Pecan tart

This is very easy to make and taste so good. I baked this few weeks ago and my family loved it.

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup golden/light corn syrup
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoon butter,melted
1 1/4 cups chopped pecan nuts
1/3 cup pecan nut halves

For the pastry
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, diced
1 egg yolk
3-4 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

Direction:
1. To make the pastry, sift together the flour, super fine sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and rub in using your fingertips or pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
2. Blend egg yolk and whipping cream, and stir into the flour mixture.
3. Form the pastry into a ball, then roll out and use to line a 23 cm/9 in pie dish. Trim and flute the  edge neatly and chill for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat a baking sheet in the oven at 200 degrees C/400 degrees F.
Lightly whisk the eggs and salt. Mix in the sugar,syrup,lemon juice and butter. Stir in the chopped pecan nuts.
5. Pour into the pastry case and arrange the pecan halves in concentric circles top.
6. Bake on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 160 degrees C/ 325 degrees F and bake for 25 minutes more.

Italian Buttercream

I've been thinking to open a bakeshop in my country in the near future and I've been wondering where  can I get a meringue powder  to help stabilize the icing because I am not really sure if the store there already carry this kind of baking product. Then,a day before my class I remembered that when I was attending the baking vocational class in high school, my instructors' icing recipe was made with egg whites...so I decided to use that kind of icing on making basket weave as you see on the image beside this. It happened that accidentally burned my sugar and water and it smells like caramelized sugar which my instructor was  so intrigue to know what kind of icing I made since it smells so good. I responded her that I it's the Italian butter cream and accidentally burn my sugar and that's the smell you smell. She then added..oh smells so good. Oh well, I think the accident turns out good. Anyways the recipe I use is as follows:


Ingredients:

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tiny cubes at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
5 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1. In a bowl of a stand mixer, place egg whites with cream of tartar and 1/4 cup of sugar nearby.
2. Heat 1 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat over high medium heat until sugar is dissolved
3. Meanwhile, whip the whites at high speed until soft peaks from approximately 5 minutes. When the egg whites are frothy, add the cream of tartar. Gradually add the 1/4 cup remaining sugar.
4.When the sugar reaches 240 degrees F, with the motor running, pour it into the egg whites, very slowly, in a thin stream, to avoid cooking the eggs. Raise the speed to high, and continue to whip the mixture has cooled to room temperature between 10-15 minutes.
5. Stopping the motor between additions, add the butter one lump at a time and continue beating until mixture smooth and fluffy, approximately 12-20 minutes.
Note: It will look like ricotta cheese for a while..just keep beating.
6. Once it is smooth, stir in flavorings if desired.

Apple Pie

Pies.... Pies...... Pies.....never baked before???this is the most easy pie recipe you can learn.   Most of the times I don't peel off the skin of the apples  not because I am too lazy to do it but its because  my mother-in-law said that we can get  nutrients on the skin too and that's the reason why....Benefits on not peeling your apples, it saves some of your time and it taste good too. When you eat, you cannot really feel the apple skin  because I cook the apple on this recipe.

Ingredients:

6 cups apples, slice in cubes

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

a pinch of salt

1/4 tsp ground all-spice

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup butter

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven at 400 degress F.

2. Warm your skillet and put 1/4 cup butter.

3. Mix sugar and spices in a large bowl and add apples. Stir to coat.

4.Pour your apple mixture into your warm skillet with butter and simmer it  for 5 minutes. Turn off the oven and mix the flour and corn starch.

5.Fill pastry lined 9" pie pan. flute edges or use fork to make a decorative edge then pour the apple mixture in a pie pan lined with pie crust.

 Note: If using a second crust do not flute the edges until second crust is in place. Seal the top and bottom crust together by moistening the bottom crust with a little sprinkled water before topping with the second crust; then flute the edges together. Make several slits in the top crust with a small knife for steam to escape.

6. Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Note: this is my topping pie recipe without using second pie crust.

  1/2 cup brown sugar

  1/2 cup flour

  a pinch of salt

  1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

  1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

   1/8 teaspoon ground all-spice

  1/4 cup butter

Mix together and cut in 1/4 cup butter. Sprinkle over apples in a pan and bake on the above given oven  temperature.

Puto Cheese

Last night, we attended a Filipino-American Christmas party.As usual we have to bring a dish to share so I decided to make this tiny steamed dough and we called this "Puto Cheese" in my native tongue. Someone asked me last night why this is so little...I responded to her, it's because I made a Filipino size and she laughed. Each piece of my puto cheese is good for 2 bites for petite people.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

a pinch of salt

1 cup whole milk (room temperature)

2 large eggs (room temperature)

1/4 cup butter (melted)

1 tsp. vanilla

cheese (cube or shredded)

food color (as you desired)

Directions:

1.  Put your steamer with 3/4 full of water on the stove and let it start boiling.

2. Sift all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together.

3. Put all the liquid ingredients together in a another bowl.

4. Beat the dry ingredients using the stand mixer and then, add the liquid ingredients one at a time until all the ingredients is being incorporated.Add food color (as you desire)

5. Pour the butter on the prepared muffin pans or  plastic puto cheese molds and put cube or shredded cheese on the middle top of the butter and steamed it for about 8 to 10 minutes.

6. Serve it warm.

Chocolate Ganache

                                                                                                                                                             

   I baked and decorated this cake for my friends' birthday. My hubby and friend loved the simplicity of its decoration  and above all they loved the taste and texture of the cake . By the way, I was using my chocolate cake recipe you can find on this site. I was glad that I was thinking out of the box that day.

 This ganache can be used in two ways, as a filling or poured over the cake. To use as filling, refrigerate it first at least 1-2 hours, if possible more than that. What I did on this cake was, I spread the ganache over the cake using a spatula  and put a portion in a pastry bag enough to use for decorating my cake border.

                                                                                             

Ingredients:                                                         

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

8 ounces semi-chocolate chips

2 tablespoon light corn syrup

Directions:

1. Cook the heavy whipping cream and chocolate chips in the top of a double broiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in the corn syrup.

3. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for about 1 hour. If using for filling, soften until pourable in a double boiler over medium heat.

Enjoy and Have Fun Baking!

Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies

This is the best peanut butter cookies I've ever baked...It was so good... my mouth is watery by just thinking and looking the images of this cookies right now. I wanna have a piece with a glass of milk..hmmmm..hmmmm....

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter flavor shortening
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt

Directions:
1.Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.Combine sugar, peanut butter, shortening,milk, salt and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg just until blended.

3. Combine flour and baking soda .Add gradually to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.

4. Bake at 375 degrees F for 7 to 8 minutes or until just beginning to brown and set. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before removing to foil.

* Dip fork in flour, flatten dough slightly in crisscross pattern.

Enjoy and have fun baking!

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

We bought bananas 2 weeks ago and it didn't preserved well as what it was..so I decided to do something about it rather  than throwing them in a trash can. Well, I can make banana muffins or banana bread out of this... as I was talking to myself that day and finally  I decide to make banana bread because it involves lesser work to do. This recipe is pretty much high fiber and it's good for you. By the way, my husband is on whole grain, vegetables,fruits,low salt and low sugar diet so I always make it sure I'm baking something good for him and his diet.He's been on this diet for more than a month now and guess what???he already lost 20 pounds.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup barley malt

4 egg whites

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

 1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tbsp. flax seeds

1/4 cup steel cuts

1/4 cups 10 grains

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups mashed bananas

1 cup walnuts

Directions:

Cream butter, salt,barley malt and apple sauce; add egg whites and mashed bananas.

Stir in sour cream.

Put this together in a bowl:whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour,flax seeds,baking soda,steel cuts,10 grains and walnuts; add to butter mixture.

Divide the butter in two and pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake in 350 degrees F oven for 1 hour or until done.

Enjoy and have fun!

Red Velvet cake

The beauty of Autumn just left and the white snow flakes that almost covered the ground just came. I made this cake for my co-workers few months ago and this is my second attempt of decorating my  cake using fondant. It was fun, I was happy with the outcome.  Red velvet cake is one of my favorite cake. My first piece of red velvet cake was during our wedding here in the States, which was made by my hubbys' best friend. From that day on....red velvet become my favorite especially with cream cheese frosting...hmmmmmmm....hmmmmm..hmmmmm.



Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tbsp red food coloring ( 1 ounce)
1 tsp white distilled vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the 3x91/2 inch round cake pan.
2.In a large bowl sift together the dry ingredients and in another large bowl whisk together all the liquid ingredients using hand or stand mixer about 1 to 2 minutes till incorporated.
3.Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients about 1 minute or till just combined. Don't over beat.
4. Divide the cake pans.Place the pans in the oven spaced apart and bake it for about 30 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle pulls clean.
5. Remove the cake from the oven and put on the cooling rack for 30 minutes, preferably 1 hour, then run a knife around the side of the  pan and invert the cake unto the plate and cool completely.

Enjoy and have fun!

Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the cream cheese recipe I used for my spice cake. Cream cheese frosting is also great for your carrot cake and this is the only frosting that gives very tasty flavor on your carrot cake and very easy to make. You can add food coloring on this too like what I did on my football cake, I add blue  for my colts color and green for grass. Enjoy and have fun.


Ingredients:
16 ounces cream cheese
8 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
1.Put the cream cheese and butter in a bowl of a stand or hand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and paddle at medium speed until creamy, approximately 20-30 seconds.
2. While the motor is running, pour in the vanilla, and sugar a little at a time about a minute after the last addition.
3.Use right away or refrigerate in an airtight container for up 2 days.

4.If you will use it to decorate a cake, refrigerate first for about 1-2 hours so you can get the consistency that you want.