Red Wine Chocolate Cake

This cake is creatively decorated and is perfect for wine lovers! The red wine taste is not very strong. It might be because I only brush the cakes with the red wine syrup and have more than half left. I should be more generous next time.

Ingredients

【Cake】
All purpose flour - 3 cups
Granulated sugar - 2 1/2 cups
Salt - 1 tsp
Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Baking soda  - 1 tsp
Eggs - 4 large, room temp
Unsalted butter - 1 cup , room temperature
Hot water - 1 cup
Buttermilk - 1/2 cup , room temperature
Red wine - 1/2 cup
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1 cup
【Buttercream】
Unsalted butter - 3 cups, room temperature
Powdered sugar - 12 cups
Salt - 1 tsp
Heavy cream - 1/3 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 Tbsp
Red wine - 2 Tbsp
Maroon gel food coloring (if desired)
【Red Wine Simple Syrup】
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Red wine - 1/2 cup
【Red Wine Ganache Drips】
Heavy cream - 1/3 cup
White chocolate chips - 1 cup
Maroon gel food coloring

Steps

【Bake the Cake】
1. Preheating the oven to 350°F. Line two eight 8-inch pans with parchment rounds, and spray with non-stick spray.
2. Beat sugar and butter with stand mixer on high for 1 minute with a whisk attachment. The mixture should become light in color.
3. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Then add baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix on high for another minute.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the cup of hot water, and black cocoa. Whisk until no clumps remain. Gently stir in the buttermilk, and red wine.
5. Add 1 cup of flour into the butter mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, to ensure the flour is fully incorporated.
6. Pour in half of the cocoa mixture, and gently pulse the mixture to incorporate the liquid.
7. Mix in the second cup of flour, at a low speed. Pour in the remaining cocoa mixture, and again gently pulse, then mix on low until fully combined.
8. Add in the last cup of flour, and mix on low until the flour is incorporated. Mix on high for 30 additional seconds, to incorporate a bit more air into the batter.
9. Evenly divide between the prepared pans. You could use a kitchen scale to ensure each pan has exactly the same amount of batter.
10. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
11. Allow layers to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the edge of the pans to help separate the layers from the pans. Once the layers are fully cooled, carefully flip the pans and remove the layers from the pans.

【Make Buttercream】

1. Beat the butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment, until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Alternate with small splashes of cream.

2. Once fully mixed, add in the vanilla and salt, and beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated, and the desired consistency is reached.
3. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 teaspoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).
4. Place half the frosting in a separate bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.
5. Add the red wine to the remaining frosting, and mix until combined. If desired, add maroon gel food coloring to make a wine colored frosting. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

【Make Red Wine Simple Syrup】
1. Place water and sugar in a pot. Heat over high heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture just begins to boil.
2. Remove from heat, and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Add in red wine, and set aside.

【Make Red Wine Ganache Drips】

1. Heat heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave for 45 seconds, until it's just beginning to bubble. Gently add white chocolate chips into the heavy cream, making sure they are fully covered with cream. Allow mixture to sit for 1 minute.

2. Stir slowly until the cream and white chocolate are combined. Some bits of chocolate may not be fully melted yet. Heat the mixture again for 20 seconds, and stir. Repeat as necessary until all the chocolate bits are fully melted and incorporated.
3. Add in the maroon gel food coloring. Allow to cool until desired viscosity is reached (barely warm to the touch).
4. If it seems too thin or thick, you can add a touch more chocolate chips or heavy cream! The type of cream and white chocolate that you use can affect the consistency, so feel free to adjust as needed.
【Assemble the cake】

1. Carefully soak the cake layers with the red wine simple syrup using a kitchen brush.

2. Stack and frost cake layers on a cake board, using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board. Add an even layer of the red wine buttercream between each cake layer.

3. Apply a thin coat of red wine frosting around the the cake, to fully cover the cake layers. Smooth using a bench scraper, then chill the cake in the fridge (10 minutes) or freezer (5 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.

4. Add a second, thicker layer of uncolored, vanilla frosting to the cake, and smooth using a bench scraper. Top the cake with a small mound of frosting. Chill the cake in the fridge (20 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.

5. Cover the top of the cake with the red wine ganache. Be careful as you cover the top of the cake, so that none of the ganache runs down the sides.Add the red wine colored drips around the sides of the cake using a plastic squirt bottle or a spoon. Insert the wine glass.

Hamburger Cake

The cake is Banana cake recipe, baked into one 8", one 6",  and one 4" cake pans.

• Buns - one trimmed from the 6" cake, another cut out from the 8" cake (cut close to edge so the rest of the cake can be cut out for the soda cup)
• Buns frosting - Vanilla buttercream
• Hamburger patties - sliced the 4" cake into two, and coated with melted chocolate chips.
• Cheese, lettuce and soda cup cover - Rolled marshmallow fondant
• Drink cup - used 3 round shape cut from the 8" cake left over; frosted with buttercream; dressed up with rolled marshmallow fondant; topped with melted chocolate.
• Straw was real. It was used to hold the 3 layers of cakes together for the cup. 
• Sesame seeds were real too :-)

Broiled Lobster Tail

A friend showed me how easy it was to cook lobster tails.

1. Cut the tails in the middle and deveil.

2. fill in the middle with minced garlic, lemon zest; spray some olive oil; sprinkle some white pepper and paprika; brush with melted butter.

3. Set oven to BROIL HIGH, place the tray with tails in to cook for 10 minutes. If needed, take tray out at half time to brush with more butter.

InstantPot Honey Teriyaki Chicken

In my search for easy weeknight dinner, I found this recipe which is also good for freezer meals.

Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken breasts - 1.5 - 2 lbs
Onion - 1/2 medium size, chopped
Soy sauce - 1/2 cup
Honey - 1/4 cup
Apple cider vinegar - 1/4 cup
Brown sugar - 3 TBSP
Cornstarch - 1 TBSP
Water - 1 TBSP
Minced garlic - 2 tsp
Ginger - 1 to 2 tsp minced or 4 slices
optional garnish: sesame seeds and chopped scallion

Steps

1. Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until combined, then pour into a medium saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Allow to simmer while whisking occasionally. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.

2. Place chopped onion and chicken into InstantPot. Pour teriyaki sauce on top. Cook on slow cook mode for 4 hours.

3. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and, using 2 forks, shred into smaller pieces. Place back into the InstantPot and stir to combine. Close lid and keep warm to let it soak for 1 hour.

4. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallion, if desired, and serve on top of cooked rice or alongside steamed vegetables. Or pile onto rolls and enjoy sandwich style.

Banana Cake (no cinnamon)

This recipe is similar to Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It does not use Cinnamon.

Ingredients

Flour - 3 cups
Bananas - 3 ripe medium mashed, approximately 1 1/2 cups
Buttermilk - 1 1/2 cups (milk + 2 TBSP lemon juice)
Butter - 3/4 cup , room temp
Brown sugar - 1 cup
Granulated sugar - 1 cup
Eggs - 3 (or use 3/4 apple sauce for egg-free)
Vanilla extract - 1 TBSP
Salt - 1 tsp
Baking soda -1 1/2 tsp

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 325°F
2. Coat three 8 inch or two 9 inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combine the milk and lemon juice. Stir and set aside.
4. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes.
5. Add in the eggs (or apple sauce), vanilla, salt and baking soda and mix until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
6. Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour and milk in alternating additions, beginning and ending with flour, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
7. Finally mix in the bananas until just incorporated.
8. Divide the batter among the pans and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans in the oven half-way through baking.
9. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15-20 minutes and then remove from the pans and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Tried this banana cake recipe which is moist and tasty, with hint of cinnamon.

Ingredients

【Cake】
Bananas - 3 large ripe
All-purpose flour - 3 cups
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Ground cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Unsalted butter - 3/4 cup, softened to room temperature
Granulated sugar - 1 cup
Brown sugar - 1/2 cup, packed
Eggs - 3 large, at room temperature (replace with 3/4 cup apple sauce for egg-free)
Pure vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Buttermilk - 1 and 1/2 cups (used milk + 1 TBSP lemon juice, stir and let sit for 5 minutes)
【Cream Cheese Frosting】
Cream cheese - 1 block of 8 oz, softened to room temperature
Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup , softened to room temperature
Powdered sugar - 3 and 1/4  cups
Pure vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Salt -1/8 teaspoon

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 inch pan.
2. Mash the bananas and set aside.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
4. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy – about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs (or apple sauce) and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the mashed bananas. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly thick and a few lumps is okay.
5. Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.

6. Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.
7. Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier. Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Notes:  If use the recipe for cupcakes, fill the cupcake liner halfway and bake for about 20-22 minutes. Yield about 2 dozen.

Air Fryer Chicken Drumstick

Making homemade fried chicken in an Air Fryer is super easy and quick.

Ingredients

Chicken drumsticks - 4-6 pieces
Buttermilk - 1/2 cup (Homemade: adding 1 TBSP of vinegar or lemon/lime juice to a ½ cup of milk)
Panko breadcrumbs - 1/2 cup
All-purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp

Butter - 3 TBSP, melted (I used the cooking spray)

[Spice Mixture or choose your own combo]
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper

Steps

1. Place the chicken drumsticks with the skin on in a plastic bag and pour the buttermilk into the bag. Squeeze the air out and seal the bag. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes minimum up to several hours.

2. In a shallow bowl combine the panko breadcrumbs, flour, baking powder, and spices.
3. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, shake off excess buttermilk, and roll the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour mixture to coat on all sides.
4. Set Air Fryer to  390°F, put the chicken in one layer in the Air Fryer basket and air fry for 10 minutes.

5. Pause the Air Fryer and brush drumsticks with melted butter on both sides. Turn the chicken over, lower the temperature to 350°F and air fry for 8-12 more minutes or until internal temperature reads 165°F. Depending on the Air Fryer you use this time can be longer or shorter. Always make sure chicken is completely cooked through.
6. Remove from Air fryer and let the drumsticks rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Broccoli Beef

Beef and Broccoli is an easy, 1-pan, 30-minute meal. I used flap steak since it is lean and thin. It is easy to chew when thinly sliced against the grain.

Ingredients

Beef - 1 lb

Broccoli florets - from 1-2 heads
Garlic - 2 cloves, minced 

Ginger - 2 thin slices, finely chopped
Soy sauce - 2 TBSP
Fish sauce - 1 TBSP
Sesame oil - 2 tsp  

Black pepper - 1/4 tsp 

[Marinade]
Soy sauce - 2 TBSP
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Sesame oil - 1 TBSP
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Tapioca starch - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Steps

1. Marinate thin sliced beef with ingredients under “Marinade”. Mix well. 

2. Steam broccoli until they are tender but still crunchy. Set aside.
3. Heat a wok over medium heat with 1.5 TBSP cooking oil. When hot, lower the heat to medium, add garlic and ginger. Season with a small pinch of salt, and stir-fry until fragrant. 

4. Turn up the heat to medium-high, add marinated beef. Spread beef evenly over the bottom of the saute pan and cook until the edge of the beef is slightly darkened and crispy. Do the same thing for flip slide - about ¾ way cooked through with slightly charred and crispy surface. 

5. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, black pepper and sesame oil. Stir-fry for about 1 min. Add broccoli. Stir-fry for another 30 secs. Toss everything to combine. 

Korean Fish Cake (Eomuk)

Excited to find this recipe online. The fish cake is great as appetizer or snack. We also put them in soup noodle or hot pot.

Ingredients

Fresh white fresh fish fillet - ½ pound, (cod, pollock, flounder, or snapper)
squid - ¼ pound : cleaned, rinsed, and chopped
shrimp - ¼ pound: shelled, deveined, rinsed, and drained
Garlic cloves - 2
Onion  - ½ medium (about ¼ cup)
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Ground white pepper - ¼ tsp
Vegetable oil - 1 TBSP
All purpose flour - ¼ cup
Potato starch  - ¼ cup
1 large egg white (Skipped for egg-free, add some oil if paste is too dry)

Steps

1. Cut the fish fillets into chunks and put them into a food processor. Add the squid, shrimp, garlic, onion, salt, sugar, ground white pepper, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, flour, starch, and egg white. Blend for a couple of minutes until the mixture turns into a smooth paste.

2. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium (about 330-350° F). Brush some cooking oil on a large and wide rectangular spatula. Spread about ¼ to ⅓ cup of the fish paste to the spatula with a knife. Use your knife to carefully roll the paste into a cylinder, and gently slide it into the hot oil. (If this method is too tricky, simply use a spoon to scoop up some of the paste, and then another one to push it off the first and into the hot oil.)

3. Serve hot as a snack right away. For later use, cool it down and put it into a plastic bag. Keep the bag into a fridge up to 1 week or freezer up to 3 months.

Shrimp and Broccoli Packs with Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce

Super tasty shrimp meal in under 30 minutes

Ingredients

Raw shrimp - 1.5 lbs (peeled and deveined, tail-on or tail-off)

Butter - 2 TBSP, diced (or use olive oil)
Minced garlic - 1 TBSP
Italian seasoning - 1 tsp or to taste
Onion powder - 1/4 tsp
Chicken stock - 2 TBSP

Paprika - 1/4 tsp

Salt and pepper, to taste
Red chili pepper flakes, optional
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Broccoli - 1 large head, broken into florets

Fresh chopped parsley, optional for garnish

Steps

1. Preheat your oven to 425ºF.
2. Cut 2 sheets of 14 by 12-inch parchment paper, and lay each piece separately on the large baking sheet.
3. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the spice mix: Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, pepper, and paprika. Add shrimp and sprinkle with the spice mix, coating on all sides.

4. Divide shrimp onto the parchment paper near the center then place broccoli florets to one side of the shrimp.
5. Add garlic over broccoli and shrimp, then sprinkle with lemon juice, red crushed chili pepper flakes (if using) and finish with salt and pepper. Divide butter pieces evenly among the foil packets, layering them over the shrimp and broccoli.

6. Add a tablespoon chicken stock in each packet and wrap packets in and staple the edges together. Don’t wrap too tight – keep a little extra space inside for heat to circulate.

7. Bake shrimp packets in the oven, sealed side upward until shrimps have cooked through, about 15 minutes. Cooking time depends on the size of your shrimps. Do not overcook shrimps or they’ll end up dried up.
8. Carefully unwrap the baked shrimp and broccoli foil packets then garnish with fresh parsley and a slice of lemon. Enjoy!

Baked Lemon Ginger Chicken Breast

A freezer friendly recipe that can be prepared ahead of time for a busy day dinner. You will like it if you love lemon and ginger. My kids think it is too zesty.

Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken breast  - 2 pieces
Olive oil - 2 TBSP
Lemon juice - 2 TBSP
Minced ginger - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Red pepper flakes - 1/4 tsp  (optional)

Steps

1. Combine all ingredients in a heavy duty freezer Ziploc bag. Add chicken breasts and turn to coat in marinade.

2. Marinate the chicken in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F.
4. Take chicken from the bag (including all marinade juices) into a baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for 10-20 more minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breast. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

5. Remove chicken from the oven and cover with a baking dish. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

This pumpkin chiffon cake is tender and sweet, with a mild pumpkin flavor. Perfect for the fall with a cup of coffee.

Ingredients

Cake flour - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 and 1/3 cups
Baking powder - 1 TBSP
Pumpkin Spice - 2 and 3/4 tsp
(or use
Ground cinnamon - 1 tsp
Ground ginger - 1 tsp
Ground allspice - 1/4 tsp
Ground nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
)
Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup
Egg yolks - 4
Pumpkin puree - 3/4 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Egg whites - 1 cup, from 6-7 eggs
Cream of tartar - 1/2 tsp
[Decoration]
Sliced pear - 2 can, slice into smaller pieces
Swiss Buttercream - 2 batches (12 egg white, 3 cup butter, 3 cup sugar)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Sift flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and spices into a large bowl; add the oil, egg yolks, pumpkin puree, and vanilla, and beat with a whisk until batter is smooth.

3. Using mixer to beat egg whites, 1/3 cup sugar, and cream of tartar at high speed to firm peak.

4. Use a rubber spatula to carefully fold the egg white mixture into the pumpkin batter until no streaks remain.

5. Pour the batter into two ungreased, 9-inch cake pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a chopstick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

6. Remove from oven and cool, inverted.
7. Once cakes are cooled completely, start assembly the pumpkin. I slices one of the cake into two, so total 3 layers, with buttercream and sliced pear in the middle. Shape the cakes into pumpkin shape.

8. Use buttercream to decorate the pumpkin cake. The stem is made with trimmed cake crumbs mixed with buttercream, then coated with buttercream.

Made another two cakes with 6 inch and 4 inch cake pans to create a pumpkin patch.