Baked Lunchbox

Tomorrow, already: Cake Pops

CAKE POPS seem to be trending these days and I just couldn’t ignore their cuteness! They’re basically cakes rolled up into round ball-shapes and dipped in chocolate. And so I tried it and got my average baking skill to work! It was neat for starters; the plate got swept up within a few hours!

If you’re not a fan of over-frosted cupcakes but you like the petite cakes that’s been the talk of the town, this might be the kind of cake for you!

(Source: bakedlunchbox)

Strawberry Chiffon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I baked a cake for my friend’s birthday; it was a 3-layered plain chiffon cake with buttercream frosting and a handful of white choco-chips + ground cinnamon in between layers. I’m still working on my decorating skills on the other hand, so I just used buttercream frosting to smooth out the exterior and drew a blue star on top ( she likes blue haha!) She took a picture while slicing it and posted it on FB right away! I thought that was cool :)

And so I was inspired to bake another one! But this time, I used strawberries instead of cinnamon. Why didn’t I think of that earlier?! That cake would have tasted better! xD

3-layered plain vanilla chiffon cake with cream cheese frosting + strawberries + white choco-chips.

I think I was the only one who ate almost the whole 8” cake! It was good anyway so I don’t mind. The sourness of the strawberries complimented the sweetness of the white choco-chips and cream cheese frosting. A match made in cake kingdom, according to me! ;P 

I didn’t decorate the outer part of the cake with frosting anymore since I was the only one who ate most of it. I like less frosting :)

(Source: bakedlunchbox)

Mini Oreo Cheesecake Cups: tummy got so full with just one bite! [RECIPE INCLUDED]

Cheesecakes are being such an “it” thing in bakeshops and coffeeshops, and I just need to know how to make it. I’ve already done non-baked cheesecakes before but this time, it requires baking.

It turned out to have a velvet texture and richness to it.

First, prepare the crust: grind some oreos and mix a little bit of butter or cream cheese to harden it up a bit.

Another option for the crust would be placing an Oreo cookie at the bottom of each cup. This is an easier and faster method. Either one will taste equally delicious anyway ;)

Pour in cheesecake batter, sprinkle the Oreo crumbs on top and pop it in the oven for 22 minutes.

Bring it out and chill for at least 1 hour. Ready to serve!

It’s okay if center looks under-baked because it will come together when chilled.

If you eat this fresh out of the oven, it wouldn’t taste as good as it is chilled. Actually, I find it yucky to eat hot cheesecakes! xD

Well, this New York-style cheesecake was okay. I still like the non-baked better. I have bias preference when it comes towards cheesecakes! Haha! xD

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OREO CHEESECAKE:

6 whole Oreos

6 Oreos, chopped

1/2 pack cream cheese

1/4 Cup sugar

1 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 Cup sour cream

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1) Using an electric mixer, medium speed, cream the cream cheese until smooth.

2) Gradually add sugar until light & fluffy. Add vanilla. 

3) Low speed, drizzle in egg.

4) Add sour cream.

5) Stir in half of chopped Oreos.

6) Pour into prepared cups, fill top. Sprinkle chopped Oreos on top.

7) Bake 22 minutes under 275ºF. Rotate pan halfway.

8) Bring out before center looks done. It will be wobbly and shiny but it will still cook while the pan is still hot. 

9) Cool in room temperature for 30 minutes. Place in fridge, chill at least 4 hours to overnight. Do not remove from pan.

10) Serve with caramel syrup or fresh fruit!

ENJOY!

No-bake Chocolate Nutella Brownie Cake with Cookies & Cream frosting and Mango garnish: Cioccolatoso Bontà (recipe included)

[Chocolatey goodness]

Quick cake in 20 minutes!

That’s how easy this brownie cake was. This recipe didn’t call for any traditional baking techniques like sifting or leveling. Its was more of heaping and mixing altogether!

I poured the batter into tiny sauce bowls which seemed appropriate for one-size serving.

Question: If it’s not baked, how was is cooked?

Well, it’s the magic of the microwave! Pop it in for 1 minute and 45 seconds, and they’re ready! Do NOT over-microwave them even for 5 or 10 more seconds because they’ll be dry and hard.

To know if the brownie cake is too dry:

Too dry - the cake can be easily removed from the container; the edges are all curled in; it’s hard.

Don’t worry if it’s still a little bit moist, it’ll cook while it’s out of the microwave because the container is still hot.

To pretty it up a bit: top with Cookies & Cream frosting and a slice of mango for color ;P 

Everything under 20 minutes! 

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RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS:

4 Tbsp. AP flour

4 Tbsp. fine sugar

3 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Mix all dry ingredients together.

Make a hole on the center of dry mix (imagine a volcano).

Then add accordingly:

3 Tbsp. Nutella

3 Tbsp. milk

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil or butter (melted but cooled)

1 egg

Keep on mixing until incorporated. Do NOT over-mix as this will ruin the batter texture.

Pour into small pan or large mug (the batter should be at least 1 inch thick).

Pop into microwave for 1 minute and 45 seconds.

Pull out of microwave and use a toothpick to check if it’s already cooked.

(Stick in toothpick to center of the brownie cake. Pull out clean.)

Let it cool completely before putting on frosting. (Put in fridge for faster cooling)

TADA!

Red Velvet + Ice + Pistacchio

Lalalalala… 

This is my second post for the Red Velvet cupcakes because my earlier post didn’t give justice to how good-looking and tasty these cupcakes are!

For those of you who don’t know what a Red Velvet is, here’s the rundown:

- chocolate

- smooth in texture compared to other cupcakes

- it’s freakin’ chocolate!!

The red coloring was just to cover up the chocolate-y-ness of the appearance because there are a lot of chocolate cakes out there.. this one cupcake just wants to be mysterious :P

I kinda forgot to bring my electric mixer so just used a spatula to mix it, but the texture didn’t quite get to where I wanted. Note to self: DON’T FORGET THE ELECTRIC MIXER!

Well, I want to upgrade to a Kitchen Aid Artisan Series (read more - scroll down)… but not now, I’ll need to save up for that first! :)

Notice the liner cups, I only filled it 2/3 full. Always like that!

I always enjoy watching the cake rise up. It’s pretty entertaining! Haha! xD

Of course, after the first batch I just had to taste it. Yummy! :)

Made 1 dozen. They look like an army of Reds! You should be scared because they’ll shove themselves down your throat haha! xD

Skewered a hole on the center of the cupcake and used a piping tool to fill them with what else?! Of course, Cream Cheese Frosting! Mmmmmm!

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About that Kitchen Aid Artisan Series Stand Mixer, here’s how it looks like:

I like the “Ice” and “Pistacchio” colors better compared to the dozens more available. I think the red version is so over-rated and the shades of different black is just too plain. Why would I pick something common from a wide variety of, in lack of a better term, happy colors..?

It also has 3 paddle attachments: whisk, mix, knead.

Can carry up to 5 quarts and it also has a protector so that the batter won’t splat all around the kitchen. 

Did I mention this the heavy duty? It’s the top-of-the-line stand mixers out there. I think all bakers should have one in their kitchen. If you can’t afford it, save up and really try to buy one someday! It’s gonna be so worth it and it’ll help you save time in your baking because while it mixes, you just pour in the ingredients. And you don’t have to pause and scrape the sides all the time because the mixer attachment covers up the whole bowl as it goes around and around. 

These 2 are on my top list! But of course I’ll just have to choose 1 in the end right? xD

TIRAMISU: così semplice, ma estremamente buono

[so simple, but extremely good]

Oh gosh, I’m so far far away from the oven I usually use for my baking but I wanna make something sweet in this rainy weather. Hmmmm… here pops the no-bake cake into the scene!

A few whipping here and mixing there.. POOF! 

Plus a secret ingredient but no-so-secret anymore since I’m gonna tell you what is it:

Irish Cream makes any sweet Italian dessert marvelous! It gives the dessert a little edge and kick in the mouth.

Pour the Irish Cream freely into the Mascarpone cheese mixture. But make sure not too much since it will make the batter watery, and we don’t like that. (Yeah, where’s the alcohol liberty there?) xD

Prepare your sponge fingers by dipping it quickly into the dark expresso coffee and file them side-by-side in your cup, pan, bowl, etc. I used a lunchbox, of course!

Then pour the batter onto the filed sponge fingers. Layer spong fingers again then pour batter. I did this alternately until my lunch box was full. 

Finishing touches: grate a tasty chocolate on top of the whole thing.

I used Cadbury Flake, limited edition from New Zealand only! :P What a treat!! YUM!

Sprinkle a few mint leaves when serving. This is THE real pick-me-up! 

Vanilla pound cake with fresh cherries and cream cheese frosting

Bear with me, I’m not good at describing what I’m doing xP

Since I’ve done tons of cupcakes, why not try to make the real cake.. after all they’re both yummy and sweet anyway! 

And so I tried my hands on making a simple pound cake and put fresh cherries and cream cheese frosting on top of the first layer.

then top it with another layer of pound cake. voilá! 

i did the same with the mini layer on top. (frost + cherries + pound cake)