Strawberries-and-Cream Cake

I love baking cakes but do not know how to decorate them at all. As a matter of fact I am quite terrible at doing things by hand, it's a combination of lack of skill and patience that really gets my projects to turn out quite ugly. Where I am getting at is I was helping to plan this baby shower for a very dear friend and she had requested a strawberries-and-cream cake, a Brazilian version of Strawberry Shortcake. I knew how to bake the cake, but not how to decorate it. So we came up with an idea: wrap the cake in foil and place the individual cakes inside a beautifully decorate box ( made by another friend, not by me obviously). It's not a novel idea, this used to be quite common in Brazil back when we were kids, as it makes it very easy to serve. 

The cake turned out well, but next time I must cut smaller slices and give it some thought before-hand on how to neatly wrap them in the foil, as my wrapping technique ( or lack thereof I should say) did not turn out so well, the pieces were quite chunky and made for a terrible presentation. I bought the foil already pre-cut, but I think next time I will custom-cut them to get to the right size. 

For this event I baked 3 cakes, used 5lbs. of strawberries and almost 2 quarts of heavy cream. Each cake yielded 12 very generous pieces.

Ingredients for the cake: 

- 2 cups of flour

- 2 cups of sugar

- 1 cup of milk, boiling ( I microwaved it on high for 2 minutes)

- 1 tablespoon baking powder

- 4 eggs

Directions:

-Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 9x13  pan.

-In a mixer, beat the egg whites with the wire whip until they are stiff. Switch to a flat beater, add the sugar and then the yolks, beating constantly on medium speed.

-Next add the flour and baking soda, on low speed. Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the boiling milk and gently stir it by hand. 

Ingredients for the filling: 

- 1 1/2 lbs. of strawberries

- 1/2 cup of sugar

- 1 bottle of cream-soda

-  1/2 cup of rum

- 2 cups heavy cream

- another 1/2 cup of sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions: 

- Mix the cream soda and the rum, set aside.

- Clean strawberries, removing stem and leaves, dice them in small bite-size pieces, place them in a bowl with 1/2 cup of sugar and let it marinate in the fridge for several hours.

- For the whipped cream, beat heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until very stiff.

Assembling the cake: 

Carefully cut the cake in half with a bread knife. Remove the top half of the cake. Poke holes in the bottom half of the cake with a knife and drizzle cream-soda/rum mix on it. Next place a generous layer of strawberries, and add the fresh whipped-cream on top, using an angled spatula to spread it. Carefully place the top half of the cake on top. To cut, grease your bread knife with cooking spray, it really makes life much easier.

Five lbs. of strawberries, diced and marinated in sugar.

The egg whites still not ready, still too runny.

Now the eggs whites are stiff and ready.

Adding the sugar.

Adding the yolks.

Adding the flour, slowly, spoonful by spoonful.

Gently adding the steaming milk.

Carefully stirring by hand after adding the milk.

Cutting the cake in half.

With the strawberries on.

Topped with fresh whipped cream.

With the top half on.

Cake cut, ready to be wrapped and served.

Chocolate Lollipops

I came upon this recipe a few months ago in the social site Orkut, and made it for my niece's birthday back in October. It is very labor-intensive and time-consuming, but it's Oh So Good! Because it was cold back then, I did not have any problems working with the chocolate. This time, however, it was quite warm, and the chocolate was melting faster than our production line was moving, resulting in a few casualties. If anybody out there has any great tips on how to work with chocolate in warm weather please let me know! This is Texas after all and I've got to figure this one out. 

These particular pops were made for a dear friend's baby shower, and were one of many delicious treats available to all the wonderful ladies who attended the event.

Ingredients: 

Brigadeiro ( see recipe below)- I used two batches

Maria cookies- I used 3 packets for the two batches of brigadeiro, and it yielded 32 pops. You can easily find these cookies in the Hispanic section of your grocery store.

Good-quality candy-coating milk chocolate

Popsicle sticks

Cellophane paper

Ribbon

Directions: 

1. Make the brigadeiro and let it cool completely

2. Using a butter knife, very carefully spread the brigadeiro in a Maria cookie, place the popsicle stick in the brigadeiro, and close it with another cookie, like a sandwich. Prepare all the pops before proceeding to step four.

3. On a double-boiler, melt the chocolate and, using an angled spatula, completely cover pop making sure to remove any excess chocolate. 

4. Spread chocolate sprinkles all over the pop. Place pop in styrofoam to dry.

Brigadeiro: 

In a saucepan, place 1 can of condensed milk, 1/2 can of milk, and 1/2 cup of chocolate powder ( I always use Nesquick). Over medium-high heat, stir constantly until mixture is thick, bubbly and removes easily from the pan, about 30 minutes. Place on a greased plate.

Displayed at the baby shower.

Spreading the brigadeiro on the Maria cookie.

Closing the pop with the second cookie. It is now ready to be covered with chocolate.

Spreading melted chocolate.

With the jimmies on, drying.

The table where they were displayed.

Tiramisu

Last weekend was Valentine's Day and we had a small party with some great friends. Because Italy is considered romantic, we chose it as our theme. It was potluck-style as usual, and I brought creamy-tomato sauce, homemade Italian loaf, and Tiramisu. The latest is one of the few desserts Dear Husband actually likes, as he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth. 

I tried this new recipe and thought it came out good, but next time I will use half Kahlua and half coffee to dip the ladyfingers in, I used Kahlua only and it was quite strong, way too strong for Dear Husband and I anyways, as we are not big drinkers. 

Ingredients: 

1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 egg yolks

3/4 cups sugar

2/3 cups half-and-half

1 lbs. mascarpone cheese

9 oz. ladyfingers

1 1/2 cups Kahlua

Chocolate Curls

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl, combine cream and vanilla. Beat at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until whipped. Set aside. 

2. In a large saucepan, whisk together, egg yolks, sugar,and half-and-half. Bring just to a boil, whisking constantly. Mixture will get foamy and then thicken. Remove from heat, and whisk in mascarpone cheese. Fold in whipped-cream mixture. 

3. In a (3-quart) trifle dish, spread 1/2 cup custard on the bottom of the dish. Dip ladyfingers in liqueur. Place them flat in a single layer over custard. Spread ladyfinger layer with 1 cup custard. Repeat for a second layer. 

4. Repeat flat layers with remaining ingredients, ending with custard. Top custard with chocolate curls. 

Note: To make chocolate curls: unwrap a thick rectangular-shaped chocolate bar, and heat in microwave on medium-high just until soft, about 10 seconds. Using a Y-shaped vegetable peeler, peel down the sides of chocolate to form curl.

                               Big bowl of deliciousness!

                               Adding the mascarpone into the custard.

Curling the chocolate, use your vegetable peeler and warm the chocolate slightly in the microwave.

Dipping the ladyfinger, a few seconds each side is enough. You want them to be soft but not gooey.

Layering the custard and the ladyfingers. Be sure to start and end with the custard.

Adding some powdered chocolate for extra flavor.

Almond Joy Cake

I have a ladie's game night to go tomorrow, and it's a potluck so I decided to bring one of my favorite cakes, Almond Joy. I had actually never made it, but I always eat it when my co-worker Robin brings it to school. Actually, I got the recipe and ingredients from Robin at our last game night ( different group)! But I knid of wish I hadn't found out what's on the cake, because now that I know I will have to eat less of it LOL...no wonder it's so tasty, it's horrible for you! But I guess it's OK as an every-once-in-awhile treat. 

- 1 box of chocolate cake mix with pudding. Mix and bake on a 17 1/2 X 11 1/2 pan( I know it's HUGE!) according to package directions

Filling ( or 1st layer if you will)

- 1 c. evaporated ( not condensed) milk

- 1 c. sugar

- 24 large marshmallows

- 14oz. bag shredded, sweetened coconut

In a pan, combine milk and sugar. Add marshmallows and heat until melted. Add coconut and pour over the hot cake, spreading to cover the entire surface of the cake. 

Topping ( or 2nd layer)

- 1 1/2 c. of sugar

- 1/2 cup evaporated milk ( the rest of the can)

- 1 stick of  butter

 - 6 oz. bag of chocolate chips ( 1 1/2 cup)

- 1 small bag of sliced almonds

In a pan, combine sugar, milk and margarine, bring it to a boil. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Add almonds or save for top of cake ( I saved mine). Pour over warm cake and spread. Store in the refrigerator. Robin tells me it freezes well!

 The final product, I hope my Brazilian friends like this very American cake!

 Evaporated milk, sugar and marshmallows ready to be melted together.

                        It gets so light and fluffy, a lot of fun to stir!

I did not realize how much space melted marshmallow take, it almost went out of the pan. I had to remove it to another container in order to be able to add the coconut. Next time I will use my biggest pasta pot!

                                   With the first layer on.

Creme Brulee

Creme brulee is of these things that sounds so hard, impressive and intimidating one almost doesn't want to reveal how easy it really is. I made it tonight for the first time and it came out divine! Dear Husband has been wanting it for a long time, and I finally got around to getting a torch. I actually got the torch as a Christmas  to Dear Husband, the idea being that he would be making it. But I ended up in the kitchen and am sure glad I did.

We tried topping it with brown sugar and white sugar, and I have to say the white sugar is easier to work with and it looks prettier after melted. 

We used the recipe it came with the torch, it was great but it could use a little more sugar (!). Also, I did not have any vanilla beans on hand so I substituted it with 1 tablespoon good vanilla extract instead. I will be ordering some beans tonight for next time. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vanilla bean (split)

3 egg yolks

1 whole egg

1/4 cup sugar

Sugar for topping

Cut up fruit or berries

Directions: 

1. Combine heavy cream, milk and vanilla bean. Heat to boil. Remove from heat and steep 10 minutes with vanilla bean. Scrape seeds into the milk mixture. 

2. With an electric mixer, combine eggs and sugar. Add the milk mixture in a steady stream. Strain mixture through a fine strainer. Skim foam. 

3. Divide into 4 small ramekins ( mine were really small so I used 6) set in baking dish and pour enough water around ramekins to come 1/2 up the sides. Place in 325F oven for approximately 25-30 minutes, until just set ( trembles slightly). 

4. Cover top with sugar. Caramelize the tops with torch.

                           The final product.

                            Simple ingredients from your pantry.

                            Separating the eggs.

                            Slowly streaming the milk.

                            Straining it.

                            Skimming the foam.

                            Carefully pouring it into ramekins.

                            Very slowly placing it into the oven.

                             With sugar on top, ready to be caramelized.

                            Torch in action.

                            Burned sugar makes the house smell great!

Dinner Tonight- Tortilla Soup

Cold weather asks for a good soup, and it has been quite cold lately- at least for Texas standards, we were down to 27F this week! Brrr. I got this awesome recipe from my mother-in-law, and it's super yummy and best of all incredibly easy to make! I make it weekly during our harsh winters, and have come to think of it as the ultimate comfort food. 

You can make it spicier by adding chopped jalapenos to it, the original Rotel makes it just right for Dear Husband and I. You can also add a little cumin and/or cilantro if you are feeling adventurous. 

In Advance- I like to cook a lot of chicken on a lazy Sunday, then shred it, freeze it and have it ready for the week):
Cook 3-4 chicken breasts ( boneless, skinless) and shred it into small pieces. You can cook the chicken any way you like it, be sure it is seasoned ( I season mine with Deli Mustard). 

Tortilla Soup: 

- Cover bottom of dutch oven with 1/3 part chopped celery, 1/3 chopped onion and 1/3 shredded carrot. Saute for about 7 minutes, until onions are translucent.
- Add 4-5 cups of water ( depends how much chicken you have), 2 chicken bouillons ( from Knorr) and salt and pepper to taste. Or you can skip the water and bouillons and add chicken stock instead, your preference.
- Add 3/4 can of Rotel ( more if you like spicy)
- Add 1 can of whole kernel corn ( drained)
- Add shredded chicken ( you can always buy rotisserie if you haven't pre-cooked your chicken)
- Simmer for 15 minutes
- Enjoy!

  Top your soup with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. YUMMY!!!

Dinner Tonight- Baked Pasta

Just before Christmas we had dear friends over for dinner and they requested this dish. It is supposed to be made with spaghetti, I decided to try something different and used spiral-shaped pasta instead, and it was not as good in my opinion. I will stick to spaghetti from now on.

Ingredients: 

1lbs. spaguetti

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 lbs. ground beef

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

6 button mushrooms, sliced ( clean mushrooms with damp paper towel before slicing)

2 minced cloves of garlic

2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes

1 (15oz) can tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend

Directions: 

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. 

In a large Dutch oven, cook beef and garlic salt over medium-high heat until beef is browned and crumbly. Drain; set aside.

In the same pot, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, mushroom, and garlic, saute until tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Add beef, bring to a boil. Remove from heat. 

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup sauce on bottom of prepared pan, Top with half of spaghetti noodles, half of spaghetti sauce, and 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients, ending with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until  cheese melts.

                                  The main dish.

We served it with a simple homemade white bread; and had tomato brushetta ( made by Dear Husband) and olive tapenade ( store bought) to top it up.

Bolo Formiga ( Coconut/Chocolate Cake)

I haven't posted anything in a while, I have been on vacation and doing a whole bunch of nothing. One would think that with more time in my hands I would post more, but it turns out the less you do the less you want to do! Anyways, yesterday some Brazilians friends and I had a small get together and I brought one my favorite cakes from my childhood, bolo formiga ( which translates into Ant Cake because the sprinkles on top look like ants are crawling on it). I decided to bake it on a bundt pan to look pretty, and it was, but it was also too heavy for that pan. Next time I will stick to a regular 9x13.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 cups of sugar

2 cups of flour

1 cup of milk

1 cup shredded coconut

3/4 cup chocolate sprinkles

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup butter

Ingredients for the Frosting:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 can milk ( I use the condensed milk can for measuring)

1/2 chocolate powder ( I use Nesquik)

1/4 cup butter

Directions for  the cake:

Beat eggs and sugar until creamy. Add flour and milk alternating them, starting and ending with the flour. Beat well. Then stir in coconut, chocolate sprinkles, and baking powder. Bake at 350F on a greased and floured pan for about 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove cake from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Directions for frosting:

In Brazil this frosting is called brigadeiro, and is something that everybody grows up learning how to make, as it is a staple dessert made very often. It can be eaten alone, as frostings, fillings, flavored with fruit....the possibilities are endless. It actually deserves its own posting, I will work on that.

Back to the directions: put all the ingredients on a pot over medium-high heat and stir it non-stop for about 30 minutes, until it resembles pudding consistency and feels "spreadable"

Pour the frosting on top of the cake, top generously with chocolate sprinkles and enjoy!

Nutty Caramel Corn

Last Sunday the Brazilian community had a Christmas party here in Central Texas, potluck style. Dear Husband and I brought turkey and cranberry sauce. For no reason other than  I was feeling like it, I decided to make some Nutty Caramel Corn to give out as party favors. Because we had 22 families present I made 2 batches, which was no big deal since it is really easy and fast. The only thing is that because it yields a lot four hands are really needed to stir the syrup with the popcorn, and I am lucky Dear Husband was eager to help me.

I am going to post the basic recipe but keep in mind you can customize it according to your taste, add more sugar, less peanut butter, different types of nuts - just make sure you don't skip the vanilla or the baking soda at the end, as they make the final product come together.

Ingredients:

3 packages plain microwave popcorn

1 cup salted peanuts

1 cup roasted almonds

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cups butter, cubed

3/4 cup corn syrup ( I used light)

3/4 cup peanut butter ( I used creamy)

1/2 cup molasses ( spray the measuring cup with a little cooking spray, this works for the corn syrup as well)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup pecan halves

Directions:

Pop popcorn in the microwave as usual. After all bags are popped put it all in a very large bowl, remove the unpopped kernels and add the pecans, mixing well. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the peanuts, almonds, brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, peanut butter and molasses. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and baking soda ( mixture will foam, pretty cool).

Add hot syrup mixture to popcorn and toss to coat, this is where you need 4 hands due to large amount. Be aware it will be sticky, but you can spray your hands with some cooking spray to make your life easier. Spread onto parchment paper, wait ten minutes until it cools, break into chunks for easy storage and consumption.

                  In take-out boxes ready to be gifted.

                   In the pan, a delicious sticky mix.

At the end, after adding vanilla and baking soda, ready to be mixed with popcorn.

              Cooling on parchment paper.

Pao-de-Queijo( Brazilian Cheese Bread)

This is comfort food at its best! A light, gluten-free bread that is light and fluffy and Oh So Tasty! In Brazil we usually eat it in the morning with our coffee, or in the afternoon with tea. Here in the US the expats serve it as an appetizer. But I promise you it's good anytime with anything! I made some last night for our baby-shower planning get together, but forgot to add salt! That's what happens when one tries to do too much in too little time. So we added salt as we ate, it was still good but not as good as the 'real' thing. Oh well there is always time.

There are as many versions of pao de queijo as there are Brazilians, I like this one because it's so light. But it yields a lot, about 48 little breads. When making 1/2 recipe use 3 eggs.

Ingredients:

5 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
3 cups tapioca flour ( called polvilho in Portuguese)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese ( I always use DiGiorno)
1 tablespoon salt

Direction:

Preheat oven to 375F. Blend all the ingredients together in a blender, pour into greased mini-muffin pans. Bake for 18 minutes. Enjoy!

                     These are best when fresh out of the oven!