It's Mango Season: Off To Baking We Go

Happy Monday guys!!!

Well, the sky finally cracked. We woke up this morning to glistening streets and light spitting. The gray firmament and heavy clouds are a warm welcome to my sight. After weeks of sun and high temperatures, the climate has cooled down somewhat and I actually feel a little chilly. The Mountains here have certainly enjoyed the long overdue rain, and despite the power shortages, most of us are highly grateful for the drops of water that have fallen on our step. The sweet smell of earth and water fill the air. I certainly feel it'll be a good day. Call me gloomy if you like, but I am sucker for gray skies.

It's Mango Season!!!

Regardless of the previous post having been this past Friday, the words have come to me. I sit quietly in my room, contemplating my books, which I haven't read yet. I lay last night thinking it's about to be May, and I have not gotten around to reading any of them. A saddening thought. But you didn't come here to peruse about my reading woes. 

I spent Friday afternoon and early evening fixing up a Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake. Sounds divine doesn't it?  According to the reviews I got, it was. While the base of the cake was the old fashioned, never failing, Black Magic Cake, the frosting and salted caramel completed the full-flavored masterpiece. 

Overdose of chocolate heaven

The cake was picked later on Friday night and with no initial plans to head out, I stayed in and watched overdue episodes of Once Upon a Time. I love the show!!! Saturday morning I woke up early for no apparent reason. With nothing to do. I enjoyed my morning coffee, showered, had lunch and headed over to Grandma's house. Though we didn't stay for long, it's nice to see family. I made another Mango Tart Saturday afternoon, which was devoured on Sunday lunch at Grandma's. Did you try the recipe out? This time, the tart was much sweeter, as I used riper mangoes. Now, mangoes are a constant debate at home lately. Mainly because we got delivered a mountain of them from the farm orchard. My dad doesn't want to sell them and even though we have given tons away, the mountain seems eternal. Which had me thinking...I wanna make mango chutney. I've put off this idea for years now, with every mango season coming and going and me, of course, never actually doing. But this time, it's all gonna change. If I find the nigella seeds I need. Because they are native to South Asia, and not commonly, if not ever, used in our cuisine, it could be hard to find them. Still,  I am not willing to give up. Worst case scenario, they aren't used. I am intrigued by the flavor they might provide though. Sounds interesting. 

Pure Mango flavor, barely any sugar and super healthy!!!

Apart from the chutney, I am also going to be making mango jam/jelly/marmalade. I have never been sure of what the difference between the three are, if any. And no, I don't care if I am a pastry chef. I am not supposed to know everything, so don't judge. I can just picture it: fresh mango jam, with a slice of Manchego cheese, on top of smoked sausage bites on a cracker. If you have never done this, you haven't tried it all. It's so yummy!!!

On my menu today is birthday Carrot Cake, which never disappoints and the continued research on other mango desserts. I might make my dad finally break in his ice cream machine. He bought it months ago and hasn't used it. If I find an appealing mango ice cream recipe, I'll dig in. If not, I'll make my own. Not really sure about the latter option. Despite my experiments working out (most of the time that is), I've never made ice cream. I've only watched. So, this could be my first time. Anyhow, as you can read, mangoes are the source of inspiration of late, as the season is upon us and I have no idea of how to dispose of them quickly if not by cooking. So before they rot and fill our house with rotten fruit smells, I'd better hurry and bake 'em all. I think it's safe to say I won't be wanting mangoes until this time next year. 

So, while I go and start of with my carrot cake layers, why don't you try out the Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake? Yes? Sounds promising hehehe. The denuded gray sky barely shines, but hints bleak sunshine later on. Enjoy the recipe and I wish you a carefree, untroubled and happy week.

Until next time.

xx

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Sunny Side Up

A true Chocolate Madness

Ingredients

Black Magic Cake**

2 c. sugar

1-3/4 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. HERSHEY’S Cocoa

2 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 eggs

1 c. buttermilk or sour milk*

1 c. strong black coffee OR 2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee plus 1 cup boiling water

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 t. vanilla extract

*Make sour milk by adding a couple of 

drops of lemon/lime juice or vinegar

Salted Caramel**

1 c. sugar

6 T. unsalted butter

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 t. sea salt*

Nutella Cloud Frosting**

2 c. unsalted butter (4 sticks)

3 c. confectioner's sugar

1 T. plus 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

2/3 c. Nutella hazelnut spread

2 T. milk

pinch of salt

Preparation:

Black Magic Cake:

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9" round springform pans. 

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add

eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer for 2 minutes (the

batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until

wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 1o minutes; remove from pans to

wire racks. Cool completely.

**Original Black Magic Cake from My Baking Addiction

Salted Caramel:

Prepare a direct caramel on a large saucepan, swirling the pan slowly to allow equal melting of the sugar. Do not whisk it. Brush a little water around the edges to avoid crystallization. Once the caramel has a nice amber color, add the butter and incorporate well. Remove from heat and add the cream. Mix well until no white streaks are left. Add half the salt. Cool completely. Add the remaining salt and incorporate well.

*I added only half the salt. If you find the salty flavor doesn't come out, add the remaining. This is according to personal tastes.

** Original Recipe from The Purple Foodie

Nutella Cloud Frosting:

In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and sifted confectioners sugar for about 1 minute.  Add the vanilla, and beat on low for another 30 seconds. Add the melted and slightly cooled chocolate and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until smooth. Add the Nutella, milk, and a pinch of salt, and beat on medium-high speed for another minute.

**Original Recipe from Sweetapolita

Assembly:

Cut the two cake layers in half. Place one half of one cake on the cardboard cake round. Drizzle about 1/3 cup of caramel sauce over the entire surface, use a spatula to evenly distribute. Top with a good heaping spoonful of frosting and spread to the edges. Repeat with the next 2 layers.

Place the 4th and final cake layer. Frost the top and sides and with the remainder of the frosting. Drizzle caramel sauce about the edge, all around the top of the cake (I started about 2 inches from the edge and poured the caramel while turning the turn table, working my way to the edge). The sauce should start to work it’s way over the edge and drip down the sides, but if it doesn’t you can use the back of a spoon or a spatula to give it a nudge. Finally, sprinkle the caramel with a little bit of sea salt and garnish with bonbons, Ferrero Rocher halves or any other round chocolates you like. 

*I did not sprinkle sea salt on the top. I also garnished the cake with gold sprinkles and toffee bits. As you can see, I opted for the bonbons. I used to eat them as a child very often. They are quite tasty. The cake really allows you to experiment with anything, just as long as you understand is fully packed with chocolate.

Weekly Bakes, Disaster Cakes and Other Messy Stories

Hi guys!!!

Welcome back. A little late on this week's post, but I am here now. Last week was an extremely busy week in the kitchen for me. While the week started off quite calmly, come Thursday I found myself with several cake orders and sleepy eyes. With much on my mind, it was hard to keep focus on my baking skills and work and I paid a heavy price for it. 

I cried...I actually cried.

Thursday evening, I arrived home and set about to bake a small batch of Lemon Delights. In a matter of minutes (thanks to my already-made dough and filling), the batch was in the oven, calmly baking. Once cooled, I packed them up and went to bed. Sleep eluded me and soon it was Friday. I woke up pretty early and so began my long day. I had to bake 2 vanilla cakes (five layers in total), plus 50 vanilla and chocolate cupcakes and 4 chocolate cake layers. The three-layered vanilla cake came first. Ingredients were weighed and mixed, divided equally by weight into the prepared 8" pans and into the oven they went. While there were problems with the electricity and power (kept going on and off), the cakes looked fine and smelled divine. 35 minutes later, they were out. I am guessing my face said it all when I was asked what's wrong? The cakes had a sunken middle, all three. It bothered me to the 9th degree but I decided it be okay, as I would level them off eventually. So, while these babies cooled, I moved on to the vanilla cupcakes. It really wasn't my day. The delicious batter was ready and then came the daunting task of dividing it into the cupcake liners. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I CANNOT BAKE CUPCAKES!!! 

After a second trial, they are perfect in my book

Some people just have it in them. I can bake cakes but not cupcakes. And how is that possible you ask? Well, if you have the answer, email it right over, because I have no idea. They looked like flatten mushrooms. The batter had risen too much, covering the liners and the actual pan. I used a small palette knife to release the baked batter off. Because only 6 of the 30 I made actually looked decent, there was no way around but to bake them again.  I took a deep breath and returned to my baked vanilla cake layers, which were pretty cool by then. I turned them over and guess what happened? They all stuck to the pans. Yup! All three layers. It was just to much for me. I needed a break. The stress was killing me. I simply sat and broke down. While sore tears ran down my cheeks, I realized we all have bad days. So, I took my unfinished coffee (still warm thanks to my coffee thermos thingy) to my bed and I lay down to catch up on Supernatural. I enjoyed my quick lunch in bed as well. I felt like dozing off, but I wouldn't have finished my duties. 

Don't they look pretty?!?!

3 p.m.. I put my apron, turned up the music, preheated the oven, prepared the pans, weighed the ingredients and it was on. I was determined to not let the mistakes of the morning get to me. My smile was priceless when the first vanilla layers came out. Perfection (although nonexistent) was the only word that came to mind. Beautifully golden, baked and smelling of vanilla. I changed my recipes, for both the cakes and the cupcakes and it was the right choice. I started with the chocolate cupcakes this time and I even wowed myself when they came out looking like magazine photo cupcakes. I had gotten a call earlier, reducing the number of cupcakes, a detail I was more than happy to oblige with. So I baked a lesser number, with petite cakes to spare for home. Almost immediately I baked the vanilla ones, and while they didn't look as amazing as the chocolate ones, they still had a perfection stamp in my books. I quickly baked the remaining vanilla layers and I finally sat down. My sister had ordered the famous Kit-Kat chocolate bar cake, but despite our efforts, they were in vain, as the hot temperatures did nothing to sustain the fragile cake. In the end, we decided to cover the cake with M&M's, held perfectly with the help of delicious Nutella, which also served to fill the layers. I haven't heard the verdict on this experiment. Although, I have to admit, you would have to be a chocoholic to the ninth degree to truly savor the richness of the cake.

Colorful and packed with chocolatey richness

The remaining layers I would bake Sunday. All that was missing was the frosting and filling of the cakes. With a tired body, I was out like a light. The alarm clock rang but I changed the alarm time and managed to keep my eyes shut for another hour. 8 o'clock was the time and I needed to wake up now. The hours flew by and by 12 p.m. the cupcakes were ready and packed and a vanilla caramel cake was visiting the fridge for a few minutes to settle the drizzled caramel.. I got ready to head out to a birthday BBQ (where I would take the Vanilla Caramel Cake) and I left, delivering the cupcakes on the way. It was nice to see the cake was devoured and enjoyed. The time to leave came rather soon and I headed home peacefully. I cannot recall at what time I slept, but the alarm clock was ringing. The day seemed rather grayish, despite the bleak rays of sunshine that came and went. I began my work. I baked  the layers for the two German Chocolate Cakes and diligently, the work was done. It took me the entire day, for lack of equipment and the friendly company we had over for lunch. By 8 o'clock Sunday evening, my work was done and albeit my tiredness, I packed my small bag. My mom and I were heading to another city in the morning. While my trip was merely of company and relaxation, I helped her and her team whenever needed to complete the program and the events it encompassed. 

Despite the setbacks, a good job overall

I took advantage of the trip to supply myself with much needed equipment (pans, spatulas, cupcake liners, etc...). The sun blazed across the sky for the three days we spent there, and the high degree temperature could not be evaded. Still, we managed to finish the events on a high note. Thursday morning we headed out, barely stopping on the way and in no time, I was back home. The temperature back home is still hot but in lesser degrees, something I am thankful for. The sky is friendly this Friday morning and while I gladly enjoy my coffee in my favorite mug, while listening to my mom's staff discuss future events, I have to say, life is great. It truly is. On my agenda for today is a Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake, which I am eager to make. With this, I take my leave and wish you all a happy weekend.

Until next time.

xx

Vanilla Caramel and Chocolate Cakes: Weekend Bakes for Sweet Tooth Aches

Hi guys!!!

Welcome once again. After a busy and fun weekend, it was difficult to move my bum off the bed. With droopy eyes, I managed to open the blinds, only to reveal a beautiful sunny sky. It was enough motivation to shower and get ready. 

The ghostly streets on this Monday morning seem odd. Few cars running and even less people out and about. We've been experiencing rather hot temperatures and we've taken refuge inside, with cool A/C air refreshing the rooms. Despite the hot weather, I spent a great deal in my kitchen, with a hot oven running, being a busy bee, baking goodies and treats. I told you last week some of the orders pending for these last days, all of which were accomplished with raving reviews, except one, which got cancelled. Tuesday evening comprised the baking of first Lemon "Square" batch for Wednesday. I arrived home late in the evening, so it was all I could make. I had just gotten home when my mother arrived from a short trip, with new equipment for me. I was ecstatic. I finally got the pastry blender I needed (which I broke in to bake the first batch of lemon "squares"), muffin tins, cupcake liners, lollipop sticks, and a turntable which I adore.  The following morning I prepared the second batch, the Lemon Cream Cheese topping, the candied lemon zest and quickly finished the small treats, delivering them shortly after. I did not have yellow lemons at hand and went ahead and used what I'm pretty sure were limes, despite the supermarket's "Persian lemon" sign. 

"Lemon" "Squares"

Because the baby shower cupcakes order was cancelled, I had a relaxing afternoon. Thursday morning, I quickly whipped up the dough recipe for the Lemon Delights. My aunt kindly ordered 60 cookies for a reunion and I happily obliged. It rested in the fridge until noon, and after a quick lunch, I began preparations for the baking. The filling was made, the pecans finely chopped and so I began the process of rolling and filling. When the last baking sheet left the oven, I turned my attention to a math tutoring session I was to give my cousin. While she quietly completed her assignment, I packed the cookies in 5 small boxes, each with 12 cookies arranged nicely. The delivery was made and soon after I headed to bed, not before receiving a call from my aunt, letting me know the cookies were a hit, and that I possibly had new clients. With a smile, I drifted off. 

I laughed when I saw my "caramel" all crystallized

Friday was a quiet day. After a few quick errands in the morning, I was back home, baking tortes for two cakes: vanilla and chocolate. I debated whether or not to prepare the fillings and frostings to finish them off, but I decided it would be best to do so in the morning. Because of my late night, I terribly regretted the decision  Saturday morning, but duty called and I diligently did my job. And I surprised myself with the results. The Vanilla Caramel cake came first and so I prepared the caramel sauce, used as the filling and also in the frosting. Back in school, we learned to make a direct caramel, instead of using water and added ingredients. I prefer the method as it is easier and hardly ever fails me. I decided to follow the recipe as it was, using 4 Tbsp. of water to prepare the caramel. It resulted in the funniest crystallized sugar I had seen. Not to mention, that previous mistakes had included burning the caramel, but this was the first time it ever crystallized. I laughed and although I lost a bit of time, I quickly caught up. I prepared the caramel the way I know best and just as I expected, it was finished properly. Once it was cool, I prepared the frosting with some of the caramel and began the assembly. I cut each layer in half, leveling them and using the caramel sauce as a filling. With the help of my new turntable, I regally frosted the cake sides and piped a shell border at the bottom. I then prepared a pastry bag with a small plain tip and piped caramel sauce in a grid-like pattern. The result was nice and I headed out to deliver the cake. 

Divine Vanilla Caramel Cake 

I came home in time for lunch and decided I needed an hour to sit down. The minutes flew by and I was back in the kitchen ready to prepare the German Chocolate Cake. The layers had been baked, so all I needed were the rum soaking syrup, the coconut-pecan filling and the chocolate "icing" which was divine. I began with the icing, preparing the ganache in 5 minutes. Into the fridge it went, for over an hour, while I prepared the coconut-pecan filling and the syrup. Time flew by. While the filling, all prepared, rested in the fridge as well, and the syrup cooling down, I toasted coconut flakes and began preparing the crust for a Coconut Mango Tart. It was our Sunday dessert. The crust dough was made and into the oven it went for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, I prepared the mango mousse filling and left it in an ice bath for an hour and a half. The crust was cooling down when I began to assemble the chocolate cake. I leveled out the layers and cut them in half, leaving me with 4 layers. I soaked the layers, topped them with the coconut-pecan filling and continued to do so with the remaining layers. Using turntable for a smoother surface, I iced the cake with some of the ganache and used the rest to pipe borders. I surprised myself with the end product. 

Pure Chocolate Heaven

The cake went in the fridge until delivery time, as the kitchen was boiling hot and I could not afford to have the ganache melt. By this time, the mango mousse filling was ready and I spooned it into the cooled coconut crust and into the fridge it went, where it spent the night. While we headed out for another evening of fun, I delivered the cake to the birthday dinner party and we parted ways. The reviews were off the roof and I couldn't contain the smile. Sunday morning came, with a sunny sky and hot temperatures. We had a full house by lunch time, when friends joined us for homemade hamburgers, with crispy bacon, a special sauce, spicy caramelized onions (made by yours truly), sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, fresh onions and of course, homemade fries. Not many enjoyed coffee and dessert (yummy coconut mango tart) as the hamburgers were of gigantic descent, but we did enjoy a summer beer and a game of Rummikub, which I played for the first time and absolutely loved the strategy game. By 8 o'clock in the evening, the house was quiet. I jumped into bed after a night shower and fell asleep catching up on Supernatural. 

While I sip my well deserved coffee, I take my leave and hand over to you the delicious recipes used in the above creations. Enjoy!!!

Until next time.

xx

Vanilla Caramel Cake 

Adapted from Rock Recipes

Delicious Caramel drizzling over flawless vanilla layers

Ingredients:

Caramel Sauce

2 C. sugar

2/3 C. butter, cut into small cubes

1 C. heavy or whipping cream

Vanilla Cake

1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour, sifted

1 1/4 C. cake flour, sifted

1/2 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 C. butter (1 stick)

2 T. good quality vanilla extract

1 1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 1/4 C. milk

Caramel Frosting

3 1/2 - 4 C. confectioner's sugar

1/2 C. butter

2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 C. caramel sauce

a few tsp. of milk

Preparation:

Vanilla Cake:
Grease two 9" springform pans and line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 325 F.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, with whisk attachment, beat sugar, butter and vanilla extract at a high speed, until light and fluffy. Slowly, beat in the vegetable oil. Incorporate eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk in 3 inclusions, ending with the dry ingredients. Do not over mix the batter. Once there are no lumps left, pour the batter equally into the prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely. 

Caramel Sauce:
Prepare a direct caramel on a large saucepan, swirling the pan slowly to allow equal melting of the sugar. Do not whisk it. Brush a little water around the edges to avoid crystallization. Once the caramel has a nice amber color, add the butter and incorporate well. Remove from heat and add the cream. Mix well until no white streaks are left. Leave to cool completely.

Caramel Frosting:
Beat all frosting ingredients together until smooth and of spreading consistency. Use more milk if needed. If the frosting is too thin, add more sugar. 

Assembly: 
Even out the layer if necessary. Using a sharpened serrated knife, carefully slice each layer in half. You will have 4 layers. Fill the layers with caramel sauce, but reserve some for drizzling decoration. Once the layers have been filled and topped, frost the cake with the caramel frosting and decorate with the caramel as desired. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

German Chocolate Cake

Taken from Brown Eyed Baker

Adapted from David Lebovitz

Decadent Chocolate Perfection

Ingredients: 

Chocolate Cake

2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

6 T. water

1 C. unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)

1 1/4 C. + 1/4 C. sugar, divided

4 eggs, yolks and whites separated

2 C. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 C. buttermilk or soured milk, at room temperature

1 t. vanilla extract

Filling

1 C. heavy or whipping cream

1 C. sugar

3 egg yolks

6 T. butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 t. salt

1 C. pecans, toasted and finely chopped

1 1/3 C. unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted

Rum Syrup

2/3 C. water

1/2 C. water

4 t. rum

Chocolate Icing

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 T. light corn syrup

3 T. unsalted butter

1 C. heavy or whipping cream

Preparation:

Chocolate Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. Melt the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates together with the 6 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Use either a double-boiler or microwave on 50% for 30 seconds to 1 minutes. 

Stir until smooth, then set aside to cool to room temperature. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1¼ cup of the sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and beat in the melted chocolate until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the flour mixture, beating until just combined. 

Add the buttermilk and the vanilla extract, mixing until combined, and then add the remainder of the flour mixture. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the ¼ cup of sugar and beat until they form stiff, glossy peaks.  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until there’s no trace of egg white visible. 

Divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake layers completely (leave them in the pans). While the cakes are baking and cooling, make the filling, syrup and icing.

Filling:

Stir together the heavy cream, sugar and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Put the butter, salt, pecans and coconut in a large bowl and set aside. Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir) until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon (an instant-read thermometer will read 170 degrees F.). Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan-coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature.

Rum Syrup:

In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the dark rum. Set aside until ready to use.

Chocolate Icing:

Place the chopped chocolate, corn syrup and butter in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

NOTE: Once the filling and icing are both cooled to room temperature, refrigerate for 1 hour.

Assembly:

Remove the cake layers from the pans. Level and cut both cake layers in half horizontally using a sharp serrated knife, so you have four cake layers. Set the first cake layer on a cake plate. Brush the top of the cake layer with the rum syrup. Spread ¾ cup of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach to the edges. Set another cake layer on top. Repeat, brushing the top of each cake layer with the rum syrup, then spreading ¾ cup of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top. Ice the sides with the chocolate icing, then pipe a decorative border of chocolate icing around the top, encircling the coconut topping and around the bottom if desired.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coconut Mango Tart

Taken from Epicurious

Adapted from Gourmet

The perfect summer dessert

Ingredients:

Coconut Crust

1/2 C. sweetened coconut flakes, toasted

3/4 C. all-purpose flour

7 T. unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes

1/3 C. confectioner's sugar

1/4 t. salt

Mango Filling

2 1/2 C. chopped ripe mango, plus 1 1/2 C. firm ripe mango, diced

3 T. sugar

2 T. fresh lime juice

1 t. unflavored gelatin, from 1 envelope

1/3 C. heavy cream, well chilled

Preparation:

Toasting Coconut:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread coconut evenly on a baking sheet, and toast in oven for 7-10 minutes, or until golden. Allow coconut to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Leave oven on for the crust.

Coconut Crust:

Pulse together flour, butter, confectioner's sugar and salt in a food processor, until dough just begins to form a ball. Press dough onto bottom of pie plate or tart pan with removable bottom and up the sides. Freeze for 1o minutes or until firm. Bake in the middle of the oven, for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.

Mango Filling:

Puree 2 1/2 C. chopped mango, sugar, lime juice and salt until smooth. Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 C. pureed mango in a heatproof bowl and allow to soften for a minute. Set bowl of a saucepan with simmering water and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in remaining puree. 

Beat cream in large bowl until it just holds stiff peaks, then fold in puree. Set bowl in a larger bowl, with iced water, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Assembly:

Remove crust from tart pan if used. If using a pie plate, do not remove. Spoon filling into crust smoothing the top. Chill until filling is set, about 8 hours. Before serving, scatter 1 1/2 cups firm ripe mango on top. 

There's A Little Lemon in Every Sweet Tooth's Heaven

Hi guys!!!

Welcome back!!! A sunny sky overrules the city of Tegucigalpa and here I am, slowly sipping my coffee. Despite my bout of electric energy early this morning after a quick workout, I was nodding asleep in the car. Nevertheless, here I am, back with you guys, who will now get to here about my recent culinary creations. I left you off last week with several recommendations, which included two recipes and a movie to watch. I hope you at least tried one of the three...they're all worth it. 

Lemon "Squares" with lemon cream cheese frosting
and candied lemon zest

Last Monday, I finished the Lemon "Squares". Why the "? Well, in order to present them nicely in aluminum cupcake liners, I used a round cutter that fit perfectly into them. I whipped up a quick recipe of lemon cream cheese frosting (a little improv on my part) and even candied lemon zest in less than 10 minutes. While the zest turned out to be a little less than anticipated, the "squares" looked regally delicious. I popped them into the fridge for a bit and then headed out to deliver them. I was ecstatic to hear in the evening that they had been a major hit. Questions regarding the desserts arose, from who made them?, what are they?, and may I have another? It's pretty awesome to hear such reviews when you're trying to make a name for yourself. Keep reading...the recipe follows. A treat from me to you!!!

Picture from my client...
She couldn't wait till the evening to try them!!!

My first order was baked, delivered and enjoyed and I moved on to a daunting task. Daunting for two reasons; firstly, it was an order for 60 dessert boxes (each had 4 different ones) and secondly, these boxes would be traveling around the city, so there was no room for failure. While the kitchen is a place to allow your creativity to flow and experiment a bit, and mistakes are bound to happen, you don't really wish more than ten people to realize your mistakes. I am happy to announce there were no mistakes in the final products. ByTuesday I had my list of desserts. It was sent out to the client for approval and Wednesday evening my task had begun. I was to make 180 lemon/coconut cookies, 60 chocolate cake pops, 60 mocha fudge brownies and 60 English tea cakes. The cookies came first, as they required the most time and late in the evening they were baked. I got upset within the first two batches as I managed to burn 46 cookies. It slowed down my progress. I had a handy helper who assured me the cookies were fine. They weren't really burnt. But I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to my creations. So they were slightly browner that the rest...no biggie. If you're like me, you understand my frustration. I went to bed relieved.

The army of unfinished dessert boxes...
busy late night baking.

Thursday morning I woke up and immediately baked my first batch of brownies. By lunch time, I had 2 brownie batches and my English Tea Cakes baked. After a quick bite, I continued and baked the black magic cake I needed for the cake pops. By 3 pm, the brownies were baked, the Tea Cakes frosted and I moved relaxed for 2 seconds. I made the frosting I needed and began the horrible task of making cake pops. I say horrible for  1 reason; it was my very first time making them and while the recipe was as simple as cake...hehehe, I hated frosting them. I made the little balls, froze them for a bit, inserted the lollipop sticks required and them came my horrible realization. Of course, the chocolate I use is perfectly fine for brownies, but never in a million years would it work for proper dipping. It was too thick. SO...there I went, dipped the first cake pop, only to have a lollipop stick in my hand and a cake pop swimming in a pool of pudding-like chocolate. So yes, I had to semi cover the cake pops with the chocolate using a small palette knife and then I rolled them in cocoa powder. The overall result was nice...but I'm not about to forget that horrible little incident anytime soon. Not that I see myself making cake pops in the future...I'd much rather have a mini cupcake. 

It was 11 p.m. Thursday night. The house was silent. But I still blasted Closer by Tegan and Sara on my laptop, while I packed the little boxes with red tissue paper, 3 cookies and a brownie. I closed them and headed to bed. In the morning, after barely sleeping (I had kitchen nightmares...yes, they do happen), I measured and cut the perfect English Tea Cakes and finished packing the boxes, my last addition, the cake pops, which spent the night in the fridge. I headed out a little after 11 a.m. and with the help of my mom's office staff, we finished the box presentation with a red ribbon. They actually looked pretty cute. By 12:30 p.m., they had been delivered. I received excellent reviews on the boxes and it left me pretty content with my work. Sure, there are several things to change for future orders of the similar kind, but it was actually quite fun, looking back on the whole experience. 

Almost finished: lemon/coconut cookies,
chocolate cake pop, English Tea Cake and
Mocha Fudge Brownie...to die for, right?

The weekend approached and Sunday we had a full house. Friends came over for lunch and I baked a quick batch of Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies, that included chocolate flavored rolled oats. As of last night, there are no more cookies. It just puts a smile on my face. On the menu for my pending orders are: a batch of Lemon Delights (pecan rolled, lemon filled cookies), 32 Lemon "Squares", a German Chocolate cake and 40 vanilla cupcakes for a baby shower. I love being busy in the kitchen and this is bound to be a busy week, so keep in touch and be sure to come back for more recipes in the future.

Until next time.

xx

Now, as promised, here are the two lemon dessert recipes. And a special treat: the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies recipe. Enjoy!!!

Lemon Delights

by Tracey Varela

Pecan Rolled, Lemon Filled bite-sized treats

Ingredients:

Cookies:

1 c. butter, softened

1 egg, separated

1 c. sugar

3-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. salt

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 1/2 c. pecan halves, finely chopped

Lemon Cheese Filling:

3-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preparation:

Combine butter, egg yolk (reserve the egg white!) and next 6 ingredients. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer; beat in flour. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill for at least one hour. 

Shape dough into one-inch balls. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg white. Dip balls into egg white; roll in pecans. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press thumb deeply into center of each cookie.

Beat together all Lemon Cheese Filling ingredients until smooth. Spoon filling into indentations. Bake at 375 F degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until filling is set. Cool slightly; remove to a wire rack. (Having trouble? Use a palette knife to losen them up). Keep refrigerated in an airtight container.

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Terri Moore

Ingredients:

3/4 c. shortening

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c. water

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 c. quick-cooking oats, uncooked

chocolate chips, as many as you like.

Preparation:

Blend together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; add flour, salt and baking soda, 

blending until combined. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 1o minutes. Cook on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

**I substituted 1 cup of regular oats for chocolate flavored oats. I also left the cookies in the oven for 15 minutes.

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Lemon "Squares"

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook

Yields 16 round cakes

Seriously...try out the recipe
with my additions

Ingredients

Lemon "Squares"

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. confectioner's sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. sugar

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

lemon zest, as much as you like (optional)

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. confectioner's sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

lemon zest (optional)

Candied Lemon Zest:

75 ml water

75 g sugar

as much zest as you wish to use, using a lemon zester

*Water for blanching

Preparation:

Lemon "Squares":

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix thoroughly flour, butter and confectioner's sugar. Press evenly in bottom of an aluminum foil lined square pan, 10x10x2. Bake 20 minutes.

Beat remaining ingredients about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Pour over hot crust. Bake for 23 minutes, or until little or no imprint remains when lightly touched. Cool; cut using round cutter, cut 16 "squares".

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in bowl until light and fluffy. Add the confectioner's sugar and lemon juice  and zest if used, and beat to blend.

Candied Lemon Zest:

Blanche the lemon zest:  This is done by placing the lemon zest in boiling water, two to three times, changing the water each time, until the zest is soft, almost transparent and no longer has the tangy flavor.

Once the zest has been blanched, in a small sauce pan, bring 75 ml water and sugar to a boil. When it boils clear, add the blanched lemon zest and leave in for a little less than 2 minutes. Discard the syrup and separate the zest juliennes and allow to cool.

Assembly:

Place each lemon "square" in a cupcake liner. Using either a pastry bag or a spatula, pipe or spread as much frosting as desired. Top with the candied lemon zest. Refrigerate until ready to eat. ENJOY!!!

**The original recipe calls for 25 minutes or longer in the oven. However, I found the topping browns a bit too much. The cream cheese frosting  and candied lemon zest were own my addition. I used a #8 plain nozzle/tip to pipe the frosting.  Also, be sure not to discard the remaining cake if you use the round cutter as I did.  They make excellent tea cake sized treats!!!