Pumpkin Pie

Since I moved onto campus, I haven't had the chance to bake a lot. So nowadays, whenever I go back home, I bake! I've been craving pumpkin desserts ever since pumpkin recipes started popping up on food blogs everywhere. Pumpkin cake, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin bread, they all sound so good.

I decided to kick-off my pumpkin baking spree with a classic pumpkin pie. Put this in the oven and the sweet smell of cinnamon will be filling your house!

Ease: 3.5/5.
Prep time: 25 minutes. I work pretty slowly.
Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes.

Taste: 4/5. Good, but I don't think it was spectacular. Although, my family gobbled it up in 2 days! That's gotta say something.

Would I make it again: Maybe. I think I'll still be trying other pumpkin pie recipes.

  

Pumpkin Pie

Adapted from Bobby Flay and Smitten Kitchen

For the all butter, really flaky pie crust:

1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp flour
1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces, 12 tablespoons or 3/4 cup) unsalted butter, very cold

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Dice the very cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch pieces.

Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and begin working them in with a pastry blender (I just used my fingers). When all of the butter pieces are the size of tiny peas — stop. 

Start by drizzling 1/4 cup of the ice-cold water (but not the cubes) over the butter and flour mixture. Using a rubber or silicon spatula, gather the dough together. You’ll probably need an additional 2 tbsp of cold water to bring it together, but add it a tablespoon as a time. Once you’re pulling large clumps with the spatula, take it out and get your hands in there. Gather the disparate damp clumps together into one mound, kneading them gently together.

Place the dough in plastic wrap. Use the sides to pull in the dough and shape it into a disk. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, but preferably at least two, before rolling it out.

Roll out the dough on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to make 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang all around pie plate.

Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Using thumb and forefinger, flute edge of dough. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Remove pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil and fill with pie weights or pennies. Bake on rimmed baking sheet 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate. Bake 5 to 10 more minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove plate and baking sheet from oven.

For the pumpkin filling:

3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup dark muscovado sugar (I used brown sugar.)
2 tablespoons molasses (Used honey instead.)
11/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
11/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus more for the top
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk 

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I forgot this ingredient but the pie still turned out great!)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, both sugars, and the molasses together in a medium bowl. Mix in the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. 

Whisk in the heavy cream, milk, and vanilla seeds or extract. Strain the mixture through a coarse strainer into a bowl. Whisk in the butter.

Place the pie plate on a baking sheet, pour the pumpkin mixture into the shell, and sprinkle additional cinnamon over the top. Bake until the filling is set around edges but the center still jiggles slightly when shaken, 45 to 60 minutes. 

Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Brownie Swirl Cheesecake

Happy National Cheesecake Day!!!!!!!!! I know I'm a little early (the actual date is July 30th), but I'm going for a camping trip with friends & family this weekend & I'm determined to enjoy some cheesecake before heading out to suffer in the wilderness celebrate this terribly important holiday! I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again, cheesecake is my favorite dessert. Some people say it's too rich, but that's exactly why I like it. Cheesecake is so creamy & smooth, I just love taking tiny bites of it, taking my time to savor every bite.

This brownie swirl cheesecake is very decadent. It has a rich chocolate brownie base, with semisweet chocolate & brownie chunks swirled throughout the cheesecake. I have to confess, I made the brownies from a mix (Hey, we ran out of butter!) but it still tasted great! My favorite part of the process was making the marble pattern, so much fun!!

Ease: 3.5/5.
Prep time: 45 minutes. I work pretty slowly.
Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes. Plus at least 4 hours to chill the cheesecake.

Taste: 5/5. Yummy!

Would I make it again: Yes. Especially perfect for chocolate lovers!

Cheesecake & chocolate, you can't go wrong!

Brownie Swirl Cheesecake
by Alan Rosen and Beth Allen
from Junior’s Cheesecake Cookbook

For the brownie crust and bites:
Note: If you're short on time, you can just use a family-size brownie mix.
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 extra-large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For the cheesecake:
Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese (use only full fat), at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 

Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan and an 8-inch square baking pan. Line the baking pan (but not the springform) with parchment or waxed paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang over the sides. Wrap the outside of the springform with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending all the way up the sides.

Make the brownie: 

Melt the chocolate with the butter and let cool. In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer on high until light yellow and thick, about 3 minutes. With the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar, then the chocolate mix­ture and vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and blend in the flour mixture just until it disappears.

Spread 2 cups of the batter in the springform to make the crust and the rest in the baking pan. Bake just until set around the sides, about 10 minutes for the crust and 25 minutes for the baking pan. (The centers will be slightly soft.) Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Leave the brownie crust in the springform. Lift the brownies out of the square pan onto a plate, using the paper hanging over the sides as handles. Cover both the crust and the square of brownies with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Cut the square of brownies with a serrated knife into 1-inch squares and set aside.

Make the cheesecake: 

Put one package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the corn-starch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times. Blend in the remaining cream cheese, one package at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one.

Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining 1 cup sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Beat in the 2/3 cup of cream just until completely blended. Don’t overmix!

Transfer 1 cup of the batter to a small bowl and set aside for the chocolate swirls.

Cover the chocolate brownie crust in the pan with small brownie bites (12 to 16), covering as much of the crust as possible. Use only one layer of brownie bites in order to leave plenty of room for the cheesecake batter. (Eat the rest of the brownies!) Gently spoon the white batter over the brownie bites.

Now make the chocolate swirls. Melt the chocolate and stir into the reserved white batter until completely blended. Using a teaspoon, drop the chocolate batter on top of the white batter, pushing it down slightly as you go. Using a thin, pointed knife, cut through the batter a few times in a swirling figure eight design, just until chocolate swirls appear.

Place the cake in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the springform. Bake until the edges are light golden brown and the top of the cake has golden and dark chocolate swirls, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove the cake from the water bath, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 2 hours (just walk away — don’t move it). Leave the cake in the pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely cold, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

To serve, release and remove the sides of the springform, leaving the cake on the bottom of the pan. Place on a cake plate. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slice with a sharp straight-edge knife, not a serrated one. Cover leftover cake and refrigerate, or freeze up to 1 month.

Coconut Ice Cream with Toasted Flakes

I'm on a coconut kick! Even though I made a coconut-ty cream cake not too long ago, it was so good that my family & I were ready for more of this tropical fruit.

This was my first time making ice cream. I've always wanted to but I wasn't sure if I wanted to invest in an ice cream maker. On Sunday night, however, guess what my dad lugged back from his run to Target? Yep, an ice cream maker!!! Apparently, Target is trying to get rid of all its summer merchandise & my dad got it for $7.50! You know my dad, he can't resist a good deal! The reviews on this machine were mixed, but I read the instruction manual carefully & got ice cream in return :D.

Homemade ice cream is so easy & oh so yummy! The ice cream was a dream to scoop & full of coconut flavor. Get an ice cream maker & try it!!! The 99 degree summer heat is always a good excuse to get one ;)

Ease: 4/5. It does require planning ahead because the mixture requires several hours of refrigeration.

Prep time: 30 minutes.

Cook time: Varies according to ice cream maker. Mine took around 25 minutes of churning.

Taste: 5/5. If you like coconut, you'll love this! It's creamy, refreshing, & the toasted coconut flakes gives a nice crunch.

Would I make it again: YES.

Coconut Ice Cream

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups full-fat coconut milk

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

5 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pour 1 cup of the coconut milk into a heatproof bowl & set a strainer over it.

Warm the remaining 1 cup of coconut milk, heavy cream, sugar, & salt in a medium saucepan.

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl. Temper the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks then pour the egg & milk mixture back into the saucepan.

Rewarm the mixture, whisking constantly, until it reaches a temperature between 170 & 175 degrees F. If you don't have an instant-read thermometer, warm the mixture until it thickens slightly & coats the spatula. Whatever you do, don't let the mixture come to a boil.

Pour the mixture through the strainer and mix it with the coconut milk. Add the vanilla extract and stir until combined.

Place the bowl over an ice bath and continue stirring the mixture until it comes to room temperature. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 3 hours but I prefer to let it cool overnight.

When the mixture is completely chilled, pour it into your ice cream maker & freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

If desired, top the ice cream with freshly toasted coconut & serve.

Blueberry Boy Bait - in a Bundt Pan!

Blueberries are in season! So my dad has been getting boxes & boxes of them from the store. You know my dad, he loves a good deal! Blueberry boy bait is one of my family's favorites & I've made it several times since I last posted about it.

I always like trying new recipes so I decided to switch things up a little. I used a bundt pan instead of a regular 9x13 pan for a cuter presentation. Also, we were out of butter so I replaced it with the same amount of vegetable oil. I was a little worried that using a different pan might affect the cake's texture but it turned out beautifully!

I took this photo with my dad's iphone because the fam was too eager to dig in!

Browned Butter Blueberry Boy Bait
Loosely adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Oh, right! I wanted to add that even though using vegetable oil instead worked just fine, I definitely prefer the browned butter version. It makes the cake oh so much more fragrant & rich! Vegetable oil=good. Browned butter=amazing!

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost first as it tends to muddle in the batter)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch diameter bundt pan (I did this very generously because I'm always afraid that my bundt cake won't come out properly :P).

Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and oil.

Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients mixture and whisk until smooth.

Toss 3/4 cup blueberries with remaining 1 teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Scatter remaining 1/4 cup blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)

Just look at those juicy blueberry chunks!

Coconut Cream Cake

You know you haven't been blogging enough when...

you forget your username & password on blogger.com

You also know you haven't been blogging enough when..

your loyal readers (shoutout to Amy!) asks you to update your blog.

I could come up with many excuses but I guess the honest truth is - I've been lazy. Gasp, I don't what's come over me! Rachael, lazy, never!! Har har har... I've been baking, even taking pictures, but I never get around to writing the blog posts.

Anyway, my mom's birthday was a couple of weeks ago, giving me the perfect opportunity to make something fancy & delicious! My family visited Cafe Latte a while ago and I've been wanting to recreate their coconut cream cake ever since. It's not your typical Southern coconut cake, dense & slathered with sweet cream cheese frosting. No, I wanted to make a cake with light sponge layers, fluffy coconut cream, and a sprinkling of coconut flakes. And I wanted the coconut flavor to really stand out!

As usual, I did a lot of recipe research and ended up combining a couple of recipes. I was quite happy with the end results, so was my family! The only component of the cake that I was less than satisfied with was the cake's dense texture. I guess I have to try making this cake again! Haha..

Here are the recipes for the cake filling and frosting. I'll have to do more experimentation before providing the cake recipe but feel free to make your favorite sponge cake instead!

Coconut Cream Cake
everything was adapted from Bobby Flay's recipe except for the frosting

Coconut simple syrup:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Bring water to a boil. Stir in the coconut, remove from the heat and let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. Strain the liquid into a clean saucepan, bring to a boil and let cook until the mixture is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Coconut custard:

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 large egg yolks

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Bring the coconut milk to a simmer over low heat in a medium nonreactive saucepan.

Whisk together the yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Slowly whisk the warm milk into the egg mixture then return the mixture to the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until thickened.

Scrape the mixture into a bowl and whisk in thevanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.

Coconut Filling:
3/4 cup coconut custard, cold (recipe above)
3/4 cup heavy cream, cold
Combine the custard and cream in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.

Frosting:
1/4 cup coconut custard, cold
2 cups heavy cream, cold
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whip to stiff peaks. Be careful not to over-whip.

Toasted coconut:
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Spread the coconut evenly onto a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden brown, stirring once, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the coconut sit in the oven until very dry and crunchy, about 10 minutes longer.

To assemble cake:
I used three cake layers but feel free to use four! Brush the first cake layer with some of the coconut simple syrup. Spoon 1/2 of the coconut filling onto the cake and using a small offset metal spatula, spread it into an even layer, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the cake. Repeat with the second cake layer. Place the last cake layer on the top and brush with the remaining syrup.

Decorate the sides and top of the cake with the frosting. Pat the coconut onto the sides of the cake and sprinkle the remaining coconut on the top of the cake.

Wow, that was a long recipe! However, don't be intimidated. It's not a last minute dessert, but if you plan your time well, the components are all quite simple to put together. If you're a coconut lover like me & my family, give it a try!

Jungle Themed Birthday Cake with Italian Meringue Buttercream

My baby brother, Josiah, turned 3 on January 2nd and my sister and I made this cute cake for him! Just to keep it short and sweet, this cake is made up of 4 layers of basic devil's chocolate cake and frosted with Italian meringue buttercream. The cake design was inspired by one of Sweet and Saucy's cakes (her cakes are SO beautiful!) and my sister made and dyed marshmallow fondant for the animal figures.

This cake marked many firsts for me. It was my first time decorating a cake with fondant and it was my first time making Italian meringue buttercream. Thankfully, everything turned out fine and dandy, even better maybe! I have to give credit where credit is due, though - my sister did most of the fondant work and she did an absolutely fantastic job with it too! (I did help with the trees :P)

We ended up bringing the cake to church so that Josiah could celebrate with his little friends from children's church. Everybody enjoyed the cake and were very impressed with it too! The only thing I would had done differently is to let the cake come to room temperature before serving. Storing the cake in the refrigerator hardened the buttercream so it wasn't as soft and smooth as when I first frosted the cake.

Italian Meringue Buttercream

Adapted from Whisk Kid

I highly suggest that you check out Whisk Kid's tutorial before making this buttercream. It is very detailed and I think it was what kept me from failing on my first try! :)

1/2 cup water

1 1/4 cup sugar, divided

5 egg whites

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into small pieces

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour in 1 cup of sugar first, then pour the water over the top to moisten. Heat the sugar-water mixture to 245F.

When it is within the range of 230F to 235F, begin whipping the egg whites. When they get to soft peaks, begin adding the remaining 1/4 c sugar and continue whipping to medium peaks, being careful not to overbeat.

When the syrup is the correct temperature, slowly pour it into the eggs with the mixer on high.

After fully incorporated, beat the frosting 7-10 minutes until the outside of the bowl comes to room temperature.

Add the butter, tablespoon by tablespoon, beating until fully incorporated.

Keep whipping until the frosting comes together, then add the vanilla extract.

I'm back with Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you!

Firstly, I have to apologize for being MIA for such a long time. I was caught up in a whirlwind of homework, finals, and more homework... However, winter break is finally here and I hope to be posting lots of delicious recipes this month!

This recipe might be a little late for your Christmas cookie platter but if you just have the slightest bit of room left for more cookies, please make these for your New Year party, perhaps. They are absolutely delicious!!! Best thumbprint cookies I have ever had :)

Ease: 4/5. The only thing that's the teeniest bit troublesome about this recipe is the need to chill the dough for 20 minutes.

Prep time: 30 minutes. 

Cook time: 15 minutes.

Taste: 5/5. I love these!!! The last time I made thumbprint cookies, they were too sweet and too crunchy for my taste. Well, that recipe was from a Winnie the Pooh magazine, what did I expect?! These strawberry thumbprint cookies get their sweetness from the jam and the texture is perfectly soft and crumbly, they almost melt in your mouth. Plus, 

the toasted walnuts give it a nice crunch. Delicioso!

Would I make it again: YES. My mom has already claimed that these are her favorite cookies (even though she has many favorites!). I have a feeling that we will making these every Christmas! Probably more often ;).

Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies
Adapted from Zoom Yummy
Makes around 15 cookies

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt (I used sea salt)
3/4 cup (100 grams) walnuts (or hazelnuts or almonds or pecans)
1/2 cup strawberry jam (or any flavor you like)

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the nuts on the sheet. Toast the nuts for about 6 minutes.

Remove the nuts from the oven and let cool. Then chop them finely and set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Separate the egg and add the egg yolk to the batter. Add the vanilla extract.

Next, add the flour and salt to the batter and beat until just combined.

Divide the dough into roughly 15 pieces and form a ball from each piece. Refrigerate the dough balls for about 20 minutes. (I arranged the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper before putting them in the fridge.)

While waiting for the dough balls to chill, whisk the egg white until frothy.

Dip each chilled dough ball into the whisked egg white and roll it in the nuts lightly. Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

And now for the part that makes these cookie thumbprint cookies! Using your thumb, make an indentation into the center of each cookie.

Using a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with one corner cut off (which is what I used), fill each cookie with jam.

Bake for about 13-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and let cool.

If you are planning to make these cookies in advance, you can bake them without the jam filling (in that case, reduce the baking time by a few minutes). They can be stored for about one week and filled with jam the same day as serving.