Trials and Tryouts: Some Peanut Butter Cornflake Balls and a Naked Chocolate Cake

Hey Guys!!!

Welcome back. It's the Monday after Easter and Holy Week and that can only mean we're back to the real world. While I had no exciting travel plans or otherwise, I was very happy having stayed home. With not much going around the house and the coffee shop closed for the weekend, I finally got some down time. I was over the moon, knowing there were absolutely no pressing matters to attend. It was just me, my bed, my coffee, movies and books! 

So it's been over two weeks since my last post. I managed to try out several things which were new to me, and thankfully, they all rendered a great product. Recapping slightly, when last I wrote, I had created a beautiful rainbow cake and experimented with a brown sugar marbled pound cake. I continued with the baking endeavors, making a Hummingbird Cake, Meringues, experimented with the dehydrator, trying out pineapples and  ventured with cornflake balls.

When I was asked if I could provide the latter, I was adamant on taking on the task. I had never made any before, but it seemed like a fun challenge. So when I planned out my cooking schedule, I looked up plausible recipes to tackle. And to my surprise, they were all simple, easy and quick. I did not see any that required more than 5 ingredients, and I said "Hey! Why not?" I think I was done within 20 minutes. I didn't really time myself. All I know is I had fun. And I suggest you try the recipe. They seem very versatile and I might try and incorporate oatmeal next time, for a variation. 

The weekend flew by calmly and come Monday, the city seemed ghostlike and empty. Most people had embarked on their travels and journeys Saturday and Sunday. It was a nice change in pace, as the streets were empty and the traffic was gone. I had a couple of things to bake before I actually settled into my couch potato mode but come Wednesday, I was done. Ridiculously, I still woke up stressed for no reason, which annoyed me to no end. When you're used to your schedule, your body adapts to it and even when you know it's time to relax and sleep in, your internal clock says "NO!" 

It smelled divine...

And yet, I still found joy in baking for fun. I decided to try out a lattice pattern on a pineapple pie. I have made one before and it turned out so good, it was time to try it again. I followed the recipe to the step and the result was much different from the first time. While it looked pretty and delicious, the flour incorporated was not enough to soak up the pineapple juices and I ended up with a drowned pie. It was drained, but it changed the flavor. My parents enjoyed it. I didn't. I guess I'll try it again, but with more flour. 

About to fry the doughnuts

Since I was in the mood for something different, I also decided it was time to try doughnuts. They are yummy and I made them my next project. I truly believed I was gone be ages in the kitchen, but I was done in less than half an hour. The dough itself was sticky and I made a huge mess. So I rolled, made the cut outs and fried them in batches. They smelled so good and looked even better, that I was taken aback by the texture. The flavor was amazing, but the fried dough was so dense it was quite a mouthful to take. In retrospect, it is actually what a doughnut should look, taste and feel like. Except that nowadays we are accustomed to the commercial, fluffy doughnuts or "donuts" that most people have no idea what an actual doughnut should be. But, since these need to be eaten almost immediately, I shall try again to make them, decreasing the flour and upping the rising agent. Perhaps then, I obtain a fluffier treat.

I rolled a couple of them in powdered
sugar for a different taste.

After these, I didn't bake until Sunday. Because the coffee shop was closed and the dessert fridge was empty, I had a busy day of baking, as I needed to refill it. I also made the bold decision of eliminating fully the Red Velvet Cake. Why? You ask...well, I am not a fan of the cake. It it simply a red colored, cocoa flavored cake. SO, I came up with a different one. I baked a moist chocolate cake, filled it with creamy peanut butter, topped it with a chocolate glaze and raw, caramelized peanuts. A jaw-dropping, mouth watering naked chocolate cake. I didn't ask how it fared today, but I'm sure I'll know tomorrow.  

It looks to die for...

I came home early today to bake some ginger spiced cookies, which later served as the cookie base for an orange scented cheesecake I baked a little while ago. It is also meant as a trial for the shop, so cross your fingers and let us hope they are both keepers! 

All in all, I am glad to be back on the horse, as now I have a reason to wake up early...reluctant as I may be. Please read ahead for some recipes and I wish you all a fantastic week! 

Until next time.
xx

Peanut Butter Cornflake Balls

Original Recipe by Laura's Sweet Spot

Yields: 5o cookie dough scooped balls

Try them!!!

Ingredients:

1 C. sugar

1 C. corn syrup*

1 18 oz jar of peanut butter*

6 C. of corn flakes

2-3 ounces chocolate of choice

Procedure:
1. Measure sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the entire contents of the  peanut butter jar. Mix well.
2. Measure the 6 cups of corn flakes in a large bowl. Slowly pour the peanut butter and corn syrup over the corn flakes and mix well, making sure the mixture coats all of the corn flakes. 
3. Using a cookie dough scoop, scoop out 1-2 inch corn flake balls and place them over a wax or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Allow them to cool down.
4. Melt the chocolate and drizzle over the cornflake balls.
5. Enjoy!!!

A Splash of Bright Colors and Marbled Pound Cake!!!

Hey Guys!!!

Welcome back!

It's a sunny Monday and despite being a little under the weather, it's just one of those days where a smile cannot elude the face. Thankfully, the weekend was light on orders, which allowed me some downtime. It would have been perfect, had I not been sneezing constantly. I hate being sick.

Going back a little, this past week I had a series of busy days. Last Sunday (after the previous post), I had the fun task of making a rainbow cake. If you look online for pictures, they all seem flawless and for those new to baking, it might seem like a daunting task. Well, I'm here to tell you, that it's quite the opposite. Just take your favorite vanilla cake recipe and dye it in different colors...Ok, so not THAT simple. Considering my one oven and 3 8" cake pans, I made a double recipe for the cake. I whipped up the first batch in the morning, divided the batter into 3 bowls (NOTE: I weighed the batter to ensure equal and level layers). Red, Orange and Yellow were the first colors on the list and so each bowl had a glorious bright color. Into the oven they went and came out perfect! 

Bright and colorful rainbow layers

I baked the remaining layers in the afternoon, using Green, Blue and Violet/Purple. The pigments came through and the result was spectacular. After they cooled down, I leveled them off and began the assembly. I wasted quite a large amount of butter and sugar trying my best to obtain a pristine white buttercream, but it was virtually impossible. Almost everywhere I looked, blogs, forums, websites, all emphasized the difficulty and how it was almost impossible to get a truly white buttercream. If anyone has any ideas, please, do share! I even tried white food coloring. Nothing! 

Layered up and onto the frosting

In the end, I went for the sure thing and used my favorite cream cheese frosting. Although, not completely white, it was fluffy and smooth. Just perfect!!! I was opting for a tall cake, so I began to fret when the layers were being stacked. I stuck in some kebab picks to make sure the cake didn't tumble over. After a few minutes in the freezer, it was okay. The layers were no longer moving and my crumb coat was set. So I frosted it entirely and into the fridge it went overnight. 

Monday came knocking and I began to fret once again. I had to carry the cake in the car and I was only grateful, knowing the frosting was well set, to reach my destination with a perfect cake. The photographer showed up a while later and with my preparations ready and at hand, we decorated the cake together, sliced it and the camera was soon clicking away. The magazine team was overjoyed and I was pleased. The cake didn't reach home, save for a slice for my dad. Everyone wanted a piece and I was only happy to oblige. 

The making of the rainbow cake

I still had one last dessert to make for the magazine: the Apple Stack Cake. Now, because the cake calls for ingredients prepared beforehand (like the dehydrated apples), it was decided to be changed to something simpler, that involved gelatin. The team sent me a series of options to make and considering what was already going to be featured, I chose the recipe that included lemon pudding. The preparation for the dessert took me literally, 15 minutes. It was that simple and all you have to do is wait for it to set (around 4 hours). It's ideal for those who don't have time to bake anything. Prep it up and pick it up later. It's also light on the palate and not really sweet. As a baker, I am not a fan of it per se, as it calls for instant pudding, and I would rather make my own, but hey! If it works, go for it! I'll post the recipe soon!!!

Creamy, light and fluffy

The week went by with no stressful events and come Thursday, I was ready to begin the step-by-step for the lemon dessert. The crew came to my house, and 2 hours later, they were driving away. My collaboration was done and over and as much as I wanted to go to sleep, I still had café baking duties to finish. I was already feeling the symptoms of a cold and my energy was falling fast, but I finished everything in good time. I got ready to go out for dinner and I thank my friends for making me leave the house. I've become a hermit. Some delicious green curry, a bottle of wine and gin&tonic night cap, I was sent to bed in a blissful state. 

I kind off regretted having gone out next morning, as my cold symptoms were worse than ever. My stomach was aching badly, I developed a dry cough and had a very sore throat. I slept in till 8:30 a.m, showered and got ready, and applied the final touches on the baked goods before heading out. I was cold, despite the scorching weather, and all I could do was dream of my bed. As soon as I finished my errands, I came back home and baked a few things for the following day. Once finished, I climbed into bed, with a hot cup of tea, read a few chapters from my book and I was out like a light. 

Saturday morning, I woke up early and left to run some errands. I was back a little after 1 p.m., famished and tired. I had my late lunch, chopped up some pineapple to dehydrate and spent the rest of the afternoon watching TV. I only got up to bake a Brown Sugar Marbled Pound Cake because I got bored, then returned to my bed and stayed there until dinner. The evening comprised a movie marathon with some wine on the side. As much as I wanted to sleep, I had trouble breathing with my congested nose and suffered a disturbing headache. In the end, my tired body gave in around 2 in the morning. I woke up groggy. My alarm had rang at 6 later that morning. I realized I had to switch the trays on the dehydrator. My dad was already having breakfast, but I was basically sleep walking to into bed again. I woke up around 10, and enjoyed a cup of coffee with some pound cake on the side. I showered just before lunch. My Sunday visit to Grandma's was cut short due to untimely baking duties which were done 2 hours later and I watched TV for the remainder of the day. I had tea just before bed and I have no idea what time I slept.

Despite what people may think,
this is an awesome breakfast

Monday I was greeted by the barking of the dogs outside my window, but I was happy and got ready soon. After a couple of errands, I was back home for lunch and despite my baking orders not entirely complete, I've finally sat down to type away. I don't know what surprises lie in the coming days, all I know is that it's gonna be a good week!!! Happy Monday to you all!!!

Until next time.
xx