Mississippi Mud Cupcakes

While reading one of Baked cookbooks, I came across their Mississippi mud pie. Not only the picture of the pie looked so pretty, but the recipe itself was very inspiring. I thought and thought about how to modify their recipe to dairy free and came up with a solution.

Since I already made dairy-free brownies and chocolate pudding, I knew I could made this pie for my kids. For cookie crust, I used my cream filled cookie recipe. Keep in mind that there would be plenty of leftover cookie dough to make regular chocolate cookies. They freeze well so no worries. Creamy filling is not needed. If you wonder about the whipped cream, no worries. Most of the recipes that ask for whipped cream toppings, I usually substitute them with my marshmallow fluff.

There are a lot of recipes that go into these Mississippi mud cupcakes. So plan accordingly. I bake cookie and brownies in the morning. While those are baking, I make chocolate pudding and place it in the fridge to cool down. When I'm ready to serve the cupcakes, I whip up a fresh marshmallow fluff. I assemble the cupcakes then call for my kids to devour. Afternoon snack done... and messy!!!

Mississippi Mud Cupcakes
inspired by Baked Explorations' Mississippi mud pie
makes 6 regular size cupcakes

Cookie Crumbs
1/2 cup of my chocolate cookie dough recipe

Brownies
1 recipe of my brownie bites recipe, without the nuts and chocolate chips

Chocolate Pudding
1 recipe of my chocolate pudding recipe

Marshmallow Fluff
1 recipe of my marshmallow fluff recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degree. Line the muffin pan with foil liners. Set aside.
2. Make the chocolate cookie dough as directed.
3. Place 1-1 1/2 Tablespoons of cookie dough into each foil liner.
4. Using the back of the Tablespoon, press the dough into the bottom, bringing the dough up to the side.
5. Bake the cookie dough in a preheated oven for 8 minutes
6. While the cookie is baking, make the brownie batter as directed.
7. When the cookie is baked, take it out and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
8. Using a small scooper, divide the brownie batter evenly on top of each baked cookie.
9. Bake in a preheated oven until the toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
10. While the brownies are baking, make the chocolate pudding and marshmallow fluff.
11. Place them in the fridge to cool down. TIP: Chocolate pudding can be made a day in advance, keeping it cold in the fridge. It's best to whip up fresh marshmallow fluff when ready to serve.
12. After the brownies are baked, set it aside to cool completely.
13. Place the chocolate pudding in a piping bag and pipe it on top of each brownie.
14. Top each chocolate pudding with marshmallow fluff. Enjoy.

STORING: Because the marshmallow fluff may separate, these Mississippi mud cupcakes taste best on the day they are made. Without marshmallow fluff, the cupcakes can be kept in a container in a fridge for up to 3 days. With out both pudding and marshmallow fluff, the cupcakes can be kept in a container at a room temperature for 3 days.

Allergy Info: These Mississippi mud cupcakes are free from dairy, corn, legumes (soy), nuts, and fish. I made these Mississippi mud cupcakes while my kids were on dairy and legume free diet. Eggs were not questionable in their diet back then. If you want to make these cupcakes egg free, make slight changes to the listed recipes. For the chocolate cookie dough, substitute 2 tablespoons of applesauce for a large egg. For the brownie bite recipe, substitute 2 teaspoons of baking powder for a large egg. Chocolate pudding is egg free. Use my maple syrup marshmallow recipe instead of marshmallow fluff. See, just because you have a strict diet doesn't mean you can't have something sweeter. Enjoy.

Carrot Cupcakes

My kids keep reminding me that veggies taste too plain. Of course, I still place a few pieces of carrots, cucumber slices, or whatever I can get a hold of on their dinner plates.

Recently, I'm so in luv with organic carrots. They taste super sweet and the crunch is very satisfying. I'd go through two pounds of carrots per week. Snacking during dinner making is a good way to tame my hunger. The best thing about carrots? Organic rainbow carrots!!! See, there is such thing as eating a rainbow of colors.

Since it's nearly Easter, I've been thinking of baking a carrot cake. I decided to test out William Sonoma's carrot cake last week. After I modified the original recipe to make it dairy and legume free, I found the carrot cupcakes were very moist. Since we cannot have dairy, I went ahead and frosted the cupcakes with marshmallow fluff. The carrot shaped cookies were just F-U-N.

I remember baking my kids some carrot cupcakes before, and they weren't big fans. This time, they devoured them. I know they don't like to eat veggies but having them eat something in my baked sweet is good enough.

Carrot Cupcakes
adapted from William Sonoma's classic carrot cake
makes 12

2 large eggs
1/3 cup (3 oz.) sunflower oil
1/3 cup (3 oz.) granulated sugar
2.5 oz.) light brown sugar
1/4 cup (2 oz.) coconut cream
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup (4 oz.) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup (1 1/2-2 oz.) shredded carrots

Frosting
1 marshmallow fluff recipe
1/4 cup (2 oz.) shortening
carrot shaped cookies (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the regular muffin pan with cupcake liners or spray it with a cooking oil. Set aside
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sugars, coconut cream, and vinegar. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, shift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Add the shredded carrots to the flour mixture and coat well.
5. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture.
6. Whisk until the batter just combine.
7. Divide the batter equally in the prepared pan.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes.
9. Let the carrot cupcakes cool on the cooling rack.
10. For the frosting, makes the marshmallow fluff as directed. Then add the shortening and mix well.
11. Frost and decorate the cupcakes with shaped carrot cookies. Enjoy!!!

STORING: Without frosting, keep the cupcakes in a container at a room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. With frosting, keep them in a container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Allergy Info: These carrot cupcakes are free from or can be made without dairy, corn, legumes (soy), nuts (not coconut), and fish.

Angel Food Cake

I was eyeing the William Sonoma's angel food cake recipe for months, and I seriously wanted to test this recipe. At that time, I was intimidating by the process of whipping egg whites. After making so many meringues, whipping egg white is like... well, you know. If you are a novice to the egg whipping technique, check out my tips and tricks to whipping up the perfect egg whites.

After I baked the angel food cake, I wondered why I waited so long to bake such an easy dessert. Brek and I luv the cake's texture. It was rather fluffy and light like clouds. Wait, I never tasted clouds before. Hmm... you just have to bake one and find out if it tastes like clouds.

Last year, I baked... oh maybe... 3 angel food cakes. This cake only needs egg whites, so I was having that dilemma, "what am I going to do with the egg yolks?" Planning is everything. It is the only way to not waste any food. I usually made pudding, pastry cream, ice cream, or saved them for breakfast scrambled eggs. Keep an egg yolk to make egg wash. Another thing to keep in mind is to make sure that I have enough time to spend in the kitchen as I am most likely to commit to 2 to 3 recipes.

Angel Food Cake
adapted from William Sonoma and America's Test Kitchen
makes 2 mini tube cakes

3 egg white

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup (2.3 oz) granulated sugar
4 Tablespoons (1.2 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325F degrees. If the mini tube pans don't have a removable bottom, place a parchment paper at the bottom of the pans.
   TIP: Cut the white cupcake liner to fit the bottom of the tube pans. Since most of the cupcake liners are dusted with corn starch, use parchment paper if you are sensitive to corn.
2. In a cleaned and dried large bowl, place the egg whites with cream of tartar.
3. Using a hand mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. NOTE: If using Cuisinart hand mixer, use speed 7 (the highest speed).
4. Sprinkle half of the sugar on the side of the bowl.
5. Beat the sugar into egg whites for 10 seconds. Repeat with the rest of the sugar.
6. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract.
7. Beat the egg whites until firm peaks form.
8. Gently fold in half of the flour into the whipped egg white. Repeat with the rest of the flour.
9. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared mini tube pans.
10. Tap the pans on the counter top about 10 times to get rid of air bubbles.
11. Bake in the preheated oven for exactly 30 minutes.
12. Let cool in the cooling rack for at least an hour. NOTE: This cooling stage is optional. When I removed the cake while it was still warm, the cake didn't hold the tube shape and had several finger indentations. Still tasty!!!
13. Run a thin knife around the edge of the tube pan. Run a toothpick in the center of the tube pan.
14. Gently twist the top of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Then invert the cake onto a plate. Enjoy the angel foods cake with fresh fruits, pastry cream, ice cream, or melted chocolate. Brek luvs them plain, and I do too.

STORING: Keep the angel food cakes in an air tight container at a room temperature for up to 3 days. (I bet the cakes will disappear into somebody's tummy as soon as they come out of the oven.)

Allergy Info: This angel food cake is free from or can be made without dairy, corn, legumes (soy), nuts, and fish.

2015 New Year's Resolution

making snow-people cake toppers

Why is it that I'm always running out of time when I try to get things done around the house. So when do I have time to blog? Well, with so many things going on in my life, food blogging is the only way I can keep track of what yumminess I've made and my kids approve of. It is actually a good way for me to organize all of my recipes.

With that said, you can check out a list of All Recipes here. I'll keep this page up to date as I add more recipes in the future.

You know that phrase "where's all the time go?" For me, I'd said it nearly every day. So last year, I promised myself to eat more veggies. That I did!!!

I've been thinking in November... just a few weeks before Thanksgiving, regarding my 2015 new year resolution. I've continued to homeschool my kids, cooking and baking from scratch, plus doing the everyday chores. What on earth do I have time to do through out this year? Then it darn on me.

I miss having my kids in the kitchen with me. Last year, I always sent them upstairs to play while I worked on our breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon snack, or dinner. But this year, I want them in the kitchen, cooking, baking, and testing recipes with me.

So for my 2015 New Year's resolution, I'd like to teach a cooking class... to my kids.

Brek is already 12 years old. Since he luvs to cook and bake, I want to teach him this life skill, cooking for himself. I want him to become the independent man who can whip up a dinner or a dessert. Camden also luvs to be in the kitchen so getting him involve in baking is a good start.  Plus, he offers to do dishes for me. Better take advantage of that offer now, right?

So come back and visit my blog in the future to see what my kids and I will be cooking up. I see a lot of potentials from my kids... three mad scientists in the kitchen. Watch out, world!!!

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Since I watched several cooking shows featuring the bacon cupcakes, I was itchy to bake some for my kids. They luv bacons. They luv cupcakes. So why not, right?

The first and only time I tried to bake the bacon cupcakes, they didn't turn out well. The cupcakes were moist, but they didn't have that bacon flavor. I tugged away the need to bake these cupcakes for awhile, thinking that one of these days I'd attempt to bake them again.

I woke up one morning and asked my kids what they wanted for breakfast. No idea. I've been saving bacon fats and have the urge to try baking bacon cupcakes again. So I asked them if they wanted to try bacon cupcakes for breakfast. Really, mommy? You had to ask.

A few changes I made: use maple syrup and bacon fats. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed while the cupcakes were baking. Man, my heart was beating so fast. Remember, these cupcakes were for my kids' breakfast. I was nervous because I hated to test out a recipe with no backup plan. If these cupcakes didn't turn out, they'd have to eat the leftovers.

Maple bacon cupcakes turned out... VERY flavorful. A hint of maple syrup was in the cupcake. So fluffy and moist. The bacon fats really helped bring out the smoky flavor. The maple frosting was creamy and perfect with the crunchy maple bacons. I served these maple bacon cupcakes with scrambled eggs. See... who said you can't have cupcakes for breakfast? And no leftovers for breakfast. Whew!!!

Maple Bacon Cupcakes
makes 6-7 regular size cupcakes

1 large egg
1/4 cup (2 oz) maple syrup
1/4 cup (1/7 oz) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (2 oz) bacon fats
1/3 cup (3 oz) coconut cream
1 cup (4 oz) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Maple Frosting
1 marshmallow fluff recipe
1/4 cup (2 oz) palm shortening

1/2 cup cooked bacon bits

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degree. Line the cupcake pan with a foil cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, maple syrup, sugar, and bacon fats. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, shift together the flour and baking powder.
4. Whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until combine.
5. Using a large scooper, divide the batter evenly to the prepared cupcake pan.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until the toothpick comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes.
7. While the cupcakes are baking, make the marshmallow fluff as directed.
8. Whisk the palm shortening into the marshmallow fluff for about 30 seconds.
9. Keep it in the fridge to cool down.
10. Add the bacon bits into pot that you cooked maple syrup (from the marshmallow frosting). Coat well then place them on the non stick mat to cool down.
11. Once the cupcakes are baked, let them cool down before frosting. TIP: Place the cupcakes in the fridge for 5-10 minutes for faster cooling.
12. Place the maple syrup frosting in a piping bag then pipe it on to each cupcake.
13. Sprinkle the bacon bits on top of the maple frosting. Enjoy!!!

STORING: The maple bacon cupcakes can be kept in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring them to a room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving to soften the frosting. The bacon fats keep well in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Allergy Info: These maple bacon cupcakes are free from or can be made without dairy, corn, legumes (soy), nuts (not palm), and fish.

Lemon Custard Cake

While I was flipping through the William Sonoma Essentials of Baking cookbook, the lemon custard cake really caught my attention. I baked lemon bars last year. Camden didn't care for it, but Brek luv it. I never baked anything lemony again. Lately, their taste buds have changed in the best way. Brek likes blackberries and kiwi while Camden likes lettuce and scrambled eggs. I wanted to bake this cake to see if they would like lemony sweet treats. Plus, I really wanted to try baking this lemon custard cake because of how easy the directions were. I could also modify the recipe to make it dairy free.

A few things that I made changes to this cake, beside dairy free, was that I didn't use lemon zest. Why? Well, all of the lemons I've bought, whether they are conventional or organically grown, are waxed. Who wants to have waxed ingredient in their something sweeter anyway? I don't. Instead of lemon zest, I added the lemon pulp. Not only did I juice the lemons, I also scraped off the pulp so the cake would have a lot of lemon flavor.

In the cookbook, there was a little writing about the texture of the cake. The top layer is a cake, and the bottom layer is a custard. Eating two desserts in one. What more can I ask for. The first time I baked the lemon custard cake for our afternoon snack, my kids and I had a few slices a few minutes after it came out of the oven. Of course, the cake was still warm. The leftover cake went into the fridge for a few days. Then we had it again a few days later for our nighttime snack. I think the cake tasted a lot better when it was cold. When the cake was warm, it was just too soft. When the cake was cold, I could really taste the different layers of the cake and the custard.

When I baked this cake again, I baked it the night before and kept it cold in the fridge overnight. It was ready for the next day's snack. Ummm... I luv making something sweeter in advance.

Lemon Custard Cake
modified from William Sonoma's lemon custard cake
makes 9-inch round cake

3 large eggs, divided
1 cup (8 oz) coconut milk
1/2 cup (4 oz) coconut cream
1/4 cup (2 oz) fresh lemon juice with pulp (from 1-2 lemons)
3 Tablespoons (1.5 oz) palm shortening
1/2 cup (4 oz) sugar
1/4 cup (1.5 oz) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degree. Have a 9-inch glass pie plate ready. NOTE: There is no need to spray the pie plate with oil. Nothing will stick to the plate. Promise.
2. Separate the eggs to two different large bowls. Set aside the egg whites.
3. Whisk the coconut milk, coconut cream, lemon juice (with pulp), shortening, and sugar to the egg yolks until the mixture is creamy.
4. Add the flour to the lemon mixture and whisk just until just combine. Set aside.
5. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until firm peaks are formed.
6. Fold the egg white to the lemon batter until the egg whites are no longer visible.
7. Pour into the 9-inch glass pie pan.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is light brown and the edges of the cake are pulled away a little bit from the pie plate, about 35 minutes.
9. Let the lemon custard cake cool before putting it in the refrigerator. Serve cold.

Allergy Info: This lemon custard cake is free from or can be made without dairy, corn, legumes (soy), nuts (not coconut or palm), and fish.

Hummingbird Mini Cupcakes

Again, thinking of Brek's school breakfast. I saw the hummingbird cake while flipping through the American's Test Kitchen cookbook.

The ingredients for this cake included pineapple and banana. Good timing because I just found a can of clean pineapple chunks last week. Since I had a ripen banana, I went ahead and tested the hummingbird cake recipe.

Instead of baking a big cake or cupcakes, I decided to go with the mini cupcakes. Hummingbirds have visited my family's flower garden all the time, especially during Spring. I just thought it is fitting to have mini size cake that named after these tiny birds. The only nuts I had at the time of baking this cake was almonds and cashew. I thought almonds would have better crunch than cashew, so I chose almonds. I also added ground cinnamon for the aromatic.

The verdict? The cake didn't rise very much but was super moist. My kids didn't say anything about the pineapple, which was surprising because they didn't really like to eat fresh pineapple. I wonder if the pineapples were in such small bits that they couldn't tell what they were eating. Camden had one complaint. He didn't like the almonds. Well, they were pretty crunchy for mini cupcakes. Brek had no complaints, and he had three mini ones for his school's breakfast the next day.

Hummingbird Mini Cupcakes
adapted from American's Test Kitchen's humming bird cake
makes 24 mini cupcakes

1 large egg
3/4 cup (5.5 oz) sugar
1/4 cup (2 oz) safflower oil
1/4 cup (2 oz) pineapple, roughly chopped
1/4 cup (2-2.5 oz) banana, mashed
1 cup (4 oz) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2-3 Tablespoons raw almonds, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degree. Line the mini cupcake pan with cupcake liners or spray the pan with vegetable oil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, and oil until creamy.
3. Mix in the pineapple and banana.
4. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and ground cinnamon.
5. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture.
6. Mix until just combine.
7. Using an extra small scooper, divide the batter into the prepared pan.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until the toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
9. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to the cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy them while they are warm or at a room temperature. Keep them in an air tight container at a room temperature for up to 3 days.

Allergy Info: These mini hummingbird cupcakes are free from or can be made without dairy, corn, legumes (soy), and fish. When looking for canned fruits, avoid the ones with added citric acid which is mainly used to preserve the fruit's coloring. For this recipe, I used the Dole brand, but I'm not sure if it is corn free. It is the only brand in the market that is without citric acid or other preservatives. Frozen pineapples are also good alternative. However, most of the frozen fruits may be dusted with corn starch. Be sure to call the companies to inquire about their products and packaging practices.

Colorful Meringue Flowers

I've been testing natural food coloring using juices from beets, spinach, and carrots, for a few weeks now. Basically, baking colorful macaroons. And let me tell you. Macaroons are sold for $2 each at my local bakery. Now I know why. They are really difficult to make. Well, that's another blog post. Right now, I want to tell you how much I luv these natural food coloring.

Since the beet juice turned macaroons dark pink, my brains were working overtime. What if I baked meringue using beet juice and piped them into flower shapes. Oh... hello!!! Why didn't I think of this before. Meringue is less fuss than macaroons too. And having pinkish flower meringue on top of a chocolate cake is just (sigh) too pretty.

Baking these colorful meringue flowers are pretty much the same as baking regular meringues. The only step that is added to the recipe is to mix in the natural food coloring. Because I add the liquid (food coloring) into the whipped egg white, I decide that it is best to use cream of tartar for the firm peak support.

To make the food coloring, I peel raw beets and juiced them, using a juicer. The beet juice did make my hands pink for awhile. I keep my natural food coloring in the mason jars and try to use them within a week. I also freeze the beet juice in a small ice cube tray. Remember a little bit of beet juice goes a long away.

For the Earth Day 2014 inspiration, I baked chocolate cupcakes using my dairy free chocolate cake recipe. The cupcakes were topped with my dairy free chocolate frosting. The pretty colorful meringue flowers on top really added the touch of happiness.

Feel free to double or triple my recipe and make a garden full of flower meringues.

Colorful Flower Meringues
makes 10, depending on the sizes of the flowers

1 large egg white
pinch of cream tartar
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon natural food coloring from beet juice

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line the baking pan with the parchment paper.
2. Separate the egg whites into a clean, dry, and large bowl. TIP: Make the pastry cream using the leftover egg yolk.
3. Add the cream of tartar to the egg white.
4. Using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites until frothy, about one minute.
5. Sprinkle the sugar then whip the egg whites until firm peaks form.
6. Add one of the food coloring of choice.
7. Whip the egg white until the food coloring is mixed in. NOTE: Egg white should not be visible.
8. Transfer the whipped meringue into the piping bag then snip the end of the bag.
9. Pip the whipped egg meringue on to the prepared baking tray, making sure they look like flowers. TIP: I dot the whipped egg meringue. Then I add more dots around the center dot to form a flower. I also tried different piping tips to form different flowers.
10. Bake the meringues in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
11. Lower the oven temperature to 225°F degree.
12. Bake 30 minutes more. NOTE: If you would like to have the flower meringues ready on the day of baking, continue baking at 225°F degree until the meringues are crisp. Check for the crispiness every 15 minutes. The timing is really depending on the size of the flower meringues.
13. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven over night with the door closed. In the morning, the meringues should be crisp. If not, turn the oven on at 225°F. Once the oven is preheated, turn it off. Leave the meringues in the oven and check for crispiness after an hour.
14. Store the meringues in an air tight container. NOTE: If the air hits a meringue, it will be sticky and lose its crispiness. Enjoy them within a week.

Allergy Info: These colorful flower meringues are free from or can be made without dairy, corn, legumes (soy), wheat, nuts, and fish.

Chocolate Cake

I've tested so many cake recipes, and I've noticed that not all of the cakes came out tasted moist and fluffy without chicken eggs as part of the ingredients. While I was on Camden's allergy free diet and before I discovered that he could have quail or duck eggs, I came across the old-fashion chocolate cake recipe in the Cuisine at Home magazine. This chocolate cake recipe is free from dairy and eggs. It is definitely my go-to chocolate cake as it is very light, fluffy, moist, and perfect chocolaty taste.

Every time I bake this chocolate cake, my kids only want the cake itself. I had frosted the cake with all types of frosting: cream cheese, whipped cream, marshmallow cream, or chocolate ganache. It tastes great with or without frosting. Great with ice cream too.

This chocolate cake recipe can be made in a cake pan or 12-Inch Half Round Loaf Pan. I prefer baking them in cupcakes because they bake faster and easier for my kids to handle. Seriously, do I wanna wipe out a knife every time they ask for a piece of chocolate cake? Nope. Self-serving, baby!!! Mommy needs a break when she can get one.

The recipe can be double or triple. I always bake them just enough for a day or two as they taste best the day they are baked.

Chocolate Cake
makes 6 regular size cupcakes
adapted from Cuisine at Home's Old-Fashion Chocolate Cake

3/4 cup (3 oz) all-purpose flour
5 to 6 Tablespoons (0.3 oz) baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (4 oz) hot water
4 Tablespoons (2 oz) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
1/4 cup (2 oz) vegetable oil
1/2 Tablespoon (0.2 oz) rice vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 6 cup regular muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking cocoa powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Microwave water until hot, about one minute.
4. Whisk in sugar and instant coffee (if using) until dissolved.
5. Mix in the oil and vinegar.
6. Pour the sugar water into the flour mixture.
7. Whisk until the batter is smooth and without any lump.
8. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan.
9. Bake until a tooth pick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean, about 15 minutes. (If the cupcakes aren't baked, turn off the oven and let them sit in the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes. Since this recipe has no eggs, the cake will bake pretty fast.)
10. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache

makes enough to frost 6 cupcakes

1/4 cup (2 oz) chocolate chips
1 teaspoon coconut oil or palm shortening

1. In small bowl, add chocolate chips and microwave for 30 seconds.
2. Add in the oil.
3. Microwave 9 seconds then whisk the chocolate. Repeat this step until the chocolate chips are melted. The chocolate ganache has the smooth texture.
4. When the cupcakes are cooled to handle, hold the bottom of a cupcake and dip the top nto the chocolate ganache frosting.
5. Serve right away or keep them in an air tight container at a room temperature for up to 3 days.

Allergy Info: My chocolate cake recipe is free from or can be made without dairy, eggs, corn, legumes (soy), nuts (not coconut or palm), and fish 

Peaches and Cream Cupcakes

FINALLY!!! I found a can of peaches with only peach slices in apple juice. Most of the peaches in cans or frozen bags have citric acid to prevent coloring. So it was like searching for a pot of gold... well, you know what I mean.

Anyway, I found a cupcake recipe that uses peaches and thought of making some for Brek's school breakfast. Why not eat cupcakes for breakfast if I can make them myself with finest ingredients, right? 

The whipping cream frosting is optional. If you are sensitive to dairy, the cupcake itself still satisfies your sweet tooth. Most of the time, my kids like to eat their cupcakes without frosting. Less work for me, so I'm not complaining.

 

Peaches and Cream Cupcakes

adapted from Cupcakes and Muffins: 100 everyday recipes

makes 5 to 6 cupcakes

 

7 oz canned peach slices (Native Forest)

1/3 cup (1.5 oz ) all-purpose flour (King Arthur)

1 teaspoon baking powder (Featherweight or homemade)

1 to 2 teaspoons grounded flax seeds

1 Tablespoon reserved peach juice

1/4 cup (7 oz) granulated sugar
1 large egg (Eggland's Best)

 

Cream Frosting

1/2 cup (4 oz) heavy whipping cream

1 Tablespoon vanilla granulated sugar (homemade)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a 6-cupcake pan with foil or paper liners.
3. Reserve six peach slices for decoration (optional) and chop the rest.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and grounded flax seeds. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, using a hand whisk or a hand mixer, beat together peach juice, coconut oil, sugar, and egg. 
6. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combine.
7. Fold the chopped peaches into the batter.
8. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners.
9. Bake until a tooth pick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.
10. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. To make the cream frosting, using the hand mixer, whisk the heavy whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form.
12. After the cupcakes are cool completely, frost each cupcake with the cream frosting. If using, place the peach slices on the frosting.
13. Enjoy or place them in the refrigerator to keep the cream frosting firm.

Allergy Info: My peaches and cream cupcakes are free from or can be made without dairy, corn, legumes (soy), nuts, and fish.

If you are sensitive to chicken eggs, replace it with 4 to 5 quail eggs or omit the grounded flax seeds ask for in the recipe and replace it with one tablespoon of grounded flax seeds mix with 3 tablespoons of warm water.

Ninjago Cake Pops

I luv cake pops. What a fun idea to put a cake ball on a stick. When Brek wanted to have a LEGO themed birthday party this year, I wanted to make birthday cake pops.

I made cake pops once for Brek's class party. I didn't follow any recipe because... well... I was just playing around.

I started to test recipes about a month before Brek's birthday party. The trouble started right away. My homemade frosting couldn't hold the cake balls together. I could kick myself for not remembering what I did right the first time I made the cake pops. After so many tries, I wanted to go with Plan B: cupcakes. Then I found a Nordic Ware Cake Pop Kit at Target. I gave the pan a test drive. Whoa!!! Talk about less headache.

Let the making of cake pops adventure begins! I decided to work on the LEGO’s Ninjago theme. Since I couldn’t use colorful candy melt, I thought the chocolate around a cake ball would be perfect as the ninja's mask. Another challenge was making sure a cake ball didn't fall apart when I inserted a stick into it. I decided to use a pound cake recipe to make these cake pops. When cake pops were in the fridge, they firmed up really well, which was what I wanted.

In order for these cake pops to have any resemblance of Ninjago, I made their colorful bodies from craft foam sheets. I drew the decorations on the Ninjago’s outfits using markers and fabric pens. Sensei Wu's hat was a cupcake top, and his beard was made from homemade marshmallow.

Ninjago Cake Pops

adapted from Williams-Sonoma’s Pound Cake

makes 24 cake pops

1 1⁄2 cups (6 oz) all-purpose flour (King Arthur)

1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda (Arm & Hammer)

12 Tablespoons (6 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature (Kerrygold)

1 cup (7 oz) granulated sugar

1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract (homemade)

2 large eggs, at room temperature (Eggland's Best)

1⁄2 cup (4 oz) sour cream, at room temperature (Daisy)

Vegetable oil

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F.
2. Spray (top and bottom) cake pop pan with vegetable oil.
3. In a bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
4. Using a hand mixer, whip together the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract on a medium speed until light and fluffy, about one minute.
5. Add the eggs and sour cream. Mix in medium speed for one minute.
6. Add the flour mixture and mix with spatula until just combine.
7. Using a medium size cookie scooper, scoop the batter into the prepared cake pop bottom pan. Cake pop top pan has small holes for venting.
8. Cover the cake pop pan and insert the two locks.
9. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
10. Let cake balls cool in a pan for 10 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Trim cake balls if they are not perfectly rounded.
12. Wash and dry cake pop pan. Use the rest of the batter to make more cake pops if desired.
13. To make cupcakes, use a large size cookie scooper and scoop the batter into lined cupcake pan. Bake them in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minute (or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean).

For ninja's mask

    1 bag of chocolate chips (Enjoy Life)

1. Melt half cup of chocolate chips in a double boiler.
2. Dip the candy stick in the melted chocolate.
3. Insert the stick into a cake ball.
4. Place a cake pop on to the cake pop stand.
5. Repeat step 2 to 4.
6. Refrigerate the cake pops for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.
7. Once the cake pops are firm to touch, they are ready for decorating. Melt the rest of the chocolate chips in a double boiler.
8. Scoop the melted chocolate into a piping bag.
9. Cut a little bit off of the bottom of the bag.
10. Pipe the ninja eye brows and eyes.
11. Pipe the ninja's mask around the eyes.

For Sensei Wu

    1 large cupcake
    homemade marshmallow
    melted chocolate chips

1. Use the melted chocolate from the piping bag to decorate his eyes.
2. Attach the marshmallow beard to a cake pop by using melted butter.
3. Refrigerate this cake pop for about an hour.
4. To make his hat, slice off the top of a cupcake.
5. Score under the cupcake top just enough to fit the cake ball. 
6. Brush the top of a cake pop with melted chocolate.
7. Place the cupcake top onto the cake ball.
8. Add more melted chocolate under the hat and around the cake ball as reinforcement.  

Keep the completed Ninjago cake pops in the refrigerator. Let them come to a room temperature for 30 minutes before serving to ensure soft texture cake pops.

Allergy Info: Brek's Ninjago cake pops are free from or can be made without soy, legumes (soy), nuts, and fish. If Enjoy Life chocolate chips aren't used, then they are also corn free.

Elmo Birthday Cake

For Camden's 2nd birthday, his big brother Brek and I decided we would throw him an Elmo themed birthday party. At that time, he still couldn't eat dairy, chicken eggs, and corn. Since he had a pumpkin muffin for his 1st birthday treat, I really wanted to bake him an actual birthday cake. I could bake a cake that was free from dairy, chicken eggs, and corn. The problem was how I'd decorate it. To this day, I cannot find a corn free food coloring.

One day, we were watching Sesame Street movie on DVD. At the end credits, Brek saw a lot of food art in all kinds of Sesame Street characters. So the food art gave me an idea. I could bake a cake and decorate it using fruits and vegetables.

After searching for a cake recipe in cookbooks and on the internet, I found a Strawberry Cream Cake recipe at William-Sonoma website that I thought I could modify to accommodate Camden's diet. At that time, Camden could have quail eggs. I calculated that I'd need to crack open about 25 to 30 quail eggs. Separating the yolks was another challenge.

The cake turned out very light and fluffy. I highly recommend using kitchen scale to measure the flour, sugar, and eggs. Quail eggs are found in Asian grocery. You can substitute quail eggs with 3 duck eggs or 5 large chicken eggs.

Camden's Elmo Cake

adapted from Williams-Sonoma Strawberry Cream Cake

serves 8 to 10       

1 1/4 cups (5 oz) all-purpose flour (King Arthur)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (Featherweight or homemade)

25 - 30 quail eggs (8.5 oz), separated

1 1/4 cups (8.7 oz) granulated sugar

5 Tablespoons boiling water

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (homemade)

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Spray Elmo cake pan with oil. Set aside.
2. To make the cake, sift together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
3. Using a hand mixer, whip together egg yolks and sugar on medium speed.
4. Add the boiling water and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combine.
6. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites on medium speed until thick (soft peak). 
7. Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter.
8. Spread the batter into Elmo cake pan.
9. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
10. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
11. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan.
12. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool completely before decorating.

Decoration:

2 pints fresh blackberries... for Elmo's mouth and eyes

2 pints fresh strawberries... for Elmo's face

1 pint fresh raspberries... for any small space between strawberries

1 apple, halved... or his nose

Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread

1 cup chocolate chips, melted (Enjoy Life)

1. Wash, dry, and cut all berries in half. Spread coconut spread lightly on the cake. (Coconut spread is used to glue the berries on to the cake. You can also try nut butter or homemade frosting.)
2. Place the berries and apple onto Elmo cake as noted above.
3. Use melted chocolate to write "Happy Birthday" message.
4. Keep the cake refrigerated. Let the cake come to room temperature for 30 minutes before serve. Enjoy a slice of cake with ice cream.

Allergy Info: Camden's Elmo cake is free from or can be made without dairy, chicken eggs, legumes (soy), nuts (not coconut), and fish. If Enjoy Life chocolate chips and Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread aren't used, then this cake is also corn free. Be creative with writing "Happy Birthday" message by using printed texts or fruits.