#162 Three-Ingredient Japanese Cotton Cheese Cake

 

I saw this from Ochikeron's You Tube channel. I made this several times now and I am too excited to make this dessert again! It only has three ingredients and is gluten and grain-free!

If you are beginner cook, it is not a simple dessert to make, but it is not too difficult, especially the second time. Tip: make sure that you follow the instructions to prevent it from cracking and browning. The result is a delicious cheese cake that you and your family will love!

THREE-INGREDIENT JAPANESE COTTON CHEESE CAKE:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 white chocolate baking chips

• 6 large eggs, at room temperature

• 1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese at room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat oven in 340 F.
2. In a large microwave oven safe bowl, melt chocolates in microwave oven in 20-second increments until melted.
3. Separate egg white and yolk, place the egg white in a large steel bowl, the yolk in a small bowl.
4. Once chocolate is melted, add the cream cheese and yolk, mix well until smooth. Set aside.
5. Whip egg white until it forms a soft peak or meringue, you know when it is ready if you can turn your bowl upside down and the egg white sticks to the bowl.
6. Add the meringue to the chocolate-egg mixture, in batches, until it is combined. 
7. Line a 4-inch baking pan with parchment paper in the bottom, to prevent it from sticking and on the side-to prevent cracking (this is very important, see Oicheron's video on how to)
8. Pour the mixture in the lined baking pan. Drop it gently twice to let air bubbles out.
9. In a separate, bigger baking pan, add water, and then place the pan with the cake mixture on top. (if you are not sure how to do this, see Oicheron's video on youtube)
10. Bake at 340 F for 15 minutes.
11. Lower temperature to 320 F and bake for another 15 minutes.
12. Turn the oven off, and leave the cake in the oven for another 15 minutes then remove from oven.
13. Let cool or chill, enjoy!

     I'm so happy I learned how to make a delicious grain and gluten free dessert! I hope you enjoy this one too!

#132 Quick Chocolate Pudding

  

I learned how to make chocolate pudding. So easy! It tastes better than the store-bought ones, and very economical snack or dessert too. We made this using the microwave oven, and it was super quick.  Here's how:

QUICK CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa and cornstarch. Whisk in milk a little at a time so the mixture does not have any dry lumps.
2. Place in the microwave, and cook for 3 minutes on high. Stir, then cook at 1 minute intervals, stirring between cooking times for 2 to 4 minutes, or until shiny and thick. Stir in vanilla.
3. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming, and chill in the refrigerator. Serve cold.

Recipe adapted from here

 

Chocolate pudding is a dessert with chocolate flavors. The one we made is a US/Canada version. There are two main types: a boiled then chilled, texturally a custard set with starch, version commonly eaten in the U.S., Canada, Sweden, and East and South East Asia; and a steamed/baked, texturally similar to cake, version that is popular in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The pudding that we made is  closely related to custard. It is unknown where it exactly originated, but this type of dish has long been prepared in European kitchens. Read more

  

 

vanilla ice cream + chocolate pudding = Yummmmmm!

#90 My delicious Chocolate Birthday Cake

I turned a year older last week, time flies! I made my own birthday cake for the very first time, which was requested by my super excited fan- my daughter who counted the hours and told almost everyone at school that it was my birthday. :) Her excitement was contagious! I don't really celebrate my birthdays anymore since, I don't know..for as long as I can remember? but this year, I was all smiles like her. We came home around 4 p.m. and she was panicky that she didn't find any cake, and so she pushed me to the kitchen to make my birthday cake. Haha! I didn't buy a cake, nor planned to make one, was tired so I was quite nervous about the whole birthday baking thing, especially doing the daunting task of the mandatory cake frosting- I am the worst at it! Baking is easy, but making a fantastic looking cake can be difficult for beginners like me. We found a great chocolate cake recipe, it was very delicious! I have plenty of baking to do before I can perfect the decorating part but, I am glad I listened to her, on this day I learned how to properly melt a chocolate, make a delicious chocolate frosting and how make a super moist cake. Here's how:

Adapted from Foodnetwork.com's Ina Garten: Beatty's Chocolate Cake 

CHOCOLATE CAKE with CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
3. Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

             Ingredients:

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Directions:

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

I also learned that even if we are no longer children,

 it's a good thing to show the little ones that everybody's birthdays are days to look forward to.

We celebrated another year of life, hopes and dreams to come true.

#81 Delicious egg-less cake: Chocolate Butterscotch Pudding Cake

If you like chocolate pudding, ice cream and chocolate brownies,  you will love this. You'll have a taste of all three in one bite. And no eggs required! Since it's not a usual cake, I followed the recipe to the letter. I was excited! Right before baking it, I had a feeling there was something wrong with the mixture..too watery. I checked the cup that I used to measure the hot water and OMG, it was a 1/4 cup. I thought I grabbed the 1/2 cup! What was I thinking! Why didn't I use the 1 cup that was used for the flour and instead grabbed a smaller measuring cup, and then I poured 1 1/2 cups of hot water instead of  the required 1 1/4 cups! Ugh!! For a minute I thought I should just start all over again, but instead of throwing it, I used the mixture anyway as an experiment, I was curious to see what a cake disaster looks like. So I put it in the oven,  after 35 minutes, it was boiling..LOL. After an hour in the oven, it looked like it's finally set, and because I was using a glass baking dish, I could see the pudding under the layer of cake. I'm glad I didn't throw the mixture away. A new butterscotch pudding cake recipe with so much moist is discovered.  What a pleasant surprise! :)

CHOCOLATE  BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING CAKE


Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup butterscotch morsels

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups of hot water


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
2. Combine the first 8 ingredients in a baking pan or glass dish. (I used a round glass baking dish). Mix well.
3. Combine in remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder. Sprinkle on top of the cake mixture.
4. Pour hot water on top. DO NOT STIR OR MIX. Bake for 1 hour.
5. After baking, let stand for 25 minutes. Serve with your favorite ice cream.

 butterscotch morsels 

Crunchy chocolate brownie on the topmost layer, a soft cake in the middle and then a rich pudding at the bottom. 

Top with a slow-churned vanilla ice cream. Delicious!

#72 Chocolate Raisin Rice Krispies Treat

We created this dessert using Chocolate Rice Krispies Cereal. It takes a few minutes from start to finish, inexpensive- the 6 cups of cereal yielded 15 little squares. The raisins added more sugar to it but also added a good flavor. Very easy and fun to make, home made certainly tastes better! We like it!

CHOCOLATE RAISIN RICE KRISPIES TREAT

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
10 ounces marshmallows
6 cups of rice krispies cereal
1 cup of raisins

Directions:

1. Butter a wide baking pan or dish, set aside.
2. In a large microwaveable bowl, combine butter and marshmallows. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Stir.
3. Quickly add rice krispies cereal and raisins. Mix well.
4. Spread into buttered pan or dish. Let stand or chill. Cut into squares.

 

 

 

 

Rice Krispies Treats were first created by Malitta Jensen and Mildred Day at the Kellogg Company home economics department in 1939 as a fund raiser for Camp Fire Girls, now known as Camp Fire.

 

It's great! Kids love it, and they will also love helping out in the kitchen!

#70 Delicious Chocolate Brownie

Last weekend we made brownies. We searched for recipes online and easily found a great one! No wonder it has 4.5 stars out of 5,004 reviews. It is light, not overly sweet, and it is fudgy in the middle. I omitted the frosting from the original recipe because, I thought the brownie itself was sweet enough for our taste when I tried it, just as I was about to frost it. It was really easy to make too. I made brownies before, but using a ready-mix store bought one. It is sometimes sold at a great deal - for a dollar each! While the finished product was good from the box we chose at one time, we had more fun making this dessert from scratch,  measuring and learning how much of each ingredient is needed to make a fantastic brownie.

CHOCOLATE BROWNIE

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not over cook.

Recipe adapted from Angie, contributor at allrecipes.com

Chocolate Brownie is an all-American square dessert which originated in Chicago, Illinois at the end of  19th century. A chef at the Palmer House Hotel created it for a socialite named Beth Palmer, upon her request for a dessert that is smaller than a cake, retaining cake-like characteristics and should be easy to eat from lunch boxes. The brownie was created with apricot and walnut glaze, and still being made at the  hotel using the original recipe. Who first created it is unknown, although there are three myths mentioned in history. Many thanks to the creative hands of the one who invented it, this delicious dessert made our day.  Read more from our online source here

I would also like to share very good news. As I have mentioned in one of my previous posts, we have serious food allergies in the family, my daughter was tested and found to be highly allergic to egg whites, seafoods and all nuts. But now one of our allergies must be disappearing! I tried making pancakes first using whole eggs a few months ago, and my little one did not have an allergic reaction. I did this because I read this article about a strategy called oral immunotherapy a while ago which, according to research can help cure or lessen a child's allergic reaction to eggs. I made her "special" foods and slowly fed her whole eggs in small doses, and only when added to pastries. And no reaction so far! It is such a relief to see her body reacting normally to a food which was once toxic to her. I am still scared to even try to feed her straight eggs, seafoods and all nuts-the last two are the most dangerous for her. I feel bad for her not being able to eat those foods, I hope it disappears over time. But now, I am very happy that finally, she can eat cakes with both the egg white and yolk now. :)

Looks and tastes delicious. :)  And it is true, good food and joy come to those who cook! It added more sweetness to our home, literally because the ants paraded in the kitchen the next morning, and figuratively speaking, because cooking is such a sweet activity to do together. If you like this recipe, or have a better recipe to share, leave a comment below, I would love to read it!

#65 Strawberry Kisses

 Little Miss Strawberry's treat. She's in love with strawberries and chocolates.

 Cut strawberries, melt some chocolates, and then put the molten chocolates in the middle.

Use a toothpick to form a peak.

Then give it to the one who deserves all your kisses.

From our global kitchen, to yours...Much LOVE with strawberry kisses on top!

#53 Philippines' Champorado

Champorado. You can also call it chocolate rice porridge. Growing up in the Philippines, this dish was frequently served at breakfast, or merienda (snacks). We used local unsweetened round chocolates from the small tindahans (stores) to make it. It was a very satisfying champorado journey for me everytime. The journey begins with an adult  yelling for "Vannnn Vannn" while I am at play, then handing me few pesos to buy tsokolate (chocolate) for the champorado. Then under the heat of the Philippine summer sun, I walk very slowly to Manang Narding's store, 5 houses away :) Then when I finally get there, I say.."AYOOOO" very loudly, it is what you say when you want to call someone's attention at a small store, or when you go visit someone's house. I buy a bag of 10 chocolate rounds, and bring it home. Then I play again with friends while waiting for the champorado. :) Such beautiful childhood memories. It was the best. So every time I make this, it never fails to make me smile.


CHAMPORADO


Ingredients:

1/2 cup white rice
2-3 tablespoons of ghiradelli, hersheys or similar brand of unsweetened chocolate powder
2-3 cups of water


Directions:

1. Boil rice in water, and once it boils, simmer it. Don't let it dry up, so watch closely, the rice will absorb the water,  add more water if you need to. Once the rice starts to soften, add the chocolate powder, let it simmer more until the rice is very very soft and the porridge starts to thicken.
2. Serve warm with cream, and sweeten it with sugar.

The smell and every bite transport me to happy moments in a very beautiful tropical place. The Philippines.

#48 Chocolate Covered Kiwifruit

I learned that kiwifruit is native to China and that Italy is the largest global producer.

Did you know, that you can bite right in on its fuzzy skin? YES, the skin is edible!

This highly nutritious fruit can also be used as a meat tenderizer- nice to know!

CHOCOLATE COVERED KIWIFRUIT


Ingredients:

Ripe kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
Chocolate


Directions:

1. Melt chocolate, then coat the sliced kiwifruit.
2. Let it stand for a few minutes, allowing the chocolate to harden.
3. Or just eat go ahead and eat it!

 

 Irresistible. I surrender.

#9 Italian weekend: Tiramisu - without the eggs & alcohol

Since it was an Italian weekend for us, we made Tiramisu. Due to allergies, we omitted the eggs. And the alcohol as well. 

Tiramisu, literally "pick me up", never fails to make me smile.  There are many accounts as to the origin of Tiramisu. Some say it originated in the city of Siena, where a group of confectioners were said to have created it in honor of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III in the late 1600's to early 1700's. Others say it originated at Treviso near Venice on Christmas Eve of 1969.  Many thanks to whoever first created it. This is one of the easiest to make, and most delicious dessert.

TIRAMISU

Ingredients:

FOR THE ESPRESSO:

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons baker's sugar

2 tablespoons instant espresso granules

FOR THE FILLING:

1 block (8 oz.) of fat-free cream cheese

1 box (8 oz.) mascarpone cheese(I used a tiramisu flavored one)

1 tbsp. milk

1/2 cup baker's sugar 

FOR THE CAKE:

3 packs (24 pieces) cakelike lady fingers

unsweetened cocoa powder

bittersweet chocolate, grated

Directions:

1. Heat water in a sauce pan  over medium high heat and combine all 3 ingredients for the espresso.

Stir well and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cool.

2. Combine cream cheese, mascarpone cheese and sugar in a bowl.

3. Beat until smooth 

4. Split and arrange 12 lady fingers in a rectangle baking dish

5. Dip each lady finger in espresso for 1 second. ( You can dip for 3 seconds but I don't like to soak the entire cake with coffee), then put it back to the dish in the same arrangement.

6. Spread filling over espresso-soaked lady fingers. Use only 1/3 of the filling since you will have 2 more layers.

7. Repeat procedure with remaining lady fingers and filling.

8. Sprinkle cocoa powder evenly over top of filling.

9. Grate bittersweet chocolate on top of the cocoa powder. Chill for atleast 2 hours.

Every Sunday is our dessert day. We call it, "Sweet Sundays". We've made this a house rule a long time ago, to help curb our cravings for sweets. We eat foods with sugars during the week, like fruits, crackers, cereals- which is already loaded with sweetness. But we say no to all pastries overloaded with sugar and to ice cream. It was a difficult challenge in the beginning, but we survived! Now we don't care very much for sweets until the big day. The smell of  delicious baked goodies and other sweets we make on Sundays fill every corner of our home. I remember when we first started, we all binged! :) Now we're better. Sugar is sweet, sweet is yummy; Life is short but don't make it shorter by eating too much sugar! :) 

Well, she did not like the coffee taste and asked for chocolate ice cream instead. Next time I will make it with chocolate powder instead of the coffee granules.