Faux Hostess Cupcakes

At the beginning of the summer, I’ve joined a Tae Kwon Do program at the YMCA with some friends.  Why? Well, it looked like fun and during the summer, I hate being bored  (btw curing summer boredom is also a reason for the existence of this blog).  For a while at least five of my friends would do Tae Kwon Do together, but eventually that number dwindled to just two, my friend Sonia and I.

When Sonia went on vacation with her family, I was desperate to find another friend to go with me to Tae Kwon Do.  My friend Cecile (acciobojan on Tumblr) was the only person available to go with me, but convincing her to do Tae Kwon Do was no simple matter.  She had done Judo as a child, found it horrifying, and was reluctant to do any martial arts with me, even if only for an hour.  It turns out, cupcakes are good negotiators, especially when they’re filled with marshmallow cream and topped with ganache.  It’s a win-win situation for both of us!

Recipe for Faux Hostess Cupcakes here.

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Tres Leches Cake

Hola los personas de Tumblr! Ahora estoy in Ixtapa, Mexico.  Entonces, quiero hablar y escribir en español e inglés.

Hello people of Tumblr! Right now I’m in Ixtapa Mexico.  Therefor, I want to talk and write in Spanish and English.

El plato hoy es un pastel traditional in Mexico.  El pastel se llama “Tres leches.”  El razón que se llama “Tres leches” es porque hay tres típos de leche en el pastel.

The dish today is a traditional Mexican cake.  It’s called “Tres Leches.”  The reason why it’s called “Tres Leches” is because there are three types of milk in the cake.

Es un pastel muy rico y delicioso y ojalá que lo hagas. Buen provecho!

It’s a rich and delicious cake, and I hope make it. Enjoy!

The recipe for Tres Leches Cake is here.

White Chocolate Espresso Bundt Cake

This is a fancy-pants cake.  This is the cake you bring to that office party, an afternoon tea, a housewarming party, mother’s day, or a birthday. I would argue that this fancy pants cake is especially good for mother’s day, since this is the most requested cake from my mom, my god mother, and my god mother’s assortment of friends.  Seriously, you’ve got to understand that these mothers flip at the sight of this cake.  Never have I seen so many people pleading for a recipe. Next time you’re in an environment that calls for a fancy pants sort of cake, make this cake are prepare to impress.  The espresso flavor of the cake and the white chocolate glaze are perfect together, and if you time the frosting of the cake just right, the look of the cake is as sophisticated as the taste.

Espresso Bundt Cake

• 1 ½ cup self rising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 TBS cocoa powder (plus extra for dusting)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• four eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 TBS espresso powder dissolved in 2 TBS hot water, cooled

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Cream the sugar and butter in a large bowl for three minutes, or until extremely fluffy.
3. Add the vanilla and espresso water to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until incorporated.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring together by hand until smooth (you shouldn’t have to stir too much, which could lead to toughness).
6. Pour the batter into a greased bundt pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out without any crumbs.

White Chocolate Glaze

• 4 ounces white chocolate
• 4 TBS butter
• 3 TBS milk
• 1 ¾ cup powder sugar

1. Melt the white chocolate, butter, and milk together until smooth.
2. Allow the mixture to cool and then sift in the powdered sugar.  Whisk until smooth.
3. Frost the cooled cake, dust with cocoa, and enjoy!

Best Gluten-free Chocolate Cake [gf]

One thing you’ll learn about me is that I love chocolate. Chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookie cake, if a food contains chocolate, I am almost guaranteed to love it.  I was on a gluten free kick a while ago and I came upon a recipe for chocolate cake that looked simple, and unbelievable delicious (so many times gluten free baked goods turn out dry or crumbly!).  The cake is pillowy and fluffy, yet moist, and best of all, is incredibly chocolaty.  I brought a large slice of this cake to school, and it was consumed by my peers-although I admittedly saved a nice enormous large portion for myself.  This cake is seriously good and to find that out for yourself, you’ll just have to make it. 🙂

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

adapted from here

• ½ cup tapioca flour
• 1 cup superfine brown rice flour
• 1 cup dutch-processed cocoa, sifted
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum
• ¾ cup butter, room temperature
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk

1. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan.
2. Sift the two flours together with the cocoa, xanthan gum, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. In a new bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time. Add the vanilla.
5. Alternate between adding the buttermilk and the dry mixture to the butter-egg-sugar mixture.
6. Pour into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chocolate Ganache

• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 ¼ cups semi sweet chocolate chips (about 14 ounces chocolate)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbs light corn syrup (optional, but it helps keep the mixture shiny)

1. Place the chocolate in a large bowl, and then heat up the heavy whipping cream in a microwave or on a stove until simmering.
2. Pour the hot cream onto the chocolate, allow to sit for about two minutes, and then stir the mixture until smooth.  Add the light corn syrup if desired.
3. Allow the mixture to cool to slightly above room temperature (whisking every five minutes), and then add the vanilla.
4. Pour the frosting over the cake, and gently smooth with a knife.  Allow the frosting to set, and enjoy! 🙂
5. If a fluffier frosting is desired, refrigerate the ganache overnight, and then whip for two minutes right before frosting cake (this version will hold its shape better).