Baby's everywhere!

I love babies.

There, I said it. I admit that every time I see a picture of a new born baby or ones of the babies growing, I swoon. It definitely gives me baby fever, but that's another story, for another time, far into the future. With the help of Facebook, I get to see my friends, family, and other's babies grow up. Let's face it, if you're a new mom and/or dad, you've posted at least 10 pictures of your baby already. 

Cake for the expecting mother. LOVED making this!

What I love, more, than, seeing pictures of babies on Facebook, is making Baby Shower cakes for the expecting mommies. They are so much fun, and you can't help but get excited with the to-be parents. Recently, I had a chance to make one and I wanted to share with y'all. 

You can't have a party without matching cupcakes!

Buffalo Diner's loyal customer and friend came in and asked for a Baby shower cake and food for her daughter's new boy. She specifically asked for a belly cake, with a baby foot sticking out of the side, and the cake to be in a blue, brown, and white dress. Challenge accepted. And I made matching cupcakes to go with! It was a blast to make, even made Hines blush a little as I was molding the fondant onto the cake. haha. But the point is, it turned out great. Thanks for letting me make this cake. Can't wait to meet baby Landon. 

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to Tai"

Galinha Pintadinha Birthday dessert table 

Last week, I had to track on back to Indiana for a post-op appointment for my elbow. Conveniently enough, it was my nephew Ty's birthday!!

Hello Birthday Boy!! 

I was able to be with him, last year, for his Jake the Pirate birthday, and to make it to another birthday (IN A ROW!!) it's like I'm getting back on the "good" aunt book. Not only that, but I definitely took dibs on making his cake. Let's just say I'm getting really good at packing and traveling in my car.

He's super pumped for the Jake the Pirate bike Uncle Hines and Tia Kikko got him

This year's theme was "Galinha Pintadinha" (translated the spotted chicken). Many of you Americans don't know what this is, but it's a Brazilian television show that showcases many short, animated songs. Don't try to understand the songs, trust me. They really don't make any sense, but they sure are catchy. (Think of itsy bitsy spider kind of songs). One of Ty's favorite song is the "Tumbalacatumba" song where the skeletons do numerous activities at each hour. He specifically told me that a Galinha cake would not be a good one without skeletons. Dutifully noted.

Final cake display. Mini Ty on top! Happy 3rd birthday buddy!

So here's the end result of the cake! I incorporated his favorite skeletons and copied a birthday song scene from Galinha. The cake was chocolate with Oreo filling on the bottom layer, and yellow with strawberry jam on top. It seemed as though he enjoyed himself very much, playing with all of his friends, and eating a piece of Galinha cake. Hope you enjoyed his smiling face as much as I did!

Lenten Season

Every year, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (this year on February 18th) and ends on Easter Sunday (April 5th), 40 days and 40 nights of Christian/Catholic observance of Jesus Christ walking through the desert. I, a Catholic, practice giving up an item/ thing that is hard to live without, as a way to understand Jesus and his strength to avoid temptation by the devil. In the past years, I have given up anything from Facebook to food. Food is a popular item to give up, usually a treat that is a favorite. Everyone knows how much I love chocolate, ice cream, and meat, and I have given those items up once or more times in my life. Needless to say, I ended up with chocolate ice cream for breakfast on Easter morning, but who's to judge. This year, I wanted to take a step further and try at giving up something I truly love, bread and pasta; more specifically, gluten.  

The idea came from my co-worker, Denise, who, in wanting to take a step into a healthier lifestyle, decided to eliminate gluten from her diet. As morale support, and because I still needed an object to give up, I vowed to follow the trend with her. Let me tell you one thing: IT IS HARD!! Anyone who's worked in the kitchen knows that you eat what you cook and usually what you can get your hands on. If you don't, you will go hungry and irritable, and no one likes you (okay, maybe that was just me)

Snickers commercial anyone??

Lent has only been 2 weeks and I never realized how much I would miss flour and anything made with it. Put in a baker who has to use the stuff everyday, and it is torture staring at my baked goods case. At least I know I am truly working on my self-control by being able to find alternative foods to eat instead of a sandwich. Good thing I'm Japanese and love my rice!

In the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting foods that are gluten-free friendly, but still delicious. I still have a standard to uphold, of course. Today, I have a flour-less chocolate cake to share. Living in West Virginia, I definitely got some weird stares. "How can a cake be flour-less??" But everyone who tried it said they loved it. Please excuse the lack of picture as smarty here forgot to take one (too busy eating the cake), but a picture will come. For now I will give you this picture from Epicurious who took a beautiful picture of this creation. I made mine with berry sauce, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry, cooked with red wine. Let me know what you all think. 

FLOUR-LESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

1- 10" cake

Ingredients:

8 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 cup (2 sticks) Melted Unsalted Butter

1 1/2 cup Sugar

6 Large Eggs

1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

4 Cups Frozen Berries (or 1 cup of each of your favorite berries)

1/2 bottle red wine (Fruity or spicy, I used Shiraz, Pinot Noir will work too)

1 cup sugar

MOP:

-Pre-heat oven to 325F

-In the microwave, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, using 30 second increments, until chocolate is melted. Mix butter until both are equally melted and homogeneous. With a wooden spoon, mix sugar into the chocolate mix. 

-Crack and beat eggs into separate bowl, until all mixed. Add to the chocolate mixture, mixing with the wooden spoon. Sift and add the cocoa powder.

-Spray a 10" spring-form pan with oil. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour batter into the pan and spread evenly. 

- Place pan into the oven and bake for 20 min. Rotate the pan and bake for additional 20 min. The center may seem wet when inserted by toothpick, but it will set. The outer crust should be crisp and baked. 

-Let chill at room temperature for 15 min. 

-While cake is baking, place berries, wine, and sugar into a small sauce pot. Set on low heat and stir occasionally. Cook until sauce thickens and becomes syrup-y. 

- Slice a piece of cake, dust with powdered sugar, and pour a spoonful of the berry sauce on top of the cake. Serve to any of your guest and it will be an instant hit!

Post Valentine's Day never tasted so good

Valentine's Day.

Origin: During the reign of Emperor Claudias II, he obligated young knights and soldiers to leave their families for long battles. To ensure success, the Emperor commanded that all marriages be banned, allowing for the soldiers to focus more on the battle than their families at home. Not a believer in such tyranny, Roman Priest Valentine secretly married young couples. He continued the Christian ceremony until the Emperor became aware and ordered his imprisonment. While in jail, he was visited by many of the young couples he had married, whom brought flowers as a show of appreciation to the Priest. He also fell in love with the daughter of Roman Judge Asterius, who was prayed and healed by Saint Valentine. Right before his execution, on February 14th, he wrote a letter to his lover, with the famous line, "from your Valentine".

The memory of St. Valentine lives on in our annual celebration on February 14th. People who celebrates this holiday typically show their love through flowers, hearts, and cards with the words "from your Valentine". For some, it may not be the most significant of days, almost to the point of detesting, but for others, they share love and happiness with their significant other.

This year, I had seen many anti-Valentine's Day Meme on the internet, but you can't deny the fact that you get a ton of candy this time of year and all the cute holiday dessert ideas. I tested many different kinds of Valentine's Day confections, and I found the most success with the "Red Velvet Cheesecake". I first got the idea from my sister, who had made the recipe and posted on her blog Sweet Tooth Lulu. After a few tweaks for the Diner, I made them both in cake form and cupcake form. I couldn't keep them in the case! Hopefully everyone can smile about this recipe, enjoying every morsel, whether with a significant other or with your favorite spoon and comfy sweater.

Cupcake, my cupcake, so red and so luscious 

The inside look of the decadence 

And we all thought we were going on a diet haha

RED VELVET CHEESECAKE 


10" cake or 12 large cupcakes (cupcake recipe will be in italicize)






Ingredients:

Cake:
1 Box of Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cheese Cake (or use the Swans Down Red Velvet Cake Recipe*)

*One of my favorite recipes for cake. Use it for any other recipes calling for Red Velvet Cake





Cheesecake: (all ingredients room temperature)

20 oz Cream Cheese
1 1/4 cups Sour Cream
1 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup Heavy Cream

Topping:

8 oz Cream Cheese (Room temp)

4 oz Butter (room temp)

4 cups Powdered Sugar

8 oz Heavy Whipping Cream

MOP:

Make the Cake:

- For the cake version, bake the Red Velvet Cake in two 10" pans, following the box or Swans Down recipe. The cake will be thin. Let cool, wrap in plastic wrap, tight, and place in the refrigerator over night.

When making the cupcakes, make sure to have the cheesecake finished first.

-Mix the cake batter according to instructions.

-Pre-heat oven to 350F.

-Line large cupcake pans with cupcake liner.

-Fill the cupcake liners to a 1/3 of the way up. Using a smaller scoop or spoon, grab a 1 Tablespoon
size of your chilled cheesecake and put in the center of the cup cake. Pour more batter on top until
3/4 of the liner is full.

-Place in the oven. Turn oven down to 325F and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan around and bake for another 15 minutes or until the cake, when pressed with your finger, springs back naturally (like a sponge) I don't like using the toothpick test on this cupcake because of the cheesecake center.

-Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let chill another 15 minutes before topping.

Make the Cheesecake: (for both cake and cupcake)

-Pre-heat oven to 300F.

- Spray 10" spring form pan with oil and line with parchment paper (bottom is most important). Line the outside of the pan with aluminum foil to ensure no water seeps in. Set aside.

- In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese with a paddle attachment until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl, ensuring there is no cream cheese lump. Add the Sour cream, sugar, and extract. Beat until combined. On slow speed, add the eggs. Beat until combined, scraping the bowl every so often. (DON'T FORGET THIS STEP! Scraping the bowl is very important for a uniform and very smooth cheesecake). Add the Heavy Cream and beat until combined.

-Make sure all ingredients are homogenous. Pour into your prepared spring form pan.

-Place the spring form pan in a larger pan (can be cake pan or large roasting pan that completely surrounds the spring form pan comfortably, without any tilting). Place the pans inside the oven. Pour hot boiling water into the larger pan to form a water bath. Water should come up to the height of the batter inside the pan. Lower the temperature to 250F.

-Bake for one hour. Turn the oven off and leave the door closed (DO NOT TOUCH!) for another hour. This ensures perfect naturally cooling, which means no cracks and smooth texture. Carefully remove the spring form pan from the water bath, remove the foil, and let set for 15 minutes at room temperature.

-At this point, if you are making the cake, wrap the cheesecake, still inside the spring form pan, with plastic wrap and place in your freezer over night. For the cupcake, the refrigerator will simply do.

Make the Topping:

- In a stand mixture, beat the cream cheese with your paddle attachment until smooth. Add the butter and continue to beat until homogenous and there are no lumps. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until your cream cheese icing is made.

- In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream into stiff peak whipped cream.

-Add a 1/3 of the whipped cream to the cream cheese icing and mix, by hand, with a spatula, until the mixture is uniform.

-Fold in the rest of the whipped cream, in two batches, until the topping is fluffy and smooth.

-Put the topping inside a piping bag fixed with your favorite star piping tip.

Assembly:

For the Cake:
-Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Make sure the tops of the cakes are level to ensure a uniform cake look. Place one of the 10" cakes on a dish or cake board.

-Remove the cheesecake from the freezer. Run warm water on the outside of the pan to ease release. Remove the sides. Remove all parchment paper. Flip the cheesecake onto your cake that's on the dish. Remove the bottom of the spring form pan and the parchment paper. Place the other Red velvet cake on top of the cheesecake.

-Using the topping that's in the piping bag, pipe the top of the cake in your favorite decorative form. I only decorated the top of the cake, leaving a naked cake visual. To finish, drizzle chocolate sauce (I used Hershey's Chocolate Syrup) as an added touch.

For the cupcake:
-After the cupcakes have cooled down, place them on your favorite serving dish.

-Using the topping that's in the piping bag, pipe the top of the cup cakes in a rosette form. To finish, drizzle chocolate sauce (I used Hershey's Chocolate Syrup) as an added touch.

When at first you don't succeed,.... bake a cake

The month of August means two things for me. 1) The school season is coming back and 2) Tons and tons of birthdays to celebrate. Both of my sisters share birthdays in this month. And now, I come to learn, that my new boss' birthday is in this month too. Birthdays, like the beginning of a new school season, signifies the start of something new and the celebration of the people that have made a difference in this world. Now, how can you celebrate a birthday, or any special occasion, without a cake?

Unfortunately for my sisters, I am not close enough to bake them a cake. If I were in town, they know that I would make it in a heart beat, decorations and all. I am sorry, but one day, I'll be back and I will make you a cake again. Although my sisters are too far away, I did make a cake for my boss. It was the first I've made a dessert for her, or anyone at the restaurant (as I took it in for everyone to share), and I wanted to make sure it was a great cake. This recipe is one that my mother has had for a very long time. She calls it the "Bolo de Aniversario" or the "Birthday Cake". It is a light, not overly-sweet cake that can be paired with whatever fruit you desire and is best with a simple chantily, or sweetened whipped cream. The recipe is below.

Now, I have/had a slight problem. As a chef and a person who was educated in the culinary arts, we are put in a pedestal called the "you study it, you are a professional" pedestal. Anything that I cook or I bake has to come out perfectly, the first time. Just because I have a piece of paper saying I graduated with honors from Johnson&Wales, all of my meats have come out with perfect temperatures and all of the baked goods are picture book perfect. Sigh....... I'm sorry to inform all of you, but I can't be perfect all of the time. I've tried, but most of the cooking that comes out relatively good are always a result of numerous trials and errors before coming to the conclusion of what it is now. For example, I couldn't tell you how many apple pies I had made at my previous job, and it wasn't until towards the end of my internship that my pies started to come out consistent and tasty, and even then I had some bad days. I want everyone to understand that, I am practicing and I will keep on practicing until I can create the best gosh darn anything anyone asks of me.

So now that you have read my rant, you can see where this is leading. My first try at the birthday cake was an epic FAIL. It might have been my anxiety over making something I haven't made in a long time, it might have been my heart not into the moment (this is another story but, believe me, have a heart), it might have been the pan I used, or it could have been I just opened the oven doors too early. But my cake fell, and it fell hard. There's nothing like watching your cake through oven doors, seeing section by section falling and deflating like an unwanted balloon, right before your very eyes. And not only did it look bad, but it tasted gummy and not the cake I remember from my mother. BIG SIGH.. Hines, who is quite honest with me, told me this isn't good. As my mother always said, don't serve something you are not proud of and you wouldn't eat yourself (but you will eat it because if not, it's wasted food.)

See how gummy it looks? (ignore the "we-had-to-eat-it" section of the cake) 

So here I go again.

and VOILA! Second time's the charm. I used a different kind of pan, actually dividing the cake into two separate parts. I also didn't touch the oven doors until after the allotted time, and I also watched for the sign my mother said, about the sides of the cake coming off of the pan sides. Man, maybe I should have just read the instructions better. Shame on me.

Here is the finished product :)

Well, all in all, the cake turned out great and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I used chantily cream to decorate, and I also made a strawberry simple syrup to moisten the cake and add an extra flavor in there. Strawberry pieces, too, added texture, which was a nice bonus.

Hope you all enjoy the recipe and let me know what fruit you would add to this delightful cake.


BOLO de ANIVERSARIO
Oven: 350F

For the cake:

Eggs, separate 4 each
Sugar 200 mL
Heated whole milk 200 mL
Unsalted Butter 1 Tablespoon
Baking Powder 1 Tablespoon
White Flour 400mL

For the strawberry simple syrup:

Medium strawberries 5 each
Sugar 1/4 cup
Water 1 oz

For the chantily:

Heavy whipping cream 1 pint
2 oz of powdered sugar

MOP

CAKE:
1) Beat the egg whites to soft peaks Slowly add the sugar until the mixture is shiny and glossy. Add the yolks in, one by one, beaten thoroughly at medium speed.
2) Heat your milk and butter until melted and lightly simmering. Take away from the heat source.
3) Mix together the baking powder and flour. Sift the mixture.
4) Remove the egg mixture from the mixer, and with a spatula, alternate adding the flour mixture and milk mixture to it. Start and finish with the flour. Mix in slowly and be sure to sift the flour mixture again, to avoid any possible lumps in the batter.
5) Grease and flour your cake pans. The cake will fit into 2 standard 9in pans, or a 13x9in rectangle pan. Pour the batter into the pan. Gently place inside the oven and bake for 25 minutes. DON'T OPEN THE OVEN!!
6) When the 25 minutes is up, look through the oven doors first. If the pan is still stuck to its sides, bake for another 3-5 minutes. Watch for the color, too, should be a nice golden brown, and when touched, the cake should spring back up (a good way to test any baked good for its doneness). Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Have your cooling rack ready. Even while the cake is hot, remove from the pan. If it stays in the pan, it will stick to the side and you will have a hard time removing it.

STRAWBERRY SIMPLE SYRUP:
1) Remove the stem and dice the strawberries into small pieces.
2) Place in a pot with the sugar and water, and let it come up to a simmer.
3) When all of the sugar is dissolved and the color runs pink, remove from the heat and set it aside for the cake.
4) Prepare this while you are baking the cake.

CHANTILY:
1) Place your mixer bowl and whip attachment in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. This will help with forming nice, firm peaks that don't melt.
2) Pour all of the whipped heavy cream into the bowl, and gradually turn the speed up until you are on the highest speed. And when I say gradually, I mean, GRADUALLY. You do not want to clean up cream off of your ceiling.
3) When your cream forms soft peaks, slow down your speed and add your powdered sugar. Return back to high speed and beat until firm peaks form. Firm peaks are when the whip attachment is turned upside down, the whipped cream stays upright, with no droopy cream.
4) Prepare this while you are baking the cake.

ASSEMBLY:
1) The cake can be assembled however you like. On the rectangle cake, use a fork to poke holes all over the cake. This will help the simple syrup be absorbed better into the cake. Slice some strawberries and make a nice layer on top of the cake. Finish with a generous amount of chantily and enjoy.

2) If using the round cake: Poke holes with a fork into both cake parts. Spread the simple syrup onto both layers. Spread a small amount of chantily cream onto one layer. Slice strawberries and make a nice layer. Put other cake upside down, or simple syrup side onto the whip cream. Use the remainder of the chantily to spread around the cake. Smooth and decorate with chantily and extra strawberries.