Vegan Chocolate Cupcake

This is very moist and chocolaty vegan cupcake.

Ingredients

Hot water - 3/4 cup

Apple sauce - 1/4 cup

Vegetable oil - 1/4 cup

Vanilla extract - 2 tsp

White or cider vinegar - 1 tsp

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/4 cup + 2 TBSP (refer Dutch cocoa powder)

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Mini chocolate chips - 1/2 cup (optional)

Salt - 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Frosting with Vegan Chocolate Buttercream

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 

2. Line a cupcake pan with liners. 

3. In a large bowl, whisk all wet ingredients. Let sit at least 10 minutes.

4. Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then pour wet into dry, stir just until evenly mixed.

5. Fill the cupcake liner up 2/3 of the way at most. 

6. Bake 20 minutes on the center rack. Let cool. These taste even better the next day, and the liners will peel off easily after a day.

Vegan Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients

Powdered sugar - 8 cups

Cocoa powder - 1 cup

Palm shortening or vegan butter or combination  - 1 cup
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup

Vanilla extract - 2 tsp

Steps

Add all ingredients in stand mixer and beat on low for 30 seconds, slowly increase speed to high and blend for one minute. If needed, add coconut milk to thin it or add powdered sugar to thicken it.

Swiss Roll with Pattern

This is a simplified recipe for the Marbled Swiss Roll. I added the pattern using decor paste recipe from this Patterned cake roll.

Ingredients

【Pattern - decor paste】

Butter - 1/2 cup
Powered sugar - 2/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp
egg whites  - 3
Flour -  1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp plain flour
food coloring
【Cake roll】
Eggs - 8, separated
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cake flour - 1 cup

Oil - 1/2 cup

Milk- 1/3 cup

【Filling】

Your choice, I used Swiss Meringue Buttercream mixed with Strawberry Jam

Steps

1. To make pattern paste, cream together butter and icing sugar using electric mixers until they are well combined. Add egg whites and beat well then stir in the flour. Color mixture according to the pattern.
2. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your baking tray. Make the desired pattern by piping it, spreading it or stenciling it onto the parchment paper. Then freeze it for about an hour or until firm.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

4. Separate the eggs into egg yolk and egg white. 

5. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat egg yolk, oil, water, salt together. Then sift in the cake flour. Mix well until there is no lumps in egg yolk batter.

6. In an mixing bowl, add egg white, and sugar. Use a electrical mixer to beat it to soft peak.

7. Pour 1/3 of egg white foam into egg yolk batter. Gently fold with a spatula to mix them. 

8. Pour the egg yolk batter into the egg white bowl in a thin stream. Gently fold the batter into the egg whites. Use a spatula to cut down vertically through the mixture. Move the spatula across the bottom of the bowl; bring it back up the other side, carrying some of the mixture from the bottom over the surface. Repeat this process, rotating the bowl, until the ingredients are combined.

9. Pour the mixture over the frozen pattern and spread it right to the edges. Bang the tray on the bench a few times to make sure the mixture gets all around the pattern.

10. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until the surface is golden.
11. Once your cake is ready take it out of the oven and immediately trim off the edges using a serrated knife.  Cover in parchment paper, add another flat baking tray or chopping board on top and flip it over.
12. And then you will be able to just lift off your tray, the edges will stay in the pan and you’re left with a neat cake. Peel off the paper straight away while it is still hot. Then leave it to cool.

13. Place a clean sheet of baking paper over your cooled cake and flip it over again.

14. Spread your chosen filling over the cake. Then starting at one end using the paper to help you roll up the cake up and transfer it to your serving platter.

Hot Chocolate Cup Cookie

This is one of the cookies featured in GMA 25 days of cookies. It is so cute.

Steps

1. Make egg free sugar cookie dough. Measured about 30 g dough to fill each mini-muffin cup. Use thumb to press down the middle.  Bake at 375°F for 12-14 minutes.

 2. Make chocolate Ganache and decorate the top of cup with hot chocolate and mini marshmallows. Use white candy melt as glue to put on handle cut from mini-pretzel.

Cinnamon Roll Wreath

A good Christmas holiday recipe from Sally's site. Eggs were replaced by apple sauce for food allergy reason. I simplified the steps by using bread machine.

Ingredients

【Dough】
Whole Milk  - 1 cup, make lukewarm with microwave
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Active dry yeast - 1 and 1/2 TBSP
Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup, melt
Large eggs - 2, at room temperature (substituted with 1/2 cup apple sauce)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
All-purpose flour - 4 and 1/2 cups
【Filling】
Unsalted butter - 6 TBSP, softened to room temperature
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Ground cinnamon - 1 and 1/2 TBSP
【Vanilla Icing】
Powdered sugar - 1 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Milk - 2 TBSP

Steps

1. Pour yeast and all wet ingredient (except butter) for dough in bread machine, then add all dry ingredients. Let bread machine complete a kneading process; add melted butter, then restart and complete a full dough cycle. The dough should double in size.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour the parchment paper. Place the dough on top and roll it to roughly form a 10x20-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick.

3. Spread the softened butter all over the dough. In a small bowl, toss the cinnamon and sugar together until combined and then sprinkle evenly over the dough.

4. Tightly roll up the dough to form a 20-inch long log. Cut into 20 1-inch rolls, only slicing ¾ of the way through so they are still connected at the bottom. Use kitchen shears if you need to.You can trim off the ends and bake them as individual buns.

5. Turn one of the end cinnamon rolls on its side. Turn the next one so that it slightly overlaps the first. Repeat with each roll, forming into a circle and overlapping each.

6. Place a ramekin in the middle of the wreath. This will help it hold its shape. Cover the wreath loosely with plastic wrap and slide a baking sheet (I used a pizza tray) underneath the whole thing. Allow to rise again in a warm environment until puffy, about 45 minutes - 1 hour.

7. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

8. Whisk all of the icing ingredients together in a medium bowl. Drizzle over wreath.

Overnight option (done that, works great):
Prepare the rolls through step 5. Instead of allowing to rise in a warm environment in step 6, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and allow the wreath to rest for up to 14 hours before baking. When it’s time to bake the next day, allow the rolls to come to room temperature and rise for 1 hour on the counter, or until almost doubled in size. Then bake as directed.
Freezing instructions (have not tried this)
Let the wreath cool completely on the parchment paper that you baked it on and transfer to a large Tupperware (along with the parchment). Then cover with a layer of aluminum foil and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Transfer to a baking sheet and heat in a 350°F (177°C) oven until warmed throughout, about 20 minutes. Drizzle with icing and serve.

Mint Oreo Truffles

This kids friendly recipe is easy and the truffles taste like chocolate-covered Oreo cheesecakes.

Ingredients

1 (15.25 oz) package Mint Creme Oreos
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
12 ounces candy melt or chocolate for coating

Steps

1. Process the Oreos in blender until crumbs are formed.
2. Using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the Oreo crumbs with the cream cheese until combined.
3. Using your hands, roll into 30-35 balls. Place balls on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Freeze the truffles for about 30 minutes.
4. Coat the truffle balls and placed them on a lined baking sheet.

5. Refrigerate truffles for at least 10 minutes so the chocolate sets. Truffles must always be chilled and will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
6. Make ahead tip: For longer storage, freeze the finished truffles up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.

Italian Bread

This is a recipe from online with a lot of good reviews. The warm bread just out of oven gave the best aroma of home. My kids approved that this is a recipe to keep.

Ingredients

All-purpose flour - 4 cups
Light brown sugar - 1 TBSP
Warm water -1 and 1/3 cups
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Olive Oil - 1 1/2 tsp
Active dry yeast - 2 and 1/4 tsp
Cornmeal or flour - 2 TBSP
(Optional) Egg wash - 1 egg + 1 TBSP water

Steps

1. Place brown sugar, warm water, salt, olive oil and yeast in the bread machine first, then add flour. Complete a dough cycle.
2. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into two loaves. Place the loaves seam side down on baking sheet generously sprinkled with cornmeal or flour. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise, until doubled in volume about 40 minutes.

 3. Preheat oven to 375°F.
4. Optional - Brush the risen loaves with egg mixture. I skipped this because of food allergy.
5. Make a single long, quick cut down the center of the loaves with a sharp knife.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Joey's Run Painted Cake

This is Chiffon Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting. It was made for charity run organized by local running club BURN for Joey's Wings Foundation. Joey is a young boy who died of cancer and inspired many to join the fight for a cure. This cake is based on one of Joey's artwork.

No-Bake Cheesecake

This is a lighter version of cheesecake. Since there is no baking involved, it is also called "raw" cheesecake. Here is the original recipe.

Ingredients

【Crust】
Oreo cookies or Graham crackers - 7 oz (200 g)
Butter - 4 TBSP, melted
【Cake】
Cream cheese - 1 and 1/2 cup, softened
Plain yogurt - 1 and 3/4 cup
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Lemon juice - 1/4 cup
Gelatin powder - 2 bags
Water - 1/2 cup

【Topping】

your favorite fruits, fruit sauce, syrup, or jam

Steps

1. Add the gelatin power and water in a small cup and set aside.

2. Combine crushed graham crackers, melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Press the crumbs into the bottom of a round 8 inch cake pan or a square cake pan
3. Stir the cream cheese; add yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, and gelatin into softened cream cheese and mix well.

4. Heat the water and gelatin mixture in the microwave until it becomes liquid. Pour the filling into the crust and spread evenly.
5. Refrigerate the cake for 3 hours or overnight. Serve with your favorite fruits, fruit sauce, or jam.

Dr. Seuss The Places You'll Go Cake

This is Chiffon Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting for my niece's 18th birthday. She is going to college this fall.

"Congratulations!Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

...

You're off the Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So...get on your way!"

- Dr. Seuss