Chocolate Flan Cake (Chocoflan)

I have always wanted to make this Chocoflan Recipe since the day I saw Marcela make this on one of her episodes of  Mexican Made Easy at Food Network. And then a friend of mine posted this on her new foodblog. Again, I got excited to make it and I even bought all the ingredients needed. But my husband is allergic to dairy so I am just waiting for a big party or potluck so that I can finally try this awesome recipe. I need someone to help me eat this "look so delish cake". I am glad that my friend was kind enough to share this Chocolate Flan Recipe on my blog. So there, give it a try and let me know how it turns out.

Chocolate Flan Cake Recipe
Courtesy of Juana Adams of fil-amcookingandmore
Serves 12


Ingredients

For the cake:

1 (18 ounce) box of chocolate devil's food cake mix
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs

For the flan:

1 (11 ounce) jar cajeta caramel topping (has richer flavor) or smucker caramel topping
1 (14 ounce) can sweetend condensed milk
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1/2 cup fresh milk
1 ( 8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
5 eggs

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350F.
2. Spray a large 12 cup Bundt pan with nonstick coating. (This is very important).
3. Soften the cajeta in the jar in the microwave ( no more than 30 sec) and pour into prepared pan.
4. Prepare cake mix according to package directions.
5. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan over the cajeta.
6. To make the flan: Pour condensed, evaporated and fresh milk into the blender with the cream cheese, vanila and eggs. Mix well.
7. Pour the flan mixture very slowly over the cake batter. (The flan mixture will sink to the bottom of the pan).
8. Spray aluminum foil with non-stick spray. Cover the pan TIGHTLY with the foil. (Very important)
9. Set the Bundt pan into a large pan and set on the oven rack and slide inches.
10. Carefully pour hot water into the larger pan to a depth of 2 inches. ( The Bundt pan will be sitting in 2 inches of water).
11. Bake cake for 2 hrs(test); do not uncover during this time.
12. After 2 hrs, remove cake from water and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Peel off the aluminum foil.
13. Invert cake onto a large plate with rim.
14. The cajeta will drip down the sides of the cake.
15. Cool completely then refrigerate. Refrigerate leftovers.

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Basic Crepes Batter Recipe

These sublime crepes are guaranteed to please everyone! From this basic Crepe Recipe, you can create variations depending on what filling you would like that day. There is a lot to choose from, Chocolate or fruit jam , strawberry or banana or simply just ice-cream. The possibilities are limitless. You can stuff anything you want, depending how you want it , savory or sweet. Today, we focus on the Crepes Batter. The Crepes Batter Recipe is super easy--just a couple of seconds on the blender then few minutes of cook time! My husband and I love to have them during breakfast. It is fast and easy and it is the best Crepes we have ever had!

Crepes Batter Recipe

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1¼ cup whole milk
½ teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoon of melted butter
butter, for coating pan

Cooking Directions:

• In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking.
• Heat 2 teaspoon of butter in a small non-stick pan. Pour batter and swirl around to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove when cooked. Cover with paper towel.
• To serve, sprinkle each crepe with sugar or spread jelly or any filling of your choice, fold or roll up.
• Enjoy and Share!

Note:

For Savory Variation : Add ¼ chopped fresh herbs, spinach or sun-dried tomatotes to the batter mixture.
For Sweet Variation  : Add 2-½ tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2 tablespoon of liqueur of your choice to the batter mixture.

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Pumpkin Roll

This pumpkin roll recipe consists of sweet and moist pumpkin-flavored sponge roll wrapped around a  silky rich cream cheese filling. It is rolled up like a pinwheel.  It makes a great dessert, especially for holidays. Serve and impress your guests anytime of the year with this pinwheel cake. It is so easy to make if you follow the step by step directions. I made this amazing Pumpkin Roll cake from my leftover pumpkin puree. It was my first time to make sponge roll cake and I was quite nervous but it turned out pretty good. This recipe might sound difficult but it was really so easy to make. Give it a try.


Pumpkin Roll Recipe
Adapted from Realmomkitchen

Ingredients :

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree

Cooking Directions:

• Mix together all ingredients.
• Cover a 10×15 inch cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper, wider and longer than the cookie sheet.
• Pour batter onto parchment paper and spread evenly, making sure to get into the corners of the cookie sheet.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes (less if the edges start to get really dark – it should look like cake and feel spongy to the touch).
• Next, turn onto a towel that has been generously covered with powdered sugar. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and remove the parchment paper.
• Roll the cake up, jelly roll style, in the towel starting with the short end. Allow to cool for ten minutes. (This helps the cake to keep the roll form. If you did this when it was cooled the cake would crack and not keep the nice form)
• While cake cools mix filling ingredients.

Filling Recipe


Ingredients:

 

• 8 oz of cream cheese, softened (reduced fat work fine)
• 2 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened

Cooking Directions:

 

• Mix filling ingredients with a mixer until smooth.
• Unroll cake from towel and spread with filling
• Re-roll with out the towel, wrap in foil and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours.
• Cut into slices and serve. Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Muffins - The Best !!

I had some leftover pumpkin from Thanksgiving and was looking for a way to use it. I stumbled on a muffin recipe with great reviews by Tasty Kitchen.  I checked the ingredients needed and made a little tweaking by substituting the vegetable oil with butter and adding nutmeg. I am not a big fan of pumpkin desserts but these pumpkin muffins were delicious.  And I was quite surprised I really loved them. They have nice pumpkin spice flavor, perfectly  moist and tasty. My husband said it is the best tasting pumpkin muffins he ever had. Give it a try, it is really easy and fast.

Ingredients:

• 1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 cup Pumpkin Puree (from A 15oz Can)
• ⅓ cups Vegetable Oil
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1-¼ cup Granulated Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Baking Soda 
• ½ teaspoons Salt 
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar (for The Topping)
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon (for Topping)

Cooking Directions:

• Place muffin liners inside the muffin cups. I used the silicon muffin cups so no need to put muffin liners.
• Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
• In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. (Here’s the deal with pumpkin-pie spice: they sell it at most grocery stores right now. But I’m not a fan of a one-purpose type of spice, so I put in 1/8 of a teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice. So if you don’t have pumpkin-pie spice, you can just do what I did.)
• Whisk together pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, pumpkin-pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Then whisk in the flour mixture until just combined.
• In another bowl, stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about 3/4 full), then sprinkle the tops with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from the pan to the rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

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Ricotta Orange Pound Cake

 

 

 

 

I was watching Food Network the other day and Giada made this pound cake and it looks delicious. I decided I had to make it. I checked the review and it earned 5 stars from 100+ users.  That's why I told myself, this is gotta be a  good cake. After reading the reviews, I made few changes. I used Limoncello Rum instead of Amaretto. Also, I used candied orange instead of strawberries and I baked for 1 hour. End results, the cake is just scrumptious! It is one of the best desserts I have ever made. It is perfectly moist and with just right amount of orange flavor. Hubby just loved it, he said to make this again and again and again. Give it a try, it's worth it.

Adapted from Food Network

 

 

Ingredients:

 

 

1-½ cups cake flour ( I used unbleached all purpose flour )

2-½ teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup ( 1-½ sticks ) butter, at room temperature

plus more to grease baking pan

1-½ cups whole milk ricotta cheese

1-½ cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon

3 large eggs

t teaspoon vanilla extract

1 orange, zested

2 tablespoon Amaretto ( I replaced with Limoncello Rum )

powdered sugar for dusting

1 pint strawberries ( I replaced this with candied orange )

 

Cooking Directions :

 

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F, Grease 9 x 5 x 3 - inch loaf pan with butter.
• In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine.
• Using electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta and 1-½ cups sugar until light and fluffy.
• With the machine running, add the eggs one at time.
• Add vanilla orange zest and Limoncello Rum. Mix well. Scraping edge with spatula,
• Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated.
• Pour mixture on prepared pan and bake until toothpick come out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Let the cake cook in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
• Dust the cooked cake with powder sugar.
• Meanwhile, place the strawberries ( or orange supremes) in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit until juices have pooled around.
• Serve with slice of cake and spoonful of strawberries and their juices over the top of the cake. Enjoy!

 

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Bibingkang Malagkit ( Sticky Rice Cake )

Bibingkang Malagkit,commonly known as Biko, is a sticky rice cake cooked in sweetened coconut milk and usually topped with caramelized sugar and coconut cream. In the Philippines, this is available in the market, where they usually enjoy this delicacy during breakfast and merienda time. I had cooked this recipe several times, but I never get a habit of taking pictures. It is only recently that I have a foodblog that got me into documenting my recipes. The photo you will see here is not the look I was aiming for when I cooked this. I ran out of dark brown sugar so I had used the light brown sugar ergo my rice cake came out light in color instead of golden brown color. But, it still taste good. If you want good results in cooking, never compromise your ingredients. That is the lesson I learned in making this Rice Cake. Here's my own twist of this popular Philippines delicacy.

Ingredients:

2 cups of glutinous rice or sticky rice
4 cups of coconut milk
2 cups dark brown sugar
1-½ cups water
4 tablespoon of butter
½ teaspoon of salt

Cooking Directions:

• Wash glutinous rice 2-3 times, put in a rice cooker. Add the water and cook until rice is ready.
• In a wok or heavy bottom pan, bring 3 cups of coconut milk to boil, add 1-½ cups brown sugar and butter, mix thoroughly. Keep on stirring until the mixture is reduce to half and thick.
• Add the cooked rice on to the coconut mixture, mix well. Make sure the rice is well incorporated with the coconut mixture. Reduce your heat to low and continue to cook until the coconut mixture is absorbed by the rice.
• Remove sticky rice from wok, place on a prepared baking tray or Pyrex, flatten and set aside.
• Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Bake the Sticky Rice Cake for 15 minutes.
• In a small wok or saucepan, caramelized remaining sugar and coconut milk. Cook until thick.
• Pour caramelized mixture on top of the sticky rice cake and bake until golden crust is formed.
• Let it cool before serving. Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

I have seen these little delights from Birthday Girl when I was searching for cool Super Bowl dessert. I was so happy when to discover that I happen to have a brownie mix in my pantry. I did not have any peanut butter chips available, but I think the final product still looks so irresistable.


Ingredients:


1 box of brownie mix
1/2 cup peanut butter chips ( I did not have this available)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter


Cooking Directions:

• Pre-heat your oven to 350°F. Prepare 40 mini-muffin cups, spray or grease.
• For the brownie, follow the directions on the box of the brownie mix.
• Carefully spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups ( about 1 heaping teaspoon )
• Bake the mini brownies for 13-15 minutes. Check, insert a toothpick into the center, it should come out slightly wet.
• Bring out the brownies and let it cool,wait for center to fall. If not,make a hole on the center using the back of a teaspoon. This is where you put the peanut butter.
• In a small microwave-safe bowl, place peanut butter and microwave on high for 45 seconds then stir.
• Spoon about half a teaspoon of the peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Do this while brownie is still warm.
• Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips abd peanut butter chips. Let it cool and Enjoy !

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Butter Pound Cake - Best Pound Cake Ever !

I think i have been lucky in trying new recipes. This is my very first Pound Cake and as my husband puts it, it is the best Pound Cake he has ever had! I have been motivated in making cakes lately, and whatever new cooking gadgets i have, dictates what i will make next. I just purchased this new Bundt Pan so i decided to baptize it by making this Butter Pound Cake - a recipe from my Fine Cooking Magazine. I strongly recommend that you give this a try. It's simply out of this world.

Or if you want to make money on selling your cakes,you should check  Start a Cake Decorating Business. It has great reviews, saying that it covers everything you would need to know about starting your own cake business. The recipe collection and gallery alone is worth the price.

 

Ingredients :

• 10 oz. ( 1 - ¼ cups) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature; more for the pan
• 10-1/4 ounces (2-½ cups) cake flour or 11 ounces (2-1/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pan
• 1-½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• 1- ¾ cups granulated sugar
• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 1-½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Cooking Directions:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan, dust the pan with flour, and tap out the excess. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. On low speed, beat in the yolks until smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl and the paddle. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, add the whole eggs, one at a time, mixing for at least 20 seconds after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl and paddle again.
4. With the mixer running on the lowest speed, add half of the flour mixture and mix just to combine, add the milk and mix until combined, and then add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until combined.
   5. Scrape the bowl one last time, add the vanilla extract, and mix at medium speed until the batter is smooth and fluffy, 20 to 30 seconds.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Run a knife through the batter and tap the pan against the counter to dislodge trapped air. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only moist crumbs clinging to it, 45 to 55 minutes.
6. Cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. The cake will keep at room temperature for 3 days.

Tips:


If the recipe asking for the 1 or 2 ingredients to be in room temperature, make sure to do with the other ingredients. ie; milk, egg, butter

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Lemon Cheesecake

This is my very first Cheesecake ever! I had never make one before but when my husband bought me a Spring Form Pan, i had no choice but to overcome my fear and go for it.The crust made from scratch and the fresh squeezed lemon gives this cake it's unparalleled taste,tartness and flavor. It is a winner !


Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs


• 1/2 cup butter, melted


• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Filling:

• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened


• 1 cup granulated sugar


• 4 eggs


• 1/2 cup sour cream


• 2 tablespoons lemon juice2


• teaspoons lemon zest

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.


2. Spray the bottom of an 8 inch Spring Form pan with non-stick cooking spray.


3. In medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar.


4. Press mixture into the bottom and the sides of the spring form pan.


5. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.Remove from the oven and let cool completely.


6. Reduce oven heat to 250°F .


7. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer until light and fluffy.


8. Gradually add sugar and mix well.


9. Add eggs, sour cream, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix well.


10. Pour into prepared crust.


11. Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of oven.


12. Place Spring Form on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.


13. Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for 1 hour.


14. Remove from oven and let cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.


15. Slice with a knife immersed in hot water. Enjoy!

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