12 days of christmas baking - day 8: cranberry apple walnut cake

i had been wanting to make this cranberry apple walnut cake since i tasted it for the first time a couple of months ago. one of my coworkers made this cake and brought it in for our company potluck. it was so good, i had to ask him for the recipe. i knew i would make it around this time of year and sure enough, i got around to baking it.

so, how was the recipe? ummm… the one he made tasted delicious. this one however, i think it was just okay. i've only had one tiny slice so far, so i don't know yet. but i can say it sounds like a great recipe and if it turns out right, it would be delicious! plus, i'm not sure if it was just me or what it is. but when i was making the batter, it was very cookie-batter-like and no cake-like at all. it was too dry. like there wasn't enough liquid ingredients in this. i looked at the person's photos and looked at mine and my batter did not look like hers. long story short, i improvised and added a couple tablespoons of water to my batter to make it more sticky or so that it would resemble a cake batter. that may have saved the cake, because it didn't come out too bad. now, if you're going to make this recipe, just be aware of that.

below's the recipe if you'd like to try it. i say go ahead, why not. cranberries, apples and walnuts are great combos for these kinds of cake. plus, it fits right in with the holiday season. so be merry and bake away! :)


i made these and gave them out as mini gifts.


another apple cranberry cake to add to the mix. these guys are great as bars too!

cranberry apple walnut cake
recipe from the bad girl's kitchen

ingredients:

• 1-3/4 cups light brown sugar OR 1 cup honey plus 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups sliced cooking apples (i used granny smith)
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh, whole raw cranberries

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 pan very well, set aside.
2. in a medium bowl, sift together the flour and dry ingredients, also set that aside.
3. then cream together oil and sugar. add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
4. once that's incorporated, add in the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. then stir in apples, cranberries and nuts.
5. bake for 45-50 minutes. let it cool, then cut into squares or whatever serving size you like and enjoy!

makes one 9x13 pan size cake. enjoy! :)

check out last year's day 8 recipe: salted caramel chocolate pecan bars

one berry-licious birthday cake

i've been on a buttermilk fruity cake spree the last month or so. you know, i am in love with that lemon-blueberry cake i made a while back. for our little v's birthday earlier this month i decided that we should celebrate with that exact cake. the recipe only makes one 8-inch cake so i doubled it and turned it into a 2-layer cake with homemade lemon curd filling, all topped with some yummy home whipped cream and farmer's market fresh berries. yes, you can still find berries even this late in the season. i know we are already in fall, but being in SF, october is like our summer and those berries are still around. i'm not complaining.

anyway, the cake was delicious. the whipped cream and berries on top with the tart lemon curd filling (because i like my lemon curd more tart than sweet) were all just perfect. i think i had dessert (cake) first before eating my dinner that night we celebrated her birthday. i mean, c'mon... when you have something this good-looking? plus, i tend to eat my desserts first before a proper meal. i know, so awful, but that's the only way i have room for dessert! hehehe ;)

below are all the links to the recipes used to make this very pretty berry birthday cake. you can adjust any of the recipes to your liking. enjoy and happy baking! :)





berry-licious birthday cake

ingredients:

• 2 lots of this lemon-blueberry buttermilk cake recipe
• 1 lot of this meyer lemon curd recipe
• 1 lot of this whipped cream recipe (actually, you could probably get away with just half if you like)
• fresh berries for topping (i used blackberries, raspberries and strawberries... of course, you can use any fruit of choice)

directions:
prepare all recipes per their instructions. once all of that is done, assemble the cake and topped with the whipped cream and fresh berries (or fruit, whichever) and enjoy! happy eating. :)

makes one 2-layer 8-inch cake.

sour cream coffee cake with cinnamon streusel topping

a few weeks back we had tacos for dinner. along with the many ingredients in making a yummy taco was sour cream. we had some sour cream leftover sitting in the fridge from the taco dinner and garbage night was fast approaching. so instead of throwing it out, i decided to make the most out of the leftover sour cream. so, what do we have here? you guessed it. nothing more delicious for breakfast than that sour cream coffeecake. i did a quick google search and landed on king arthur flour's website for this very tasty coffee cake. it's so tasty, they called it their "favorite sour cream coffee cake."

the end result? a very tender cake that was the perfect accompaniment to my morning starbucks iced coffee the next morning after i baked it. actually, i had another slice later that same day as an afternoon snack. delicious, all around and for sure a new favorite. i love how the cake is filled and topped with this yummy cinnamon-y streusel. the nuts in the streusel gave it a nice crunch and another dimension to the cake. i didn't have walnuts around so i substituted pecans instead and it was just as good. overall, a very excellent coffee cake. i brought about 3/4 of the cake into work and it was a hit.

now, if you're interested in making this cake, i say why not. it is so good and is perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea or whenever, just because. i know i will for sure be making this coffee cake again and possibly modifying it to see what else this recipe can do. enjoy and happy baking! :)


i never thought i'd be a sucker for breakfast sweets, but since i started baking, i love anything sweet for breakfast. this coffee cake is a perfect treat with my morning coffee.


close-up of the cake. see that layer of cinnamon streusel? yummy!


i must bake this coffee cake for breakfast again. especially with fall here already, it would go perfect with that pumpkin spice latte. oh, that just sounds so good right now.

sour cream coffee cake
recipe from king arthur flour

cake

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter
• 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream or yogurt*

*feel free to use low-fat (NOT nonfat) sour cream or yogurt; if using yogurt, try vanilla or another complementary flavor, if desired.



 topping

• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup (8 ounces) chopped walnuts, optional

directions
cream together the butter or margarine, sugar, and eggs. in a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream or yogurt, stirring after each addition.

grease and flour a regular-sized (9 1/2-inch) tube pan or bundt-style pan, or a 9 x 9-inch pan. spread half the batter in the pan, and sprinkle with half the topping mixture. repeat with remaining batter and topping.



bake the coffeecake in a preheated 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake tests done. cool it for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan. (if you've baked it in a 9 x 9-inch pan, just serve it right from the pan.) place the cake right-side-up (topping up) on a plate to serve.

makes 12 generous servings. enjoy and happy eating! :)

summer berries custards

i've been hitting the farmer's market lately these past several weeks. during one of the outings i bought some blackberries. typically i'd just eat them all in one go, but i was strong enough to not inhaled the entire basket, but instead make something delicious out of them. and these good tasting, eat them warm right out of the oven summer berries custards was what i made with the blackberries. i actually had some blueberries on hand too so i used both. actually, you can even use raspberries or pitted cherries too.

the end result? i didn't really know what to expect. i thought since it was called a custard, i'd expected to be more custardy. but instead it was more like a pudding cake. it's not super sweet so i think you can even add some powdered sugar on top for a little extra if you like. but overall, a good cake. and of course, pudding cakes are big in my household, so we ate it up like that. actually, i think hogged most of the 6 ramekins that i made. but that was because m said he wasn't taking in any processed or added sugar. he hasn't been eating my baked goods since who knows when. maybe 6 weeks going on more? i can't remember.

ok, if you're interested in this recipe, i say why not make some. go out to your local farmer's market or grocery store and grab some of those summer berries before they're really gone for good. i know fall is here already and all those pumpkin baking recipes are popping up everywhere. so bake these for a last summer hurrah or just because. enjoy! :)


this custard is more like a pudding cake. i love how you get a little bit of the berries in every bite. yum!

summer blackberry custards
recipe from food & wine

ingredients:

• 6 cups blackberries (2 pounds)
• 1-1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

directions:

1. preheat the oven to 450°F. spread 1/2 cup of the blackberries in each of twelve 4-ounce gratin dishes. arrange the gratin dishes on 2 baking sheets.
2. in a bowl, whisk the milk with the cream, eggs, brown sugar, flour, vanilla, lemon juice and orange zest until smooth. ladle 1/4 cup of the custard into each dish; bake for about 15 minutes, until the centers are set. transfer the custards to wire racks and let stand for 30 minutes. serve.

makes 12. or you can half the recipe (which is what i did) and make just 6. enjoy! :)

blueberry-lemon buttermilk cake

happy september! wow, september already?! i can't believe summer came and went and we're almost into fall. before you know it, it'll be halloween. that's when all the fun begins. you know, the good holiday season with all that fun and festive decorating, baking and cooking. oh, i love the holiday season. now, i don't know about you guys, but typically when i bake a cake with fruit in it, i feel like they always dry out. either i'm not very good or the recipes i've been using aren't quite there (yet). anyway, i came across a cake recipe here a while back while looking for breakfast cakes (or cakes that you can kind of pass for eating in the morning). i don't think i've had a more perfect (fruit) cake than this blueberry-lemon buttermilk cake here. even on day two, unwrapped, it still tasted as if it just came out of the oven a few hours ago. and i swear, i still had some on day four and it was just as good, but note that i cover the cake with plastic wrap after day two.

i'm not sure exactly how i came across it. i've lost the link to this cake recipe so i'm very sad i cannot give credit to whoever came up with the recipe. although i did stumble upon a blackberry cake recipe on food & wine's website and it was almost identical to this. i'm pretty sure whoever came up with the blueberry-lemon cake adapted it from food & wine's blackberry cake recipe. seriously, it was almost the same with a few minor changes. i will have to make that blackberry cake one day soon and see if it is up to par with this one. now trust me when i say this, you cannot go wrong with this recipe. it comes out perfectly moist and stays that way even on day 2 or 3. i couldn't get enough of it and usually i'm the type of person who will eat while baking or soon after baking. but beyond day 1, i forget there's even baked goodies around (most of the time anyway). i remember the other day while at work i thought about having a slice of this cake all day long. the minute i came home, i cut myself a slice and ate it before dinner. mmmm…. so. good.

for sure will i be making this cake again. actually, i've already made this recipe three times within the last week! i made the blueberry-lemon version twice and another one with figs added to it. all three came out perfect and delicious just as expected. i love how it requires no frosting and is perfect the way it is. of course, you can serve it with a little bit of freshly whipped cream on top for that extra touch of creamy sweetness, but i don't think it's necessary. i've eaten it both ways and both options are just as good. it's just a matter of preference i guess.

below's the recipe should you be interested. i say go ahead and make one today. you'll be so glad you did. seriously, delicious right?! i think so. enjoy and happy baking. :)


this blueberry-lemon cake is so moist and not at all dry. yes, even on day 2 or 3!


this easy to make and tasty blueberry-lemon buttermilk cake is perfect for those afternoon tea or as a sweet morning treat with that coffee.


i don't think i've baked or tasted a more yummier cake than this cake right here. for sure will i be making this one over and over again, in all different fruit variations hopefully. and yes, with and without that dollop of freshly whipped cream on top.

blueberry-lemon buttermilk cake

ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 sticks (4 oz) butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar, plus 1-1/2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, well shaken
• 5 oz fresh blueberries (or you can use frozen ones as well, maybe 1/2-1 cup)

directions:

1. preheat oven to 400°f with the rack in the middle of oven. butter or spray (i buttered mine) an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. butter or spray the parchment paper.
2. whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. add vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest. add egg and beat well.
3. at low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches, mixing until just combined.
4. add blueberries and fold in with a spoon. pour batter into cake pan, spreading and smoothing the top. sprinkle with 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar (this makes it a little crispy on the top).
5. bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
6. cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more.
7. invert onto a plate and cut into 8 slices.
8. serve plain or with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. enjoy!

makes 8, or however many you want to slice it. :)

lemon loaf cake

yes, i know, i've been MIA lately. but just because i haven't been blogging about any baked goodies or delicious eats doesn't mean i haven't been baking or eating good stuff, or designing or even exercising/running. actually, i have been with all of that. in fact, i've been baking a lot. i just haven't been taking any pictures and sharing them on here. that's because i can never find the time to take pictures of all the delicious eats i've been making. about the only time i can take photos of any baked goodies i make is in the morning and mornings around here are quite hectic with two little ones.

but yes, at long last, here is a yummy post. and if these photos aren't so great, it's because i took them with my phone this morning. so please, forgive me for the awful backgrounds and anything else that's imperfect about it. ;)

over the weekend my bro-in-law stopped by with a giant bag of freshly picked meyer lemons from his backyard. i kid you not, when i say giant, i mean one of those 13-gallon white garbage bag. it was halfway full at least, with who knows how many lemons. i know i've used about 1/3 of it already and there's still a ton left. so you see, my bro-in-law has this good-size (i don't think it's huge, but it sure produces a ton of lemons) lemon tree out back in his yard. it seriously is one lemon-producing machine because no matter how many branches he has cut off, the tree still finds ways to get more lemons out.

anyway, i decided to make use of the lemons. one of the things i've made with these lemons is this lemon loaf cake. i've made this recipe twice already in the last three days. it's pretty simple, so yes, piece of cake. i love how lemony this cake is. the amount of lemon juice is perfect and the added zest in the cake really makes all that lemon flavor stand out. i love how it uses both butter and oil and not just one or the other. the cake comes out just right and not dry at all. oh, to make it even more lemony is that added lemon glaze at the end. oh, so good. our house smelled delicious as the cake was baking in the oven. i couldn't wait to get it out and eat it while still hot. but yes, i was patient enough to wait until it cooled down to slice into it.

below's the recipe should you want to make it yourself. it's very easy and pretty straight forward. i've baked it twice already with minor adjustments and it hasn't failed me once (or twice). so go ahead and make some. these are delicious as an accompaniment to that afternoon tea or with your morning breakfast (i had it this morning w/ my iced coffee). enjoy and happy baking! :)


i love how lemony this cake is. it's the perfect treat with that afternoon tea or morning coffee.


this lemon loaf cake is so easy to make. you can make it again and again and it'll turn out just perfect every time.

lemon loaf cake
recipe adapted from sugar loco

ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup oil
• zest of one lemon

lemon glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350°f. prepare 9x5 loaf pan or 6 mini pans.
2. in a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. in a medium bowl combine eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla and lemon extracts, and lemon juice with a mixer. scrape bottom to make sure all is combined.
4. pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and blend until smooth, scraping sides and bottom of bowl.
5. add oil and lemon zest. mix well.
6. pour into prepared loaf pan(s) and bake for 45 mins (9x5) or 25 mins (minis). note: i did the loaf pan and only baked mine for 43 mins and it was fine. but of course, every oven is different.
7. insert toothpick to test. if the toothpick comes out clean, they should be good and taken out of the oven.
8. once removed from the oven, let the cakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
9. while cake is cooling in the pan, prepare the glaze. combine both the lemon juice and powdered sugar and whisk to combine.
10. remove the cake from the pan(s) and onto a wire rack. make sure and put a cookie sheet or newspaper under the rack. pour glaze over the cake loaf. let the cake cool completely on rack.
11. once cooled, slice and serve. enjoy!

makes 10-12 servings depending on how thick or thin you slice it. cake is good for 1-2 days covered/wrapped (uncovered for me because i'm too lazy to cover it so we leave it uncover, plus it gets eaten within a day) at room temperature. it could probably go longer, but it might go dry as the days passes. enjoy! :)

honeydew pudding cake bars

last month when i visited my mom she gave me two very ripe honeydews and a cantaloupe to bring back home. i'm not a fan of honeydews or cantaloupes. i don't know, as a kid and even now as an adult, i just don't care for the fruit. of course both fruits aren't quite the same, but for the most part, i feel like they are. they have similar flavors or taste that my tastebuds can't be bothered with. but that's besides the point. my mom knew c and m loves cantaloupes. she threw in the honeydews too because i told her they would eat it. well, actually, the cantaloupe got eaten up that very week after we got back. the honeydew however stayed put, getting more ripe by the day. i eventually got around to cutting it up and discovered that it was way riped and super sweet. it had so much juice that i decided i would repurpose the pudding cake recipe i made a while back with the passionfruit juice. the end result? not too bad. instead of doing what i did last time, i decided i would turn these into bars instead. i figured i wasn't in any rush to eat it right away so i can afford to let these cool until they're ready to be cut into.

the verdict? it's definitely different from any kind of bars i (or you) have eaten. m loves it. he said it's got this custardy taste to it. i say it's gummy good because there's so little flour and lots of liquid in the mix. although i have to confess, there was this weird bitter aftertaste to it. i can't quite put my finger on why the recipe came out this way. not sure if it was the honeydew juice that was giving it this bitter aftertaste or something else. i've made this recipe a few times in the past with passionfruit juice and guava and all those times they turned out tasting just fine.

well, nevertheless, if you're curious to try it out, feel free to. it's still good and i'll probably make it again. yes... even with that weird bitter aftertaste. i say it just makes these pudding cake bars all that more interesting. :)





honeydew pudding cake bars

ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted (and maybe a little bit more for greasing)
• 1-1/3 cup sugar
• 1-1/3 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup honeydew juice or puree
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350°F.
2. in a good-size bowl, throw in all the ingredients except for the confectioners' sugar and mix until everything is incorporated/combined.
3. pour mixture into a lightly greased ovenproof dish (i used an 8x8 nonstick pan) and bake for 1 hour or until golden.
4. let the pudding cake cool completely before cutting them into squares. then dust with confectioners' sugar to serve.

makes 16 squares. enjoy and happy eating! :)

celebrating one year with tres leches cake

has it really been a year? well, happy one year to design. bake. run. then! to celebrate the one year anniversary of my little blog here (you can see the first entry here), i made this delicious tres leches cake (recipe courtesy of miss martha stewart). i have to say, tres leches cakes are so ridiculously good. you cannot go wrong with the three milk combo. and c'mon… sweetened condensed milk – O.M.G. seriously, so, so good!

i remembered a couple months back while attending a kiddie birthday party at my brother-in-law's house and they had a tres leches birthday cake. on the drive home i told m i wanted a tres leches cake as my birthday cake (my birthday is this month) instead of his famous cheesecake; m was a little offended. hahahaha… i guess he was probably thinking because his famous cheesecake wasn't all that great or tasty anymore in my eyes. i told him it's just that the tres leches cake was just so darn good. i could never have enough of it. actually, i think it's so good because i don't eat enough of it and only on special occasions such as birthdays like the one we went to. okay, the point i'm trying to make here is, m doesn't eat a whole lot of baked goods these days but after i made this cake, i made him try it. he said he would only eat a couple mouthfuls and before i knew it, he ate the whole slice! he said it was for sure one of the best cakes he's ever eaten; and definitely better than store-bakery-made. he wants it as his next birthday cake. i told him right then and there, "see, i told you. that's why i wanted it for mine too!" hahahaha

alright, if you'd like to see how good this cake is, feel free to make the recipe and let us know. don't you agreed? tres leches cakes are really something delicious. i will for sure be making them again and again. just not all the time so it's still one of the best things ever! ;)


this tres leches cake is seriously one of the best thing ever, if not the best thing ever. nice and moist with all that soaked milk – delish!

tres leches cake
recipe from martha stewart

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled, plus more for baking dish
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 5 cups fresh fruit (optional), such as oranges or berries, for serving

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs and 3/4 cup sugar on high until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat to combine. With a rubber spatula, fold in melted butter until incorporated. Transfer batter to dish and bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating dish halfway through.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together milks. Poke warm cake all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick, then pour milk mixture over top and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
3. Whip cream and 1/4 cup sugar to medium peaks. To serve, spread whipped cream evenly over cooled cake. Top with fruit if desired. I didn't bother with the fruit toppings except for the few blueberries that I put on top of the cut slices. The cake tastes delicious with or without the fruit topping, I think.

umm... so, the last year in review? well, let's say i haven't done as much design as i'd like (or at least post them up on here anyway). i hope that in this second year i can put up more design-related entries. i'd love to experiment with some thing such as watercolor art. nothing spectacular or anything, just some artwork; if not mine, maybe even c's. he love watercolor painting and have the best kiddie art for a 5-year-old. i really should post his lady bug watercolor painting he did for me a while back. he thought of it all by himself and it looks amazing. hah! probably better than what i would have done. but yes, all in all, i'd love to post more design works here.

now with running, i'm still chugging along. i run all the time, i just can't be bothered to blog about it. maybe i will pick that up again too, i don't know. it may help me with my pace/speed/etc. i still need to improve on my pace and get a better finish time. i hope that by the time the 2014 sf marathon comes around, i can run an easy 9:15 to 9:30-min/mile pace for the half marathon. that race is still a whole year ahead, so i hope to do great things from now til then.

and lastly, it's been a wonderful year for anything baked goods related. i do love how i stumbled upon a recipe for those cute mini creme brulee cupcakes. the pictures for those turned out fantastic as well and is one of my popular posts on here. the coffee nutella french macarons were one of my first few baking posts and to date it is my most popular post. i hope that this next year i will land upon or create some amazing goodies. i know i'm still baking like mad; although i have slowed down a little bit the last several weeks. i still have a lot of baking on my to-bake bucket list and i have some recipes i'd like to try or experiment. i can't wait to share them here and look forward to another year of journaling anything and everything design, bake and run related. :)

browned butter vanilla yogurt cake

in my previous posts i mentioned how i had baked all these cakes for my uncle's funeral service. well, i came upon this lemon rosemary cake on pinterest and actually made that recipe. anyway, the cake turned out delicious (and unfortunately i don't have any pictures to show for here). m was actually quite a fan of the cake (he's always such a tough critic with my baked goods). because of his rave review i decided i would make it again. except for this time when i went to make it, i didn't have my butter ready at room temperature like the first time and the microwave wasn't cooperating when i went to use it (to soften the butter) so i ended up having to brown my butter – therefore leading to this new cake recipe i came up with, adapted from the lemon rosemary cake of course!

this browned butter vanilla yogurt cake is just right. i haven't cared too much for frosted cakes lately so yogurt cakes, cake loaves, cakes with simple powdered sugar dusting or glaze icing was right up my alley. plus, it doesn't hurt that i still have all those ingredients in the fridge. so yes, i know… even after that 12-hour marathon baking expedition, i went ahead and baked this cake a few days after. i have to say, this yogurt cake is delicious. it's nice and simple with nothing too extravagant, but elegant enough that you know you're eating something good. the browned butter really enhances the vanilla flavor. and the yogurt in the cake really keeps it nice and moist. of course, not to mention the added lemon glaze on top that gives it that nice sweet and sour kick. oh, it's good!

below's the recipe should you want to make one yourself. i did mine in a 9-inch cake pan, but of course, you can use whatever pan you like. enjoy and happy baking! :)


this browned butter vanilla yogurt cake is really the perfect treat. i love it with a nice cup of coffee -- when i do drink coffee (because i don't drink tea) in the morning or afternoon as a mini sweet treat. ;)

browned butter vanilla yogurt cake
recipe adapted from baked bree

ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt (i used plain because that was all i had)
• 3 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

lemon glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350° F.
2. in a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat until it turns into a nice, sweet and delicious golden brown. note: you'll know when you've got browned butter when your whole kitchen starts to smell or smells like a nice toffee butterscotch candy. otherwise, i say anywhere from 3-5 minutes is pretty good. then pour it in a medium bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.
3. while the butter is cooling, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. set aside.
4. now, add the vanilla to the bowl with the butter. mix to blend. then add yogurt, and add eggs one at a time. again, mix all the ingredients until blended.
5. add in the dry ingredients and mix for an additional minute, scrapping the bowl, until everything is smooth and combined.
6. pour batter into an 9-in cake pan (or you can use a loaf pan) that has been sprayed with cooking spray (i used olive oil instead).
7. bake for 45 to 50 minutes. cool in pan for 10 minutes. take the cake out of the pan, and cool completely on a rack.
8. to make the lemon glaze: whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice together. then add more sugar and lemon juice as needed. drizzle over cake. let glaze stand until completely set.
9. serve right away once the glaze has set. enjoy! :)

makes 8-12 servings depending on how you slice it. this yogurt cake is best enjoy within the same day it's made. otherwise, it can keep up to two days if nicely wrapped.

angel food cake cupcakes with strawberries & cream

i'm loving the spring season at the moment. i can't complain about it, especially not here in san francisco. the last few weeks we've been so fortunate with mother nature giving us gorgeous sunshine and almost no-jacket/sweater weather. seriously, today was about 80 degrees in the city! i went out for my daily lunch walks earlier today not needing to bring a coat. you don't get this too often here in the city. but lately, it's been fabulous. i can't complain. i just hope this weather trend stays like this for several more days, weeks even! too bad it doesn't usually last very long. but in the mean time, i'll take it.

alright, so with spring comes all the amazing spring fruits such as strawberries. over the last few weeks i've been eating strawberries nonstop. i couldn't help it. it's everywhere in the grocery stores, farmer's market… wherever. so what better way to use up some of the strawberries than your classic angel food cake for a little of that delicious berries and cream combo?! oh boy, this strawberry angel food cake dessert is to die for. it is so perfect; nice and light with that fresh taste of strawberries and the sweetened freshly whipped cream. mmmm… delish!

so there's a backstory to this angel food cake dessert. you see i've never ever attempted to make angel food cake before. yes, like ever! a year or so back when i asked for requests from my coworkers as to what kind of baked goods to bring them, one of them asked if i could make an angel food cake. i told him, no way, not in a million years. i would have to like him a whole lot, like a lot LOT or somehow be bored out of my mind to make one. i'll make anything else but angel food cake. so yes, for some odd reason, i've just never cared or be bothered to make angel food cake. i guess you could say, and i will admit this here that i was a bit intimidated by all those egg whites! yes, there are so many egg whites you have to whip up just to make one angel food cake. even in this first attempt, i didn't even make the full recipe. actually, i didn't even use your typical angel food cake pan mold. i made mine as cupcakes instead. even mini ones! but yes, i was intimidated by the egg whites. looking at the recipe i'm thinking, "what?! i have to whip all those egg whites? what am i going to do with all the yolks. there are so many egg yolks!" -- hahaha, silly i know. but these days, i have ways to use up those egg yolks. yeah, i still have those yolks sitting in the fridge. they'll probably either (a) end up in the garbage, (b) turned into some delicious pastry cream for cream puffs or whatever, or (c) it's about time i make some lemon curd with all those lemons in our backyard (yes, we have an itty bitty meyer lemon tree out back that actually has some lemon on it! i know, it's pretty incredible considering how tiny it is and the fact that there's hardly ever any fruits in all the years we've had it!)

mmm… so there you have it. i'm not sure what happened, but i guess i did sort of make some form of angel food cake. yes, not the real thing, but close enough. you can say it was because of all the fresh strawberries and sunshine that inspired me to finally attempt to make this cake. will i make it again and am i intimidated by all those egg whites now that i've done it once? nah, no way. blah. easy peasy. i can do it in my sleep! hehe jk i'll probably make this cake batter again, and yes, one day in the proper form and all. the cake is lovely and turned out fantastic. yeah, it's the diet dessert -- actually, not! no dessert is a diet dessert. but i have to say, it is seriously super light (at least it tastes like it, minus the sugar?! haha) and delicious.

below's the recipe i used to make the cupcake form of angel food cake. feel free to make some and let me know what you think. so, what do you say? pretty good eh?! i'm in love with these and they taste absolutely amazing -- fresh and sweet just like the perfect spring weather we are enjoying right now! enjoy and happy baking! :)


the weather here in san francisco has really been that awesome. for sure beach-worthy.


an instagram photo of this yummy treat a lucky few received one day at work last week.


i am in love with this angel food cake cupcake. it is such a refreshing spring treat with the fresh strawberries!

angel food cake cupcakes with strawberries & cream
recipe adapted from the baker upstairs

ingredients:

cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 6 egg whites
• 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

strawberries & cream filling:

• 12 strawberries, washed (you can use more or less strawberries depending on your preference, i used a strawberry per cupcake)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

directions:

1. preheat your oven to 350° F and prepare a cupcake pan (12-count) with paper liners.
2. in a small bowl, combine the flour and sugars, set aside.
3. in the bowl of your stand mixer whip the egg whites for one minute, until frothy. add the cream of tartar, vanilla and salt, and whip for 5-6 minutes until stiff peaks form.
4. then sprinkle 1/4 cup of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and fold in gently, repeating until all the flour is incorporated.
5. spoon the batter into the paper liners and bake for 15-17 minutes, until lightly golden and springy to the touch.
6. remove from the oven and cool completely in the pans.
7. while cupcakes are cooling, make the whipped cream and slice the berries.
8. for the whipped cream: add the heavy whipping cream and sugar to a medium size bowl and whip for 3-4 minutes, until light and airy. refrigerate the whipped cream in the refrigerator while you slice the berries.
9. to assemble the cupcakes: take the paper liners off the cupcakes very carefully. slice the cake in half and top the bottom half with a very good spoonful of whipped cream. then add the slices of fresh strawberries before topping it off with another spoonful of whipped cream. put the top half of the cake back on to finish. if the cupcake looks like it's falling apart you can use a toothpick to hold it in place. of course, remove the toothpick before consuming. serve immediately or keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

makes 12 cupcakes. enjoy and happy eating! :)

donna hay's lemony peach cake

this past weekend was easter weekend. c and i made a quick trip to visit my mom and came back before easter sunday. before we went up i knew i wanted to bake some goodies and bring it to them. actually, my family isn't very big on sweets or any baked goods. must be a cultural thing. i never grew up craving candy, desserts or delicious baked goods. we never had afters (dessert) after a meal or afternoon tea with pastry (unlike m's because he grew up very english with tea time, afters and all). it wasn't until i met m and had c that i eventually acquired or grew to like all these delicious baked goodies. now, i'm a big fan of very well made pastry and sweets. it's a big deal in our house these days.

okay, so back to what i was saying. yes, my mom doesn't really care for very sweet things so i decided to bake her this peach cake (okay, more like nectarines because that was all i had in the fridge and needed to use them up before they went bad). i still had 6-7 nectarines lying around in the fridge that i had bought a week or so back. they were really firm when i got them (that's how i like my peaches and nectarines). they were still firm, but i knew they would be going if i didn't eat them or use them up somehow. upon a quick search on pinterest, i saw a recipe for a peach cake. the recipe and ingredients looked simple enough so i decided to go ahead and made it.

so, how was it? pretty good. if you're not a sweets fan, i say you'll like this cake. actually, even if you are, it's good to change it up. the texture of the cake is just perfect and i love the added bite of the fruit. i like how the nectarine slices kept the cake nice and moist. the dusting of the powdered sugar on top adds an extra bit of sweetness and finishes the cake really well. my mom loved it – and i'm really shocked because she almost always never eat any baked goods. and she ate like three slices! that says a lot. hehehe ;)

below's the recipe should you want to try it. let me know what you think. enjoy and happy baking!


my mom loved this peach cake. the simple confectioners' sugar dusting at the end adds a nice touch of sweetness to this simple, yet very elegant looking cake.


i say this peach cake would go very well with any afternoon tea or brunch. or any occasion, or no occasion at all! hehe

lemony peach cake
recipe from donna hay

ingredients:
1-1/2 stick (175g) butter, softened and chopped
3/4 cup (165g) caster (superfine) sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind
3 eggs
1 cup (150g) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
3/4 cup (70g) natural yoghurt
3 peaches, sliced
powdered (confectioner’s) sugar, for dusting
double (thick) cream, to serve

directions:

1. preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). place the butter, sugar and lemon rind in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 6–8 minutes or until light and creamy.
2. gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. add the flour, baking powder and yoghurt and beat until just combined.
3. spoon into a lightly greased 9-inch (25cm) round cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper. top with the peaches and bake for 1 hour or until cooked when tested with a skewer. allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. dust with powdered sugar and serve with cream.

serves 6. enjoy and happy eating! :)

passionfruit pudding

i still have a good portion of passionfruit juice leftover from last week. so to get more use out of it this past weekend i decided on this pudding (the UK kind, not the US kind like the Jell-O pudding). i saw a citrus pudding recipe on pinterest the other day and the photo looked so delicious i knew i had to try and make it one of these days. well, i haven't made that recipe just yet, but i did make one similar to it (this one here). i have to say it turned out pretty well. i wasn't sure how strong of a passionfruit flavor i would get (because the passionfruit juice container i got isn't quite 100% passionfruit juice… it's got some pear juice in it). anyway, i could tell it was passionfruit. but maybe that was probably because i knew it was passionfruit/pear juice i put in there?! i'm not sure if anyone else will be able to tell the flavor. nevertheless i will say that this pudding is quite delicious. i say you can probably substitute any fruit juice you like and it will still turn out scrumptious.

below's the recipe should you want to try it. let me know what you think! :)



passionfruit pudding

ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1-1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup passionfruit juice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350°F.
2. place the melted butter, sugar, milk, eggs, passionfruit juice, flour, baking powder and orange rind in a medium-size bowl and mix until everything is incorporated/combined.
3. pour mixture into a lightly greased ovenproof dish and bake for 1 hour or until golden.
4. dust with confectioners' sugar to serve.

serves 6. enjoy and happy eating! :)

chocolate yule log

i mentioned in one of my last post that every new year's eve we make a yule log to celebrate the new year (okay, more like the hubby who makes the yule log). instead of going out and partying with everyone on new year's eve, we actually prefer to stay in with a movie playing in the background and baking this away. we've done it for the past several years now that it's sort of become a tradition. so why a yule log for new year's eve instead of christmas? well, it's just that with all the baking going on during thanksgiving and christmas, there's just too much goodies and we know we'll never get around to eating it! and we'd really like to eat it because it's THAT good! you can't go wrong with a nice fluffy and soft sponge cake with that sweet creamy mocha whipped filling and the chocolatey mocha frosting on top. it's very good.

below's the recipe should you like to make one yourself come the holidays again. actually, who says you can't have this anytime of the year?! go ahead and make one and let me know how it turns out! happy baking and eating. :)


our annual new year's eve tradition. bake a yule log instead of partyin' it up. ;)

chocolate yule log
recipe from taste of home

ingredients:

sponge cake:
5 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup cake flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

mocha cream filling:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

mocha buttercream frosting:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup baking cocoa
2 cups confectioners sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brewed coffee
2 to 3 tablespoons 2% milk

directions:

1. Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with parchment paper; grease the paper. Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks on high until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until thick and lemon-colored. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to egg yolk mixture until blended.
3. Beat egg whites on medium until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form. Stir a fourth into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining egg whites until no streaks remain.
4. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until cake springs back (do not overbake). Cool for 5 minutes; invert onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Peel off parchment paper. Roll up in the towel, starting with a short side. Cool on a wire rack.
5. In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and coffee granules. Beat until stiff peaks form; chill. Unroll cooled cake; spread filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up again. Place on serving platter; chill.
6. In a large bowl, beat frosting ingredients until smooth. Frost cake. Using a fork, make lines resembling tree bark. Makes 12 servings.

nutrition facts: 1 serving (1 slice) equals 341 calories, 15 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 130 mg cholesterol, 136 mg sodium, 49 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.

dessert table for a first birthday party

i just wanted to share a photo i took with instagram. i really think my first attempt at a dessert table this past weekend turned out beautifully. you can't really go wrong with mini cupcakes and macarons; oh, and of course, the full birthday cake. everything was lovely and cute as can be for a little girl having her first ever birthday (party).

so how was the party and goodies? a big successful! ;)

for the (similar) recipes shown in the pictures above, you can access them here:

- eggless vanilla (and chocolate) mini cupcakes
- coconut and raspberry macarons (coconut macaron recipe to come – no recipe posted yet. but you can get other macarons recipes here)
- martha stewart one-bowl chocolate cupcakes

enjoy!

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UPDATE: a few more photos from the party ;)


not only are these mini vanilla and chocolate cupcakes so cute and adorable, they're egg-free and perfect for any no-egg diet!


i had been meaning to make these coconut macarons and i think they turned out great! so yummy, and the raspberry ones are just as good.


so here's a (similar to my instagram) photo of the dessert table (this one was taken with my canon). i love how cute this dessert table turned out!