Moist Cupcakes @McCafe

Whenever I crave for French macarons but I don't have the lust to make them at home, I run to the nearest McCafe....which is fortunately 2 bus stations away from where we live. These almond treats (not coconuts, those are macaroons) have become our favorite and I'm starting to master it at home albeit tedious and the chance to be successful is, let's say, only 40%! The most favorite would be lemon and strawberry and those two are also what I've been mastering.

One Friday afternoon, the kids and I agreed to drop by and have tea and milk, desserts included. We were surprised about the new addition to macarons, brownies and cookies, there's this moist looking cupcake being sold at 1.69€ (2.45$). 

Curiosity got the better of me, I really liked how they used baking paper as cupcake tins. ^_^ I got me one plus two macarons each for the boys (sold at 0.89cents = 1.29$). I've had some of their cakes before and their definitely not for my sweet tongue because german/austrian desserts tend to be sour compared to ours. 

Though the Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cherry cake) is a german original, I prefer our version; not too much kirschwater that destroys the sweetness of the cake.

So moist! Like devil's foodcake in a bite! The frosting was also tasty complementing the cake base so well. I surely found something to look forward to when I visit back....I do hope that I find a recipe for a cupcake as moist and soft as this. I've got a cupcake recipe that I plan to modify a bit...but that would have to wait for now. (I'm transferring my other blog.)

Oh, I'm not the only one who enjoys McCafe, the kids get free hot milk all the time and if the server is nice, he or she would put some chocolate on top!

McCafe Vienna

http://www.mcdonalds.at/#/cupcakesmccarons/

----

Read more...

Truffles cake

"There are two types of people who eat truffles: those who think truffles are good because they are dear and those who know they are dear because they are good." - J.L. Vaudoyer

---

I've always complained how bland the cakes here in Vienna are. Well those that I bought from the nearby store anyway. I haven't tried the ones from the Konditorei (pastry shop) because they don't look that attractive to me. lol. I guess I haven't had the chance to meet the best pastry chef in town yet. So whenever we wanted cakes we order from a Filipina baker who mostly do ube cakes. Her brazo de mercedes filled with either ube or langka is a family favorite but you know each roll costs 15 euros (20$)! So I can't really have them anyday...especially the ube chiffon cake, a 30 x 30cm costs 60euros (83$)!

--

Yesterday, the kids and I saw this dome cake from another store, I really miss that Selecta chocolate truffles ice cream from Pinas so I bought this one to somehow ease my craving. Turns out this is one of the better store-cakes in this bit-of-a-boring city! The kids (all 3) and I ate this in one sitting lol....oh it was about 12 inches in size! :D

Join us!

Read more...

Peach on Yogurt

"An apple is an excellent thing -- until you have tried a peach."
-George du Maurier

Well, apples are apples and peaches are peaches. We might have  different preferences but yes, both are fruits we love. Peach used to be the favorite canned fruit back home (thanks to del Monte). Not knowing where to buy them fresh we settled for the preserved ones. It was my dad who taught me to do a milkshake simply by putting ice and milk. Prior, I always had it as is, as a "naked" fruit.

Now that I get peaches fresh from the market, I see to it that the kids have them as much as they have apples, grapes, nectarines and other fruits in season.

The stores offer yogurt already flavored. A wide selection with strawberry, cherry, blueberry and peach too but I would just buy a plain vanilla and put sliced peaches on top for a more peachy-feel. I recently bought an ice cream maker and peach would be my first experiment. :P

--

Join!

Read more...

Selecta Chocolate Truffles

(Pardon the lack of presentation)

I blame our former editor for this addiction. Selecta Chocolate Truffles is my new favorite ice cream flavor...that after having it on a Friday night, I hurriedly bought one  next the morning and feasted on it the whole day....Nevermind the calories for it was worth forgetting one's diet and budget.

This is one of the 3 flavors  in the Selecta Gold series...Created by Chef Rolando Laudico, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, this creamy confection features bittersweet chocolate against a milk chocolate base generously swirling with dark chocolate fudge. Chef Laudico was very determined to ensure rich texture that he insisted on importing gourmet Belgian chocolate for this concoction. The truffles were particulary what delighted me, you can scoop one all the time and their chunky and chewy texture would make you want to savor them longer....*sigh* - I definitely recommend that you try this!

Now, if only we have Selecta here...

----

Join us!

Read more...

Blueberry cheesecake

I'm running out of memories to write about...it's time to make new ones. :) What's best but making memories of good food along with photographs to make them last. Then again, I remember that blueberry cheesecake is one I often ask a friend to bring me whenever she comes over. Then again, shaking my head, it was a plain blueberry graham sandwich at the least.

There are still a lot of stuff I need to familiarize around the city, on top of this would be the grocery store. :) I get lost in the cheese section a lot! I can't remember when did I start looking for cream cheese in many stores but don't recall recognizing them. Sure there's Philadelphia but I've used them always on our sandwiches. I then stumbled on a recipe of cheesecake using Philadelphia and that got me excited. So a day and some more hours of waiting comes this masterpiece :D ....my blueberry cheesecake on graham crust!

Ingredients:

* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

* 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 graham crackers)

* 2 ( 8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

* 3/4 cup sugar

* 2 large eggs

* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

* 1 teaspoon lemon juice

* 1 (10 ounce) jar blueberry jam

* 1 cup blueberries

* 1 tsp sugar

* pinch of cinnamon

How to:

Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend first 4 ingredients in processor until graham crackers are finely ground. Add butter and vanilla; process until moist crumbs form. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Bake crust until deep golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool.

filling: In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium high until creamy. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until creamy and well blended.

Pour filling onto prepared crust. Bake for 30 minutes, until set and slightly puffed. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. When cooled, garnish with blueberries

Make sauce by placing blueberry jam, sugar and cinnamon in a small pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce is lightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Cool. Cover blueberries with jam then place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to chill completely.

Join us

--

Read more...

Cookie and Cake Gifts

Want some mouthwatering treats like those?

I do too! :D I have many times mentioned how baking for me is not as easy as one, two, three. For the past years I have always relied on ready made cake, cookie mixes that I'd particularly ask for a friend to buy for me.

Easy is the word to describe this baking process, especially if you opt for Davidscookies' mail order cookies of ready to bake doughs...of course, they also deliver freshly baked cookies, cakes and tarts. (Same day or 1-2 days delivery service.)

Take 2 sets of this wonderful looking tart sampler and you get shipping for free! Or order any among the fruit tarts with your favorite sweet berry, mango, apple and more. Sending them as a gift is also a wonderful idea, you save time and yet be able to give a perfect present.

Davidscookies also offers birthday cake delivery, sells gift baskets and cookie jars, most of all they have specially made cakes an brownies for those who are under a diet like me! Order one now or send me one! :D

Read more...

Panna Cotta?

Back in highschool, our Math teacher Ms Garcia (who happens to be my bestfriend's mom,) serves us a very rich creamy dessert. It was like a special treat whenever we, her daughter's friends and classmates, would invade their place.

My bestfriend gave me a recipe for the dessert, which we just called Cathedral (different from Cathedral windows) it was a combination of nestle all-purpose cream, condensed milk and gelatine. We or I never really bothered to know what its called...Well, this is actually how it would look like:

So lately I have been seeing reviews about the Italian dessert, Panna cotta. According to wikipedia, Panna cotta is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatine, and letting it cool until set. An Italian phrase which literally means "cooked cream", it generally refers to a creamy, set dessert from the Northern Italian region of Piedmont.

I got really curious because of the description's similarity in my way of cooking Ms. Garcia's recipe. Then, while at the confectioner's section of the grocery last week, I noticed a Panna Cotta box mix...so I got two and tried it yesterday. Just to make sure if this is the same dessert back home.

The recipe calls for 200 grams whipped cream, 300ml milk and the mix (which I think is sugar and gelatine).














In a pot, heat up milk and cream while mixing slowly.

Pour in the mixture and stir well. Let the mixture boil still mixing continously for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Transfer the mixture into a container or ramekin. I prefer this tupperware jel-mold though.
Let it cool and then refrigerate.

The kids were helping me prepare this dessert yesterday so they were eager to try it too, especially older son, who loves baking and everything in the kitchen.

They were excited seeing this star on the bottom lol...I remember though, Ms Garcia would put colored gelatine over or cut up jelly ace (those we buy in packs which comes in different flavors! Yum!)

After just one bite, I could therefore conclude (lol), that panna cotta is definitely what we had back in highschool, only we werent quite sure of what its called. Also, the texture was a little different, this one was rather creamier, I did not use an electric mixer so it didn't turn out how I was expecting it.

Some parts though did have the texture and appearance of Ms Garcia's recipe like below. I guess I'd stick to the original recipe after all.

Read more...