Simple Orange Cake

This cake is super simple and so delicious.  Not very sweet, and so soft.  Great for breakfast, snack or tea party!

Simple Orange Cake

Ingredients + Method:

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

vanilla

rind of 1 orange

1/4 cup oil

3 tablespoons sour cream or yogurt

Whisk all the above together

Add to the wet ingredients:

2 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

juice of one orange

Continue to whisk these last ingredients and then pour into a greased and floured pan and bake in preheated 177 C oven for 25-40 min depending on oven.

ENJOY!!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This upside-down cake is a very beautiful and delicious cake.  This cake is usually made in a pan with a curved bottom in which we place pineapple slices and maraschino cherries. Once baked, turned over and allowed to set, the cake is eaten upside-down along with butter and sugar to avoid it sticking to the pan once inverted.

In Brasil, they do the same process their banana cake, where they place sugar, butter, and banana slices and once inverted the cake looks beautiful!

The cake batter also has a tingle of pineapple juice, which we thought it added a delicious taste to it.  Along with not being at all difficult, this cake takes no time to be done and delicious to be served on any occasion.

Ingredients for topping : 
6 slices of can pineapple (drain)
6 maraschino cherries
4 tbsp of butter
4 tbsp of brown sugar

Ingredients for cake :
3/4 cup of sugar
1 1/2 stick of butter (3/4 cup)
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of vanilla
1/4 cup of pineapple juice (from the can pineapple)

Method

1. Pre-heat to over to 350 degree F. Grease an 8" round cake pan. Prepare the topping by melting the butter in the microwave oven and pour it into the baking pan.

2. Srinkle the brown sugar on top of the butter and then arrange the pineapple slices over the brown sugar. Place the cherry in the center of each pineapple slice. Set aside.

3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

4. Cream the butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

5. Add the flour mixture in three parts alternately with the pineapple juice, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat well after each addition. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

6. Bake cake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge, and invert the cake onto a plate. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature. 

ENJOY!

Crème Caramel with Cake

Crème caramel, flan, custard, you can call it as you want it, it is this delicious cold jelly like sweet that is full of sweetness and milk. Delicious! My son loves it, and when he wants one he says 'I want patene' since he doesnt know how to spell it, LOL!

Now take a second and imagine having 2 delicious things in 1! Let's say, crème caramel and chocolate cake.. Wait! what?! yep, you can have them both in 1 plate... I will show you how..

Crème Caramel with Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:
1 Betty Crocker Chocolate Cake Mix (I used the Devil's Food Cake Mix)

For the crème caramel:
1 can of condensed milk
1 can of milk (put 1 measurement of milk using the same can as the condensed milk)
4 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla


Method

Heat oven at 200 celsius.

Prepare two bowls next to each other. In each bowl pour the ingredients needed for each. Beat the cake with the cake mixer, and the crème caramel with a blender - I used for this the Braun hand mixer which easier.

Get a Round cake form with whole in the middle topped with caramer. Pour on it around 1.5 cups of sugar and put it on heat to melt. Once melted pour around 1/4 water and mix - then spread the mix all around the form, even use a spoon to pass the sugar mix in the middle of the pan. After spreading it all around, pour the cake mixture slowly, and then even slower, you can use creme caramel mixture on it. You might think that 'OMG the creme caramel mixture is mixing with the cake mixture' but dont worry, dont think about it, its worthless! coz nothing has happened!

Note: you have to check how much cake mix you need to pour in the cake form - I didnt use all because my form wasnt going to fit in it.

Cover the form firmly with foil paper, and bake it at 200 degrees celsius on bain-marie.

Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons grated lemon rind (about 2 lemons)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• Cooking spray or butter for the cake form
  
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk (if you dont have substitute it with 1c of milk or low fat milk with 1tbsp of either lemon juice of white vinegar - let it sit for 5min)
  

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

To prepare cake, combine rind and 3 tablespoons juice in a small bowl. Set aside.

Coat a pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. or butter it and sprinkle the sugar on it.

Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

Place butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, and rind mixture beating until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour mixture and 1 cup buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beating at low speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 180 for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

Best Chocolate Cake Ever

Moist Chocolate Cake

Adapted from foodess.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa (I used unsweetened)
  
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk (1 cup of water mixed in 1tbsp of white vinegar or 1tbsp lemon juice; let sit for 2 minutes)
  
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot coffee (or 2 tsp instant coffee in 1 cup boiling water, or simply 1 cup boiling water)

1. Preheat oven to 177 °C. Grease two 9-inch baking pans and set aside. In the large bowl of a standing mixer, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract; beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Stir in hot coffee. Pour batter evenly between the two pans and bake on middle rack of oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before frosting.

ENJOY!

Tres Leche Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 5 whole Eggs
• 1 cup Sugar, Divided
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• ⅓ cups Milk
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
• ¼ cups Heavy Cream

FOR THE ICING:

• 2 cups of Heavy Cream, For Whipping
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 177C. Butter a rectangular form and coat it with flour - shake it and drop down the loo

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is still warm, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 2 cups of heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.

Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

ENJOY!

Banana Bread

Everyone in our house loves Banana bread. On the same day its done, by the evening is empty. I love it because I can do it to use up the ripe bananas we have. Also, this recipe is awesome because I don't need a mixer!

Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar (sometimes I use brown sugar)
  
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

Preheat oven to 175°C. Mash the ripe bananas. Melt the butter and pour them on the bananas, mix with a wooden spoon. Add sugar and mix again. Add egg, vanilla, mix. Add baking soda, salt and the flour, and mix again. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.