Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

I love these cupcakes. They are so pretty to look at. I never thought I would be saying that about pink cupcakes but raising a girl for the last seven years has made me very girly.

I remember swearing to my husband I will never dress my daughter in pink clothes. Once she was about three years old, all of that talk went down the drain. There was pink everywhere. We brought her home to a red nursery and now her room is pepto bismal pink- no joke!

Sia turned seven last week and I made these cupcakes for her birthday party. I was going to buy them and give business to a local store but then I thought why should I buy when I can bake them myself. I have never made cupcakes before so I started researching them. I tweaked a recipe I found on honey and jam.

I had to make my own frosting since I can’t stand all the sugary ones out there. I like icing or frosting made out of whipped cream. For the cupcakes I whipped up cream with confectioner’s sugar, food coloring and melted strawberry jam. It was delicious!

My daughter thought the cup cakes were very yummy. She suggested we make them again for Valentines Day- what an excellent idea!

Make these for V Day for your kids and honey .
Click here for the recipe… »

Flan is my all time favorite dessert. I grew up eating it and love everything about it. My Mom would serve it to us with a drizzle of fresh cream. It was the most glorious dessert ever.

Over the years I have tried making it- but have not been very successful. The flan usually doesn’t invert well and breaks apart. The reason is not enough eggs- I don’t like the custard dessert too rich so I don’t end up adding too many eggs. So my solution is to have my Mom make it for us every time she comes to visit. She doesn’t have a set recipe for me to follow and I have never watched her make it.

Last year I modified a recipe and tried it- no luck- it broke apart. Finally the other day while I was cooking for some friends, I decided to make flan. I was watching food television and saw someone make coconut rum flan. That is all I needed to get inspired. I tweaked the recipe to my taste and came up with this recipe.

I am thrilled with it. The texture is perfect- soft yet firm. It is not too sweet- exactly the way I like it. Everyone enjoyed it a lot. I also like it because I can make it with low fat milk and although it has quite a few eggs- at least the dessert has protein.

For caramel

• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup water

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from the side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil, without stirring, swirling pan occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until dark amber.
Pour into the glass dish and swirl so caramel coats the bottom.

For flan

• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1 (14 ounce) low-fat coconut milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
You will need a round 9-inch glass dish and a large roasting pan.

Heat the milk and coconut milk with the sugar until the mixture simmers. Whisk the eggs, add the rum, salt and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Add ½ cup of hot milk mixture to the egg mixture and mix well. Add the tempered egg mixture into the milk mixture mixing well. Strain the entire mixture before pouring it into the glass dish.
Place the glass dish into the roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with hot water- about ½ inch high. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes until just set but still wobbly in center. Refrigerate over night or at least 2-3 hours.
Top with the coconut and serve chilled.

I grew up eating pineapple cakes and pastries. I recall going to restaurants and bakeries where this cake was the most popular to eat. It was layers of soft, moist white cake, filled with whipped cream and pineapple. It was not overly sweet and most of all the icing was delicious. I think that is the reason why I don’t like buttercream or any other kind of icings. It just doesn’t taste fresh to me and most of the time they are overly sweet.

We were going out for dinner with some friends and I asked them to come back to our house for dessert. I was in the mood to bake a cake- I haven’t done it in a while. Somehow the pineapple cake came to mind. I bought the crushed pineapple and the whipping cream. Now, as some of you know, I do all of my baking with white whole wheat flour. I was a bit torn which way to go with this dessert. Since the icing is not overly sweet, the cake stands out. I wasn’t sure how the whole wheat flavor will taste with the rest of the ingredients.

I decided to go ahead with the whole wheat flour and went looking for whole wheat cake flour. Cake flour has less protein than the rest and results in a softer cake. I was not able to find whole wheat cake flour so I came home and made my own. For 2 cups of cake flour, I used 1 and 3/4 cups of white whole wheat flour mixed in with 1/4 cup of corn starch. I proceeded with a recipe I found on the internet but used extra light olive oil and raw sugar instead of butter and white sugar.

I went ahead and baked the cake and assembled it. It is very important to soak the layers well and properly with the pineapple juice to ensure a moist cake- especially if you are using white whole wheat flour.

My daughter was extremely excited to taste this dessert since I told her it was my favorite treat growing up. I was a bit concerned how she would react to the nutty cake flavor. Well, I don’t know what I was worried about- she loved it. My husband and I could taste the difference- it is not the same but it is a welcome change. For those of you looking for that authentic flavor, I would stick to regular cake flour. Me, on the other hand, will be making this cake again with the whole wheat flour. It was delicious- moist, soft and creamy.

Brought me back to my childhood. I love how food has the ability to transport you thousands of miles away…. Enjoy this delicious pineapple and fresh cream cake- you will love it.

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup extra light olive oil
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.
In bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wire whisk.

Cream oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until completely combines. Slowly add flour alternately with milk. At end of addition batter should be should. Divide between 2 pans.

Bake the cakes for about 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then invert onto a rack and cool completely before frosting.

• 1 pint whipping cream
• ¼ confectioners sugar

Beat the cream till it forms stiff peaks. It should take about 5 to 7 minutes. Keep aside.

• 1 (14 ounces) crushed pineapple with juice

Strain the crushed pineapple saving the juice (it should yield about ¾ cup juice). Keep the juice aside. Add one cup whipped cream to the strained pineapple. Mix well.

In the meantime, add one layer on a serving platter. With a large spoon soak the surface with half of the pineapple juice. Add the cream and pineapple mixture and spread evenly on the cake. Add the second layer on top and press down gently. Soak the top layer with the remaining pineapple juice. Frost the cake with the remaining whipped cream.
Chunks of fresh pineapple can be added as embellishments on the top. Refrigerate before serving.

I know what you are thinking- it’s not even two weeks into the New Year and she has already fallen off the wagon. Well, I can assure you that is not the case.

I made these for a get together. My friend serves great food and wine at her house but she is not into dessert. I can understand why- it is not so healthy for you, etc, etc. Intellectually I get it- but having a get together without a dessert is unthinkable for me.

I think that is why she assigned me the dessert. I could have bought something- there are many bakeries and stores with very good and well made treats- but nothing like homemade, right?? Well, that is what I thought too…

So, I started thinking about what to make. My friend had mentioned she would be serving finger foods- so maybe I could bring cookies or something along those lines. I started thinking of different kinds of cookies- oatmeal, chocolate chip- the usual. I wanted to make something different and started looking for Italian ones.

I found a recipe with pecans mixed in with flour, butter and sugar. I decided to use hazelnuts and dried cherries. I substituted the regular flour with white whole wheat flour ; regular sugar with raw sugar  and also added some hazelnut liquor- you can’t go wrong with any of these ingredients. The one thing I wanted to do but couldn’t since I was taking these to someone’s house- was to substitute extra light olive oil for butter… maybe next time- or if you try it with oil, do let me know.

Well, these cookies were delicious. The liquor gives the cookies a subtle yet a great nutty flavor. I know that because I only had one- yes that is right- the key is in moderation and not deprivation. So, do try these for your next gathering- definitely worth the effort.

• 1 cup soft unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• ½ cup evaporated cane sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups white whole-wheat flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1 cup hazelnuts, chopped fine
• ½ cup hazelnut liquor
• ½ cup confectionery sugar in a small bowl

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the butter and sugar until fluffy in a mixer. Add the salt, vanilla extract, flour and liquor. Mix well and add the nuts and cherries.
Mix with both hands until well incorporated. Form a ball and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on the cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool and roll in confectionery sugar.

I love desserts. I am quite picky about what I will eat, though. I feel if I am going to ingest all those calories, it better be worth my while. Homemade treats are the best or if they are bought from a reputable store or eaten at a fabulous restaurant.

One of my favorite things to eat is trifle. I have made many versions over the years. I grew up with it and eating it invokes lots of good memories of childhood. My Mom made the basic version- cake, plain custard, strawberry jam and mixed fruit- and of course lots of freshly whipped cream. It was absolutely delicious! Somehow I can eat loads of it- I am not a big eater (well, my husband may disagree with that statement…). It is so light with the custard and the cream that it is very easy to keep eating.

I am always thinking of different variations of this yummy treat. I love mangoes and pineapple together- so I decided to pair them in a trifle. As I write – blackberries and mangoes are coming to mind- I think the next one will include the two fruits- yum!

It is deceivingly easy to make. When people look at the trifle bowl, they get very intimidated. The only thing that takes a little while to make is the curd- which can be made the day before. Shortcuts can be taken as well- store bought mango curd can be used – although I have never seen it. You can substitute lemon curd instead. The rest is just layering the ingredients- pineapple, whipped cream and the cake- very simple.

I would definitely make this for a holiday dinner. Absolutely delicious- money back guarantee….

Mango Curd

• 4 large egg yolks
• ¾ cup turbinado sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup mango puree
• ¼ cup butter
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon orange zest

In a large saucepan stir sugar, cornstarch, mango puree, butter, lemon juice and orange peel. Cook over medium heat till thickened and bubbly. Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl and add half of the thickened mixture to temper it. Return the egg mixture into the saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, and stir for 2 minutes more. Strain through a fine strainer and cover the surface with plastic wrap and chill. Yields about 2 cups.

• 1 11 oz store bought frozen plain pound cake, sliced thin
• 2 cups whipping cream beaten stiff with 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
• 2 cups crushed pineapple including the juice
• 1 trifle bowl or any deep glass dish

Divide the cake into two portions. Add one portion of the sliced cake at the bottom of the trifle bowl, covering the entire bottom. Next, spread half of the crushed pineapple followed by half of the mango curd. Top the mango curd with half of the whipped cream. Repeat the process and set in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours before serving.