cream puffs with whipped cream and salted caramel drizzle

what do you do when you have a quart of heavy whipping cream in the fridge? well, you make everything and anything you can possibly think of that uses whipping cream! okay, i only made two things with it – actually, three things. i used some of them for, what else other than what it's intended for – whipped cream. i also made some salted caramel sauce and used a little bit for a coffee-spiked chocolate ganache filling for some macarons (you can check out my instagram photo of me holding a half-bitten macaron).

so yes, with all that whipping cream, i made up some salted caramel sauce the other night and let it sit in the fridge. i couldn't decide on what else to make until finally opting for some good old cream puffs. you cannot go wrong with cream puffs with whipped cream. i decided i would drizzle some salted caramel sauce on top to touch it up instead of your typical powdered sugar or chocolate ganache glaze/drizzle.

how was it? o.m.g. the best thing ever. i don't care what anyone says, but it is. everything with caramel is just better. it's so good and sticky and light and fluffy and i cannot stop eating it. yes, so. so. good. you have got to make these and you'll know what i'm talking about.

below are the recipes to making your very own delicious cream puffs with whipped cream and salted caramel sauce drizzle. if you prefer pastry cream over whipped cream as the filling, you can certainly make some using this vanilla pastry cream recipe here. seriously, cream puffs are like best thing ever, right?! i think so. yummmmmmmy! :)


i love making and eating cream puffs. i can seriously eat the whole thing in one sitting. okay, maybe not in one sitting, but you know what i mean. it's really that good.


the salted caramel drizzle on top brings this cream puff to another level altogether. the sweet and salty sticky drizzle is seriously a yummy added bonus.

cream puffs with whipped cream and salted caramel drizzle

for the pâte à choux pastry:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

for the whipped cream filling:

• 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup sugar

for the salted caramel sauce drizzle:

• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

directions:

to make the choux pastry

1. preheat oven to 400°f (200°c) and place rack in center of oven. line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly butter or spray the pan with a nonstick vegetable spray (or use a silpat nonstick baking sheet like i did).
2. in a bowl sift or whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.
3. place the butter and water in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. (make sure that the butter melts before the water boils to reduce the amount of evaporation.) remove from heat and, with a wooden spoon, add the flour mixture, all at once, and stir until combined. return saucepan to the heat and stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about 1-2 minutes).
4. transfer the dough to your electric mixer, or use a hand mixer, and beat on low speed to release the steam from the dough (about a minute) – actually, i just do everything in the saucepan, beat the dough, adding the eggs, etc. once the dough is lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs (dough will separate and then come together) and continue to mix until you have a smooth thick paste (dough will fall from a spoon in a thick ribbon).
5. spoon or pipe 12 small mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. optional: you can gently brush the tops of the dough with a lightly beaten egg if you like. i usually don't.
6. bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350°f (180°c). continue to bake for a further 30 minutes or until the shells are a nice amber color and when split, are almost dry inside. turn the oven off, poke a couple of holes in each puff and, with the oven door slightly ajar, let the shells completely cool (and dry out).

to make the whipped cream filling

1. combine heavy whipping cream and sugar in a medium bowl.
2. whip mixture to medium peaks.
3. this should make enough whipped cream to fill up the puffs

to make the caramel sauce

1. pour the cream into a small, heavy saucepan. then add in the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. place over medium-high heat and bring to just under a boil, stirring occasionally. reduce the heat to low to keep the cream warm.
2. in a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and sea salt. bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and sea salt. then cook, without stirring, until the mixture is amber colored, 5 to 8 minutes. remove from the heat.
3. the mixture will continue to cook off the heat and become darker, so make sure to have your cream close by. carefully and slowly add the cream to the sugar syrup. the mixture will boil vigorously at first. let the mixture simmer down, and then whisk until smooth. let cool for about 10 minutes. note: if when you add in the cream and find that not all the sea salt dissolved, don't worry. you can just omit these undissolved pieces (leave them at the bottom of the saucepan) when storing your sauce away.
4. cut the butter into 1-inch chunks and add them to the caramel one at a time, whisking constantly after each addition. then whisk the caramel periodically as it continues to cool. note: this caramel is a little runny. if you like it thicker, you can 1-2 tablespoons of butter to thicken it up a little bit more.
5. the caramel will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month.
6. makes 1-1/2 cups.

*note: use a good-sized pan when preparing this caramel. when the hot cream is added, the caramel will boil furiously at first, increasing dramatically in volume. have ice water nearby in case of burns.

to asssemble/fill the puffs

1. use the tip of a paring knife to make a small cut perpendicular to the first, creating an X in the side of each puff.
2. fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip with the whipped cream.
3. pipe some of the cream through the X into the side of each puff until it starts to ooze back out. repeat to fill all the puffs.
4. once all the puffs are filled, drizzle some salted caramel sauce over each cream puff. make sure you have your cream puffs sitting on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath to catch the overflowing caramel sauce.
5. that's it. enjoy and happy eating! :)

note: if you don't want to use a pastry bag and pipe the cream filling, you can just cut the puffs in half and spoon in the whipped cream. i use this method a lot because i can't be bothered with pastry bags and cleaning up.

blue bottle coffee's zachte belgium waffles

last saturday morning m and i were downtown (sf) and i really wanted him to try blue bottle coffee's drip coffee. i'm not a big coffee drinker (only started drinking it occasionally since the birth of v), but i do drink it sometimes and mostly just your typical starbucks; and occasionally blue bottle coffee. anyway, i wanted him to try blue bottle's so we headed out to their location at mint plaza. we ordered two drip coffees along with the zachte belgium waffle. i've had their other waffle before (the liege waffle) at the ferry building location. i have to say both waffles were great. the zachte is almost similar to your buttermilk waffle in that it finishes with a nice slather of butter, topped with maple syrup and powdered sugar and optional whipped cream and fresh fruits. we just opted for the maple syrup and powdered sugar with the butter. oh my, the waffle was delicious with just the right amount of sweetness. i was a little worried the maple syrup and powdered sugar may be too much, but no, not at all. i love how soft the waffle was on the inside but nice and crisp on the outside. cutting into it and taking those first few bites felt like you were in some kind of breakfast or food heaven. we really had to slow down and enjoy the waffle because we didn't want to rush through such a good thing. that and the coffee was the perfect saturday morning breakfast combination. you really can't complain.

this morning, craving that exact waffle from last saturday, i decided to whip up my own homemade version. i didn't have any maple syrup on hand so i decided to skip that and just topped mine with powdered sugar and whipped cream with fresh fruits. it was still delicious.

below's the recipe should you want to make some. it's very easy and unlike the liege waffles, there's no yeast so no waiting for the dough to rise! make some and let me know what you think. pretty awesome tasting waffles, isn't it? i say so. now, next time you're in san francisco or at a blue bottle coffee shop elsewhere in the us, order the real thing and do tell me it's one of the best tasting waffles ever. so worth that $8-9 price. :)


this was a photo i took with instagram last weekend. now, seriously, it's one good-looking waffle. delicious!


i love how soft and tender this belgium waffle is; with a perfect crispy exterior and topped off with just the right amount of maple syrup and powdered sugar. a nice cup of coffee completes a delicious breakfast beautifully any day of the week.

blue bottle coffee's zachte belgium waffles
recipe from blue bottle coffee

ingredients:

• 2-1/2 cups (12.3 oz / 350 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (3.5 oz / 100 g) sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 eggs (3.5 oz / 100 g), at room temperature
• 2 cups (475 ml / 484 g) half-and-half
• 1/2 vanilla bean (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• 7 tablespoons (3.5 oz / 100 g) unsalted butter, melted, plus softened butter for serving
• maple syrup, for serving
• powdered sugar, for serving (optional)

directions:

1. in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix well.
2. in a medium bowl, combine the eggs and half-and-half and whisk vigorously until well blended. split the vanilla bean, scrape the pulp into the egg mixture, and whisk until the vanilla seeds are evenly distributed. add to the flour mixture and stir just until evenly combined. gently stir in the melted butter.
3. preheat a waffle iron to medium-high heat. cook each waffle until the indicator light goes off or until browned and crisp. serve immediately with softened butter and maple syrup. waffles are the most delicious, and have the crispiest exterior, when eaten hot from the iron. if eating with a group, the waffles can be held in a 200°F (93°C) oven until all of the waffles are finished, but the exterior won't be as perfectly crisp.
4. any leftovers can be cooled completely, stored in a zippered freezer bag, and frozen for up to 1 month. reheat them in the toaster for an easy weekday breakfast.

makes 6-7 waffles and takes about 30 minutes to make from start to finish. enjoy! :)

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! :)