Rainbow Batter Vanilla Cupcakes

Pastel Colored Flower Vanilla Cupakes

Makes about 12 cupcakes.

Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe:

Source: http://www.joyofbaking.com

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Zest of 1 large lemon (outer yellow skin)

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

Vanilla Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl whisk together the lemon zest, flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 17 to 20 minutes or just until set and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. 

Rainbow Colors Batter:

After the batter has been mixed I separated into 5 containers and mix with different colours of yellow green blue red and orange. 

 yellow

 green

 orange 

 blue

red

then in to the oven.

after 20 mins....

Filling made of strawberry and blueberry:

My husband made the caramelized filling buy adding water and sugar to the fresh strawberries and blueberry (10pieces each). 

Confectioners (Buttercream) Frosting:

2 cups (230 grams)  sugar icing, sifted if possible (i cant sift)

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk, I used skimmed milk

Assorted food colors

In an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk or sugar, if needed. Tint the frosting with desired food color.

Assemble:

Open a spoonful of cupcake then filling in and cover back the cupcake. Looks yummy!!! let the cake sip the sauce. 

Beautiful colourful batter

Icing and Fondant Toppers:

I hope you like this blog I made these for about 2 hours, toppers where made a night before and Im happy because my husband chef liked the colors thou some of the icing melted because i poured an excess of 1 tbspoon milk while mixing the frosting but because of the fondant it covered the melted ones, can you see it? Flowers still have the corn flour from kneading and its better to wipe it out by using a brush (i dont have one, sad to say) but I guess over all it looks nice, looks commercial and most of all looks special for the wife of my boss. I didn't change the ingredients into a healthier options like to change into wheat flour and brown sugar since this is a gift but as my personal rule if this is for our home I certainly only use wheat, dark brown sugar and skimmed milk, and low fat unsalted butter. (except of course of we ran out of these stuff from our kitchen).

Enjoy!!!

Loves,

Mrs. A

Light Lemon Bread

Hi All,

I am on my week diet eating only vegetables and  few touch of beef strips to taste the meaty sauce despite of all the veggies that im munching all these week. I avoided carbs for a week now; but decided to bake a light bread to go along with my daily evening tea. I drink tomatoe juice and green veggie juice and ate 5 strips of beef + the bake vege that my husband chef made for me. So, I will make a bread for him and little bit for me out of LEMONS! 

Why lemon? there is always a reason behind the flavor of the bread/sweets that I am baking aside from craving. 

Because I mistakenly bought 2 plastics of lemons and right now I have in total of 25 pieces of lemons at home. WHY? because my husband and I decided to pick veggies separately to save time in the market and met at the pricing counter then I realized he also took lemons, I weight both plastics and decided to throw the other one somewhere else before heading the counter, but I totally forgot. When I got home to fix all the groceries then I found out the 2 huge plastics of LEMONS at home. I didn't tell my husband of course I kept half at the fruit bar while the other half was secretly kept at the last end of the fridge. From this recipe I used ONLY ONE BIG LEMON and everyday I added a lemon to my daily veggie juice, goodluck to my next 23 days of lemon juice. 

Enjoy Baking!!! Loves, Mrs. A

12 ServingsPrep: 10 min. Bake: 45 min. + cooling

(recipe adopted from http://www.tasteofhome.com)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened (i used unsalted)
• 1 cup sugar (i used half cup brown and half cup white)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (i added additional tbsp to enrich the sour taste)
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (i used 1cup wheat flour and the rest are apf)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup 2% milk (i used 0% fat - skimmed milk)

(optional but since my husband and i are on selected healthy diet i opt to bare my bread)

• GLAZE:
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
• Beatin the eggs, lemon juice and peel. 
• Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually stir into creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.
• Pour into a greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° / 170 c  for 45
• minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out
• clean.
• Combine glaze ingredients. Remove bread from pan; immediately drizzle
• with glaze. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm. 
• 
  
• Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices).

© Taste of Home 2013

Aj's Baptismal Cake

Here is the buffet table for my nephew's baptism celebration held last July 9, 2013 at Max's Restaurant Alabang Festival Mall.

Our Church Matrimonial CAKE

Hi Everyone.

For those of you who were following my blog and so far none...haha. Anton and I got hitched on the year of 2011 in Paris for an intimate small civil wedding rite. But, as part of the Filipino tradition we have to get married in the Church being a catholic individual who came from a close catholic clan by faith and heart.

The wedding was held in the Philippines and this time the complete family members were all present to witness this important day of our lives, to get blessed by God and exchange vows in front of the altar with our families and close friends.

And so....wedding cake again!!!

I am very proud to post this blog; it took 6 months preparation to make this dream cake come true and was a huge success. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the 4 tier  upside down hanging cake in rose gum paste design, with stones and crystals finishing decorations. 

Cake flavor is a red velvet sponge. The Cake was baked by Tourist Cakeshop located in Tagaytay City, Philippines while the cake stacker were personally brought from www.cakestacker.com located in IL,USA. 

My baker didn't fail to come up with this magnificent, mouth watering and fabulous unique cake and was able to be displayed for 8 hours at our wedding reception hall. The whole cake idea as well as its detailed designs was crazy created by yours truly while the cake hanger was made by our family friend steel maker. 

The idea was inspired by:  www.projectwedding.com and www.swirlscake.ca

Enjoy our wedding cake !!! I hope you guys will get inspired too. The most unique cake we ever had in our entire lives as well as to our family, friends, guests, reception waiters and staffs and the whole wedding team and suppliers. 
Before our wedding, no one had ever seen this cake back home most specifically for the wedding venue.

Enjoy!

Loves,

Mr. A and Mrs. A

Chef A Birthday Cupcakes

Hello Guys,

Good day!

Today I made my husband's triple salted caramel cupcakes to compliment his photo chef cake for his surprised 30th birthday. Technically I did this last night  to stay its freshness and since I cannot hide at the kitchen I told him these were ordered by our neighbors and has to be delivered the following day to Popeyes Restaurant and after the delivery we will be heading to Jumeirah Hotel to celebrate his birthday over late lunch with my brother and sister in law, but he didn't knew that all our friends will be hiding at the party hall and once we enter they will pop the poppers to greet him a happy birthday. I gathered 20 of my close friends and planned a children theme birthday party including Popeyes the mascott. It all went successful as expected and my husband was so happy (i hope he didnt lie) for a unique birthday party (affordable) and served the typical fast food chicken and fries to all our friends and headed at home in the evening for drinks.

Here is the recipe how I made these beautiful and frosting perfect salted caramel cupcakes. 

I am proud to say that my peers really enjoyed the softness and filling of a vanilla cake and home made caramel sauce. Three dozen went down to 5 after the party. It must be really good! 

Happy baking!!

Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes 

Makes 15 Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin tins with papers.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale fluffy. 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add vanilla. 

Mix and scrape down sides of bowl as needed. 

Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each, ending with the dry ingredient.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about halfway full. 

Bake for about 25 minutes. 

When done, transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.

Salted Caramel Filling:

1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons salted butter cubed
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature

Melt the sugar over medium high heat in a large pot. Whisk the sugar as it melts and cook until it becomes a deep amber color.

Add the butter and stir it in until melted.

Pour in the heavy cream and whisk until you get a smooth sauce.

You may have some lumps but keep stirring until they have melted.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Cut a small round piece out of the tops of each cooled cupcake and pour in 1 teaspoon of caramel. Replace the cake piece and set cupcakes aside.

Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick salted butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a saucepan, stir together granulated sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook without stirring until mixture turns a deep amber color. Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring until very smooth.

Let caramel cool for about 20 minutes, until it is just barely warm and still pourable.

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and salt together until lightened and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the caramel. Beat on medium high speed until light and airy, and completely mixed (about 2 minutes). Mixture should be ready to use without refrigeration. 

Design and top at your cupcakes.

Topper:

I used kisses to top it all. 

Happy Birthday to the husband and chef of my life. I love you more than the effort that I made overnight for these cakes. 

Enjoy!
Mrs. A

Upside Down Pineapple Cake

Helo guys,

Another home made cake for me to share to all of you. My husband Anton loves any kind of fruit cake, I noticed that he ignore the pure chocolate or caramel cakes but when I made cakes or loafs from banana, apple, lemon and buy any commercialized fruit cake its gone for a max of 48 hours. 

This time I wanted to try something new this is the first attempt to make pineapple upside down cake. I got also an inpiration from my sister in law Jhoanna who baked a banana upside down, so i went back to my favorite site joyofbaking and used her recipe to make a beautiful upside down cake. 

Happy Baking!!!

Source: www.joyofbaking.com

RECIPE:

Topping:

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) (55 grams) unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

3/4 cup (160 grams) light brown sugar - I used dark brown sugar

1 medium pineapple- I used canned pineapple del monte made from philippines

cherry toppings in can (american garden brand ) (optional)

Cake Batter:

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour - I mix with wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, separated, room temperature

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Topping:
Place the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. 
Continue cooking, without stirring, for a few more minutes or until bubbles just start to appear around the outside edges of the mixture (the sugar starts to caramelize). 
Then remove from heat, and pour into your prepared cake pan. Evenly arrange the fresh pineapple slices on top of the sugar mixture. (Can also garnish with cherries.)

Cake Batter:
In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the vanilla extract. 
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 

Add the flour mixture (in three additions), alternately with the milk (in two additions), ending with the dry ingredients.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar just until the whites hold a firm peak. With a large spatula gently fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter in two additions. 

Pour the batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top. 
Bake in preheated oven for 45 -55 minutes, or until the top of the cake has browned and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan (a toothpick inserted into the cake (not the pineapple) will come out clean). 
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. 
Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan and then invert the cake onto your serving plate. Serve with softly whipped cream, personally for me theres no need since the caramel and pineapple completes the cake taste. 

Makes one - 9 inch (23 cm) cake. 
Serves 6 to 8.

Enjoy!!!

Loves,

Mrs. A

Marble Cake

Hello Guys,

This time I taught of making a marble cake, WHY? Because I am watching one of the cooking show via you tube and got hitched with one episode of baking a marble cake. So i tried but not my first time to bake this recipe. As far as I remember this is my 3rd to bake but first time to use a bundt pan.

RECIPE:

source: www.joyofbaking.com

Marble Cake Recipe: 5 ounces (140 grams) semi sweet chocolate chopped - but I used a dark chocolate baking bar and cut into pieces. 1 tablespoon brewed coffee (optional) 2 1/4 cups (295 grams) all purpose flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white sugar 3 large eggs, room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/3 cup (80 ml) sour cream or plain yougart, room temperature 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk, room temperature

Marble Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.Butter, or spray with a non stick spray, a 10 inch (25 cm) bundt or tube pan.  

In a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate with the coffee. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and sour cream.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk to the batter, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. 

Remove a little more than half of the batter and place into a separate bowl. 

To the remaining batter stir, or beat, in the melted chocolate. Place the batters into the prepared bundt pan by alternating spoonfuls of vanilla batter with the chocolate batter. Then, with the end of a wooden skewer or knife, gently draw swirls through the batter to marbleize it. Don't over mix.

Bake for about 35 - 40minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center just comes out clean. 

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes before removing the cake from the pan to cool completely. 

Can dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder or powdered sugar. 

Serves about 10 people.

Happy Baking!

It tasted nice.
Much better to compliment with a sugar free green tea.

Enjoy!!!
Loves,
Mrs. A