Feb 14, 2013

Happy Valentine’s Day with Red Donuts

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donuts

Hi everyone,

I would like to wish you all a very Happy Valentine’s Day. Today is a day to remember those you love and to show them your appreciation; what better way to do that than by making them something sweet to eat!

My youngest son just finished his undergraduate studies a couple of weeks ago, and today he went to collect some papers from university. I wanted to surprise him with something he’d enjoy, and since its Valentine’s day and everything is red, I made some donuts and added some red food coloring to the glazing to mark the occasion though I don’t really think that donuts are romantic. I think I might have put a few drops more of food coloring than I should have because the glaze looks blood red 😛 The important thing is that it put a smile on his face.

So today remember to show your loved ones a little affection. If they’re fans of donuts, make them some of these: smiles guaranteed!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon dried instant yeast
  • oil for frying

Preparation:

  • In a bowl, sift the flour with instant yeast
  • In another bowl, whisk the milk, egg, sugar, salt and oil then add the mixture to the flour, mix together until you have a soft dough
  • Cover the bowl in a cling film and leave the dough to rise and double in volume, for about one hour
  • Cover the surface you are working on with flour and roll the dough with a rolling pin to about 2 cm thickness then cut into a donut shape; leave it to rest for 15 minutes
  • Heat the frying oil (enough for deep frying) and fry the donuts from both sides for about 3 minutes on each side, until they turn golden color. Place on a kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil and allow to cool before glazing them with your choice of chocolate or red glaze

donuts1

For the chocolate glaze:

  • Boil one cup of cream with 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons corn syrup then pour over one cup of sweet chocolate chip and stir until the chocolate melts, then add one teaspoon of vanilla

For colored glaze:

  • Mix one cup of icing sugar with one tablespoon of water or milk and add few drops of food coloring

ET VOILA… C’EST TOUT! BON APPETIT!

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May 30, 2012

All Chocolate Cake

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I love chocolate, I think you should know that already. I especially love chocolate cakes, and I have many different recipes to make this lovely dessert. I like to mix and match sponge cake recipes with different flavors or glazes that I find from another recipe. My son has been craving chocolate cake since I asked him if I should make some about 2 weeks ago and made pineapple cake instead. I couldn’t torment him any longer, so I finally made this delicious chocolate cake covered in chocolate glaze and chocolate chips. This is the perfect treat for anyone who needs their chocolate fix 😉

Ingredients for the cake:

  • 125 grams cooking chocolate cut into small pieces
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 3/4 cup of flour less 1 tablespoon
  • 1 cup icing sugar less 1 tablespoon
  • a pinch of salt
  • 125 grams soft butter+ 1 tablespoon to grease a round cake tin

Ingredients for the chocolate glaze:

  • 1 cup fresh cream
  • 2 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 340 chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

  • Preheat the oven to 180 C
  • Put the pieces of chocolate in a double boiler (or bain-marie) to let it melt
  • Remove from fire then add the flour, sugar and the egg yolks; mix well
  • Whisk the egg white with a pinch of salt until it forms a peak
  • Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture
  • Put into the greased tin and bake for about 30 minutes, then put it on a wire rack until cold
  • To make the chocolate glaze, boil the fresh cream in a casserole with sugar and corn syrup, then remove from fire
  • Pour the boiled cream over the chocolate chips in a bowl and stir with a spoon until the chocolate melts, then let it set to cool. When cool add the vanilla
  • Spread the chocolate glaze over the cake and decorate with whatever you like (I used kiwi and chocolate chips; you could use any fruits, sprinkles, whipped cream, etc…)

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT! BON APPETIT 🙂

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Feb 22, 2012

Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Cookies are always fun to make. The recipe for these cookies I have from my mother, and I’ve been making it since 20 years and let me tell you, it is  a big hit! The feeling of these soft cookies melting in one’s mouth will make anyone’s mood shift quickly into a blissful state, problems will dissolve as the cookies crumble, and the day will seem brighter.

I know there’s a plethora of stores showing off their latest cookie recipes, but today I’d like to show you how you can make these fluffy delicious mouth adventures on your own. And believe me you cannot go wrong with it!

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 butter softened
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4  all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Preparation:

  • Preheat the oven to 200 C. Grease lightly few cooking sheet
  • Cream the sugars with the butter and shortening until light and fluffy
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one, stir in the vanilla
  • Sift together, the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and the salt, add to the sugar mixture, beating well
  • Fold the chocolate chips
  • Make from the dough small ball, place it on the cooking sheet and press it with fingertips
  • Bake for about 12 minutes.
  • Cool it on the tray before removing to a rack to cool completely.

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT:)

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Feb 10, 2012

Orange Cake with Chocolate Frosting

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Lucky you, I am posting double today 🙂

This recipe for the cake is very malleable for variations. Instead orange juice, you can use milk or lemon juice or even yogurt. Also, instead of making white cake like the one I made today, you can replace 3 tablespoons of flour with the same amount of cacao, and you will have a chocolate cake… BE CREATIVE and EXPERIMENT.

Ingredients:

  • 5 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of softened butter
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla  essence
  • 2 cups of granulated sugar
  • 3 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 cup of orange juice
  • 3 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Preparation:

  • Preheat the oven at 180C.
  • Grease a cake round tin, then sprinkle it with flour
  • In a bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the vanilla until pale
  • Add the the sugar and mix until completely dissolve
  • Now put the soft butter
  • Alternate the flour and the orange juice, mix well until the batter is soft and creamy, at the end add the baking powder and the chocolate chips
  • Put the mix in a cake tin and bake in the oven about 40 minutes. You know the cake is done when you insert a wood stick in it and it comes out dry
  • After its done, remove it and leave it in the tin few minutes to settle and then turn it onto a rack to cool completely

In the meantime prepare the chocolate frosting.

Ingredients for the frosting:

  • 1/2 cup of softened butter
  • 1 cup of icing sugar
  • 1 small teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons of cacao

Preparation:

  • Mix all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy, and spread it all over the cake

ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT

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