Dessert

Red Velvet Cupcakes

December 7, 2012 by Nicquee Leave a Comment

My first encounter with a red velvet cake is when Xocolat was featured in one of the groupon sites I frequent. I was still addicted to vouchers and deals then and I thought, it is time to try Xocolat’s cakes. Me and my sisters were not disappointed even if we have to travel the cake by two hours from Quezon City to Las Pinas!

Since I got our little oven, I have been dreaming of making red velvets on my own. I have realized that dream already! Woot woot!

Recipe adapted from Paula Deen’s original recipe of Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

What you will need

For the batter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, slightly chilled and cubed
2 packs cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

What to do
1. Preheat oven to 150ºC. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners.

2. In a bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

3. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat vegetable oil, yogurt, eggs, red food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Add sifted ingredients slowly and mix only until incorporated and there are no visible lumps. Fill liners to about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

4. Make the frosting: Beat butter carefully with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Mix in cream cheese and vanilla. Add the confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time and beat until smooth, tasting the frosting after each cup of sugar.

5. Top each cupcake with cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Ok, so my frosting isn’t really gorgeous but they taste great! And no, I am not saying that because I was the one who baked it, I am just telling the truth. Oh, except that the frosting was a little too sweet for my sweet-tooth.

I am actually thinking of making them again for Christmas. It has been months since I cooked for my mom and sisters and brothers. They will surely give this the same respect they gave to Xocolat’s This Red Cake. And I found really cute Christmas cupcake decors over at Not On The High Street to go with these Christmas-y cupcakes. If I get my hands on those decors, my cuppies will look like this one.

Filed Under: baked goodies, Cakes, Dessert

Yema

August 13, 2012 by Nicquee Leave a Comment

When I was a young girl, I use a large part of my daily money allowance to buy this sweet treat. Back then, a small piece only costs about fifty-cents. And I can remember, I would really scrape the thin cellophane to get all of the yema that sticks to it.

I love this treat and yet I do not even know where it came from or how to do it. But based on its taste, I am guessing that it has sugar, lots of sugar. I checked online and found that yema is a Spanish term for egg yolk. But information suggests that the ones we have now are primarily made from condensed milk. No wonder its price is now PhP5 a piece or is it PhP10? Still, I buy them as a treat for myself and the kids.

Marketman sited a link that contains a great recipe in his own post about yema. I will check it out in the coming days and maybe, I can make my girls some.

Aren’t you glad that the food that makes us happy when we were young are still available these days?

Filed Under: Dessert, Egg Recipes, Local Delicacies, Pasalubong, products we love

Cravings Chocolate Caramel Cake

February 22, 2012 by Nicquee 1 Comment

My dad used to work with Cravings when I was a young girl. As an employee, he is given GCs he should consume in a month to buy their products. Thus, their cakes are what we got accustomed to. And when he left the company, we still remember how delicious the cakes are.

Two Sundays ago, when we celebrated our early Valentine’s at Festival, I joked my dad if he will treat us a Cravings Chocolate Caramel cake. After a few minute, he and my sister Toni left us. When they came back, Toni is already all smiles with our family cake in our dad’s hand. Yes, we dubbed it as our family cake even if it is not always present in our every occasion. We had this as dessert apart from the free one we got from Shakey’s.

Over the years, it still has the rich caramel frosting and the cake is still very moist. But I noticed that there is no more caramel filling in the middle of the cake. Well, good for my mom and my hubby who are not into sweets that much.

This round cake costs PhP870 and I am telling you, every penny you pay for it is worth it!

Filed Under: Cakes, Dessert

Shakey’s Banana Peach Surprise

February 17, 2012 by Nicquee 1 Comment

Last Sunday, we dined-in at Shakey’s in Festival Mall for our advanced Valentine’s Day celebration con despedida for Toni. She wanted Brooklyn Pizza but that is not available in the mall. We would have opted for Yellow Cab but it is beyond our budget.

We had monster meal deal and we had this yummy dessert for free! This is such a winner! I love all the flavors of ice cream they put: mango, strawberry and vanilla.

Filed Under: Dessert, Ice Cream

Wilderness Royal Blueberry

December 28, 2011 by Nicquee Leave a Comment

My husband and I both love exploring the kitchen whenever we have time in our hands. One of the recipes he has mastered so far is his infamous no-bake cheesecake. Whenever he makes them and we share it with our family and friends, they keep on asking for more when they have consumed everything. Another popular question that we get is what are the brands we are using to make our cheesecake.

So here, I am telling you now that we use the WILDERNESS brand for our toppings. I like this brand because each can is really packed, not full of syrup. Also, I like the size of the fruits, just right as toppings.