Mango & Tomato: dessert

4/26/23

Lemon Yogurt Cake with Hibiscus Glaze

Are you looking for a super fast dessert recipe that doesn't require any complicated ingredients or equipment? Well, let me tell you that this yogurt cake from Mon Petit Four fits the bill!

To make it a bit more special, I found an incredibly gorgeous hibiscus glaze from Butter Be Ready that only requires two ingredients.

I shared this cake with a few friends (and froze a few slices), and everyone is a fan. I seriously want to make more of the hibiscus glaze and dip everything into it. I am not clearly going to do that.

3/30/23

Birthday Dessert: No Bake Mango Cheesecake

This year for my birthday I decided to make a dessert with mangoes (shocking) and pistachios (double shocking)!

Lucky for me, I found a great looking (and easy to make) dessert on Every Little Crumb blog.

I followed the recipe pretty closely, but did not (again, shockingly!) add cinnamon.

What's not to like about graham cracker crust topped with a mixture of cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, a splash of vanilla, and pureed mangoes?

I do wish I used fresh mangoes instead of frozen ones to make the puree.

I made the desserts in individual little jars for better portion control and to share with friends.

For the topping I made candied pistachios with cayenne! SPICY.

The texture of these cheesecakes is quite a bit lighter than the regular baked cheesecake: I loved that!

1/26/23

Let there be CAKE: Flourless Chocolate Cake with Cayenne

You know what kinds of things I love in life? Those that are low effort and high reward! This Flourless Chocolate Cake with Cayenne is exactly that!

Last weekend I went to visit my friend Laura and her family and was encouraged (ha!) to bring dessert. I asked if Laura wanted tres leches (I've never made one) or something chocolate'y, and she said definitely chocolate.

Anna (my twin for those of you who are new to this blog) suggested flourless chocolate cake.

Genius! I've made several versions of flourless chocolate cake in the past, and they are seriously one of the most ridiculously easy desserts to make (not counting fudge or boxed brownies). Most of the recipes are very similar: chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs. This time I used this one from Epicurious, but added a bit of cayenne and baked it in a springform pan. Home made whipped cream (unsweetened) was the perfect topping!

The cake was such a success, I made it again the next day to share with my friends Emily and Olivia.

1/3/23

New Year, New Recipe: Layered Pistachio Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting & Mango Jam

Happy 2023! Can you believe we are in a new year!? Here's to it being sweeter, more fun, and healthier than 2022, with many new opportunities and possibilities!

Anna, my twin, suggested I start a tradition of making a new recipe for a new year and sent me a recipe for a pistachio cake she had at one of the restaurants in Chicago. That recipe was too complicated for me, so I asked Google to find me a 6" layered pistachio cake recipe, and it did: Broma Bakery!

Layered Pistachio Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting & Mango Jam

I followed the original recipe pretty closely but made a few changes:

1) I used salted butter and so did not add salt to the batter or the cream cheese frosting

2) I strongly dislike almond extract (especially when the flavor I want is pistachio): no thanks

3) I added a layer of homemade (not by me) mango jam!

Hard lesson to learn: regardless of what the recipe says, always layer your cake pans with buttered (on both sides) parchment paper to avoid the headache of removing the cake layers from the pans. I ended up putting the cake pans in the freezer for about an hour, then dunking them in very hot water before banging out the cake from the pans. OOOF

Layered Pistachio Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting & Mango Jam

I love the texture of the cake but think I slightly overbaked it. The frosting was smooth and quite easy to make...I still have some leftovers in the fridge.

I shared the cake with four friends, a few buy nothing fb group friends, and had 3 (!!!) slices myself: I call it a success. There's one slice in my freezer!

Going forward, I will try my best to post more photos and links to recipes I've made or the ones I've created.

Happy 2023!

11/29/22

Winter Dessert: Upside Down Cranberry Cake

3 cake slices on 3 plates with spoons and whipped cream

You know how they say (whoever they are) not to make a new recipe for a dinner party? Well, I did just that when I went over to my friend Jazmin's house for Thanksgiving.

I wanted to try a new recipe and happened to see a recipe for Upside Down Cranberry Cake on Simply Recipes website.

The recipe could not have been easier to follow even though it was my first time making caramel (I know!). Luckily, the combination of butter and brown sugar did not burn (neither did it burn my hands when I poured it into the cake pan).

The cranberries went in next, followed by a pretty simple batter which included sour cream. Any time a cake or muffins recipe has sour cream or yogurt, you are almost always guaranteed a success.

The only deviation I made from the recipe was to not use cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. I know, I know, I know! I just do not like those spices. Instead, I added a splash of vanilla extract Jazmin made and gifted me.

The cake smelled and looked incredible! To make the cake even more festive, I topped it with homemade whipped cream and sugared fresh cranberries.

The cake was quite a success at Thanksgiving and tasted equally as great the next day, and the next, and the next! The last few slices are safely wrapped in plastic and stored in my freezer.

9/14/22

Mango & Raspberry Pavlova

While in Seattle, I made my first full-sized pavlova using Mary Berry recipe under my twin Anna's supervision.

I topped it with slightly sweetened homemade whipped cream and fresh raspberries and mango. A bit of powdered sugar was the final touch.

Everyone, especially my mom, loved it!!

9/18/21

Cooking Inspirations: What I've Been Cooking and Baking

And so it's the weekend again! I thought I'd share with you a few of my latest inspirations for cooking and baking.

First up, Marnely's Vegan Tofu Bolognese: such an easy to follow and satisfying recipe. I had seconds and thirds the first time I made it. Bonus points: Marnely is a friend (and I really hope we meet in real life one day). The leftovers are great on top of white beans.

Next up, Joan Nathan's challah, but with chopped crystallized ginger on the inside and a combination of black and white sesame seeds and sugar in the raw on the outside. This was by far one of the best challah recipes.

I made half the recipe and then divided it into 2: one round, one regular topped with za'atar. I'll definitely be making this recipe again and again.

Thanks Jenna for inspiring me!

The confetti plate is from one of my favorite businesses: Felt and Fat.

And finally, Olive Oil, Honey, and Apple Cake from Pickled Plum. I literally googled those terms and found the recipe: easy to follow, gorgeous, and something fun for Rosh Hashana or any fall day. I served mine with vanilla ice cream and powdered sugar.

7/25/21

Cherry Oat Bars With Frozen Yogurt And Pistachios

Cherry and oats bar dessert on a plate topped with frozen yogurt and pistachios

Cherry Oat Bars With Frozen Yogurt And Pistachios is a perfect dessert to bring to a last minute get together because one of the lessons my parents taught is to never show up empty handed.

Last week I was invited to a get together with a few neighborhood girls, but had zero desire to go grocery shopping: I had cherries in the freezer and a large bag of oats, and so I searched for cherry and oats recipe. That's how I landed on Copycat Starbucks Michigan Cherry Oat Bars from Sandra of Dash of Sanity (who can't use some sanity!?).

Surprisingly, and luckily, I had all the necessary ingredients other than quick oats. I ended up using regular oats, adding orange zest to the filling and then topping cooled and cut bars with frozen yogurt and chopped roasted and salted pistachios.

The recipe was so easy to follow and left my condo smelling sweet and fragrant. Speaking of sweet, I highly recommend cutting the brown sugar to 2/3 cups from a full cup.

To make the frozen yogurt, I took 2% yogurt, put it into a small container and put it in the freezer. After an hour I fork'ed the yogurt and put it back into the freezer. Repeat a few times.

These were a HUGE success!!! You can easily make these bars with any type of berries or stone fruit or even apples. I bet they'll be stellar with a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips under the filling.

Please don't use canned filling: fresh one takes just a few minutes to make.

6/28/21

How To Make Creme Brulee In A Pressure Cooker

2 mini creme brulee desserts in Le Creuset with blueberries

A few weekends ago I made my first ever dessert in a pressure cooker and my first ever creme brulee all thanks to a review copy of Lauren Keating's Instant Pot Cookbook For Beginners.

I've had my pressure cooker for at least 3 years, but have only used it for savory recipes. The idea of making a dessert in a pressure cooker, especially in the hot summer months, was enticing. I was also curious whether Lauren's simple recipe would be as good as the dessert I occasionally order in restaurants. It was!!!

In fact, the dessert was so great, I'm glad I only made a third of the recipe (enough for 2 portions) and shared one with a friend: otherwise I'd eat it all in just a few days. Since then, I've ordered a professional torch to brulee the sugar directly instead of putting the mini desserts under the broiler.

Lauren's book covers the basics of pressure cooking and provides recipes for each meal of the day, dessert included.

Reprinted with permission.

Cooking creme brulee under pressure ensures it comes out perfectly creamy and evenly cooked every time. Be sure to plan ahead, since this will need to chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Creme Brulee

Serves 6

Ingredients

6 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus 4 1/2 teaspoons, for topping

6 large egg yolks

2 cups heavy (whipping) cream

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 6 tablespoons of sugar and the egg yolks. While whisking constantly, add the cream, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer.

2. Divide and fill six 6-ounce ramekins three-fourths full and then remove any air bubbles with the back of a spoon. Cover each ramekin tightly with aluminum foil.

3. Set the trivet in the inner pot and pour in 1 cup of water. Place 4 ramekins on the trivet and stack the remaining 2 on top.

4. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Set the pressure valve to seal and cook for 10 minutes on manual low pressure. When the time is up, allow for 15-minutes natural release of pressure; then quick release any remaining pressure.

5. Carefully transfer the ramekins to a baking sheet and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

6. Spread 3/4 teaspoon of sugar evenly on top of each cooked creme brulee. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar and make a crispy top. Let them sit for 5 minutes before serving.

3/25/21

Olive Oil Citrus Cake With Candied Tangerine Peel

Olive oil citrus cake topped with crystallized tangerine zest, blueberries, and powdered sugar

Back in the summer I tested a recipe for Olive Oil (Citrus) Cake for Polina Chesnakova's upcoming cookbook Piece of Cake and loved it so much, I made it again this past weekend but with a few changes.

Instead of making the cake in a round pan as the recipe called for, I divided the batter into two loaf pans and baked the rectangular cakes for about 10 minutes shorter. I also topped each cake with candied tangerine peel. This was my first time making candied citrus peel, and I followed Domenica Marchetti's recipe but cut the time for each step by half because I used an oxo zester to make ribbons of tangerine skin which were quite a bit thinner than the orange peel Domenica used in her recipe.

Scattered with fresh blueberries and heavily dusted with powdered sugar, this was such an easy to make but satisfying dessert to share with a few friends. The ingredients included buttermilk, olive oil (of course), citrus zest, and eggs, just to name a few. You'll not need any special equipment nor hours to put this cake together.

I guess you'll just have to wait for the book to come out!

2/7/21

Yogurt With Frozen Cherries, Halva & Honey Roasted Pepper Cashews

Yogurt With Frozen Cherries, Halva & Honey Roasted Pepper Cashews is such a simple but elegant dessert or breakfast or a late afternoon snack. I really don't care when you decide to eat it, just do me a favor and make it!

It all started with my sister Anna making Lily Diamond's maple black pepper almonds. Well, I did not have almonds or maple syrup, but I had a large Costco container of cashews my parents sent me. I also had frozen cherries I bought on my trip to Costco with my friend Jazmin, strained yogurt I made from putting regular yogurt into a fine mesh, and seeded halva Hebel & Co sent me as a sample.

To make the Honey Roasted Pepper Cashews

1) on a medium heat in a non stick skillet combine about a cup of cashews with quarter cup of honey, a few pinches of black pepper and red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt

2) heat the ingredients on medium heat for about 4 minutes without burning them until the nuts are well toasted and golden brown in color

3) immediately spoon the mixture onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and separate the clusters

4) season the nuts with extra salt

Yogurt With Frozen Cherries, Halva & Honey Roasted Pepper Cashews

1) spoon yogurt onto a plate

2) top with crumbled halva

3) top with chopped frozen cherries

4) add honey roasted pepper cashews

1/25/21

Mango & Blueberries Napoleon

Stacked puffed pastry with buttercream, mango, and blueberries

Last week was my friend Sindy's birthday and I made her Mango & Blueberries Napoleon cake. One for her, one for her boyfriend, and one for me (because I had to try it before gifting the cakes to Sindy).

Even though these Napoleons look gorgeous and fancy, they were quite simple to make. The hardest part, in fact, was the buttercream recipe. Find the recipe that's not too complicated, and you'll be all set. Then tell me about it ;)

I baked the store bought puffed pastry cut into pieces and then cut each piece lengthwise after it cooled. Then, I layered each piece with buttercream, diced mango, and fresh blueberries, finishing the top layer with a pretty mango rose and a dusting of confectionery sugar. All done!

Napoleon with mango and blueberries plated and dusted with sugar

7/10/20

Crystallized Ginger, Dried Cherries & Tangerine Zest Buttermilk Scones

What can you do with crystallized ginger? That's the question my friend Sylvie asked me when we hung out this past Monday. SCONES was my answer.

Alas, her daughter did not feel like baking scones, so we made friendship bracelets, went on a walk to see turtles, had a dance party, watched episodes of Bluey, and made lasagna.

But the idea of scones lingered in my mind. I found a recipe for basic buttermilk scones on Wild Wild Whisk blog and added chopped crystallized ginger, dried cherries, and zest from 3 tiny tangerines.

The recipe could not be easier to follow. I wish I would have refrigerated the dough before cutting it into scones and also that I would have made them smaller. The scones turned out the size of my head (maybe a slight exaggeration!), and I'm planning on cutting them in half and freezing most of them.

These are slightly sweet with great crumbly texture, and a great flavor coming from the add ins. I'm looking forward to eating one of them Saturday morning with iced tea!

6/29/20

Pistachio Gelato with Chocolate Halva and Cherries

Hi, there Monday. How I've not missed you. Luckily, I have a scoop of delicious Pistachio Gelato with Chocolate Halva and Cherries in the freezer to brighten my mood.

This dessert was inspired by a chocolate halva my friends at Hebel & Co sent me a few weeks ago.

Originally, I thought about mixing chunks of halva into vanilla ice cream, but Whole Foods was out of their 365 brand, and I just did not feel like paying $6 for ice cream. And so I picked up a small container of pistachio gelato instead!

This impressive looking, and more importantly, delicious dessert could not be easier to put together. It bursts with color, texture, and flavor and is easily made days in advance.

Pistachio Gelato with Chocolate Halva and Cherries

1 pint pistachio gelato, softened for 20 minutes in the refrigerator
4 ounces chocolate halva, cut into large pieces, or crumbled
12 cherries, pitted, and chopped
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate

In a large bowl, mix together gelato, halva, and cherries. Be careful not to smash the ingredients together: you still want to see the chunks of halva and pieces of cherries.

Freeze the mixture overnight.

Serve topped with dark chocolate.

That's all!

Because you've added several ingredients to the gelato, the final mixture will not fit into its original container: snack on the remainder :)

Disclosure: I received a sample of halva free of charge and was not paid for this post. All opinions are my own.

6/22/20

Turmeric Challah With Pistachios And Nigella Seeds

Hi, friends! It's been silent here for a bit, but I've been still cooking and baking and eating: check out my instagram if you have any doubts.

Over the weekend, I baked Turmeric Challah With Pistachios And Nigella Seeds. I came up with this idea for multiple reasons:

1. I finally have a scale!! (a kitchen scale that is)
2. I've not baked in a while.
3. Turmeric makes any baked good so beautiful.
4. I received a sample of Hebel & Co pistachio and nigella halva that also came with a little jar of pistachios and nigella seeds
5. Anna, my twin, made King Arthur challah recipe before and highly approved of it

What I did:

1. I made the challah recipe from King Arthur Flour, but added a few dashes of turmeric, about 3 tablespoons of pistachios, and 2 teaspoons of nigella seeds. Also, I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil.
2. Using a kitchen scale for measuring the ingredients and to divide the dough into equal amounts was such a game changer! Why did not I do this earlier?
3. I made 3 challah rolls and one braid from the full recipe.
4. My condo smelled DIVINE.

Just look at the gorgeous yellow color!!! The turmeric gives an almost earthy savory flavor to the bread. I think it would have been better to add pistachios at the very end because they got a bit soggy after the 4 hours of proofing process. The nigella seeds were a surprise to me as this was the first time I've tried them: they have a hard to describe flavor of an almost earthier/deeper cumin!

And what did I do the the pistachio nigella halva you may be wondering? I crumbled it on top of Greek yogurt and fresh apricots.

4/1/20

Olive Oil & Chocolate Chip Brownie Cake

Last Sunday was my birthday. My original plans of celebrating in Arizona with my twin Anna and our friend Kate clearly did not happen.

Instead, I did a lot of facetime with family and friends, chatted on the phone, had a friend drop by and drop off banh mi sandwiches (thank you Sylvie!!), got flowers delivered from Anna, made a batch of Russian Potato salad, went on a walk, drank white wine, and got Ethiopian take out.

I also made myself a cake.

Olive Oil & Chocolate Chip Brownie Cake
1) Use a brownie mix, but instead of vegetable oil, use olive oil.
2) Add a splash of vanilla extract and a handful of chocolate chips.
3) Once baked and fully cooled, cut out 3 rounds using a biscuit or cookie cutter. Freeze the rest for later.
4) Whip heavy whipping cream.
5) Layer the brownie rounds with whipped cream and currants. If you can't find currants, use any other berries.
6) Add candles. Light them. Make a wish. Blow them out.

3/11/20

Chocolate Pecan Babka

For years I've wanted to make babka, a dessert made from an egg yolk rich yeasty dough with a chocolate filling, but every time I looked at a recipe, I decided it was too complicated.

It all changed this past weekend when I played a sous baker (is that a thing) and learned how to make a Chocolate Pecan Babka using Peter Reinhart's recipe in the Artisan Breads Every Day. You can see the recipe here.

Yes, there were quite a few steps in this recipe and some waiting time, but overall it was pretty straight forward.

The one mishap involved going back to the grocery store to pick up all purpose flour because the accidentally purchased bread flour would not have worked.

I wish you could smell the dough! It had a sweet aroma even before the addition of the semisweet chocolate.

The recipe called for cinnamon, but if you know me, you know how I feel about it. Instead, I suggest using chopped pecans. You can of course use both.

The dough was incredibly easy to roll out.

Don't skip the streusel topping made from flour, butter, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. It added an extra crunch to the final product (not pictured below).

I think the babka tasted better the next day after all the flavors had a chance to mingle together. It would be fun to add orange zest to either the dough or the filling because orange and chocolate play well together!

12/17/19

Raspberry & Chocolate Star Bread

I can't tell you how many times I've seen photos of King Arthur Flour's Star Bread and thought I should try to bake it.

Well, this past weekend I finally did! Major thanks to my friend Lorelei for her encouragement and to King Arthur Flour's twitter people for answering a zillion of my questions!

Because I pretty much followed the recipe, I'm not going to retype it. Instead, I'll share with you the changes I made and my thoughts about the final result.

1) Who has dried milk in their house!? Not me ;) I listened to King Arthur Flour's twitter helpers and used actual milk instead of water and dry milk powder.

2) I only had regular yeast and not instant yeast, so I first bloomed the yeast in warm water. I had to reduce the volume of added milk by the amount of water (about 1/4 cup) I used.

3) Also, who has potato flour? Lorelei told me to use instant mashed potatoes and turn them into powder...I have such awful memories of my mom making instant mashed potatoes, but they worked well in this recipe.

4) Instead of layering with sugar and cinnamon, I used layers of raspberry jam (after putting it through a fine mesh to remove all seeds) and shaved dark chocolate.

Before

After

The dough was relatively easy to put together with the help of my KitchenAid stand mixer. There were no issues with the rising process or the rolling process. My friend Sindy came over and helped me bake and eat this beautiful bread.

The twisting process was rather simple, but after looking at the final photos of the original recipe, I realized we did not pinch the dough quite right. Still...not a bad star: ours looks more like a star inside the circle.

We baked this bread longer, and it was still a bit doughy probably because of the moisture content in the jam and chocolate.

Next time I think I'll try the savory version!

Overall, I'm really glad I finally tried this recipe!

PS scroll all the way up and see a mini star bread my friend made :)

12/2/19

Flourless Chocolate Chili Cake: The New Way to Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi

You know how they say not to cook/bake something new for a party? Well, I did. Sort of. After receiving a preview copy of Benjamina Ebuiehi's The New Way to Cake book, I decided to make her Flourless Chocolate Chili Cake for Thanksgiving at my friend Jazmin's house.

I've made several versions of flourless chocolate cakes in the past quite successfully, so wasn't worried about this cake failing. In fact, this recipe was by far the easiest because it did not require using a double boiler or separating the eggs to whip the whites.

The chili powder gives a great kick to this rich and decadent cake. I recommend serving it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Everyone loved this cake. Even a 4 year old!

Reprinted with permission from The New Way to Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CHILI CAKE

This cake was inspired by the popular Swedish kladdkaka, which translates as “sticky cake.” We deliberately underbake this to give it the characteristically gooey interior, and as it cools, it naturally sinks and produces the most beautiful cracks.

If you’re someone who struggles with making a cake look “perfect,” this is the one for you. The warming heat that comes from the cayenne pepper lingers just long enough to leave you wanting more.

Yield:

1 round 8-inch (20-cm) cake

3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp (190 g) unsalted butter

2 cups (190 g) 70% dark chocolate

1 tsp cayenne pepper powder

Scant 1/3 cup (75 ml) espresso or strong coffee, cooled

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

2/3 cup (135 g) superfine/caster sugar

1/2 tsp flaky sea salt

2 tbsp (10 g) cocoa powder, to dust

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a springform or loose-bottomed 8-inch (20-cm) cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Melt the butter, chocolate and cayenne pepper in a small saucepan.

Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and stir in the coffee and vanilla. Let it cool.

Using a stand mixer or electric whisk, whisk together the eggs and sugar for 3 to 5 minutes, or until thick, pale and fluffy.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the eggs, add the salt and fold gently to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is just baked with a slight wobble in the middle.

Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely. As it cools, the surface will crack, and this is what we want!

Use a small sieve to dust generously with cocoa powder before serving.

I'm looking forward to trying other recipes from this gorgeous book!

11/21/19

Red Velvet Cupcake by Baking Bits

Because I haven't really cooked or baked anything amazing lately (other than a boxed mix of brownies that I fancied up with chocolate chips and a sprinkle of flaky salt), I thought I'd give a shout out to one of my coworkers who has a baking side business and brought in treats to work today!

Thank Brittney!! This red velvet cupcake was a perfect sweet treat!!

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