Apple-e-scrumptious Apple Bundt Cake Recipe

 

When I was growing up you will be a lucky child if you get to eat an apple. Where I used to live apple is expensive and it only comes during Christmas. If you do get to eat one, it's a treat and it's nothing to waste. So when I went to my very first apple picking 2 decades ago. I felt a sense of sadness seeing those apple on the ground, just rotting, and the whole entire time I kept thinking. My goodness, those kids back home would go crazy if they see all those apples on the ground. Every time now, after all these years of apple picking, I still keep thinking of those kids back home.

Last week we took the whole family went apple picking and they went nuts, specially the kids adults. We took the kids to the pumpkin patch too. We bought 2 bushels of apples and I knew I had to get to work, while the apples were fresh. Didn't want to make anymore apple pies, since I've made a lot of them every year. I wanted something different this year. I looked everywhere for an apple cake recipe that didn't require orange juice, and most of them calls for it. Sooooo, I had to tweak it and it turned out great.

I really love this recipe, that's why I'm sharing it with you.  Normally, I can honestly say, If I find a recipe that I love, I won't share it, but this is just too good to not share 'coz I love you guys.

Here's what you need:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground all spice (decrease cinnamon to 2 tsp. if adding this spice)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 cups chopped apple
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecan (optional)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Sauce:

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cream or evaporated milk

What to do:

1. Mix all dry ingredients and sift, including sugar.  Mix all the wet ingredients and mix well. Combine the wet into the dry and mix well. A stand mixer can used as well, but I just used my handy wooden spoon. Add the apples, nuts (optional) and vanilla extract. Mix well.
2. Spoon the cake batter into a greased or sprayed with Baker's Joy baking spray bundt cake pan and bake at 350F degrees for one hour and check for doneness with a toothpick when inserted comes out clean. Bake for another 10 minutes interval if batter still sticks to the toothpick.
3. Remove from the oven and poke holes on top.
4. For the caramel sauce. Over low heat, melt brown sugar and butter. Stir in vanilla and cream, cook till boiling and until thick, stirring occasionally. Spoon over the top of the poked cake and let it cool in pan for 1/2 hour.
5. Invert on cake plate and dust with powdered sugar. ENJOY!

Cake is best when chilled, but if you have a family who loves apples and cakes, they won't last long on the counter. 

Pair this with hot tea, coffee or hot chocolate and it's just sooo yummy!

Very moist and delicious!

Make sure you leave me a comment if you have tried this recipe and let me know if you liked it. Also visit my Facebook and post your creation there and share with me. I love hearing from you guys!

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Hamburger / Cheeseburger Cake - Recipe

Ever since I learned how to make pretty looking cakes, my best friend has asked me to make a cake for her daughter. This would be the 3rd time  I've made her cake. The first one was the Dino Cake and the other one was the Tom and Jerry Cake. The Tom and Jerry cake, I would say is the hardest cake I've ever made. I have baked a lot but I still consider myself a novice baker. I wasn't really sure on what to do with this cake. I avoid working with fondant because of my carpal tunnel. Good thing I saw a post using just butter cream frosting. You wouldn't believe how happy I was. I actually did a happy dance. LOL!

For the top and bottom I used a regular yellow cake. For those who do not have time to make from scratch you could always use a cake from the box. For those who prefer the scratch version here's the recipe.

What you need: (This is for the bun)

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

What you need to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round pans or use Baker's Joy Spray. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly tapped and a bit golden brown. Cool 15 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks.(Make sure you don't turn the top side, the one you will be using as top bun onto the cooling racks, or it will have the indentations from the rack.)

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What you need: (This is for the burger part - Chocolate cake)

• 2 oz. Baker's bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup strong-brewed coffee
• 1 cup buttermilk 

Direction:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Spray a 2 - 8 inch round pans with flour spray. Since you're only using 1 of the chocolate cake, only if you want, make the other one into cake balls. In a small saucepan, melt 2 ounces of the chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Scrape the chocolate into a medium bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the oil and sugar until smooth, then whisk in the egg.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture along with 1/2 cup of the coffee and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk; whisk until smooth. Add the remaining dry ingredients, coffee and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cake cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out and let cool completely.

When all the cake have rested and cooled down. You can start putting them together.  Start with the bottom yellow cake and then add your colored frosting in. I thought I over did the frosting but the birthday girl actually loved the cake. I was happy and they were happy. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture with the birthday girl, 'coz I didn't make it to her party :-(

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Humba (Braised Pork Belly) Filipino Dish Recipe

Another Filipino Dish that I love-love-love, did I say LOVE to eat. I would eat this everyday of the week if my cholesterol would let me. LOL!

This dish is called Humba (Braised Pork Belly) is one of the comfort foods in every Filipino household. It's a popular filipino food dish somewhere in the Visayas and Mindanao regions (I knew it because I used to lived there). I don't know how they called it in the Luzon region, but I knew they have a version of humba too. This dish is sometimes used to make Siopao, but that's a different blog I have to post.

OK! You need to cute the pork this small or if you prefer them bigger, it's fine too.

You will need about 3 bay leaves.

Whole black peppercorn

Vinegar


 
 Garlic

Brown sugar

Soy sauce

Mix well and cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge
for 3 hours or more to marinade.

When it's ready to cook, place on a deep enough pot and boil and turn the heat down to simmer till the liquid is almost gone and the meat is tender.

Here's the recipe so you can make it as well :-)

1 lb. any pork you want, I used the think pork chop
3 bay leaves
1.2 tsp. whole peppercorns
1/3 cup vinegar
6 gloves of garlic, chopped
4 tsp. brown sugar
4 tbsp. soy sauce

Direction:
Cut meat from the bone and cut into small pieces.
Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and marinate the meat in this mixture for about 3 hours. Then transfer to a large enough pot with cover. Boil and turn the heat down to simmer till the liquid is almost gone and the meat is tender. You can add the hard boiled eggs during this process. Serve over hot rice and enjoy.




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Rainbow Pancake Recipe

Doesn't it look pretty? I thought so too. I made this because I was inspired the rainbow cake, which I saw at Whisk Kid's site.  I made that rainbow cake too, remember? Everyone loved that cake. It was too pretty to eat but, we did. You betcha! I was so inspired by the rainbow cake that I had to make pancakes as well. If the kids enjoyed the cake so much, why not color other things too. So rainbow pancake it is.

There's no recipe to share since I just use a regular Bisquick batter, but I added 2 tablespoon of sugar. Ahh heck I will share the dang recipe. It's so much easier than explaining and it would take as much time. So, recipe on the bottom. You can keep reading this while contemplating if you want to make some rainbow pancake for the kids or for yourself OR be ballsy and make the rainbow cake instead. Come on now, I know you can do it :-) Both will taste good, so it doesn't matter which one you make.

Are ya licking the screen yet? I hope not. LOL! I'm telling it's finer lickin' good :-)

Here's what you need:

• 2 cups Original Bisquick Mix
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• Food coloring (I used gel, the color appears bolder)

What to do:

1. Stir all ingredients until blended. Divide the batters evenly, depends on how many colors you wanted.  I didn't have an exact measurement on how much batter is divided. I just separated 5 batters in each bowl and color. The more color you but it the brighter the pancake gets. ** Don't put too much or you will have a bitter batter pancake. (Say that 5 times fast).
2. Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat or electric griddle to 375°F; grease with cooking spray, vegetable oil or shortening. (Surface is ready when a few drops of water sprinkled on it dance and disappear.)  Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle or however you want them to be.
3. Cook until edges are dry. Turn; cook until golden.
4. ENJOY!!!

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Double Trouble Choco Bundt Cake with Choco drizzle Recipe

I've made this recipe a few times already and now it's time to share. This moist and light bundt cake is perfect for any occasion. The coffee in the batter makes the chocolate flavor intensify and combined with the sweetness.

Here's what you need:

• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped ( I used Baker's chocolate)
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup strong-brewed coffee
• 1 cup buttermilk

Ganache:

• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped ( I used Baker's chocolate )
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Chopped up bittersweet chocolate (Optional, to sprinkle on top)

 Let's bake:

    1.    Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with Baker's Joy or your own creation of cake release. In a small saucepan, melt 2 ounces of the chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Scrape the chocolate into your mixing bowl (I used my Kitchen Aid mixing bowl) and let cool slightly. Mix in the oil and sugar and beat until smooth, then add in the egg.
    2.    In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture along with 1/2 cup of the coffee and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk; beat until smooth. Add the remaining dry ingredients, coffee and buttermilk and beat until smooth.
    3.    Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
    4.    Let the cake cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out and let cool completely.
    5.    In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. In a heatproof bowl, combine the remaining 3 ounces of chopped chocolate with the corn syrup and butter. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let the ganache glaze cool until thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes.
    6.    Pour or drizzle the ganache over the cooled cake. Let the cake stand until the glaze is set, at least 30 minutes, before serving.

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