December 15, 2012

Puto Bisquick

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Puto Bisquick

Puto Bisquick

December 15: National Cupcake Day

In elementary school on the mainland*, when Islander was learning about ethnic diversity, her teacher asked parents to share a simple snack from their kids’ cultures. Mommy brought puto, a type of Filipino cake made with rice flour. However, some people were not used to the glutinous texture of traditional puto. So she used a more familiar flour—Bisquick brand baking and pancake mix—to Americanize this Filipino food. The mini-sized puto proved popular in class!

Occasionally Islander still prepares puto with Bisquick on the mainland but eats the traditional rice cupcakes whenever she is in Hawaii or the Philippines. Make them in mini-muffin pans for a cute cultural cupcake for National Cupcake Day.

Recipe

(From Mommy)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Bisquick brand baking mix (we used the “Heart Smart” flour)
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup milk (we used Lactaid brand)
  • ½ cup sugar
  • anise seeds

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the Bisquick and baking powder. Add the egg. Stir in the milk.

Puto Bisquick

Add the sugar. Mix well to make a smooth batter. In a greased mini-muffin pan, pour the batter no more than halfway full. Sprinkle 2-3 anise seeds in the center of each puto.

Puto Bisquick

Place the mini-muffin pan in a steamer. Steam for 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove from the steamer and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Continue steaming the other pans. Remove each puto with a toothpick. Serve on a platter lined with a banana leaf (optional). Yield: Approximately 2 ½ – 3 dozen mini puto.

Puto Bisquick

Notes

  • We used a wok with a wire platform to steam our puto. Heat the wok with about an inch-deep of water. Place the mini-muffin pan in the wok. Steam for 10-15 minutes. Remove the pan with tongs, being careful of escaping heat. Keep checking that the water does not evaporate. Pour more as necessary.
  • Sometimes we would add a few drops of liquid food coloring to create pretty pastel shades of puto.  Divide the batter into three or four bowls and tint with food color for a fun and festive presentation of puto.
  • Puto Bisquick is best eaten immediately or on the day it was made. Store any leftovers in a tightly-covered container.
  • *Back in the late 1970s, Islander and Brenda J. were the only Asian and Hispanic students among black and white classmates in their Virginia elementary school.  Brenda’s mom brought mini tacos. Ironically, decades later, we now live in the same South Texas town and still talk about the time when our moms came to class with food for ethnic diversity day!

 

December 15, 2010

Pineapple-Plumeria Cupcakes

Posted by HI Cookery under 12 December | Tags: , , , |
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Pineapple-Plumeria Cupcakes

Pineapple-Plumeria Cupcakes

December 15: National Cupcake Day

Aloha! We have combined two island icons, pineapples and plumerias, to create a tasty tropical treat. Pineapples are a symbol of Hawaiian hospitality and fragrant frangipani flowers are often made into leis. We baked a basic pineapple-flavored cake and topped them with marshmallows cut as plumeria petals. These edible, brightly-colored blossoms look like the real things from afar!

Make pineapple-plumeria cupcakes for a kitschy kanikapila or luau, for a warm welcome to the winter season (especially on the mainland) and for a celebration of National Cupcake Day.

Recipe

For the cupcakes

  • 1 box pineapple flavor cake mix (we used Duncan Hines brand Moist Deluxe Pineapple Supreme )
  • 1/3 cup pineapple juice (we used Dole brand)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup dried/candied pineapple, finely chopped (optional)

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, juice, water, oil and eggs. Blend until the batter is smooth. If using dried/candied pineapple, add to the batter and mix well.

Pineapple-Plumeria Cupcakes

Scoop the batter into muffin tins lined with cupcake papers. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Yield about 2 ½ dozen cupcakes.

Pineapple-Plumeria Cupcakes

For the frosting

(Adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor Returns by Anne Byrn)

  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla (we used Hawaiian Vanilla Company pure vanilla extract)
  • 3+ cups powdered sugar (we used C&H brand), sifted
  • 3+ tablespoons pineapple juice (we used Dole brand)

Directions

Cream the butter with the vanilla until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and mix well. Add the pineapple juice to thin the frosting to a spreadable consistency. Frost the tops of the cupcakes.

Pineapple-Plumeria Cupcakes

For the marshmallow plumeria flowers

  • 1 bag of jumbo marshmallows
  • yellow food color spray (we used Wilton brand Color Mist)

Directions

Make sure that the work surface and kitchen scissors are clean and dry. Lay waxed paper down and sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar to prevent stickiness. Cut four times through a marshmallow to create five petals. Arrange on top of the frosted cupcake. Carefully spray the food color in the center of the plumeria. Store covered at room temperature until ready to serve.

Pineapple-Plumeria Cupcakes

Pineapple-Plumeria Cupcakes

Notes

  • Plumeria is commonly called frangipani outside of the United States. The flower is not to be confused with the food-based Italian frangipani (almond cream filling) or French frangipane (pastry batter).
  • If a pineapple flavor cake mix is unavailable, use a yellow cake mix and substitute pineapple juice for the water.
  • Thanks to Lisa L. for the vanilla extract from the Big Island.
  • Thanks to Ninang Rosario C. for the handcrafted clay frangipani bouquet. It was a realistic reference point for the picture of the plumeria marshmallows.

 

 

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