June 2, 2012

English Queen Cakes

Posted by HI Cookery under 06 June | Tags: , , , , |
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English Queen Cakes

English Queen Cakes

June 2: Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953)

Long live the Queen! Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of England and the Commonwealth, following more than a year-long mourning period of the death of  the preceding sovereign. Her father, King George VI, died on February 6, 1952, and the royal heiress ascended the throne.

A grand coronation ceremony took place on June 2, 1953, at Westminster Abbey. Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977 and her Golden Jubilee in 2002. Year-long celebrations are taking place worldwide for her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Have an at-home royal watch party (when the media cover the various Diamond Jubilee events) and include English Queen Cakes for a majestic menu. These individual, simply sweet sponge cakes are tasty as a tea time treat and are appropriate for commemorating the coronation of an English queen!

Recipe

(Adapted from Cook It Simply)

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup golden raisins (sultanas)

Directions

Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers (we used gold colored liners). In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. In a cup, beat the eggs. Pour the beaten eggs into the butter-sugar mixture. Mix well. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture into the butter-sugar-egg mix. Blend well until the batter is smooth.

English Queen Cakes

Fold in the raisins. Scoop into cupcake liners no more than half full. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on wire racks. Yield: 6-8 cupcakes or 12-16 mini-muffins.

English Queen Cakes 

Notes

 

June 1, 2012

Pastel de Tres Leches

Posted by HI Cookery under 06 June | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Pastel de Tres Leches

(3 Milks Cake)

Tres Leches

June: National Dairy Month

A popular cake flavor around South Texas where we live is tres leches (3 milks). This is a favorite of Islander’s brother that he regularly requests it for his birthday and on special occasions.

The cake is soaked in three milks—sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and table cream (like a half-and-half milk and cream)—hence, the cake’s name. Then it is frosted in whipped cream mixed with cream cheese! The result is a dense, moist cake with a custard-like texture. Dairy lovers will delight in this cake but, unfortunately, for Islander and others who are intolerant or sensitive to all that dairy will have to long for other lactose-free cakes.

Prepare pastel de tres leches (3 milks cake) for special occasions and during National Dairy Month.

Recipe
(From Señora Eva G.)

For the cake

  • 1 box French vanilla cake mix (we recommend Duncan Hines brand)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup oil

Directions

Prepare the cake mix following the directions on the box. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix with the eggs, water and oil. Blend until smooth.

Tres Leches

Pour into greased cake pans (we used two 8-inch rounds). Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until done. Remove from the oven and cool the cakes completely.  Invert the cakes onto a lipped plate (or cake stand with a lip) to catch any leakage. Poke holes all over the top of the cake with the tines of a fork. Set aside to pour the 3 milks mixture.

Tres Leches

For the 3 milks (tres leches) mixture

  • 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
  • 1 7.5-ounce table cream (we used Nestle brand media crema)
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla (we used Mexican vainilla)

Directions
In a large bowl, mix together the condensed milk, evaporated milk, table cream and vanilla. Stir until smooth. On each cake, spoon the milk mixture over the surface and allow it to seep into the cake. This is a gradual process so be patient. Continue until almost all of the milk mixture is used up. Refrigerate to set for at least half an hour before assembling and frosting the cake.

Tres Leches

For the frosting

  • 2 8-ounce tubs of Cool Whip
  • 1 8-ounce block of cream cheese
  • 6 tablespoons sugar

Directions
In a large bowl, mix the cheese with the sugar until creamy. Fold in the Cool Whip and blend until smooth and spreadable.

Tres Leches

Frost the bottom layer of the cake by generously spreading frosting on the top of it, allowing some of the frosting to overflow to the sides. Carefully place the top layer of the cake on the frosting. Continue to frost the top and sides of the cake, smoothing it out with a spatula.

Tres Leches

For the decorations

  • Kiwi fruit, sliced
  • Strawberries, sliced
  • Pineapples, sliced
  • Pecan nuts, chopped

Directions

Slice the fruits and chop the nuts. Stud the sides of the cake with the pecan pieces. Decorate the top of the cake with the fruits.

Tres Leches

Pipe borders on the top and bottom edges of the cake with extra frosting. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.

Tres Leches

Notes

  • Muchas gracias to Señora Eva G. for sharing her family’s recipe with us for our blog. Also thanks to Islander’s brother, Kahuna, for being the guest chef and preparing pastel de tres leches for this post.
  • From-scratch white cakes may be used instead of one made from a box mix. Avoid “soft” cakes like angel food. Instead choose one that is sturdy enough to be able to absorb the milk mixture.
  • Search our blog for more cake recipes.
 

May 31, 2012

Coconut Macaroons

Posted by HI Cookery under 05 May | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Coconut Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons

May 31: National Macaroon Day

Islander is nuts about coconuts! After all, she grew up on an island surrounded by coconut trees. To feed the family with the fruit, her Daddy would use a long pole with a knife attached to the end of it and extract the young coconuts from the tree. He would chop off the top of a coconut, stick a straw in it or pour the liquid in a glass and the family would drink fresh coconut water. After that, he would crack the coconut open and we would spoon out the flesh to eat the soft meat. Daddy would also grate the older and firmer coconut meat so Mommy could transform them into a variety of tropical treats.

Coconut Macaroons

Islander misses coconuts from Hawaii and must make do on the mainland when she finds coconut products at the grocery store. Sometimes, she makes coconut macaroons because these chewy cookies remind her of a similar dessert her Mommy used to make back home. Try these tropical treats when craving coconut flavors, especially on National Macaroon Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups finely shredded coconut, unsweetened
  • ¾ cup sugar (we used C&H brand, granulated white)
  • 3 egg whites, room temperature
  • 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt (we used Hawaiian sea salt)
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the coconut, sugar, egg whites, salt and coconut extract. Blend well until all the ingredients stick together.

Coconut Macaroons

Cover the bowl and chill overnight in the refrigerator. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a small scoop to drop the coconut cookie dough about an inch apart from each other. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 10-12 minutes or until they begin to brown a bit. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove from the parchment paper. Store in airtight container at room temperature. Serve in mini-muffin/cupcake papers (optional).

 Coconut Macaroons

Notes

  • Macarons and macaroons? We have made both before for our blog. Although they are both cookies, macarons most often are referred to the Parisian-style almond meringue treats (see our Mac Attack page) while macaroons are known as the coconut cookies. Read about the different spelling and more about “macarons vs. macaroons” at The Kitchn site.
  • Coconut water and coconut juice? Unlike macarons and macaroons, coconut water and juice are one and the same. However, some companies that are selling them tend to add some unnatural preservatives in the drink. Learn more at the same Kitchn site.
  • Search our blog for more recipes containing coconuts.
 

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