#kraftibakes

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Chocolate Macarons

Macarons (not to be confused with macaroons and pronounced like "macaroni" but without the '-i'), are cookie-like French confections made by sandwiching cream, ganache or almond paste between two wafers made from egg whites, almond powder and confectioner’s and granulated sugars.

  A few friends of mine have been craving and gushing over these little goodies which I've never actually tried myself but made me think that maybe I should try learning how to make these for their sakes.

    Here's a really good recipe I found online from David Lebovitz - Chocolate macarons filled with chocolate ganache. I've read suggestions that aging the egg whites called for the recipe makes a difference. I'm not too familiar with the science but thought that it won't hurt since I still have to look for Almond Flour and Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder. So, I left it sitting on our counter uncovered for overnight. My husband found the almond flour and cocoa powder at Raley's in the special foods aisle.

TOOLS I USED

Baking Sheets

Parchment Paper

Ruler

Pencil

Pastry Bag

Tip #12

Small pitcher or large glass

Food processor or Magic Bullet

Sifter

Stand Mixer

Rubber Spatula

CHOCOLATE MACARONS Servings: about 15

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup almond flour

3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

2 large egg whites, at room temperature (I aged mine overnight)

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions: Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready. (I drew a grid of 1-inch squares on my parchment paper and used tip #12 on a featherweight pastry bag standing over a small pitcher).

Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa so there are no lumps; use a blender or food processor since almond meal that you buy isn't quite fine enough. (I used my Magic Bullet then sifted the mix as well.)

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. (It actually took longer than 2 minutes for me. The whipped mixture should stick to your beater and look like shaving cream)

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you're alone).

Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.(This is why I had that grid. It's hard to see in the photo because I inverted the parchment paper. I didn't want my pencil marks to touch the food.)

Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons, then bake them for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

  Chocolate Ganache Filling

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

Heat the cream in a small saucepan with the corn syrup. When the cream just begins to boil at the edges, remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth. Stir in the pieces of butter. Let cool completely before using.

Assembly:

Spread a bit of batter on the inside of the macarons then sandwich them together.

Let them stand at least one day before serving, to meld the flavors.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze. If you freeze them, defrost them in the unopened container, to avoid condensation which will make the macarons soggy.

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How to Make Cake Flour

I feel like it's been forever since the last time I posted. It's past the middle of January and this is my first post of the year. Yey! It's been almost a year since I started baking. And yes, I still feel like I'm a beginner. But anyway, due to my late post for 2011 and being Valentine's is the closest special celebration happening, I thought I'd share how to make cake flour. Why cake flour? It's the choice ingredient for Red Velvet Cake - a popular baked goodie for the occasion. It makes it light and fluffy with a tender crumb.  Who ever has cake flour on hand when needed, right? Fortunately, it is so easy to turn all-purpose flour into cake flour. You probably already know how. Here it is.

CAKE FLOURYield: 1 cup

TOOLS

Bowl

Sifter

Measuring Cup

Measuring Spoon

INGREDIENTS

1 cup All-purpose Flour

2 tablespoons Cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS Take out 2 tablespoons of the All-purpose Flour and return it to your flour jar. Put the remaining All-purpose flour on a sifter over a bowl. Add the cornstarch. Sift the flour and cornstarch together. Do this 3-5 times to be well incorporated. There you have it cake flour. 

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Chicken Empanada

Chicken Empanada is a popular Filipino pastry that is stuffed with chicken meat, potatoes, carrots and peas. It's excellent for lunchboxes and snacks to go served hot or cold. My mother-in-law gave me a tip in making these yummy delights. It's better to make the filling in advance and freeze it. It will be easier to place in the dough and form that empanada shape. I found this recipe in YouTube. It's really good. I followed it on my first try and liked it but on my second try, I added more sugar to the filling recipe. My husband likes his Chicken Empanada sweet. I'm sharing my modified recipe. I also tried a different method of rolling the dough. I wanted my empanadas to be identical in sizes so I didn't follow the video on that part. I also used forks on my first try to make the dough. It took forever! So, after a quick trip to Wal-Mart, I got myself a pastry blender. You'll see what I'm talking about. Here's the video, then my modified recipe and directions. Enjoy!

CHICKEN EMPANADA

Ingredients: FILLING:

1-1/2 lb boneless chicken breast, cubed or shredded

1 medium onion, minced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 cup potatoes, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

1 cup green peas

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 piece chicken cube

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons cooking oil

CRUST

3 cups flour

4 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons water, ice cold

1 cup butter, cut into pieces (let it stay in the refrigerator until ready to use)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

Directions: To make the filling, heat the oil on a skillet. Add garlic and saute about 1 minute, then add onions and saute a further 1 minute. Add the chicken and stir fry until it browns (about 5 minutes). Add water and chicken cube then simmer for 10 minutes. Put in the carrots and potatoes, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the green peas, raisins and sugar, then simmer for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Turn off the heat, drain the excess liquid and set aside or put in freezer. To mix the crust, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter and shortening with a knife or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the iced water, a little at a time while gathering the mixture to form a soft dough. Form the dough into a ball. Sprinkle some flour onto a sheet of waxed paper and wrap dough in the waxed paper. Chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Remove chilled dough from refrigerator. Lightly flour a pastry mat or clean counter top. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough until it is 1/8 in thick. Don't roll it too thin or it will break when baked.  Cut 4 inch circles using a cookie cutter or a small bowl. Gather the scraps and re-roll them so they can be used again.

Spoon about 1-2 teaspoons filling into the middle of each pastry circle. Fold the circle so the edges meet and the filling is sealed. Press the edges with the tines of a fork.

Beat the egg white lightly with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the surface of each folded puff with egg mixture. Arrange on a grease baking sheet or wax paper over tray. 

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Chicken Empanada                                                              

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Red Velvet Cheesecake

I have been thinking about what dessert to bring to our first ever Christmas gift exchange this year. I checked out Martha Stewart's website and immediately decided to try making my very first cheesecake. But, what kind? After some soul-searching (right?), I decided on making Red Velvet Cheesecake - perfect color to celebrate Christmas. I am not a huge cheesecake fan. Actually, I'm not a huge cake fan. Hahaha. Ironic, right? I just love to bake. And nothing's more satisfying for me than to have my creations consumed by people important to me. That's what I love and enjoy about baking - sharing it. But this recipe is amazing that I became a fan! I finished two slices one after the other. It's light and smooth, not too rich - hits you in just the right spots.

We all just dug into it that I forgot to take a picture of it out of the pan. I found this recipe from RecipeGirl. The recipe also came with frosting but I'm not too big on frosting that I left it off entirely. It would make for a prettier cake with it, though. So, maybe next time I'll put some frosting but just half the recipe for it.

See what I mean? Pretty! Right?I tried the Zip-loc method to crush the Oreo cookies at first but I just made a big mess. I also tried using my Magic Bullet but it was too small. I ended up using a mortar and pestle to crush the cookies.  Tools I Used

Mortar and Pestle (to crush the cookies)

9 in Springform Pan 

Stand Mixer (you can use a hand mixer, too)

Strainer

Roasting Pan (for the water bath)

RED VELVET CHEESECAKE

Ingredients: CRUST

17 regular-sized Oreo cookies, crushed finely (or 1½ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs)

¼ cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

CHEESECAKE

Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1½ cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sour cream

½ cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Two 1 oz. bottles red food coloring

Directions: Stir together Oreo crumbs, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Press mixture into bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare water bath: Fill large roasting pan (big enough for springform pan to fit into) with about 1 inch of water. Place in oven and allow to preheat along with the oven. Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add eggs and remaining cheesecake ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared crust. (Note: I used a strainer as I poured the batter to make sure I get a really smooth cheesecake.)

Take out two sheets of heavy duty foil and layer them on top of one another. Place springform pan on top of the foil and wrap the foil gently around the pan and up the sides. Make sure that there are no tears or holes and that the foil comes all the way up around all sides of the cake.

  Carefully place the foil-protected pan into the water bath in the preheated oven.

Bake for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300°F. Bake for an additional 75 minutes or until the center is firm. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven for 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven. Carefully remove cheesecake from water bath and place on wire rack. Run a thin knife around the outer edge of the cheesecake. Cool on rack for a couple of hours, until the cheesecake becomes close to room temperature.

Cover and chill for at least 8 hours (or overnight). Remove sides of springform pan. FROSTING:

One 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened

¼ cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Spread evenly on top of cheesecake. Garnish, if desired. *** Note:

You may choose to bake the cheesecake instead with no water bath. Bake at 325 degrees F for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300 degrees F and bake for an additional 75 minutes. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven; cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. (Baking without a water bath – you run the risk of cracking the top of the cheesecake). Red Velvet Cheesecake                                                            

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Purple Zebra Cake

My niece turned 16 and for her cake she wanted the zebra print incorporated with her favorite color, purple. Her 16th party was just a simple get-together of very close friends and relatives, not that elaborate Sweet 16. Being a Filipino, the big party doesn't get done until our 18th birthday. This is a simple design. I wanted to try my hand in making fondant roses and found a video online on how to make it without tools. I think the cake came out pretty good.

I added 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to my usual Marshmallow Fondant recipe to make brown fondant. And then kneaded in the black icing color to turn it black. You will use up less black icing color that way than turning pure white marshmallow fondant black. This is a pretty easy cake to make with hardly any tools used. Here's how I put everything together. TOOLS I USED

2 - 6 in pans

2 - Pyrex 2-cup Round Dish (4 in)

Plastic Cookie Cutters Assorted Shapes, 101/pkg

Rolling pin

Smooth working surface or Rolling Mat

Easy-Glide Fondant Smoother

Wilton Cutter Embosser

Cake Plate

Decorating Brush

Knife

Ruler

Pizza Cutter

INGREDIENTS I USED

Favorite Cake Recipe

Marshmallow Fondant 

Pure White Rolled Fondant

Black Icing Color

Violet Icing Color

Leaf Green Icing Color

 HOW I DID IT

2 days in advance: Made Chocolate Marshmallow Fondant. I added 2 tablespoon of cocoa powder to the recipe and added Black Icing color.

Morning of party:  Baked and cooled 2-layer 6 in. cake and 2-layer 4 in. cake. Filled and crumb-coated them.

Cake Cover. Kneaded and rolled out Pure White Rolled Fondant and covered the 6 in. cake. Kneaded the White Rolled Fondant Icing and colored it purple using the Violet Icing Color. I rolled it out to cover the 4 in. cake.

Zebra Stripes. Placed the 6-in cake on the cake plate. Then rolled out the Black MMF I made 2 days ago.  I used the pizza cutter to cut out random stripes that I placed all around the bottom tier. Black Rope Border. Rolled the Black MMF into a rope and placed around the cake.

Black Ribbon Border. Stacked the 4-in cake on top of the Zebra bottom tier. I just used straws instead of dowels to support the top tier. Then rolled out the Black MMF and cut a 1-in ribbon to go around the 4-in cake as border.

"16" Topper. Rolled out the Black MMF and used "1" and "6" cutters from the Plastic Cookie Cutters Assorted Shapes set to cut out the numbers, 2 each. I placed a toothpick in the center of the number "1" with a little bit hanging out to stick onto the cake. Two toothpicks on number "6". I put the two "1"s together and the two "6"s together to cover the toothpicks. Leaves. Kneaded a little bit the White Rolled Fondant Icing and colored it green with the . Rolled it out used the smallest Leaf Cut-out to make 24 leaves. Fondant Roses. Rolled out the Purple Fondant and made the roses by following the instructions on this video I found. I made 3 roses and just placed them on the cake as shown on the picture. You may be interested in reading the Fondant for Beginners series:

Tools to start decorating with Fondant

How to make home-made Marshmallow Fondant

Preparing your cake to be covered

How to cover cake with Fondant

How to make a Fondant Bow

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Chocolate Chip Muffins

Whenever we crave for some chocolate and give in, I end up baking Chocolate Muffins, to save us from too much guilt. It's easy to make and what I usually bake before a long road trip. The whole family can eat it for breakfast on the road and for snacks when we get hungry in between meals. I found a great recipe from joyofbaking.com. My son loves it. He would gobble up a couple of muffins right out of the oven.

  CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINSServings: 10-12

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1-1/4 light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk or semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Position rack in center of oven. Butter, or line with paper liners, 12 muffin cups. In a large measuring cup or bowl whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract.

In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips.

With a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients, along with the melted butter, into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.

Using an ice cream scoop, evenly fill the muffin cups with batter. OPTIONAL: Put a few chocolate chips on top of the batter.

Place in oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Chocolate Chip Muffins                                                            

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Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

I'm sure everybody has baked Chocolate Chip Cookies before. My first baking endeavor was Betty Crocker's Chocolate Chip Cookie mix. And my son was satisfied with it for the longest time...until I found this recipe online and after so many attempts and tweaking - have become our almost weekly go-to craving fix. My craving to bake something, anything. My son's craving for sweets. Every time I bake cookies, my son would say, "Mom, this is the best chocolate chip cookies in the world!" It makes me smile and completes my day. But, you know, he's my son. Of course, he'd say that. Right? He's 5.

But last Saturday, I had a surprise visit from a friend/ex-coworker/churchmate and her family. We had Panda Express to-go for dinner and I baked my cookies. I heard her daughter say, "Mom, this is the best cookies I've ever had!" I pretended not to hear it. My friend asked her daughter to repeat what she said to me. Awww...see? I'm smiling again. Anyway, so I guess it means it's good enough to share. I love sharing. Gotta spread the love.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIESServings: 10-12

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup + 1/8 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup + 1/8 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon hottest tap water

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F Cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water. Add to the batter along with the salt. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips. Use an ice-cream scoop to drop dough into baking sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are nicely browned. Cool in the pan for 1 minute before transferring into cooling racks.

Chocolate Chip Cookies                                                            

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Crostata! - November '10 Daring Bakers

The last quarter of the year is always the busiest for me. My eldest celebrates his birthday in October, mine's in November and my husband's birthday is in December. So, please forgive me if my blogs has slowed down quite a bit. Aside from the birthdays making me busy, it's the holiday season, too. The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well. I did my best to squeeze in this month's baking challenge by making it for Thanksgiving. We went to my in-laws' house for the get-together. It was a challenge trying to bake in Mom's busy kitchen on Thanksgiving Day. It was a rush and I didn't get to take a lot of pictures.

Crostata...sounds intimidating. But at the same time, sounds delicious, too, right? Anyway, it's basically Italian tarts. A quick Google search, and I found that it's traditionally made without the tart tin and can be filled with anything you like. I decided beforehand that I'd fill it with apples. Mom and Dad have an abundant supply from their backyard. I thought I had everything set but then I found out I didn't have any lemons for the lemon zest called for in the recipe. I just went with the orange that I had. I went online for an apple filling recipe and found Ina Garten's recipe for Apple Crostata. I started out trying to make the Pasta Frolla using a food processor but it turned out that doing it by hand using a pastry cutter was better. TOOLS I USED:

bowls, as needed

fork

knife

pastry cutter

rolling pin

pastry brush

a food processor

baking sheet

silicon baking mat

PASTA FROLLA

Ingredients:

1/2 c. minus 1 tablespoon  superfine sugar (Superfine sugar is often also referred to as ultrafine, baker’s sugar or caster sugar. It’s available in most supermarkets. If you cannot find “superfine” sugar, you can make your own by putting some regular granulated sugar in a food processor or blender and letting it run until the sugar is finely ground.)

1 and 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

a pinch of salt

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (frozen), cut into small pieces

grated zest of half a lemon

1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl

Directions: Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl. Rub or cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or the pastry cutter.

  Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use). Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture. (I used orange zest) Use a fork or pastry cutter to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips. Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.

Dough don't look too good because of a food processor mishap.

Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.

APPLE FILLING & ASSEMBLYRecipe courtesy of Ina GartenPrint Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds McIntosh, Macoun, or Empire apples (3 large)

1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Flour a rolling pin and roll the pasta folla into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured baking mat or parchment paper. Transfer it to a baking sheet. Peel, core, and cut the apples into 8ths. Cut each wedge into 3 chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Cover the rolled out pasta frolla with the apple chunks leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. Gently fold the border over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle. Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.