Arrangements a run for their money.


The Birthday Cake, in all its glory. Happy Birthday Yifan!

and from last Saturday's Saban Free Clinic Extravaganza for the Senses.

Held at Gower Studios on Sunset Blvd, tickets for the event went for about $100 a pop. Proceeds from ticket sales benefited the Saban Free Clinic which has been providing free health care to the Los Angeles community.

The extravaganza featured unlimited small plates and samples from more than 35 of LA’s hottest restaurants, along with pours from over 80 wineries.

Needless to say, I came away from the event stuffed! And yes, that is the Hollywood sign in the background.


Close up of the Hollywood sign, just cos.


Despite the delicious Duck Shawarma from Momed and Thai Tea Ice Cream Macaroons from Milk, the best dish of the night was the Burmese Melon Salad from Susan Feniger’s STREET. The refreshing salad featured watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, toasted coconut, peanuts, green lentils, fried onions and a sesame ginger dressing. Delicious!

Happy Thursday folks! The weekend is almost here.

Blueberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Orange Glaze

I love cakes. There is just something special about having a slice of cake rather than a slab of brownie or a boring ole muffin. Don't get me wrong, ain't nothing wrong with brownies or muffins, but there is just something about cakes that scream special occasion!

This past Friday, I attended a birthday potluck where my contribution was a blueberry buttermilk Bundt cake with orange glaze, aka a giant deliciously moist Blueberry Muffin disguised as a Bundt cake.

I know, I know, this isn't really a cake cake, but hey, it still has the word 'cake' in it's name!

P.s Please excuse the recent silence on the blog front. What can I say, me Ma is in town and I'm trying to get in as much "Mommy and me" time.

Ingredients:
2 2/3 Cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for pan
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk (Or do what I did and make fresh buttermilk by adding the juice of 1/2 lemon to 1/2 cup of milk)
2 pints blueberries (about 1 lb), rinsed and dried

Orange Glaze
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease a 2 quart nonstick Bundt pan with butter, then spray lightly with nonstick cooking oil. You don't want to deal with a cake that won't un-stick!

3. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, salt and baking soda.

4. In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, until well incorporated, about 30 seconds each. Beat in the vanilla extract.

5. Reduce the speed to low and mix in half of the flour mixture. Mix in the buttermilk, then the remaining half of the flour mixture.

6. Gently fold in the blueberries with a wooden spoon.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter.

8. Meanwhile, make the orange glaze while the cake is cooling. In a small saucepan, whisk the orange juice with the sugar and simmer over low heat until the sugar dissolves.

9. Using a skewer or long, thin knife, prick deep holes all over the surface of the cake. Slowly spoon half of the glaze over the cake, letting it seep into the holes. Let the cake cool for another 20 minutes. Spoon the remaining glaze over the cake and let it set for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Recipe adapted from The Perfect Finish: Special Desserts for Every Occasion by Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark.

Coming Soon...

This weekend has been a busy one. I had hoped to be able to tell you about this divine Blueberry Buttermilk Bundt with Orange glaze that I made for a birthday potluck. But it looks like it will have to wait until later this week... Stay tuned folks!

Hope you had a good weekend too!

Cakes of Birthdays Past

Growing up, my family had a go-to cake for every birthday celebration...Sweet Secret's fruit charlotte cake. It wasn't that it was the most fabulous cake but it was just tradition, we always got it (Had I had my way, we would have gotten a chocolate cake of some sort, but poor papa T is allergic to caffeine so we had to compromise). Till today, I can still recall the light sponge cake and sweet sweet fruits that topped the cake. The fruit charlotte cake was the cake of my childhood.

When I moved to America in my teens, my mother and I were dismayed at the horrible artificially sweetened cakes one found at the grocery store. Every year, we tried to find a decent cake to replace the fruit charlotte cake but alas, it was a fruitless pursuit (pun intended). So for a few years in high school, I never got a decent cake for my birthday.

Ice Cream Cake courtesy of awesome college friends

The birthday cake situation started to improve in my college years. Some highlights included an ice cream cake for my 21st and in recent years, my lovely and very talented sister-in-law Sarah has always made me a homemade birthday cake for my birthday. We've had Black Forest cake one year, a cheese cake for another and German chocolate cake another.

Black Forest Cake being cut by the beautiful Sarah

This year, Sarah outdid herself again with the most decadent and rich chocolate tort cake. Made without flour, this tort was dense, moist, bitter (in a good way) and very chocolaty. Even my brother, who is not a chocolate guy, gave it two thumbs up. Served with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries, we all had second helpings that day. Mmmmmm...

Drool.

To read more about my belated birthday weekend with my family, and to see my new hair cut (which mama T dislikes! *sob*) click on over to Sarah's blog.

Susie Cakes: Classic Marble Cake

It was a co-worker's birthday the other day and my boss's wife was so kind as to go out and pick up the Classic Marble cake from Susie Cakes in Brentwood. While I have had the cupcakes from Susie Cakes, I do not recall them being as superb as this. Their classic marble cake well... takes the cake!

The base chocolate cake had vanilla and chocolate chip cake (an unexpected but pleasant surprise) swirled into it. Filled with chocolate and vanilla buttercream and topped with chocolate buttercream, each bite was moist and chocolately; dense but not too dense; and most importantly, had the perfect cake to frosting ratio. Delicious!

Details:

Classic Marble Cake

Susie Cakes

11708 San Vicente Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90049

310 442 2253