Seahawks Superbowl Cake

I know this has been long overdue. These past months I have been extremely busy working on settling the logistics of pharmacy school and working on myself which is why I haven't been posting as regularly. Anyhow, I'm here now and just look at my Seahawks Superbowl Cake!

I had my first cake order back in January for a Seahawks Superbowl Cake for the big game. I was extremely excited because it was the first time someone outside the family would get to taste my work! The instructions were simple, any cake flavor and any design. The only requirement was the Seahawks logo and the Superbowl sign.

I sketched up an idea immediately and sent the design over to be approved. Once approved it was all about creating the cake! I worked on the cake over a span of about 3 days. On Friday, I baked off my red velvet cakes and made the cream cheese frosting. On Saturday, I filled and frosted the cake and created my cake topper of the Seahawks bird and the letterings. On Sunday morning, I assembled it together!

This was my first time working with fondant and let's just say, it's no joke! After creating this cake, I definitely have my preference of what fondant brand is best. I bought two kinds of fondant, one by Wilton and the other by Duff. In my opinion, Wilton was horrible. I was going to use Wilton fondant for the whole cake but after I made the blue portion of the Seahawks bird, I knew it wasn't going to work. Wilton's fondant was not only greasy but cracked tremendously when I set it aside! After discovering this, I tried to use Duff's fondant as wisely as possible. Working with only two pounds of Duff Fondant, I created this cake with only a tiny bit left. I was disappointed I didn't have enough navy blue to re-do the Seahawks bird. Oh well, I guess I learned my lesson.

Overall, Duff's fondant just worked better. It was not greasy and had a great flavor. In addition it was very easy to work with and color. Definitely going to be my fondant of choice from now on.

-Aaron John

Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Sour Cream Coffee Cake has always been a favorite of mine. Its moist cake and crunchy topping make a perfect combination. Coffee Cake was the first cake I ever made myself from scratch, just an fyi.

In the house, we had some leftover apples and I wanted to use it in some fashion. Then I remembered how Costco has an "Apple Streusel" type muffin and I decided I would try and recreate it in Coffee Cake form.

I used Ina Garten's recipe from her Blueberry Crumb Cake and tweaked the cake portion to contain apples and cinnamon and tweaked the crumb topping to contain some oats.

For an experiment recipe, it was a step in the right direction. It was moist, and I liked how I added in the oats into the crumb topping, giving it a nutty aspect. I would maybe add more apples to really get a prominent apple flavor in every bite though. Overall, a good day's work in my book!

Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Adapted recipe by Me

Original recipe (Blueberry Crumb Cake) by Ina Garten

Ingredients
For the streusel: 
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup diced apples, (Gala or Granny Smith)

For the icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel: Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour, oats and walnuts. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake: Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, cinnamon, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the diced apples and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely.

For the icing: Combine the powdered sugar and maple syrup until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake and allow to harden.

-Aaron John

Chocolate Raspberry Cake w/ Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Let's face it, cake has become one of those things that don't require a special occasion anymore. Eat at a restaurant. Cake. Walk up that flight of stairs. Cake. Watch some good ol' tv. Cake. Buy a new outfit. Cake.

What ever happened to the days when the only time we had cake was at a birthday party that your friend threw at a bowling alley when you were 10 years old?

Surely, I'm not the only one that noticed this. Whether a cake, a cupcake or an individually packaged slice of cake in the bakery aisle of your nearest grocery store, what have we become?

I'll tell you what we have become. People that live each day like it's a party and don't care who tells us no! So, move over health gurus. Today, WE EAT CAKE!

Don't forget to vote for me in the Evening Magazine Contest for Best Food Blog!!

http://best.king5.com/aj-s-cooking-secrets/biz/652307

Chocolate Raspberry Cake w/ Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Makes 1-9 inch 2 layer cake

Hershey's Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing the pans 

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans 

3/4 cups good cocoa powder 

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt 

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1 cup boiling water

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. 

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream 

Ingredients

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Directions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract and salt. Mix until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Final Assembly
2 chocolate cake layers
1/2 cup raspberry jam/preserves
Vanilla bean buttercream
Melted semi-sweet chocolate (optional)

Directions
Place one of the chocolate cake layers on a cake board. Spread the raspberry jam/preserves over the top. Take the second chocolate cake layer and place it on top of the jam layer. Frost with vanilla bean buttercream and decorate with melted semi-sweet chocolate on the sides and pipe the remaining buttercream around the cake to make a border.

-Aaron John

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

When I was younger, one of the first "cakes" I made was a coffee cake recipe by Martha Stewart. Well, with a new recipe, a better appreciation for food and many years later, I make a coffee cake that takes me back to the beginning.

Thinking about it now, I used to keep a booklet that contained printed recipes such as the one for the coffee cake. It came to the point where the splatters of vanilla extract, sights of chocolate smears and the dusting of flour just gave it a bit too much character.

Back then, I thought I perfected so many recipes in that little booklet only to find out there were better ones out there. All I have to say is, move over Martha Stewart because Ina Garten is here to stay.

This coffee cake is moist, fluffy, crunchy, nutty and not too sweet which is perfect. It takes me back to the beginning and then some. This is definitely a must make!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Recipe by Ina Garten

Ingredients
For the cake:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

-Aaron John

Chocolate Mocha Cake On My 21st Birthday!

So, my last blog post was just about two weeks ago? I didn't think I would have that big of a gap in posting being that it's summer and all. But, I have been busy lately with the most important thing being getting my first job ever! You wouldn't believe how many times I applied for jobs ever since I finished high school and finally, the time when my summer does not involve taking summer classes, I get one! Worked out perfectly.

To think, the first time I actually get a job is the time I turn 21. I'm finally growing up. I think over the years, I've learned that life is too short to stress out. As long as you do your best and set your mind to something, everything should take it's place. Everything happens for a reason and when you keep that in mind, even the most stressful moments become a learning moment.

This is something I will always keep in mind moving forward whether it be in school, my job or just life in general.

So what does a 21st birthday mean? Alcohol. Well yeah, but it also means cake. Duhhhh. It's just like any other birthday but with alcohol thrown into the mix. But let's just focus on cake for now. ;)

Chocolate Mocha Cake

Recipes: Cake from Hershey's Chocolate Cake

Frosting adapted from Sweetapolita

Ingredients

Cake

Hershey's Chocolate cake (I blogged about it here)

Frosting

4 egg whites

2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but cool, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tsp instant espresso powder dissolved into 2/3 teaspoon boiling water
Pinch of salt

Directions
Prepare your favorite chocolate cake recipe using a 8 or 9 inch cake pan and allow it to cool completely. I used the Hershey's Chocolate Cake recipe I blogged about before.

In a bowl of an electric mixer, add the egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly. Heat until it until it reaches 160 degrees F, or until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

Remove from the heat and use the whisk attachment of mixer to whip the mixture until thick and glossy. Continue to whip until the bowl is no longer hot and it about at room temperature which usually takes 10 minutes. Switch over to paddle attachment and, while mixing on medium speed continuously, add softened (but cool) butter in chunks, one at a time, until incorporated, and mix until smooth. If curdles are formed, continue to mix. If too soft, chill the bowl in the refrigerator and take it back out to whip. If none of that works, you can add a few cubes of cool butter and whip a bit more. Add flavourings and salt, then mix well.

To assemble, place one of the cakes on a cardboard cake board flat side down. Spread about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the frosting evenly over the cake. Next, add the second layer of cake with the flat side now facing up so you have a clean edge to the cake when frosted. Frost the cake completely with the remaining frosting. Decorate with chocolate sprinkles.

-Aaron John

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

What screams "lounging in the sun, that warm tropical breeze running through your hair, warm sand between your toes, the sound of waves crashing onto the shore and an ice cold drink in one hand" more than Canned Pineapple?! Uh, an actual Fresh Pineapple? Yes, yes, a Fresh Pineapple screams all those things 10X better but what are you to do when all you have is the canned stuff?

Ok, maybe for a Canned Pineapple it's more like sitting on your couch, an electric fan running, your feet up on the coffee table, the sound of a great movie and a soda in one hand.

The two may be different but they both encompass being relaxed and the pineapple both encompass a Pineapple Upside Down Cake. However, we can all agree that sometimes one method packs more of a punch than the other. In this case, Canned Pineapple will just have to do.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Recipe by Eva Longoria

Ingredients
2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (1/3 cup for topping, 1/3 cup for cake)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
7 slices pineapple
7 drained maraschino cherries, or as needed (optional)
1 1/2 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a flameproof 9-inch cake pan, melt 1/3 cup of the butter over low heat. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter and cook, stirring, until the sugar and butter are blended and there are no pools of melted batter, 2 to 4 minutes.

Arrange the pineapple on top of the caramel. Decorate with cherries if desired, placing them in the center of each pineapple slice. Set the pan aside.

In the work bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix on low speed until well combined. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of butter along with the milk and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the batter over the pineapple.

Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully tilt it in all directions to release the cake from the sides of the pan. Let cool in the pan for about 3 minutes. Turn the pan over onto a serving plate and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully lift the pan off the cake. Use a spatula to remove any fruit that is stuck to the pan and place it on the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

-Aaron John

Pound Cake

I've always had a love for Pound Cake, specifically Costco's Pound Cake. Is it just me or don't you agree that Costco has the best food?! Muffins, cookies breads, and we must not forget about their $1.50 Polish Dogs at the Food Court! Try getting that at a Mariners games and you'll spend $8 without a drink. Costco is where the deals are at. Not to mention, you can have a whole meal just trying their free samples! But, enough about their Hot Dogs and free samples, it's all about the Pound Cake today.

There's just something about Costco's Pound Cake that I love. It's soft, moist, has a tender crumb and tastes of butter and vanilla. It's so simple, yet so good and addicting. In order to replicate it, I started my "recipe testing" with a Pound Cake recipe I used for my Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake Coffee Cake. This Pound Cake comes from Tish Boyle. I loved the texture of it in my Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake Coffee Cake but needed to try it in loaf form.

The results were, well, interesting. I felt that in the loaf form it became very dense, eggy and on the verge of dry, not like Costco's Pound Cake at all. I find that cakes that use butter as its base usually, if not all the time, come out with a cake thats on the dryer side than desired. It was fine in my other application of the recipe but it just didn't match the quality of a Costco Pound Cake. On to the next recipe!

Pound Cake 

Adapted from Tish Boyle's Lemon Pound Cake

Ingredients

2 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 1/2 x 5 1/2-inch loaf pan. Dust the pan with flour and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine well and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until very creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat the mixture at medium-high speed until very light, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally (the mixture should look curdled at this point). Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture at low speed in three additions, alternating it with the heavy cream in two additions. Mix just until the flour is incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the cake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake before slicing and serving.

-Aaron John

Madeleines

This week has been pretty good to me. For one, I was featured on Yummly yesterday for my post on Sticky Buns. Who would have thought that that post from 2010 would make a site like Yummly? I know I didn't even think of it. Thanks Yummly!  

In addition to being featured, I was finally able to work with one of the new tools I got from Williams-Sonoma, the Madeleine Pan. I can't tell you how long I've wanted to make Madeleines, it must have been a couple of years. There's just something about the shape that I found pretty fascinating. Usually, I'm against buying something that is not a multi-tasker/can only be used for one thing but for this I made an exception.

These Madeleines were crispy on the outside and cakey in the center. However, when my parents ate one, they were confused as to why the whole thing wasn't crunchy like a cookie. Apparently back in the Philippines, they have something called a "Butterfinger" (no, not the candy) that's similar in shape to Madeleines but are crunchy like a Pepperidge Farm Milano Coookie. Time to search for that recipe!

Madeleines

Recipe by Ina Garten

Makes 24 Madeleines

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, to grease the pans, plus 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Confectioners' sugar, optional

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Thoroughly butter and flour the madeleine pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until light yellow and fluffy. Add 1/4 pound of butter and mix. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, and stir into the batter with a rubber spatula. Stir in the coconut.

With a soup spoon, drop the batter into the pans, filling each shell almost full. Bake the madeleines for 10 to 12 minutes, until they spring back when pressed. Tap the madeleines out onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper and allow to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

-Aaron John

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

Well, two years have really gone by and it's another Blog-iversary!! My blog has been up and running for two whole years and I can't believe it. Never would I have imagined that I would still be Food Blogging up to this day. 

To be honest, there have been some days/weeks where I ran out of inspiration. This year, I came to a point where I felt as if I had done everything and my time in blogging was up and boy was I wrong. There is so much more food out there for me to make that I have no reason to stop. This became a major reason in trying to include more savory food posts and blogging about different food joints I come across.

My goal for the next year? Continue adding on more savory posts to this blog. I feel for this blog to be complete, it needs more savory posts because let's face it, we can't live off sweets even as hard as we try. But, wouldn't it be great to just live off ice cream and cake? That would be such a great life. But until then, we can settle on portion control with cupcakes.

For this Blog-iversary, I made Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes. A celebration is not complete unless you have some sort of cake. A celebration is the one day where we can all toss aside your Jenny Craig diet and indulge so why not chocolate upon chocolate? 

When all is said and done, I have to thank all my readers/likers/followers. Without all of you, this blog would probably be done a long time ago. But it's people who share in the same passion for food that I find the reason to blog. So, thank you!! :) I look forward to the new food adventures I will have this year! 

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

Recipe for Chocolate Ganache from Projectmcb

Ingredients
Cake
Hershey's Chocolate Cake (I blogged about it here)

Ganache
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions
Make the chocolate ganache by putting the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Pour the cream over chocolate and shake the bowl gently so cream settles around the chocolate. Set mixture aside until chocolate is soft, about 5 minutes. Whisk gently until smooth, taking care not to incorporate too many air bubbles. Stir in one of the flavorings, if desired.

Dip the tops of the cooled cupcakes into the frosting. Let cakes stand on rack until frosting is completely set.

-Aaron John

Oreo Cupcakes

A couple of weeks ago I talked about becoming a Foodie 100 member. Well, Foodie.com has officially launched its site and I am so excited for it!! Foodie.com is a wonderful site all about food and connecting with other bloggers or foodies in general. Even if you don't have a blog, you can become a member and follow some of your favorite blogs, find recipes and so much more. Check out my Foodie 100 Profile and follow, comment or what have you. I have yet to edit my profile and such but I will do that as soon as I have time.

Back to this weeks post of Oreo Cupcakes. I haven't met one person that doesn't like an Oreo. There's something about Oreo's and milk that have an effect on everyone. No wonder they call it "America's Favorite Cookie"

That crunchy cookie and creamy filling is just Mmmmmm. So, what about putting them in cupcakes? A Cookies N' Cream Cupcake sounds delicious to me! Everyone seems to have done it already so why not jump into that crowd and make them myself as well?

For the cake I simply used a boxed white cake mix. It's easy, simple and will always taste good. If you have a favorite white cake recipe, feel free to use it. I have not perfected my white cake recipe yet so I stuck with the box. Either way, be sure to fold in about 15 oreos into the batter roughly chopped!

What do you end up with? Fluffy cake with oreo pieces running through giving a little crunch and topped with a "Cookies N' Cream Buttercream" that taste exactly like ice cream? It can't get any better!!

Oreo Cupcakes

Recipe by Me

Makes about 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cake

1 box white cake mix (Made as directed on box)
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
3 eggs

15 oreos

Frosting

3 sticks of butter

1 lb powdered sugar

3 tbsp milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

20 oreos

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with 24 paper liners.

Make your cake as directed by the box. In my case mix 1-18.9 oz package with water, oil, and eggs until thoroughly combined. In a Ziplock bag, crush about 15 oreos, or as much as you like. Once crushed, add them into your cake batter.

Fill each lined cup 3/4 of the way full with the batter and bake for 18-20 minutes.

For the frosting, cream the butter, vanilla extract and powdered sugar until combined. Add in 3 tbsp of milk and continue to beat until smooth. Crush the 20 oreos and pour them into the frosting making sure to fold the cookies into the frosting or else your frosting will turn a dark black color.

Once your cupcakes are cool, frost them with the buttercream and top with half an Oreo

-Aaron John

Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake Coffee Cake

After a week of midterms I finally have time to blog again! The other day, I was looking through all the "food porn" sites such as foodgawker and tastespotting and is it weird that I wasn't getting inspiration? I literally couldn't think of what I wanted to blog about or didn't see anything on one of the sites that made me say " I am sooooo making that!!"

I went on other food blogs and still had no luck in what to make so I went to the foodnetwork site where Coffee Cake entered my mind. Don't get me wrong, I love a great coffee cake but when I see recipes that have twice as much butter in the crumb topping than in the cake, meaning TWO STICKS, I have some problems. So I came up with this.

I guess you can say this is an experiment within a recipe test. For the cake base, I went for a pound cake recipe I found, but never tried, by Tish Boyle that looked delicious and moist. I actually halved the pound cake recipe for my cake which was actually not enough for the cake. Definitely make the whole batch of cake for a thick cake!

Anyways, I decided to experiment and top the batter with what I normally put in a cinnamon roll, brown sugar and cinnamon, swirl it in and waited to see how it turned out. I then iced it with a powdered sugar icing. This is exactly why it's a cinnamon roll, in a pound cake, eaten as a coffee cake. This Pound Cake was moist and dense and the topping gave a cinnamon roll flavor with coffee cake texture without all the butter. The pound cake itself was great so if you don't feel like making a Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake Coffee Cake, the pound cake is worth it!

Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake Coffee Cake

Cake Base Adapted from Tish Boyle's Lemon Pound Cake

Makes 1-9 inch cake or 1 Loaf

Ingredients

Cake:
2 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy cream

Topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Icing
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 lb powdered sugar
2 tbsp milk

Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and dust a 9 inch cake pan and set aside. (Or, if you want a plain pound cake, grease the bottom and sides of a 9 1/2 x 5 1/2-inch loaf pan. Dust the pan with flour and set aside.)

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine well and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until very creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat the mixture at medium-high speed until very light, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally (the mixture should look curdled at this point). Beat in the citrus zest and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture at low speed in three additions, alternating it with the heavy cream in two additions. Mix just until the flour is incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon until combines and sprinkle over the top of the batter. Swirl into the cake.

Bake for about 30-40 min. or until the skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 10 min and remove the cake from the pan to continue cooking on a cooling rack

(If making the plain pound cake, bake the cake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.)

Meanwhile make the icing by melting the butter in the microwave. Add the vanilla, powdered sugar and milk and mix until combines and no lumps are present. Drizzle the cake with the icing as you desire.

-Aaron John

Final Project: Cookies and Cake?

L to R: Raspberry Linzer Cookies, Black and White Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies dipped in White Chocolate and Red Sprinkles

Vanilla Butter Cake layered with Raspberry Jam and Vanilla Bean Buttercream, drizzled with a Sweet Tea Caramel Sauce

How is it possible to make cookies and cake for a final project you ask? Well, I have no idea either. It's almost unheard of but there I was, making cookies and cake for my AAS 330 final project.

AAS 330 stands specifically for Asian American Studies: Asian American Theater. For our final essay/project, the goal was to either write an essay about an artistic problem in a play or to have an artistic approach to presenting a play, mainly in set design, directing, lighting, etc. and creating a 3D model. To be honest, I was confused as to what to do.

I began to write my essay and I hit a wall, didn't know which way to go. So, I ended up thinking about what I can do artistically. It hit me like a ton of bricks; do something in the culinary arts! Duhhh. So I ended up emailing my Professor about an idea to turn the five characters of the play Tea, into dessert form. To my amazement, the idea was viable!

I debated if it were a smart thing to do. I mean, with finals the same week as the presentation, would it be smart to bake for one whole day and sacrificing a whole day of studying for my other classes? I did it anyway because when will I ever be able to have an opportunity like this to do what I love for a project? Probably never again.

After a day and a half of baking, this is what I came up with:

Sugar Cookie: Represents Teruko. Such a plain character with no sub-text and was one dimensional like a sugar cookie

Black and White Cookie: Represents Setsuko. A calm character that I felt observed both sides of a conversation, weighed her options and tried to reduce conflict as much as possible.

Chocolate Chip Cookie dipped in White Chocolate and Red Sprinkles: Represents Chizuye. As the most assimilated character, she is the most iconic American Cookie. The white chocolate and red sprinkles represents the Japanese flag and culture. She breaks away from her Japanese culture in the form of a chocolate shell and becomes assimilated into America, revealing the Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Raspberry Linzer Cookie: Represents Himiko. She is seen as a ghost throughout the play which explains the dusting of powdered sugar. The Raspberry Jam in the center represents the "pool of blood" she layed in after she shot herself. I specifically wanted her to be a sandwich cookie to represent how easily the two cookies can be ripped apart representing how easily Himiko's life fell apart due to the lack of stability after being controlled by her husband, murder of her daugther and eventually Himiko's death.

Vanilla Butter Cake layered with Raspberry Jam and Vanilla Bean Buttercream, drizzled with a Sweet Tea Caramel Sauce: Represents Atsuko. At first I believed she was a selfish and rude character that tried to take away from the remembrance of Himiko's life and putting attention on herself. However, reading the play over about two times, that wasn't the case at all. She put on a facade of not caring about Himiko, hiding her emotions unlike the rest of the characters, which is why she's a cake and not a cookie. Being a cake and not a cookie provides a difference in how she expressed her emotions vs. the others. Even though she put on a facade, deep down, she truly cared about Himiko which is why the cake is layered with Raspberry Jam to tie it back to Himiko's cookie. The Sweet Tea Caramel was used to bring back the whole notion that the play is called Tea.

Overall, doing this project was the best thing that I could've done. This was the first time I was able to present something I was truly passionate about and I can't tell you enough how great it felt to present this. Never in a million years would I think I would be able to do this and it's all because of my Professor. Thanks Professor!! This was the best class I have ever taken so far!! :)

-Aaron John

Vanilla Bean Pound Cake

Whether it's vanilla cake or vanilla pound cake, its flavor is simple.

It can be put with ice cream, sauces, etc and it seems to stand in the back.

But, what if it were to stand alone, you know, have a solo performance?

A stage where the only thing to look forward to is a vanilla cake.

I, myself, have been on a vanilla cake/cupcake recipe hunt.

Every recipe I tested led me to a dead end.

Ending up with a soft and fluffy cake straight out of the oven.

Turning into a dense mass over time. Does this happen to you?

This pound cake was almost "The One".

But not close enough.

I need a recipe like those cupcake shops.

Staying soft and light even after days.

How do they do it?!

I guess, we will never know. ha.

Vanilla Pound Cake
Recipe by Paula Deen
Ingredients
Nonstick baking spray with flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
6 large eggs, separated
3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Black Cherry Sauce, recipe follows

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 12 to 15-cup fluted pan with nonstick baking spray with flour.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the scraped vanilla bean seeds, beating until combined. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture, alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat the egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Gently fold into the butter mixture. Spoon into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the almonds evenly over the top of the cake. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan, and cool completely on a wire rack. Serve with Black Cherry Sauce, if desired.

Black Cherry Sauce:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/2 cup black cherry juice
1 (12-ounce) package frozen dark sweet cherries
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and lime zest. Stir in the black cherry juice, whisking until smooth. Add the cherries. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 1 minute.. Remove from the heat and let cool.

-Aaron John

Chocolate Bundt Cake With A Chocolate Ganache Glaze

Let's get back to the recipes shall we? After a 2 week hiatus from blogging about recipes, it's about time I blog about them again.

I came home from class on Thursday (Thank God there's only 2 weeks left) with this crazy craving of something sweet and chocolatey. I feel like I always have this craving at least once a week. I'm not the only one right? Usually, I would make a box of brownies but it was no where to be found in my pantry.

With the Hershey's Cocoa powder staring me straight in the eye, I decided to make cake instead. Something with minimal effort, no need for piping frosting on top but instead something sweet to pour. I mean it's a Thursday after all, can't take too long making it. The idea of a Bundt cake hit me in the face  like a slap a girl gives to a jerk. ha.

This is practically one of the easiest cakes to make. Dump, mix and bake. Now, that's my kind of recipe. When you're in a time crunch and have a chocolate craving, this cake is perfect. Not to mention, a better Bundt Cake than the Sour Cream Chocolate Bundt Cake I made a year ago.

Tips

-I buttered and floured the pan to make removal easier but it did end up with a pale brown color where the flour was. No way to prevent it when you use the butter and flour method.

-I baked this cake for about 50 min because the center was a bit gooey

Results

Taste: Chocolate on top of chocolate. A mellow chocolate cake with hints of coffee topped with a glaze that gives a more intense dark chocolate flavor 

Texture: Soft and moist cake with a smooth and creamy glaze.

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Buttercream

Recipe's are Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
For the cake:
2 cups sugar
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Glaze:
3 oz dark chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 tbsp corn syrup
1/2 tbsp butter


Directions
Preheat the oven 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cake cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out and let cool completely.

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. In a heatproof bowl, combine the remaining 3 ounces of chopped chocolate with the corn syrup and butter. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let the ganache glaze cool until thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes.

Pour the ganache over the cooled cake. Let the cake stand until the glaze is set, at least 30 minutes, before serving.

-Aaron John

Peach Cobbler

When I think of Peach Cobbler, I think of the South. When I think of the South, I think of Southern Food. When I think of Southern food, I think of Paula Deen, the queen of Southern Cuisine. This lady really loves her butter. She may even deep fry butter and eat the whole thing. But hey, who hasn't thought of doing that themselves? ha. So, who better to get a Peach Cobbler recipe from than the good ol' Paula Deen.

I've been wanting to make a Peach Cobbler for a long time. However, I couldn't find any fresh peaches! I thought Summer was here already? Well, I went to the second best thing, frozen peaches. Supposedly, frozen fruit and vegetables are "picked at the peak of freshness" and I would have to agree. Sweet yet tangy, tender yet had a bite. It's all you want in fruit without all the work of peeling and chopping. Thus, when life gives you peaches, make a Peach Cobbler.

Tips
-I halved this recipe and baked it in a 9 in pie pan
-Instead of the fresh peaches, I used one 16 ounce bag of frozen. If making the full recipe, use two 16 ounce bags
-Don't mix the layers or butter, batter and peach. Leave it as is.

Results
Taste: Surprisingly, not overpoweringly sweet. There was a nice balance between the somewhat tart peaches, and the sweetness of it's syrup with the sweetness from the crust and added cinnamon to give some spice. 

Texture: The peaches were tender and not overcooked and the batter that did not brown on the top gave the cobbler a creamy aspect. However, it did have a gummy quality to it. The best part had to be the browned crust. It gave a nice textural difference with it being crunchy. But, I would love to try to make a cobbler using layers of pie crust instead because the gummy quality was not liked by my familia. 

Peach Cobbler
Recipe by Paula Deen

Ingredients
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Ground cinnamon, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

-Aaron John