Dulce de Leche Cake

Dessert for Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws was my niece's birthday cake: Dulce de Leche Cake. Cinnamon-flavored cake layered with rum syrup and filled and frosted with dulce de leche cream.

The cake is from Sky High: Triple-Layer Cakes, the recipe as it appears on the book can be found here. Husband had to bake two batches of cake since the first batch deflated. We salvaged one layer from the first batch and made it a 4-layer cake.
Everyone watched me assemble this cake. (MIL watching over my back was pressure.) I just left it frosted like above and let it set in the fridge. Most were not impressed since it looked kinda plain. They thought we were done. But D and I had to leave an element of surprise.

So after dinner, I snuck the cake to the garage and decorated the cake with spun sugar. Brought the cake out and everyone was delighted! MIL said we can sell this to the bakeries -- I'll take that as a compliment. :) While sitting at the table, my niece kept taking pictures of the cake with her phone to send to her friends; I was really glad she liked it. That's all that counts.

Dulce de Leche Cake recipe

Thanksgiving Feasts

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday and your tummies were full with good food shared among good company. Lucky us, we took part on not just one, but two Thanksgiving feasts yesterday. First up, to my in-law's house were we had a traditional (and early, 4PM) Thanksgiving dinner.

Husband was in charge of the turkey so after breakfast, D and I packed the turkey (rubbed with crushed garlic and salt and been marinating for the last two days) and chestnut, mushroom and prosciutto stuffing (prepared the night before) along with the kids and drove an hour to the in-laws. Once there, husband roasted the turkey and made fresh cranberry sauce while I assembled the cake for my niece (post coming up) who celebrated her 15th birthday. MIL made the mashed potatoes and praline yams along with rice and coconut shrimp (that fried things you see on top of the turkey in front) -- the Brazilian part of the meal.
Everything was delicious. And knowing that every single thing was made from scratch made the food taste even better. The photo above was my plate taken at the dinner table. I could have eaten this twice over but had to stop knowing I will be having another dinner at my parent's house.
So after the first dinner, we only had the kids to pack this time and drove back an hour for another dinner at my parents' house. The plate above is my family's traditional Thanksgiving dinner. My family does not like turkey so had pineapple-baked ham instead along with (clockwise from top) empanada, pancit bihon, puto, chicken pastel and pandesal.

Sad to say, with the exception of ham (courtesy of my aunt) and pandesal (baked by husband), everything was "catered" :( That's how they put it but basically the food was bought from Filipino restaurants: puto was from Goldilock's, empanada was from another bakery and the rest was from a turo-turo. The way they prepare for this meal was driving around all day to pick up their pre-ordered food.

I've been hinting weeks earlier on what every one can cook for this get-together but no one wants to hear it. If they only knew what kind of things go into restaurant-prepared food. My husband and I know, we used to own an Italian restaurant were we would put a whole stick of butter and a cup of cream to make fettucini Alfredo. Yikes!

My family has become lazy about food these past years and even more so when my lola (grandma) passed away few years ago. Hopefully, I'll be successful in convincing them to have home-cooked food for noche buena (Christmas Eve dinner).

The Cake Slice: Sweet Potato Cake

Aaaaacck!! I thought posting for The Cake Slice is tomorrow. I had planned to bake the cake this morning, take pictures of the cake before the sun set (to take advantage of the gorgeous light) and get the post ready tonight for publishing the next day. So after a leisurely breakfast of fresh-baked croissants (courtesy of D), I glanced in the calendar and realized today is the 20th! Aaaaacck!!

Needless to say, today was not the day for my well-planned baking day. I felt rushed the whole time which made the whole baking experience not a pleasant one. I think it showed in the cake. And wouldn't you know it, the faster I tried to get the cake done, the more problems would arise. I didn't finish until 7PM, the sun set hours ago and all the gorgeous lighting is gone. Ooh, the trials of food blogger indeed!

Luckily, this cake was worth it! The cake was served after supper and it was eaten up. It was my first time to have sweet potato cake (I've always eaten sweet potato pie). The cake was really moist and the orange filling gave it a nice citrus touch. The addition of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg makes it an ideal cake to have for Fall. Overall, this is a nice cake to add to my repertoire. But next time, I'll make sure to check the calendar!

Please visit the The Cake Slice Bakers for their Sweet Potato Cake creations.

Sweet Potato Cake
Makes a 9-inch triple layer cake, serves 16-20 people

Cake:
2 medium or 1 large sweet potato (12 ounces)
3 cups cake flour
3 tsps baking powder
1 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
5 eggs, separated
2 1/4 cups of sugar
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 1/4 cups of milk

*If fresh sweet potato is not available where you live you may use canned sweet potato, yams, and pumpkin puree.

1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Prick the sweet potatoes in 2-3 places, place on a small baking dish and bake for 1 hour or until the potatoes are very soft. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

2. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F degrees. Butter the bottoms and the sides of the pans and line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper.

3. When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to touch, peel off the skin and remove any dark spots. Cut the potatoes into chunks and puree in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Measure out one cup of potato puree and set aside.

4. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Set aside.

5. In the bowl of electric mixer whip the egg whites. Beat on medium speed until egg whites are frothy. Raise the speed to high and gradually beat in 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue to beat until the egg whites are moderately stiff.

6. In another large bowl with the paddle attachment, combine the sweet potato, butter, vanilla, and remaining sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl after each egg yolk is added. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk in alternately in 2-3 additions, making sure to begin and end with the dry ingredients.

7. With a large spatula, fold in one fourth of the egg whites into the batter to lighten. Then fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks remain. Making sure to not over mix or this will deflate the batter. Divide the batter among of the three pans.

8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then turn out the cake layers onto a wire rack and cool completely at least 1 hour.

9. To assemble the cake, place one layer flat side up on to a cake stand. Spread the orange cream filling. Place the second layer on top and repeat the process. Place the third layer on top and use all the chocolate cream cheese frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Cream Frosting - makes 3 cups

10 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick of butter, room temperature
16 ounces of powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate melted and slightly cooled (I used white chocolate)

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar to cream cheese butter mixture. Making sure to scrape down the sides the sides of the bowl. Then beat until light fluffy 2-3 minutes.

2. Measure out 1 cup of frosting and set aside.

3. Add the melted chocolate to the remaining icing in the bowl and beat until well combined.

Orange Cream Filling:
1 cup of reserved cream cheese icing from above.
2 tablespoons of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 teaspoon of orange extract (I left this out because I didn't have any)

1. Stir together all the ingredients until well mixed.

Philly Pretzels

It was our turn to bring snacks for my 8 year old's Pony League game yesterday. Since the Philadelphia Phillies is the 2008 World Series Champions, my husband, D, thought these soft pretzels will be great to pass out. He woke up extra early (6AM) to bake them and even printed out this note for the kids in the team:

Philadelphia Phillies
2008 World Series Champions

If you were to watch The Phillies at a home game, you can bet that you would be munching on some fresh-made Philadelphia soft pretzels. So close your eyes, take a bite and let your imagination take you there.

D was raised in Philadelphia and has not been back for 20 years. A Philly pretzel is one of the 3 things he misses from Philly. Cheesesteaks and Italian Ice are the other two.

We were about to leave for the game when he got a call from the team coach that all games for the day are cancelled due to poor air quality (because of the brush fires all over SoCal). D was a little disappointed but told him we can bake them again for the team party in two weeks.
We got to enjoy lots of pretzels yesterday. And I bet while munching these fresh-made Philadelphia soft pretzels, D felt he was back in Philly, even for just a little while.

Philadelphia-Style Soft & Chewy Pretzels Recipe

Coconut Pumpkin Tart

A pumpkin pie with an Asian twist. After years of baking the same old pumpkin pie, I figured I venture out a little and this is the result.

The combination of coconut matched really well with the pumpkin. White chocolate was thinly layered between the coconut cookie crust and coconut-pumpkin filling to prevent the crust from being soggy. I lessened the spices just a little so it wouldn't overpower the coconut flavor. I went all out and used Asian spices in making this tart: Saigon cinnamon, Indonesian ground ginger (which is way cheaper and more aromatic than those little McCormick's so look for them in your local Asian store), and nutmeg which comes from a type of evergreen tree in southeast Asia and Australasia. A little OCD but I'm sure the spices in your pantry will be fine.

The crust to filling ratio is 1 : 1 since I love me some thick crust, a little bit inspired by this post, whose author shares the same love for thicker crusts.

The tart's inspiration was my husband's who made coconut pumpkin butter a few weeks ago. I only got to taste a spoonful since they were all canned and put away and will not be seen until Christmas; part of his edible gifts he will be giving out to our family and friends. More on that later. :)

Coconut Pumpkin Tart

for coconut cookie crust:
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 TBSP granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, chilled
2-4 TBSP cold water

for coconut pumpkin filling:
2 eggs
1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups pureed steamed pumpkin
1 1/2 coconut cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Saigon cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground Indonesian ginger powder
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 clove, finely ground (or 1/8 tsp)

2 oz white chocolate, melted

for topping decoration:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Make crust:

Process coconut in a food processor until finely ground.
Add flour, sugar and salt and process 30 seconds until mixed together.
Put butter and pulse until it forms coarse crumbs.
While machine is running, add water, one tablespoon at a time, until it comes together. Take out dough and wrap in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate until firm but malleable, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Roll crust into 1/4 inch thick and transfer to 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. It's okay if crust break, press down into pan with a flat-bottomed measuring cup until crust is all even.

Prick all over with fork and bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Let cool a little, about 30 minutes.

Pour in melted white chocolate and spread out evenly with back of spoon or offset spatula.

Place in freezer for about 10 minutes to set. Meanwhile, prepare filling.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until sugar is dissolved.

Add pumpkin, coconut cream and spices and stir well until combined and no more lumps appear.

Pour in tart pan and bake 30 minutes or until set. Cool in rack then chill in refrigerator about 4 hours or overnight.

Serve with whipped cream and toasted coconut.

A Thanksgiving Classic: Libby's Pumpkin Pie

I grew up without an oven in Manila. Breads and other baked goods always came from the neighborhood bakery. So when I arrived in LA, I was very eager to bake but was a little apprehensive about it as well since I didn't know how or where to begin.

Luckily, I met Betty and Duncan (and even Pill DB). They got me started baking and haven't stopped ever since. Weekends during high school and college were spent baking with my "baking friends." One of the friends that would make their yearly visit (usually around Thanksgiving) is Libby.

One of the first things I learned to bake is pumpkin pie. It's as easy as pie! Sorry, couldn't help it ;) You open 2 cans (pumpkin puree and evaporated milk), pour in a bowl and add 2 eggs, some sugar and spices, stir and pour in a pie shell. Done!
Of course, back then I had plenty of mishaps (still do!). Who knew the pumpkin custard can ooze out if I fill it all the way to the brim? Sure, I didn't put the pie pan on a baking sheet so I spent hours scraping up the burnt spill at the bottom of the oven.

I got ahold of this vintage pie pan from a yard sale for a dollar. It was so kitschy, having the recipe on the pan and all. Never seen anything like it before. My husband introduced me to my love affair with antiques and anything retro. Yard sale-ing is one of those things we would do B.C. (Before Children) and hardly get to nowadays. I figure I make a pumpkin pie the "old-school" way just like back in high school.

I haven't seen my baking friends in awhile since nowadays, I like to bake from scratch. (To be continued)

Arroz Caldo (Chicken Soup for My Soul)

The weather has been cooling down this past several days, it's finally starting to feel like Fall. Cooler weather to me always means time to make Arroz Caldo. This rice soup can be closely compared to Chinese congee or rice porridge. I remember eating this all the time when I was little, usually served during the rainy season or when someone in the family is starting to get the sniffles. Maybe it's just me but eating Arroz Caldo always make me feel a little better.

Making Arroz Caldo is very easy and only a few ingredients are used. In a large pot, heat a couple of tablespoon of cooking oil in medium heat. Add 10 cloves of finely minced garlic (it seems alot but most of it is set aside to use as topping later) and slowly cook until golden brown. Watch carefully since garlic burns quickly. Scoop most of the garlic into a small bowl and set aside. Add a medium finely chopped onion and raise heat to high. Cook until the onion have soften, about 2 minutes. Then add a 2-inch knob of ginger thinly sliced and stir until fragrant. Place some cut-up chicken, season with salt (or patis) and cook until chicken is opaque. Add about 6 cups of water and 2 cups of rice and bring to boil.

Then it's just a matter of letting the rice cook, about 20 minutes. Once the water boils, lower heat to medium and stir often to avoid scorching the rice at the bottom of the pot, every 5 minutes. While soup is cooking, prepare the soup toppings which can include: hard-boiled eggs, thinly-sliced scallions, more patis or even toyo (soy sauce) mixed with kalamansi (or lemon juice). Don't forget the fried garlic from earlier (which I think is the best part!) :)

My family's version of Arroz Caldo has a very thick consistency, to a point it would almost look like risotto. My husband and kids prefer a thinner consistency so I just add a little bit more water.To me, Arroz Caldo is the Filipino equivalent of chicken noodle soup. It not only warms the tummy but also warms the soul.

Another Post, Another Birthday Cake

The middle kid turned six on Thursday. Andre (his name as you can tell from the cake) was a very difficult cake "client". Usually, weeks before my kids' birthday, I would ask them what they would want for their cake; flavors, fillings, how many layers, things like that. But Andre, oh boy, he had very specific instructions on how he wanted his birthday cake to look like.

Andre originally wanted a "river cake" (which for the life of me or my husband had no idea how he got this idea) with fishes, turtles and a waterfall. First thing I thought: Uh oh, I'm in trouble! How am I going to make all these things with icing and frosting?!? Looked all over for gummi fish but can only find gummi bears and gummi worms. A last minute visit to a cake supply store got me those cute critters made out of royal icing you see on the cake. Of course, I had to consult my cake client first since these critters are found in the ocean and not the river. He liked the octopus and starfish so much, he decided to change it to an "ocean cake." (Whew!)

Oh, and he also wanted the cake to be vanilla (his favorite), frosted with whipped cream (his other favorite) and "square" (he meant a sheet cake). I was in trouble again since I don't have any sheet pans (I have tons of round pans in assorted sizes). Husband vetoed buying a pan since I used up all the cake budget on the decoration (those ocean critters cost about $.85 cents apiece -- super expensive!). So ended up just using my brownie pans. I placed 2 baked cake squares together side by side. The husband also had the idea of blue gelatin on top of cake to simulate water which was a very cool idea; it went so well with the whipped cream frosting just tinted blue and green.

It's a good thing I don't bake cakes professionally or this might have end up in Cake Wrecks!!! :)

White Sheet Cake
adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes two 9-by-9 squares (or one 12-by-18-inch sheet cake)

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking sheet
3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
8 egg whites

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour pans and line with parchment paper; set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.

In another bowl, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture.

Transfer batter to prepared pans and smooth batter evenly with a spatula or back of a spoon. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack, then reinvert and let cool completely.

Whipped Cream Frosting

2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup superfine sugar
blue and green food coloring

In a chilled bowl, beat cream and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add food color to desired shade.

Coconut Cream Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

This weekend seemed a very long one, not just because Daylight Savings Time ended today but also due to all the activities my family did -- we were quite busy and I am tired! Friday, of course was Halloween and we got an early start. My husband and I took the kids to see Diavolo, a Los Angeles-based modern dance group that performs all over the country. They are a dynamic group of dancers that uses gymnastics and acrobatic movements. We got invited to their school concert program, an outreach to show kids the importance of dance. The group uses everyday objects like doors and ladders as props. There was a lot of leaping and jumping so they also taught the value of teamwork and trust (you need to trust your partner will catch you when you go leaping off the top of a ladder!). Our kids enjoyed the show very much so first thing my husband told me after the show was to hide the ladder! LOL

After lunch, husband and I got to start our kids' costumes. This year, we decided not to buy their Halloween costumes because they seem wasteful and we're trying to save money. Besides, homemade costumes tend to have more personality. Yeah, I know we we're pushing it. What can I say, we work well under pressure! :) The kids wanted to dress up as Transformers but were just as happy to dress up as "robots" using cardboard boxes painted in metallic colors. (My second kid tried on his costume and started flailing his arms. When I asked him what he was doing, he said he's waiting to transform into a car -- how adorable was that?) Finished the costumes just in time for a quick supper of BBQ Pork Fried and off we went trick or treating. My kids got plenty of compliments and someone even took their picture so my oldest was especially pleased. Desert for Halloween night was their candy loot; I had them eat five candies each. I think. I might have lost count since I was busy munching candies myself. So what about the cake, you say. Well, yesterday was my husband's birthday. He only had two requests for his special cake: Coconut and Marshmallow. Since I just got a new cookbook, I thought I would use the book's recipe for Southern Coconut Cake. I adapted the cake batter recipe and realized while the cakes are baking that I used coconut cream instead of milk. Hence, this cake will be named Coconut Cream Cake. I also reduced the sugar a little bit to 2 cups (instead of 2 & 1/3 cups) since the frosting will be very sweet.

Don't forget to make a wish, Darling.

The preparation for the cake was a little different. There was no need to cream the butter and sugar. So I'm not sure if that is the reason that the cake was not as fluffy or high as I expected them to be. (The cake layer was only about an inch high.) Or maybe, the extra fat in the coconut cream is the culprit. In any rate, it came out delicious and really moist. The cake was even better the next day; more flavorful and still moist which made me think I should have baked the cake the day before.

Coconut Cream Cake
adapted from Sky High: Irresistable Triple-Layer Cakes

5 egg whites
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz unsalted butter, room temp.
1 cup unsweetened coconut cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter bottoms of 3 8-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper and butter the paper.
2. Put egg whites in bowl and whisk. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk until well-combined; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. With mixer on low, beat again to mix well, making sure to break up any lumps. Add the butter and coconut milk (mixer still on low) and beat to combine. Raise mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the egg white mixture in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing it long enough to incorporate between each additions. Divide batter among the pans.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely.

Marshmallow Frosting recipe from Taste and Tell

My oldest son (the goofy one) who wanted cake for breakfast.