Leche Flan

A friend inspired me to post my recipe for this sweet Filipino favorite. The secret to creating a melt in your mouth leche flan is using a lot of egg yolks. So yeah, good luck to those who are watching their weight. Though this treat is not advisable to be devoured on a daily basis, it is good to indulge ourselves once in a while especially with Valentine’s day coming. So here it is, my melt in your mouth leche flan.

Ingredients:

1 big and 1 small can evaporated milk

1 330 ml can condensed milk

14 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup water

1. Mix sugar and water then bring to a boil for a few minutes until the sugar caramelizes.

2. Pour caramelized sugar into an aluminum mould, spreading the caramel enough to cover the bottom. Set aside.

3. Mix the evaporated milk, condensed milk, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. Do not beat it, just mix it slowly enough to incorporate all the ingredients together.

4. Slowly pour the mixture on top of the caramel on your aluminum mould.

5. If your aluminum mould does not come with a cover, cover it with aluminum foil and steam for about 40-45 minutes. To check, insert a toothpick on your flan and if it comes out clean, your flan is already done.

6. Let cool. Refrigerate. Enjoy!

Mango Float

Christmas is the season of gift giving and sharing. It is also the season for family get togethers, and where there’s family get togethers, there’s always food. Another favorite in the noche buena menu is the classic favorite, mango float. A lot of recipes that can be found over the internet are too sweet. This is my recipe which is made with less sweeteners and more cream. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

10 pcs.Ripe Mangoes
3 boxes Graham Crackers
4 boxes Alaska Crema
1 can Condensed Milk

1. Slice mangoes into thin slices.
2. Combine condensed milk, Alaska crema and mangoes. Layer the graham crackers in a Pyrex.
3. Put layers of graham crackers followed by the mangoes, cream and milk mixture.
4. Repeat the layers of graham crackers and filling until you’ve used it all. Top the final layer with crushed graham crackers.
5. Chill overnight.

Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake

I got this recipe from Hershey’s Kitchens. The recipe is very easy to make and so moist. It’s even delicious without the frosting. I substituted the Hershey’s cocoa with dutch processed Bensdorp cocoa powder because it’s cheaper. Also, I used brown sugar instead of white sugar. Well here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

“PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE FROSTING (recipe follows)

Directions

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2 Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3 Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with “PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

“PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.
Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Tips and Techniques

Bakeware

Be sure to use the pan size called for in the recipe. To check the width of a pan, measure across the top from inside edge to inside edge.

Use shiny metal pans for baking cakes. They reflect heat away, producing a tender, lighter-colored crust.

Use caution when using dark nonstick baking pans or glass baking dishes. Read and follow the manufacturer’s directions. Since these pans absorb more heat, results may be better if the baking temperature is reduced by 25 degrees F.
Baking

Bake cakes with the oven rack placed in the center of the oven, unless the recipe states differently. Bake only on one rack.

Cooling

Cakes should be cooled completely on wire racks. Cool round cakes in their pans 10 minutes, then loosen by running a thin knife between the cake and the edge of the pan and remove the cakes from pans to wire racks. Rectangular cakes (often in 13×9-inch baking pans) can be cooled completely in the pan or cooled 10 minutes in the pan and then removed to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting

Frost cakes when they are completely cooled, or the frosting will melt or slide off the cake.

Making a Cake Recipe into Cupcakes

Follow cupcake preparation directions in the recipe, but if the recipe does not have specific instructions, be aware that most cake recipes can be made into cupcakes. Use the following guidelines.

Line cupcake pans with paper baking cups; fill cups 1/2 to 3/4 full with cake batter.

Bake cupcakes at the same temperature the cake called required and begin checking for doneness at 16 minutes.

Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

Expect a yield of about 1-1/2 to 2 dozen cupcakes from a recipe calling for about 2-1/4 cups of flour.
Storage & Cutting

Follow cupcake preparation directions in the recipe, but if the recipe does not have specific instructions, be aware that most cake recipes can be made into cupcakes. Use the following guidelines.

Line cupcake pans with paper baking cups; fill cups 1/2 to 3/4 full with cake batter.

Bake cupcakes at the same temperature the cake called required and begin checking for doneness at 16 minutes.

Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

Expect a yield of about 1-1/2 to 2 dozen cupcakes from a recipe calling for about 2-1/4 cups of flour.
Troubleshooting

Refer to this checklist to figure out why a cake did not turn out as expected.

If a homemade cake has a coarse texture, the following problems may have occurred:

Too much baking soda or baking powder may have been used.
Not enough liquid may have been used.
The butter and sugar may not have been beaten together long enough. If the recipe calls for creaming butter and sugar, or beating until light and fluffy, this should take at least three to four minutes of beating.
The oven temperature was too low.

If a homemade cake is too dry, the following problems may have occurred:

Too much flour or leavening (baking soda/baking powder) was used.

Flour was not measured properly (see measuring tips).

Not enough shortening or sugar was used.
The cake was over-baked – the oven temperature was too high and/or the baking time was too long.

If a homemade cake fell (the center of the cake sinks), the following problems may have occurred:

The cake was under-baked – the oven temperature was too low and/or the baking time was too short.
The liquid was over or under measured.
The pan was too small – the batter was too deep.
The cake was moved or jarred before it
was sufficiently baked.
Old or expired baking powder was used.
A wooden pick or cake tester was inserted into the cake before it was sufficiently set.

If a homemade cake has low volume or is too flat, the following problems may have occurred:

The liquid was over- or under-measured.
The batter was under-mixed or extremely over-mixed.
Too large a pan was used.
The oven temperature was too low or too high.

If a homemade cake has a peaked center, the following problems may have occurred:

The batter was over-mixed.
The oven temperature was too hot.

If a homemade cake shrinks excessively around the edges, the following problems may have occurred:

The baking pans were greased too heavily.
The baking pans were placed too close together in the oven.
There was too little batter in the baking pan.
The batter was extremely over-mixed.
There was too little liquid in the batter.
The cake was over-baked – either too long a time or at too high a temperature.

If a homemade cake is soggy, the following problems may have occurred:

The cake was moved or jarred before it was sufficiently baked.
The cake was under-baked – the oven temperature was too low and/or the baking time was too short.
Old or expired baking powder was used.

If a homemade cake has a spotted crust, the batter was probably under-mixed.

If a homemade cake has a sticky top crust, the following problems may have occurred:

The cake was stored while still warm.
The liquid was over measured.
The cake was under-baked – the oven temperature was too low and/or the baking time was too short.
The air humidity was too high.

If a homemade cake has tunnels throughout the layer, the following problems may have occurred:

The oven temperature was too high.
The batter was under-mixed or extremely over-mixed.

If a homemade cake has uneven browning, the following problems may have occurred:

There was uneven heat circulation in the oven.
The baking pans were placed too close together in the oven.

If a homemade cake has uneven layers, the following problems may have occurred:

The oven rack was not level.
The cake pans were warped or bent.

Icing

So as not to waste the egg whites that you have left from our last recipe, let’s try to make some icing. I’m not good in baking yet so we do this with store bought cupcakes or store bought chiffon cakes. The measurements for this recipe is good for one round chiffon cake.

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.) In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, water and cream of tartar. 2.) Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbly.
3.) In a medium mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and vanilla to soft peaks.
4.) Gradually add the sugar mixture while whipping constantly until stiff peaks form, about 7 to 10 minutes.
5.) Frost the cake or cupcake of your choice.

Yema

One of my all time favorite deserts is Yema. When my sister and I were kids, our mom used to make Yema for us when we played “school”. Every time one of us would celebrate our birthday, she would always cook Yema. This only changed when my late father got diagnosed with diabetes. But Yema always brings good and happy memories for us. So here it is, enjoy!

Ingredients:

330 ml can condensed milk
9 egg yolks (save the egg whites for our next recipe)
1/2 tsp lemon rind
2 tbsp butter to grease hands
1/2 cup white sugar for rolling

1.) Combine the first 3 ingredients in a non-stick frying pan
2.) Cook over low heat, stirring continuously until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. It is best to use wooden spoons for this.
3.) Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
4.) Butter your fingers and form the yema mixture into small balls.
5.) Roll the yema balls in granulated sugar and place in fluted baking cups or colored plastic.

Black Sambo

Ever since I tasted this at my best friend Cara’s place, I was hooked! It tastes so good, you’re literally gonna forget you’re on a diet. Oh yes, believe me. Anyway, it is best to use dutch processed cocoa powder versus the ordinary cocoa powder because the former gives a more chocolatey color and aroma. For the gelatin and dutch processed cocoa powder, you can buy them repacked at a cheaper price in Caro and Marie. Everything else is available at your local supermarket. Don’t buy your evaporated milk and condensed milk from Caro because they sell these at a more expensive price.

Ingredients

4 tbsps gelatin
1 300ml can condensed milk
1 cup cold water
1 250ml all purpose cream
1 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 cup white sugar
1 350ml can evaporated milk
chocolate for garnish

This recipe has two layers. It is very important to let the first layer settle for 2-4 hours. It settles in faster if you put it in the refrigerator.

White/first layer
1.) Dissolve 2 tbsps of gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water.
2.) Cook over low to medium flame until the powder is dissolved. Do not overcook.
3.) Add 1 can condensed milk and continue to cook while stirring constantly to make sure the gelatin is completely dissolved.
4.) Remove from heat and let cool for 5 mins while stirring continously.
5.) Add 1 250ml all purpose cream and continue to mix.
6.) Pour into mold/pyrex dish and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Note: Start making the second layer once the first layer has already set.

Chocolate/second layer
1.) Dissolve 2 tbsps of gelatin in1/2 cup cold water
2.) Cook over low to medium flame until the powder is dissolved. Do not overcook.
3.) In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup dutch processed cocoa powder and 1 cup white sugar.
4.) Add the cocoa powder mixture to the gelatin and dissolve over low flame while continuously stirring.
5.) Add 1 can evaporated milk and continue stirring for about 3 to 5 mins over low heat.
6.) Pour on top of white layer and refrigerate for another 2-4 hours or just until the chocolate layer has set.
7.) Once set, unmold by running a cake spatula around the molding or pyrex dish.
8.) Garnish with chocolate syrup or grated chocolate.

You can cut them into cubes and put them in fluted cups size #2 if you wish.