SCARY HALLOWEEN LEMON CUPCAKES

Is the time of the scary month again. October 31st is the day we'll celebrate Halloween Day in scary or cute costumes and fun foods with drinks.  This celebration not only involved the kids but also adults....so...Happy Halloween !!!

This year I'm making this lemon cupcakes which is so yummy, moist and fluffy at the same time. Just love this recipe that I had created. Anyway....I decorated these cupcakes with rolled fondant ( I used a good quality fondant ) and created some scary eye balls, scary pumpkins and witches hats. You can make anything you like, as long it is scary enough to treat or trick the kids....ENJOY !!!

INGREDIENTS :

3 large eggs, at room temperature
150 g fine granulated sugar/caster sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
100 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100 ml milk, at room temperature
210 g self-raising flour
1/4 tsp fine salt
2 lemon, zested
1 lemon, juiced







METHODS :

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Place the cupcake liners in the 12 muffin cup tin.

2. In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy for about 5 minutes. Then gradually add the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy for about 15 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time until incorporated and then add the vanilla extract and the lemon zest.

3. Add the flour in 3 batches and the milk and lemon juice in 2 batches. Always start with dry ingredients then the wet ingredients. Always end with wet ingredients. Mix until well incorporated.
Example : Add the flour, then the milk and lemon juice. Then again flour then the milk and lemon juice. And  lastly the flour.

4. Using a ice-cream scoop, scoop the mixture to the lined muffin tins until at 2/3 full.

5. Bake in the water bath for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.

6. Leave cupcakes in the cupcake muffin tins for 3 minutes before taking out and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

7. Decorate the cupcakes with rolled fondant or any of your favorite frosting.

 

LEMON ORANGE CHEESE CHIFFON CAKE

I have some leftover cream cheese, lemons and oranges in my fridge and decided to make a chiffon cake for breakfast tomorrow morning.

The chiffon turns out to be soft and fluffy with the tangy taste of the lemon and orange. It sure good with tea or coffee......yummy!!!!

INGREDIENTS :

(A)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice

4 oz cream cheese ( I used fat free cream cheese )

3 tbsp unsalted butter

(B)

6 large egg yolks

1 cup cake flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp fine salt

1 orange, zested

1 lemon, zested

(C)

6 large egg whites

1 cup fine granulated sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

METHODS :

1. Combine ingredients (A) in a double-boiler and cook stirring occasionally until thicken. Set aside to cool completely.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degree F.

3. Sieved the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and stir well. Then in a food processor, add in the cooled cheese mixture, egg yolks and flour mixture. Blend it until the mixture is smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl and set aside.

4. In another mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, in high speed whisked the egg whites until foamy. Then add in the sugar and cream of tartar in high speed until stiff peak.

5. Fold the egg white mixture to the cake batter in 3 additions. Pour the cake batter into an ungreased tube pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes.

6. Invert the tube pan immediately on a wire rack to cool completely. Using a sharp knife, carefully go around and under the cake for easy removing the tube pan. Cut the cake into desired sizes and served.

ORANGE CRANBERRY CAKE TOPPED WITH SLICED ALMONDS

After a month not posting any recipes, I think all my friends must be curious what am I doing. Anyway...I'm back with lots of recipes to share within this month of May. I've been experiencing and searching for new recipes to share with my loyal followers.

So today I would like to share this recipe with all of you which is very yummy and tasty. This is Orange Cranberry Cake topped with Sliced Almonds. Isn't it sound interesting......tell you what.....it even taste delicious with the hint of orange zest, orange juice, cranberries and the crunchiest of the almonds.

To further no more.....hereby is the recipe and happy baking =)

INGREDIENTS :

185g unsalted butter

1/4 tsp fine salt

150g fine granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp grated orange zest

190g unbleached cake flour

4 tbsp freshly squeeze orange juice

1/4 cup dried cranberries, tossed with some cake flour

1/4 cup sliced almonds

METHODS :

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease the cake pan with some non-stick cooking spray and some flour.

2. Sieve the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Using an electric stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until very pale and creamy for about 20 minutes.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a few minutes after each addition. Do not rush the addition of the eggs as mixture will be more likely to separate and develop a curdled appearance. Add the orange zest with the last egg. The batter mixture should be pale and creamy.

4. Add half the flour mixture and blend it until just combined. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture. Mix in the orange juice and dried cranberries .

5. Spoon the cake batter into prepared cake pan and spread evenly. Topped the batter with sliced almonds.

6. Bake for about 50-55 minutes, or until a thin-bladed knife or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake should spring back when lightly pressed in the center.

7. Slowly remove the cake from the cake pan and let it cool on a wire rack.

This cake is so delicious and moist. It's best served with some coffee or tea.....ENJOY!!!!!

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

An upside-down cake is a cake usually made in a pan with a curved bottom. Once cooked, turned over and allowed to set, the cake eaten upside-down. Usually, chopped fruits such as apples, pineapples and cherries are placed at the bottom of the pan before the batter is poured in, so that they form a decorative topping once the cake is inverted.

I adapted this recipe from Emeril Lagasse at Food Network. After trying with so many recipes, I love Emeril recipe the most. His cake comes out so fluffy and the taste was delicous :P

INGREDIENTS :

1/2 ripe medium pineapple, peeled, cored, eyes removed and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

( about 4 or 5 slices )

3/4 cup ( 1 1/2 sticks ) unsalted butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

14 pecan halves

1 cup cake flour ( not self-rising)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup granulated sugar ( I only used 1/2 cup if you like it less sweet )

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp dark rum

4 fresh, halved and pits removed ( I used can cherries with juices )

METHODS :

1. Melt 4 tbsp of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Increased the heat to medium high and cook until the sugar mixture is bubbly, about 2 minutes. Arrange pineapple slices in the skillet in a pleasing pattern and continue to cook for 2 minutes, or until the sugar mixture turns an amber color. Turn the pineapple slices over and remove the pan from the heat. The mixture will continue to cook even though the heat is off. Arrange the pecan halves in the spaces between the rings. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

3. Stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the remaining 1/2 cup butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in 3 batches, mixing at low speed after each addition until just combined. Stir in the vanilla and rum.

5. Spoon the batter evenly over the pineapple slices in the skillet. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, about 35 to 45 minutes.

6. Cool the cake in the skillet on a wire rack for 4 minutes only. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and, wearing oven mitts and working quickly, invert the cake onto a cake place, keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Carefully lift the skillet off the cake and replace any fruit stuck to the bottom of the skillet, if necessary. Arrange the fresh cherry halves, cut side down, into the top of the cake, in the center of the pineapple rings.

Serve cake warm or at room temperature

SPRING COLOR CHIFFON CAKE

Last week while I was browsing the my favorite blogger pages, I came to this Rainbow Chiffon Cake which posted by My Kitchen Snippets.

Although is kind of lot of work but but the outcomes really pretty with all the Spring Color and it's tastes yummy too with all the different flavoring. It even taste better with a cup of tea, coffee or milk.

Here is the recipe I would like to share with you'll;

INGREDIENTS :

(A)

8 egg yolks

50 g fine granulated sugar

20 g milk powder

20 g cornstarch/cornflour

150 g cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

100 ml vegetable oil

100 ml coconut milk

(B)

8 egg whites

120 g fine granulated sugar

1 tsp cream of tartar

(C)

A few drop of Pandan paste

A few drop of Pink coloring

A few drop of Strawberry flavoring

A few drop of Yellow coloring

A few drop of Lemon flavoring

2 oz of melted Chocolate

DIRECTIONS :

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.

2. Sieve cake flour, cornstarch, milk powder, salt and baking powder. Mix it well and set it aside. In another bowl, combine the coconut milk and vegetable oil together.

3. In a mixing bowl, mix the egg yolks and 50g of sugar until pale and well combined. Add the coconut milk and oil mixture. Mix it well. Lastly add in the flour mixture and mix it until the mixture is smooth and well combined.

4. Divide the cake mixture into 4 equal portions. Mix one portion with pandan paste, one with strawberry flavoring and pink color, another one with the melted chocolate and the last one with lemon flavoring and some yellow coloring. Mix all the cake mixture portions well and set it aside.

5. In a mixer, whisk all the Ingredients (B) on a high speed until soft peak. Divide the meringue into 4 equal portions and fold it into the individual color cake mixture. Pour each of the colored cake batter into an ungreased tube pan accordingly. Bake it for 50 minutes or until golden brown and tested skewer comes out clean.

6. Take out the cake from the oven and invert it immediately. Leave it to cool completely before removing the cake from the tube pan. Run a long sharp knife to the side and bottom of the tube pan to remove the cake. Cut the cake and serve.

SUPER MARIO CAKE

I was requested to make this cake for a special friend son's birthday. I came out with this idea of making this Mario cake by searching through the websites.

I'm so happy to see the finishing touches and the birthday boy was full of joy when he sees his cake =)

ORANGE BUTTER CAKE

Butter cake is always the best dessert for tea-time or snack with some milk, tea and coffee. You can used this recipe with any flavor of your choice. Just replaced the orange juice to milk or any kind of juices of your favorites. Here's one of my new recipe for butter cake that I would like to share =)

INGREDIENTS :

360 g chilled butter ( I used 'Kerrygold' or any European butter )

220 g chilled fine granulated sugar ( chilled in the refrigerator for overnite )

11 large eggs, separated

300 g self rising flour, separated

1 tsp fine salt

60 ml fresh orange juice

zest of an orange

1 tsp of orange essence ( optional )

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

DIRECTIONS :

Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and greased a 10"x10" square pan with some butter and flour.

In a mixing bowl with a flat attachment, add the chilled butter and chilled sugar. Beat them until light and fluffy. Scrap the bowl frequently and make sure that the sugar dissolved before continue to another step.

Then add the yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition and then add the orange juice with the zest. Add the sifted flour into the batter in 2 batches and beat until incorporated.

In another mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites with cream of tartar until a soft stiff peak appear.

Then fold in the egg whites mixture into the butter mixture until well-blended but don't over do it or the whites will deflate.

Pour the batter into prepared cake pan and bake for at least 1 hour 15 minutes or until wooden skewer plunged into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cooled the cake on a wire rack on cut it when it's completely cool. Enjoy !!!!

HAPPY 65th BIRTHDAY TO A PHARMACIST

My 1st time making a 3D figurine and sofa with gumpaste and rolled fondant. This is a birthday cake for my brother-in-law who is a Pharmacist in his 65th birthday. He loves to sits in his favorite sofa all the times and all the medicines represent his work at Pharmacy in a hospital.

All these lovely footprints represent his children and grandchildren. The flowers represent his sisters and the love shape in G represent his brother.

Everyone really love the outcomes of my creation on the cakes

CREAM CHEESE CHIFFON CAKE

Yesterday while I was browsing all my favorite blogger, I came across to Beachlover blog with this interesting chiffon cake recipe with cream cheese. I immediately dotted down all the ingredients and methods for today's baking.

These few days it have been very cold in Atlanta, Georgia and I am having the mood of baking to make my house warm. This chiffon cake is so soft and fluffy. It's tastes almost the same like Japanese Cheesecake and I totally love it because it's not so sweet and it goes well with any kind of hot or cold drinks.

INGREDIENTS :

(A)
1/2 cup milk
4 oz cream cheese
3 tbsp butter

(B)
1 cup cake flour
6 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

(C)
6 large egg whites
1 cup fine granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cream tartar



METHODS :

1. Combine all ingredients (A) in a double-boiler, cook until thicken and incorporated. Then set aside to cool down.

2. Preheat oven at 325 F.

3. Sieve all the dry ingredients (B) in a mixing bowl and stir it with a spatula until well combined. Then add in the eggs and the mixture of the ingredients (A), with a hand mixture (with whisk attachment), whisk until well incorporated and the mixture smooth.

4. In another mixing bowl, beat ingredients (C) in high speed until stiff peak and glossy. Then fold in the egg whites mixture to the cake batter in 3 parts.



5. Pour the cake mixture into ungreased 10" tube cake pan and bake for 55-60 minutes.

6. Invert the cake and let it cool completely in the pan. When it's cool, loosen the edges of the pan with a sharp knife and remove the cake gently. Cut into desired size and served.

TIRAMISU BIRTHDAY CAKE

Yesterday was my hubby's birthday and I decided to make him his favorite Tiramisu cake. This cake is always a WOW for my family because the recipe really taste good and not so sweet. I love the cake texture that's so creamy and tasty from the mascarpone cheese.

This recipe I have double up because I want to make a 9" cake and 12 servings. If you wanna make just 6 servings, just reduced the ingredients to half and arranged it the 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

You'll got to try this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis....is really the best of the best!!!

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis of Everyday Italian at Food Network


INGREDIENTS :

12 egg yolks***
6 tbsp sugar
2 lb mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
3 cups strong espresso, cooled
4 tsp dark rum
48 packaged ladyfingers
1 cup bittersweet chocolate shavings, for garnish
some white chocolate shavings, for garnish
some fresh raspberries, for garnish


METHODS :

1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth. Add 2 tbsp of espresso and mix until throughly combined.

2. In a springform pan, layered a parchment paper on the bottom. In a small shallow dish, add remaining espresso and rum and mix it well. Dip each ladyfinger into espresso for only 5 seconds. Letting the ladyfingers soak too long will cause them to fall apart. Place the soaked ladyfinger on the bottom of the springform pan, breaking them in half if nescessary in order to fit the bottom. Arrange the unsoaked ladyfingers standing on the side of the sringform pan. (If you want the ladyfingers to stand just fit in the pan, cut the ladyfingers in desired lenght).

3. Spread evenly 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. Arrange another layer of soaked ladyfingers and top with the remaining mascarpone mixture.

4. Cover tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 8 hours. (I keep mine in refrigerator for overnite).

5. Before serving, sprinkle with chocolate shavings and raspberries. Let it comes to a room temperature and served.

***RAW EGG WARNING
Food Network Kitchens Advisory - suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.

WILTON'S COURSE II CAKE

At last....I'm done with my Wilton Course II class...hooray!!! This is my final cake decoration for the course. I baked this 2-layers cake with my own Butter Cake recipe and frost it with Wilton's Buttercream Frosting ( this buttercream is really super sweet )


I made all the flowers with Royal Icing recipe and the birds with Color Flow recipe.


This is one of my favorite basket weaver with flowers and birds cake.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Hello to all my dearest blogger and to all the moms and moms-to-be....I would like to wish you'll a Happy Mother's Day!!!!

I was asked from some friends to make them some Mother's Day cupcakes for their wife. I had create my own cards and some cute ideas for the cupcakes with lovely colors.



I set all the cupcakes in a pink window boxes and wrapped it up with a pink butterfly ribbons.

BABY SHOWER CUPCAKES

Yesterday I was so busy preparing these cupcakes for a friend's daughter baby shower. It really takes me one whole day preparing these decorations on the 50 pieces of cupcakes with fondant.


I made teddy bears, baby foot prints, rubber ducklings with bubbles, baby bibs, baby booties and bees with flowers.

Looking forward for more decorations soon!!!