Yellow Cake & Chocolate Frosting



update october 2022 with better frosting




 Yellow Cake & Chocolate Frosting

New: September 2021

Double if you're using 8 inch rounds

For the Cake:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 270g
1/4 cup corn starch 35g
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar 250g
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature, 113g
¼ cup vegetable oil 60mL
3 eggs room temperature, large
2 yolks
1 tbsp vanilla extract 15mL
1 cup buttermilk 240mL (instead use 1 c milk, 1 T vinegar)

For the Cake
  • Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour three 6 inch round pans. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, corn starch, and salt then set aside.
  • Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, or a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer. 
  • Add the oil and vanilla, mix to combine then scrape the bowl down. Add the eggs one at a time mixing until incorporated before adding the next. Scrape the bowl down once more and mix again. 
  • Add flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter in alternating batches while mixing on low.
  • Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until the centers are set and springy.
  • Allow to layers cool in pans for a few minutes then invert into a wire rack to cool completely.
New chocolate recipe

New: September 2022

1.5x (for 3x 8" cakes)

225g unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural
600 g confectioners' sugar, divided
1.5 t espresso powder (just use instant coffee powder)
340 g (1.5 c) heavy cream
3 sticks of butter
pinch of salt
3 t King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract


.75x (for 3x 6" cakes)
112.5g unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural
300 g confectioners' sugar, divided
0.75 t espresso powder (just use instant coffee powder)
170 g (1.5 c) heavy cream
1.5 sticks of butter
small pinch of salt
1.5 t King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract



Sift or sieve the cocoa, 1 1/2 cups (170g) confectioners' sugar and espresso powder into a bowl.

Bring the cream to a simmer on the stove or in the microwave, and whisk into the cocoa mixture.

At first the mixture will look grainy; continue whisking for a minute.

You'll see the lumps disappear as the sugar dissolves and the cocoa hydrates. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Place the butter, salt, and 2 cups (227g) sifted or sieved confectioners' sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla.

With the mixer running on low speed, add the cocoa mixture a spoonful at a time until it's all incorporated. Scrape the bowl, then beat at medium speed for one minute more. Use to frost cake as needed.

Store frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 6 months. Bring to cool room temperature before spreading or piping. (note it'll take like 5 hours to warm up)



Original
Makes 4.5 cups

1 3/4 cups (149g) unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural
3 1/2 cups (397g) confectioners' sugar, divided
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional, for enhanced chocolate flavor
1 cup (227g) heavy cream, at room temperature
16 tablespoons (227g) unsalted butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract


Sift or sieve the cocoa, 1 1/2 cups (170g) confectioners' sugar and espresso powder into a bowl.

Bring the cream to a simmer on the stove or in the microwave, and whisk into the cocoa mixture.

At first the mixture will look grainy; continue whisking for a minute.

You'll see the lumps disappear as the sugar dissolves and the cocoa hydrates. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Place the butter, salt, and 2 cups (227g) sifted or sieved confectioners' sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla.

With the mixer running on low speed, add the cocoa mixture a spoonful at a time until it's all incorporated. Scrape the bowl, then beat at medium speed for one minute more. Use to frost cake as needed.

Store frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 6 months. Bring to cool room temperature before spreading or piping.



Instead of butter milk used milk + vinegar
Make less butter cream next time if you use the preppt recipe
https://preppykitchen.com/yellow-cake/#recipe

Hummus with Greek Yogurt






Hummus with Greek Yogurt


 Ingredients

1 (15 oz) can cooked chickpeas (OR 1 heaping half cup dried soaked overnight)

4 tablespoons chickpea liquid from can

2 garlic cloves

2 teaspoons of roasted garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons tahini paste

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup Greek yogurt

Salt to taste

Garnish: olive oil, sumac, olives, chickpeas

Instructions

Pulse the garlic cloves in the food processor until finely chopped.

Add the chickpeas and pulse until crushed.

Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, chickpeas, and some olives. Sprinkle with sumac and serve with veggies, pita chips, or breadsticks.


Notes

Store leftover hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.


Originally from: https://www.dimitrasdishes.com/creamy-greek-style-hummus-with-yogurt/

Emoji Cake

 Emoji Cake




Japanese Strawberry Cake

Japanese Strawberry Sponge Cake (Strawberry Shortcake)

Prep Time

40 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Sponge Cake Cooling Time

1 hr

Total Time

2 hrs 5 mins

 

Japanese sponge cakes have in general lighter and softer texture than those I find in Australia, and possibly other Western countries. The texture is almost like my Cotton Cheesecake. The most popular sponge cake in Japan is by far the Strawberry Sponge Cake, aka Strawberry Shortcake.


Recipe Type: Dessert

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: japanese cake, sponge cake, strawberry cake


Serves: 8

Author: Yumiko


Ingredients (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)

Sponge Cake

125g / 4.4oz all-purpose flour sifted 3 times

100g / 3.5oz sugar (note 1)

4 eggs , yolks and whites separated

60g / 2.1oz butter , melted

Butter and flour to coat inside the cake pan

Decoration

18 strawberries (mid-size, note 2)

300ml / 0.6pt cream for whipping (note 3)

10g / 0.4oz sugar

Syrup (optional, note 4)

40ml / 1.4oz water

10g / 0.4oz sugar

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 180°C / 356°F.


Coat the inside of an 18cm / 7" cake tin (note 5) with butter, dust with flour, then shake off the excess flour.


Put the egg yolks in a bowl, add ⅔ of the sugar and beat the egg yolks until they become whitish and thick. Draw a ribbon with the whisk and if the ribbon disappears slowly, it is ready.


In a separate bowl, beat the egg white. When the small bubbles form and the volume of the egg white doubles, add the remaining sugar in 2-3 batches and beat further to make meringue.


When the meringue becomes firm and it can form a peak when you lift the whisk (see the step-by-step photo in the post), it is ready.


Put the flour through the sifter and add to the egg yolk. Fold the batter with a spatula.


Transfer ⅓ of the meringue to the batter and mix with a whisk until the batter becomes smooth.


Add the remaining meringue to the batter in 2-3 batches and fold.

Pour the melted butter into the batter and fold several times. It's OK even if the butter is not completely mixed.


Pour the batter into the cake tin. Drop the tin onto the work bench to settle the batter in the tin, then, cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Insert a thin bamboo skewer in the centre of the cake to see if the skewer comes out dry. If the skewer is a bit wet, cook further 5 minutes.


Take the tin out of the oven and drop the tin onto the work bench. Remove the cake from the tin and let it cool completely on a rack, upside down (bottom side up).


Decorating the cake (do the steps 1 and 2 while cooling the sponge cake)

Put the Syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. When the sugar dissolved, turn the heat off.


Whip the cream until soft peak forms. Wipe the strawberries with a wet kitchen paper, remove the stems and halve 10 strawberries.


Leave the sponge cake upside down as is and slice it horizontally in half (note 6), remove the top half and place it next to the bottom half of the cake, cut side up.


Using a brush, coat the cut surface of the two sponge cakes with the syrup gently.


Drop about 3 heaped tablespoons of the whipped cream on the bottom half of the sliced cake and spread it to cover the entire surface. Fill the surface with the halved strawberries, without a gap as much as possible.


Drop about 4 heaped tablespoons of the whipped cream on and spread it to cover the strawberries and the round edge.


Place the top half of the cake on it, syrup side down. Gently press down, making sure the top and bottom cakes are aligned. Fill the gap around the strawberry filling on the side with whipped cream.


(optional) Thinly coat the top and the side of the cake with whipped cream. It is OK not to completely cover the sponge. Leave the cake in the fridge for 10 minutes (note 7).


Using a cake spatula or a long flat spatula, fully cover the top and the side of the cake with the remaining whipped cream, leaving some (about minimum of 4-5 tablespoons) for piping.


Put the remaining cream in a piping bag with a round nozzle. Squeeze out the cream to make a mound of cream in 8 positions around the edge of the surface. Place a strawberry on each mound.


Recipe Notes

1. My cake is not too sweet. If you prefer it sweeter, increase the quantity of sugar up to 125g / 4.4oz.


2. My 18 strawberries weighed about 450 / 1lb. I used halved strawberries as fillings but if you slice them, you can reduce the number of strawberries.


Instead of strawberries, you can use other berries to make it a mixed berry shortcake (see the photo in the post), or different fruits such as sliced peaches, kiwifruits, pineapples, oranges, grapes, or all of these mixed together!


3. Amount of whipped cream varies depending on the size of the cake tin, how tall your cake is and how much cream you put on the cake.


4. I did not use it but you can add a small amount (½ teaspoon) of liquor of you choice if you want.


5. I tried with a springform cake tin as well as a non-springform tin. The springform tin leaves a dent at the bottom of the cake when cooked so, I prefer a non-springform tin. There is no problem removing the baked cake out of the non-springform tin.


The size of the tin can be up to 21cm / 8". Any larger than that will make the cake thin, and it will not be easy to slice into two layers.


6. The easiest way to slice the round cake horizontally is to make a shallow cut around the side of the cake first, then slide the knife deeper into the centre ensuring that the blade traces the initial cut.


7. This will make the remaining whipped cream stick easier, particularly on the side.


8. My method of making a sponge cake is to beat the egg yolks and whites separately. There is another method of making the batter by beating whole eggs. If you want to use this method, here are the steps to replace the steps 3-9 in my recipe:

1) Put the eggs in a bowl, mix, then add sugar. Beat the eggs over a 60°C / 140°F water bath.

2) When the egg mixture is warmed up to around body temperature, remove the bowl from the water bath.

3) Continue to beat until the egg mixture cools down and becomes thick whitish batter. When you draw a ribbon with the whisk, the trace of the ribbon should slowly disappear.

4) Add the flour through a sifter to the batter and fold it in with a spatula. Add butter and fold several times.


9. You should consume the cake within 2 days. Although the sponge cake will keep longer, the flavour of the strawberries and cream start degrading on 3rd day.


10. Nutrition per serving.


serving: 146g calories: 346kcal fat: 22g (34%) saturated fat: 13g (65%) trans fat: 0.7g polyunsaturated fat: 1.4g monounsaturated fat: 6g cholesterol: 152mg (51%) sodium: 95mg (4%) potassium: 151mg (4%) carbohydrates: 31g (10%) dietary fibre: 1.2g (5%) sugar: 18g protein: 6.2g vitamin a: 18% vitamin c: 40% calcium: 3.8% iron: 7.6%


Originally from: https://japan.recipetineats.com/japanese-strawberry-sponge-cake-strawberry-shortcake/

Shrimp Scampi





Shrimp Scampi

New: Oct 2021

 INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup dry white wine or broth

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

 Freshly ground black pepper

1 ¾ pounds large or extra-large shrimp, shelled

⅓ cup chopped parsley

 Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon

 Cooked pasta or crusty bread


PREPARATION

In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine or broth, salt, red pepper flakes and plenty of black pepper and bring to a simmer. Let wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes.

Add shrimp and sauté until they just turn pink, 2 to 4 minutes depending upon their size. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and serve over pasta or accompanied by crusty bread.


Originally from: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9101-classic-shrimp-scampi


Blogger Template by Clairvo