Baking101's Xanga

Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:09:22 GMT

Glad to be back! Here's my lastest endeavor...from the latest baking book I have bought (from Amazon.com)...it's called "125 Best Cupcake Recipes"...and I just could NOT wait to try the recipes! So here is the first recipe I have tried so far and I am happy to say that it turned out really good.

In the author's words, "How could I have a cupcake book without a brownie-inspired recipe in it? I couldn't, so here's a deliciously chewy and chocolaty cupcake that I am very pleased with. They'll disappear off the cooling rack faster than you can say, 'Chocolate brownies'."

If there are leftover cupcakes and you want to eat them the next day, my advice is to warm them up in the microwave and they will taste even better. But anyway, here is the recipe.
Note: I didn't use the chocolate fudge frosting recipe from her book because I didn't have one of the ingredients it calls for, but I found an AWESOME recipe online to top the cupcakes. So I added the recipe on the bottom. Enjoy!

*Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
*You will need 1 muffin pan with paper liners...this recipe makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup (or 8 tbsp) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (Note: if you don't have Dutch-process, you can substitute with baking cocoa/unsweetened cocoa powder...the formula: 3 tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder = 3 tbsp unsweetened baking cocoa + 1/8 tsp baking soda)
*1 tsp baking powder
*1/4 tsp salt
*2/3 cup granulated sugar
*2/3 cup packed brown sugar
*3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
*1/2 tsp vanilla extract/essence
*1/2 almond extract (I didn't use almond extract because I dislike almond flavoring)
*3 eggs
*2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or white chocolate chips (I used white chocolate chips...yum!)
*Chocolate Fudge Frosting (see recipe below)

1. In a small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together granulated and brown sugars and butter until smooth. Whisk in vanilla and almond extract (if using). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture, beating until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 28 minutes or until a tester inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached and a little melted chocolate. The tops of the cupcakes will not spring back when touched.

4. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 tbsp butter or margarine
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Note: When I made the recipe for the brownie cupcakes (=12 cupcakes), I had MORE than enough when I made half of the frosting recipe. So just divide all of the ingredients by half.

1. Put the sugar, milk, and butter in a saucepan.
2. Bring to the boil, while stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips.
4. With a wire whip, beat until creamy and cooled. (I used an electric mixer)

Banana Bread (with buttermilk)

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:49:14 GMT

Here is the other recipe for banana bread I said I would post. I think this recipe produces the best banana bread I have tasted so far, and it's actually very easy to make compared to the banana nut bread I posted in the past.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups sugar

½ cup butter/margarine, softened

2 eggs

1 ½ cups mashed (very ripe, 3 or 4 medium sized) bananas

½ cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Move oven rack to low position so that the tops of the pans will be in the center. Heat oven 350 degrees F. Grease bottoms of only 2 loaf pans 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 or 1 loaf pan 9 x 5 x 3 inches.
Mix sugar and butter in a large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt just until moistened. Stir in the nuts. Pour into pans.
Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour and 9-inch loaf about 1 ¼ hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing.
Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Note: When I make this recipe, as you can see below, I use the 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches loaf pans. Therefore, I end up making 2 banana breads. Also, for the breads I made in the pictures below, I did not use any nuts (because I didn't have any) so the mixture was less, and the breads turned out smaller. Generally though, I prefer using nuts (walnuts in particular) because it gives the bread a nice touch and a more wholesome taste.

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:39:50 GMT

~ Makes 48 ~

Ingredients:
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
4 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven t 400 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets.

2. Spread the oats and coconut on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until golden brown 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Before toasting the oats and shredded coconut ^

After toasting the oats and shredded coconut ^

3. With an electric mixer, cream the butter or margarine and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, 1 at a time, then the milk and the vanilla.

I put the required amount of granulated sugar and dark brown sugar together in one bowl ^

4. Sift over the dry ingredients and fold in. Stir in the oats and coconut.

Here are the required amounts of the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon ^

Folding in the dry ingredients (in the picture above and below)

Stirring in the oats and coconut...it's much easier when you use a wooden spoon...in this picture I still have the rubber spatula in there but I did switch afterwards ^

5. Drop spoonfuls of the dough 1-2 inches apart on the prepared sheets and flatten with the bottom of a greased glass dipped in sugar. (Or, personally, I suggest flattening it with a spoon or your fingers and then sprinkling some sugar over the top...for some of them I sprinkled demerera sugar and I liked it better than using regular/granulated suar.)

^ In this picture, I'm using a non-stick pan. After this batch, I realized that it wasn't going to work out, and I switched to my my metal rimless baking sheet and a silpat. For more information, read the note below.

6. Bake until golden, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

In this picture, you can see that I'm using the silpat. My cookies turned out much better!

Note: You will have to do 1 batch at a time if using just 1 cookie sheet. I had to do about 4-5 batches.
Also, I will just take this time and post to rant about non-stick pans...THEY ARE HORRIBLE! Yea, it is nice when everything comes off more easily and they are easy to wash. BUT, everything I bake in non-stick pans gets overdone way more quickly and the edges tend to start burning even though the rest of it is not done baking. I'd rather have whatever I bake turn out good than spend a little less time and effort dealing with the result. After all, I spend WAY more effort in the actual process of baking and I want to be rewarded for that effort.
Anyway, For cookies, I HIGHLY suggest you to buy "Silpats" or at the least, make sure to use baking paper. When you use silpats, the cookies turn out WAY better.

Classic Dark Chocolate Brownies

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:59:55 GMT

Here's a recipe that's not too hard for those of you out there who are intimidated by baking...this recipe makes probably one of the best brownies I have EVER tasted...they are so chocolatey, moist, and soft...and the crispy crust is the perfect touch....there's almost nothing like eating one of these when they are warm with a glass of cold milk. Or even better, try it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with chocolate or caramel syrup drizzled over the top.

Ingredients:
6 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
¾ cup (6 oz/185 g) unsalted butter, cut into 3/4 –inch pieces
3 large eggs
1 ¾ cups sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose (plain flour)

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler placed over (not touching) barely simmering water. Heat, stirring often, until the butter and chocolate melt. Remove from over the water and set aside to cool slightly.

(Note: Remember, NEVER melt chocolate in a pot directly over the stove. If you don't have a double boiler, use 2 pots. The one on the bottom should be slightly bigger than the one holding the chocolate. Fill the bottom pot with at least 1 inch of water and let it come to a simmer. Place the smaller pot holding the chocolate, over the bottom pot. The steam from the simmering water below will melt the chocolate in a way that it won't burn.)

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla until blended. Whisk in the chocolate mixture until blended.

4. Sprinkle all of the flour over the mixture and whisk slowly just until blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula.

5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center come out almost clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 35-40 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Note: In case you notice a couple of holes in the brownie below, it's from me poking the toothpick in there to see if it was done =)

6. Using a large, sharp knife, cut into 2-inch squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Strawberry Shortcakes

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:43:13 GMT

Strawberry shortcakes are golden, fluffy, cream biscuits that are served with sugared strawberries and whipped cream. These fresh, warm biscuits make a delicious desert, and the big sugar crsystals that cover the top give it a sparkling and crunchy finishing touch. I hope you enjoy making it as much as I did!

Ingredients:
For the dough:
2 cups (8 oz/ 250 g) cake (soft-wheat) flour, or 1 ¾ cups (9 oz/ 280 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
¼ cup (2 oz/ 60 g) granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup (4 oz/ 125 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 large egg
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus extra cream if making drop biscuits and for brushing
2 tbsp demerara or turbinado sugar

For the filling:
4 cups (1 lb/ 500 g) strawberries, hulled and sliced
3 tbsp granulated sugar
Whipped cream (Recipe on the bottom)

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 425 degrees F. Line a half-sheet pan or rimless baking sheet with parchment (baking) paper.

2. First, prepare the berry filling. In a bowl, using a fork, crush 1 cup of the berries. Add the remaining berries and the granulate sugar, mix well, and refrigerate for up to 30 minutes or more to macerate.
Note: I read in another recipe to refrigerate it for 1-2 hours, which is what I did. I think the strawberries will become more juicy and full of syrup that way. Make sure to prepare the berry filling 1.5 hours ahead of the time you start preparing the shortcakes.

3. Then, in a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and pulse 2 or 3 times to mix. Add the butter and pulse 3 or 4 times, or just until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of small peas.

4. In a bowl, whisk together the egg and the 1/3 cup cream until blended. Pour over the dry ingredients and pulse 2 or 3 times just until moistened.

5. For drop-biscuits shortcakes, the dough must be soft. Add additional cream, 1 tbsp at a time, as needed. Spoon out the dough onto the prepared pan in mounds 3 inches apart wide and ¾ high, spacing them 1 inch.
Note: I made drop-biscuit shortcakes and I added 1 extra tbsp of cream and the dough was just right.

6. For rolled and cut shortcakes, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently a few times until it clings together. Roll or pat out into a round about ¾ inch thick. Using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out rounds, pressing straight down and lifting straight up. Place the shortcakes on the prepared pan, spacing them 1 inch apart. Gather up the scraps, roll or pat out again, and cut out more shortcakes.

7. Brush the tops of the shortcakes with 1-2 tbsp cream and sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake until lightly browned, 12-15 minutes.
Note: It took about 20 minutes to bake when I made them, so don't worry if you have to leave them a little longer.

8. Transfer the shortcakes to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the whipped cream (see the recipe below).

9. To serve, split the warm shortcakes horizontally and place the bottom half of each, cut side up, on a plate. Spoon the berries on top, dividing them evenly. Top with the whipped cream. Cover the shortcake tops. Serve immediately.

Whipped Cream

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy (double) cream
2 tbsp confectioners’ (icing) sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

In a large bowl, combine the cream, icing sugar, and vanilla. Using stand mixer fitted with the whop attachment or a hand mixer, beat on medium-high speed until medium peaks form.

Buttermilk Lemon Poundcake

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:21:23 GMT

This is something different I tried...I've never made anything with buttermilk before. And I have to admit it turned out pretty good...the texture of this poundcake is really soft and spongy. I have to make a note: although it says to use lemon extract in this recipe (I don't know what that is actually), I used to a couple of tsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice along with the grated lemon zest from the squeezed lemon...that's all.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp each: baking soda and baking powder

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp lemon extract

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 cup buttermilk

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.

2. Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the sugar, beating constantly, until smooth and well blended. Add the eggs; beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3. Sprinkle about half of the flour mixture over the butter mixture; beat until well blended. Stir the lemon extract and lemon zest into the buttermilk. Beat half of the buttermilk mixture into the batter. Add the remaining flour and buttermilk mixtures; beat until the batter is smooth and well blended.

5. Pour the batter into greased and floured bundt pan; bake until tester inserted in the center of the came comes out clean, 1- 1 ¼ hours. Remove from the oven; let cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Turn out onto the rack to cool completely.

Coconut Macaroon Cake

Tue, 13 May 2008 04:29:54 GMT

This cake is really delicious and I just made it today! I guess it's supposed to be modeled after macaroons or also meringues (they are like cookies and originated in Europe) for which the basic ingredient is egg whites that are whipped into stiff peaks and mixed with sugar and some other main ingredient (in this case, coconut). Basically the top of this cake is a meringue that is baked with the cake batter and it resembles something like the top of a lemon meringue pie (which you guys are probably more familiar with). The cake itself is really moist too and the coconut is only in the meringue so that coconut taste is not too strong but just perfect.

On a side note...this recipe requires separating egg yolks from egg whites and also whipping egg whites...both processes can be very tricky if you're not familiar with them. I've included some pictures to help demonstrate the first process....and I've taken a picture from my favorite baking book (see the last post) to show how to whip egg whites to get the right consistency you need (in this case, "stiff peaks").

Ingredients:

125 g butter

½ cup sugar

3 egg yolks

½ cup milk

1¼ cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

Topping:

Whites of 3 eggs

½ cup sugar

1 cup coconut

Note: Before you began mixing any ingredients, you should take out 2 separate bowls for the eggs (one for egg yolks and one for egg whites). In order to separate the egg, crack the egg (making sure that you don't break the egg yolk inside). After you crack it, hold it upright over one of the bowls. Gently pull the top half of the egg shell away from the bottom half, so that the yolk stays in the bottom half. Pour out the egg whites from the top half of the shell in the bowl for egg whites. Then carefully move the yolk back and forth from one shell to the other, allowing the egg whites to fall into the bowl below. After all of the egg white is poured out, place the egg yolk in the second bowl.
Also: It is VERY important that you make sure not even a little bit of the egg yolk (or any butter, grease, etc.) falls into the egg whites because it will affect the texture of the egg whites when you whip them for the meringue.

Method:

Cream butter and sugar.

2. Add yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Add essence and alternate milk and sifted dry ingredients.

4. Prepare a 9-inch round cake pan by buttering the bottom and edges. Pour batter into the pan.

5. For the topping, beat egg whites until firm and stiff.

(I know the picture isn't that clear, but you can get an idea of what the consistency of the whipped egg whites should be like...for "stiff peaks," see the third picture from the left.)

6. Lower speed of beater and gradually add in sugar and fold in coconut.

7. Spread topping over cake batter and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.

Note: Before there were 10 minutes left for the cake to bake, I sprinkled some coconut flakes on the top while the cake was still in the oven. I thought it would add a little extra flavor and look nice. DO NOT put coconut flakes on top before the last 10 minutes or else the coconut flakes will burn and ruin the cake. If you ever want to toast coconut flakes in the future (similar to toasting nuts), it usually takes only 7 minutes.
Also: If you want to create peaks with your meringue to make the topping look nicer, take the back of the spoon and slide it upwards wherever you want on the top of the cake.

8. Let it cool before cutting slices and removing the cake from the pan.

Banana Nut Bread

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:57:34 GMT

I have a few recipes for banana bread/banana nut bread...it depends on what ingredients you have in your house. I usually like my banana nut bread to have buttermilk, but when I really needed to use up some really ripe bananas 2 days ago, I didn't have any. So, I used the recipe I'm going to post below along with pictures of course! But I will put the other recipes also in the next post.

Before you even begin making the banana nut bread, it is highly recommended that you toast the nuts that you're going to use in the recipe. There is a method to this, which I will provide right here. In this bread, you can use walnuts, pecans, or whatever else your heart desires. But trust me, you should toast them before you add them to the bread.

So why toast the nuts you ask? According to one of my favorite books (Essentials of Baking by Williams-Sonoma),
"Most nuts benefit from being toasted before they are used in the recipe. Toasting helps to crisp them, reduce their bitterness, and bring out the flavor. Always toast nuts just before you plan to use them."

Here's the method:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast, stirring occasionally for even browning, until fragrant and the color deepens. Watch them carefully, as timing varies depending on the type of nut and the size of the pieces. Most nuts will take between 10-20 minutes.
Note: When I toasted the walnuts for this recipe, it took about 8 minutes for them to toast.

The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. As you can see, I bought a bag of ready-chopped walnuts, and measured out 1/2 a cup:

These are the walnuts laid out on a baking sheet (on top of a piece of foil...because I didn't want them to get burned...nonstick pans tend to make some things get overdone quickly):

And these are the walnuts after I toasted them...you can see that they are darker and more browned (And let me tell you, toasted walnuts smell lovely...it really does bring out the flavor more):

I found the size of the walnuts too big. So after I toasted them, I put them in a food processor and pulsed a couple of times to make them into a smaller pieces (make sure you pulse for only a couple of seconds or else the walnuts will turn ino powder):

^ As you can see, now I have exactly 1/2 a cup of toasted walnuts exactly the size I want them and ready to be added to my batter.

Finally here's the actual recipe........

Ingredients:

2 large bananas (they should be ripe to add sweetness to the bread, because this recipe doesn't have much sugar)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose plain flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

1 tbsp grated orange zest

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

2 large eggs

3/4 cup brown sugar

6 tbsp (3 oz) melted butter

1/2 cup whole milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

2. In a bowl, stir together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, orange zest, and nuts; set aside.

(left picture = whole wheat flour, plain flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg; right picture = all of the previously mentioned + walnuts....don't forget to mix it all up...also you can see that I didn't put any orange zest...I don't really think it makes a difference if you do or do not put it. But just in case, I didn't put it because I didn't want any kind of orange flavor in my banana bread.)

3. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas (it's easier when you use a fork, and it should equal to 1 1/3 cups...but I didn't bother measuring it).

From this....

....to this (looks delicious doesn't it? hehe):

4. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, butter, and milk. Beat on medium-low speed just until blended.

(Note: As you can see, in this picture the butter is not melted...make sure you MELT the butter! I was lazy to completely melt the butter, and that was stupid of me...but don't make the same mistake...your bread will turn out better if you melt it all the way. If you don't melt the butter, when you mix the batter the butter won't dissolve. Instead, it forms little pieces as opposed to creating a smooth batter. To melt the butter, just put the slices of butter in a bowl or on a plate = to 6 tbsp, and stick it in the microwave...or you can put it in a saucepan and melt it on the stove...it's up to you.)

5. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches alternately with the bananas, and mix on low speed just until mixed. DO NOT OVERMIX. (If this sounds confusing, it means that while the mixer is running, put some mashed up banana, then put some of the flour mixture, then put banana, then put some flour mixture, then put some banana, then put some flour mixture...and your done!)

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top with the rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick that is inserted comes out clean or 55-60 minutes. (If the surface browns too much, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil the last 15 minutes of baking.)

7. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Squares

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:24:05 GMT

It seems like it's been forever since I put something on here...it's nice to be back! I have another recipe that I tried a few days ago. I know it's another cheesecake related recipe but I wanted to try a different combination that I've never been brave enough to try and I must say that it didn't turn out bad at all (except for one thing, read on).

Before I begin...I just want to emphasize that I'm still learning about baking through experience and I make a lot of mistakes. But it has definitely helped me learn a lot, and this recipe was no exception. Basically, this recipe requires shortening, and I didn't have any in my house. So i decided to substitute it with regular butter. Boy was I wrong. The point is, in this recipe, don't substitute shortening with butter cuz apparently it made a difference. So the shortening was supposed to be used for the crust. Instead of creating a nice chewy, solid crust, I ended up with a crust that for the most part, broke into crumbs or powder as soon as i touched it. So that was sad, but I really loved the wholesome taste that the oats gave and it reminds me of biscuits that I eat in England. In my pictures showing the final product, I had to be careful and choose the pieces where the crust was still intact so I could have something worth presenting on here.

(Note: While writing this entry, I decided to search shortening and butter online, and found somewhere that when you substitute butter for shortening, you do the following: 1 cup shortening = 1 cup + 2 tbsp butter. Well that might explain my disastrous crust. I haven't tried this, but if anyone here decides that they can't or don't want to use Crisco, be sure to try this substitution and let me know how it goes!)

But anyway, here's the recipe.......

Ingredients:

¾ Crisco butter flavor stick or ¾ cup Crisco butter flavor shortening, plus more to coat pan

1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup uncooked quick or old-fashioned oats

¼ tsp salt

Filling:

1 jar seedless red raspberry jam

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 eggs

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp grated lemon peel

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 13x9x2-inch baking pan with shortening; set aside.

2. To make crust, place ¾ cup shortening and brown sugar in mixer. Turn to speed 4 and beat until creamy, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape bowl.

3. Turn to stir speed and gradually add 1 ¼ cups flour, oats, and salt, mixing until well blended, about 1 minute.

4. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until evenly browned. Remove from oven and immediately spread jam evenly over hot crust; set aside.

This is after the crust has been baked:

And I know this doesn't look too appetizing, but remember this is not the final product...here's the crust with the jam layer on top:

5. To make filling, place cream cheese, granulated sugar, and 2 tbsp flour in mixer. Turn to speed 6 and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to speed 2 and add eggs, one at a time, beating about 15 seconds after each addition. Stop and scrape bowl. (You can do this step and the next step while the crust is baking. )

6. Add lemon juice and peel. Turn to speed 4 and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Pour mixture over jam layer.
(I'm sorry I don't have pictures for this step, but for those of you who are still learning, in order to get lemon peel/lemon zest, take the rinds of a lemon and scrape it on a grater. Then, you take the little pieces and just dump them in the batter.)

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until set. Cool to room temperature in pan on wire rack. Makes 32 bars.

And here is the final product (Excuse that very unappealing cheesecake crumb on the top of the front slice...I didn't notice it until afterwards):

Krunchi Biscuits

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:51:13 GMT

Hi again! Okay...i take back what i said in my last post...this is another quick update and this time i really don't know when i'm going to update again (hopefully it won't be too long before the next post). Anyway, I just want to provide a little bit background on this recipe and the photos...if you don't feel like reading it...skip to the recipe now

My mom was born in Zambia and raised there until the age of 13, after which she grew up in England...so this is most probably a South African recipe and my mom's family has been making it for years. I have already posted and will probably continue putting up more South African or British recipes in the future because honestly, the people in both of those countries really know how to bake!!! (And, a lot of my baking books are also from those places )

...i forgot to mention that the "Victoria Sandwich Cake" is a British recipe, and the "Romany Cream Biscuits" are a South African biscuit (and so is the recipe)...if you have no idea what i'm talking about, check out my "table of contents"

On another note, the recipe is not as thorough as i would have liked it to be, but i really wanted to share it because they are delicious! On top of that the photos are kinda blurry because they were taken with my old and crappy digital camera. So for all that, i really apologize.

LAST but not least, my mom helped me with this,...she did the demonstrations, while i took the pictures...thanks mom!
Just to let you know, these biscuits, if made right, have a soft and melt-in-your-mouth texture...and don't forget the light taste of coconut swirled into the biscuit.

Finally...here is the recipe --->

Ingredients:
About 1 lb of butter

½ cup + 8 tbsp icing sugar

4 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

a little bit milk

1 ½ cups dessicated coconut

food coloring

1. Beat a little less than ½ lb of butter with ½ cup icing sugar in a mixer.

2. Remove from mixer, and add 4 cups flour and 3 tsp baking powder. Rub together and make a dough with just a little bit of milk (enough to make a soft dough- pliable but not too soft).

3. For the coconut filling, melt ½ lb of butter and add 1 ½ cups dessicated coconut. Braise in a saucepan until light brown and it releases an aroma. Remove from heat and add 8 tbsp icing sugar. Mix and cool. (Make sure you do NOT put the mixture in the fridge)

(Note: This coconut has yellow food coloring mixed into it, which is why it is that color.)

4. Divide the dough into four parts. Roll out each part, but not too thick.

5. Divide the coconut filling into four parts and color with food coloring.

6. Spread one part of filling on one part of dough and continue doing the same with the rest of the dough and filling parts.

7. Working with one dough and filling part at a time, after rolling out the dough and spreading the filling, roll up like a swiss roll. (Do not put it in the fridge!)

(Note: This one has green colored coconut filling...and make sure you roll it slowly)

8. Cut the roll up into slices slowly and press each slice very lightly. Put slices on a greased tray.

(If you look closely in the photo on the left, the roll I focused on has red coconut filling...my point is, it's fun to make each roll with a different color coconut filling because in the end, you'll have all these colored biscuits and it makes a pretty arrangement)

9. Bake the biscuits on the top part of the oven at 350 degrees F until golden brown. If biscuits cook too quickly, bake in the lower part of the oven at 375 degrees F.

And here are the finished biscuits (these are with blue colored coconut filling ):