Banana Pancakes!

Thank you SO MUCH to Cassey from Blogilates who introduced me to the wonderful world of Banana Pancakes. These babies are so quick and easy to make, and guess what? They only require 2 ingredients!

One Lazy Sunday ago, I wanted to make some breakfast. I actually don't eat breakfast often (I know, very horrible!!) mainly because I am a sleeper and I love to get every minute of sleep I can get before I run out the door and begin my day. Unfortunately for me, this led a life of not being able to make breakfast at all, let alone have time to eat it.

Anywho, having Sundays free, I was in the mood for some pancakes! I then looked online at YouTube and searched for recipes from Blogilates. I'm so glad I came across this recipe! Its super easy to make and it tastes delicious! No need for syrup, but if you do want to add more sweetness, then I suggest adding raw honey to this super healthy meal :)

Here is the recipe for you all to enjoy! Taken from Blogilates

Healthy Banana Pancakes
1 ripe Banana
2 Eggs

1. In a medium bowl, mash the banana until it becomes gooey
2. Add eggs one at a time and whisk until it becomes frothy
3. On a large skillet, heat and grease the pan with coconut oil, evoo, or even pam spray (I used pam)
4. When the pan is hot, ladle in desired amounts of pancake batter. You can make them big or small, whatever you prefer!
5. Flip the pancakes and cook until they turn golden brown
6. Add raw honey or any other syrup/butter of your liking, or enjoy it as is :)

Notes:
*I like to make sure the banana is mashed and gooey because if it is too chunky, you might not get a desired banana taste and it might end up like scrambled eggs with banana bits
* Add the eggs one at a time to ensure it gets mixed in properly
*The batter will spread quickly if the skillet is not hot enough

Here is a video if you'd like to see it get done instead! :)

Cookies n Cream Ice Cream Pie!!

So you all know that I recently bought an ice cream book from my last post. I absolutely love it! Making ice cream comes to a bit of a challenge to me. Maybe because I need to always remember to freeze my freezer bowl. I have that ice cream machine that looks like a bucket. I'm hoping to get a bit more advanced in ice cream making so I can invest my time into one of those $300 ones! But as for now, my lovely red bucket will do.

After enjoying some ice cream from Bi Rite, I absolutely HAD to buy the book. Well, as I was standing in line, I already decided to buy the book. But after having some ice cream, I knew my investment was well spent. Its also signed! Yay!

I love this book from Bi Rite Creamery because it is very detailed on how to make ice cream and what type you want to make. Not just with different flavors, but the style: such as pies, cakes, popsicles, sorbets, etc.

From this book, I decided to make a cookies n cream ice cream pie!

I first made the base of the Cookies N Cream ice cream by making a vanilla base.

Be careful when you make this! When you temper the cream to the eggs and back into the pot, it will literally take 1-2 minutes for the base to be finished. Don't wait for it to thicken too much or you would have over cooked it. (That's what I did on my first attempt!) Once the base has finished cooking, you want to strain it over a bowl in an ice bath! Once everything is cool, transfer the base to a container and stick it in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

Once you finish, you can start on the oreo crust! It doesn't have to be perfect or anything! Don't forget to bake it!

Yum! Oreos are my weakness! I love how universal they are! You can eat them alone with milk, add it to some cupcakes, sprinkle it on macaron shells, or even chop it up and add them to ice cream!

I definitely think that churned ice cream looks beautiful with oreos! Once my ice cream was close to finished, I add the chopped oreo bits into it. It saves me a ton of time by adding it to the already churning ice cream rather than folding it in afterwards and being afraid that the ice cream would melt too quickly. 

Once your ice cream is finished, just dump the entire batch onto your cooled pie crust and spread it out!

Wrap it up in plastic and chill overnight! Then enjoy the next day, especially if it is a hot September afternoon. Cut it up and enjoy!

I had so much fun making this and I definitely enjoyed the reactions from my friends! I think I might try my hand in some ice cream again! 

Cookies n Cream Ice Cream Pie (From Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones)

Ingredients for the ice cream: (Makes about 1 1/4 quarts)

5 large egg yolks

1/2 c sugar

1 3/4 heavy cream

3/4 cup of 1% or 2% milk

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 c chopped oreo cookies

Ingredients for the crust: (one 9" pie pan)

1 1/2 c fine cookie crumbs

2 Tbs sugar

2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

pinch of kosher salt

Directions

Ice cream:

1. Whisk together yolks and 1/4 c of sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set aside
2. In a medium saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, salt, vanilla extract and 1/4 of remaining sugar. When mixture simmers, turn the heat off
3. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the cream mixture to the eggs and whisk constantly. Add one more 1/2 cup of cream
4. Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook for another 1-2 minutes. It will slightly thicken enough to coat the back of a spatula. Do not overcook it will cook fast!
5. Strain the base into a strainer over an ice water bath. Once mixture cools, transfer to a container and keep it in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight
6. Churn the ice cream in your machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once ice cream starts to thicken up, add the chopped oreos or fold it in by hand.
7. Transfer the ice cream to a clean container and freeze immediately or pour over prepared pie crust and freeze immediately

Pie Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 
2. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients together until well blended
3. Transfer to a 9" pie pan and press along the sides and at the bottom. Use a flat surface like a glass cup to make everything smooth
4. Bake the crust for about 8-10 minutes and let it cool before you add ice cream 

San Francisco Love!

If you asked me if I love the city, my automatic response would be "No". The commute is horrible, the traffic is tragic and driving up and down the streets are a nightmare. But I do admit that the city holds infinite opportunities and adventures for those who love to explore. I live approximately an hour away from San Francisco. Don't get me wrong, I love that I live only an hour away from the city, but I also don't like that I live an hour away! Coming to SF is more of a vacation for me rather than an everyday type deal. Hopefully I'm not the only one who feels this way, am I right? I have to plan my whole day if I plan to go to SF for even an hour!

Anyway, some girlfriends and I decided to head on over to SF for a spontaneous girls-only trip. We only REALLY wanted ice cream but we ended up doing more than just ice cream.

We visited the wonderful world of Bi Rite Creamery. The line for this small ice cream shop extends as far as the streetlights (But probably even further on a busier workday). I ordered the Salted Caramel (A MUST) and the orange cantaloupe sorbet because I have a weakness for sorbets. It was so delicious and definitely worth the wait. The plus side is that across the street from Bi Rite is a nice grassy field that you can sit on and enjoy. Bathe in the sunlight and get some Vitamins! 

After we finished our ice cream, we headed to Japan town and took a stroll to Filmore bakeshop since it was literally a 5 minute (or less) walk. Such a cute little bakery! I wish I got some photos but I didn't. I had no space for dessert, so unfortunately I didn't purchase anything either. Fun Fact: My chef from culinary school owns and runs Filmore Bakeshop with his daughter! 

After Japan Town, we headed to the beach! Ocean Beach is so beautiful and the sand is so nice and soft. I definitely recommend hitting up this beach if you ever visit the city. It's such a beautiful place to check out (photo above)

Lastly, we ended our trip with Moraga Steps. Definitely another landmark you MUST visit when heading to SF! It's so beautiful and definitely worth the hike up. 

That was my trip to San Francisco. I plan to visit more places next time I decide to take that 1 hour car ride or bart to the city. In my next post, I will share a dessert I made inspired by something from the city. Hint: It has to do with the AMAZING book I bought! :)

Baker Who

PS. I finally bought photoshop! My trial ended so it took me awhile to get back into blogging since I did not want to post up poor and unedited photos. 

S'more Pie Pops!!

Uhh YUM! Okay, maybe that's not the most flattering photo of the pie pops, but I'm still learning! 

Okay, it's been about FOREVER since I've last posted. I'm transitioning between school and work and blogging so I'm trying to find a balance to this new world. 

Anyway, My two trusty baking assistance, Margaret and Kenneth, came over to help me make some pie pops a few weeks ago! I saw these at The Gunny Sack and ever since then, I've been wanting to make it for months! Finally, the time came and I took advantage of that opportunity with both hands!

Okay, maybe I'm being a little overdramatic, but how perfect is this dessert? One group of my friends are going camping right now, yet I'm stuck at home due to work. The other group of friends are going to have a bonfire tonight, which I might join them, actually. But what a great weekend to make this. In both cases, if I don't go then I will still have that celebratory s'more without actually being near a bonfire. Win win for me!

Look at my beautiful baking assistant taking her first bite of the s'more pops! In the Gunny Sack recipe, it asked to use premade pie crusts but I personally like making my own pie crust. I have a great flaky pie dough recipe that I used for these pops and they puffed up really nicely and tasted wonderful!

Some things I would change if I can... 

1. DONT put them on sticks. These are as huge as pop tarts and will fall right off! With that being said..

2. Make them smaller if you wish to put them on sticks

3. Egg wash using cream and eggs to get a nice golden look, not a flat look by just using egg whites

4. Be creative! You don't have to stick to just hershey's chocolate. I used cookies n cream and you can also opt in for the almond or dark chocolate bars too! :)

Flaky Pie Dough: (Makes about 8 3x4 pies)

1 lb All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Salt

10.5 oz Cold Cubed Butter

2/3 cup  Ice Water

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl with a paddle adjustment, combine the flour and salt

2. Add in butter and mix until it becomes a sandy texture

3. Add water and stop mixer right when dough starts to form

4. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for 30 mins

Assembling the Pie Pops:

1. Knead dough and Roll out dough to 1/4" thick (it will puff up really nicely)

2. Cut out 3x4" rectangle and transfer to a baking sheet with parchment paper

3. Put chocolate and marshmallows on top (3-4 bars of chocolate and 10 marshmallows)

4. Lay another piece of rectangle on top and fold the bottom piece over the top

5. Using a fork, prick the edges 

6. Egg wash the pie and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 mins

7. Let the pie pop cool before eating. Best served with a cold glass of milk!

Sunday Funday!

2 more days left of summer class and how do I spend it? Baking of course! Haha.

So yesterday I met up with some old High School friends. We went out to Picnic Bistro for lunch. Delish! I got the Lake Tahoe sandwich.

Afterwards, I headed off to the Fremont Festival. I've never gone to one so it was a really great experience. This festival was huge! Unfortunately, I did not take any photos, I was too preoccupied by all the amazing things that were happening. Music, vendors, food. Next year I'll come back and I'll definitely bring money and a camera. 

We decided to end this hot day with some gelato at Sweet Orchid. This is my go to spot for gelato, even if it means I have to drive a ridiculous distance to get some. They have some crazy flavors but I stuck with my original favorite of Mango sorbetto and Strawberry sorbetto. Yum! Look how colorful my gelato is!

(Oh! On a side note, I recently got photoshop! Well.. the trial that is. I swear I'll buy it when the trial is over! Haha. I'm working on my photography and photo editing skills. You can tell that I definitely need a lot of work but I'm practicing whenever I can!!!)

I thought my day ended with Gelato, but it didn't. My OTHER two old high school friends wanted to come over and help me bake. Which is a good thing because I needed a reason to bake so I could blog about it. 

My friends, Margaret  and Kenneth, are my two go-to people when it comes to baking. They just love to share my passion with me. Who else is going to eat what I made? 

Margaret has been bugging me to do some cinnamon rolls lately and I figured, why not today? She chose this ridiculous recipe that included a 14 hour wait period for the dough to rise, but I showed her another recipe from A Beautiful Mess. Nutella Cinnamon Rolls? Uhh, Yes Please!!! She wanted to try this recipe from Provocative Palate, but since neither one of us wanted to wait that long, we decided to use the dough from A Beautiful Mess and make the nutella cinnamon rolls AND the fireball whiskey cinnamon rolls. Genius right? 

Total wait time, 1 hr 30 mins. I'll take that any day! 

Nutella cinnamon rolls are going to be the death of me! I was able to cut out 16 slices from the roll and I just stuck it in a 10" cake pan. I left a bit of space in between to let it rise for another 30 minutes. That is how it looks like baked! I wish I cut that strangely large roll in the middle to where it matched with the other rolls, but oh well! The more the merrier!

This is the Fireball Whiskey Cinnamon roll that we made. De-Lish!! Not too much cinnamon with a shot of the side. Just kidding, we didn't take a shot, we just used it as a prop. Doesn't that look amazing? 

Well, here is the recipe for this delicious and easy cinnamon rolls taken from A Beautiful Mess with a mix of Provocative Palate! When I get the chance to, I will upload a printable document for this recipe. Enjoy!!

Nutella/Fireball Whiskey Cinnamon Rolls, makes 12-16

3 tablespoons warm water
3 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup milk (I used whole, but any kind is fine)
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup flour

Nutella Filling:
1 cup Nutella
3-4 teaspoons cinnamon

Fireball Whiskey Filling:
8 ounces packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
pinch salt
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

Fireball Whiskey Caramel sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey
6 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

In a small bowl, stir together the yeast, water and sugar and let it sit for 5-6 minutes to activate. 

In a small pot melt the butter. Add the milk and allow it to warm up and not boil.

In the bowl of your mixer (or just a large bowl) combine the flours and salt. Pour in the yeast mixture, the milk mixture and (with the dough hook attachment) stir/knead until well-combined and dough becomes slightly elastic. Form into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl (I just sprayed a bowl with baking spray), cover and allow to rise for 1 hour. (Or until doubled in size.)

Nutella filling:

Roll dough out into a large rectangle. Spread on the Nutella! Evenly sprinkle on the cinnamon.Roll up and cut into 12-16 rolls and place in a greased 10" cake pan or any buttered pan. Cover and allow to rise for another 30-40 minutes. Bake at 375°F for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Fireball Whiskey Filling:

Roll dough out into a large rectangle. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Brush on melted butter on dough and sprinkle on the filling. Make sure to pat it in when it is evenly distributed. Roll up and cut into 12-16 rolls and place in a greased 10" cake pan or any buttered pan. Cover and allow to rise for another 30-40 minutes. Bake at 375°F for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Fireball Whiskey Caramel Sauce:

Combine first 4 ingredients together and let it boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add in cream. Drizzle on top of cinnamon rolls. 

xo Baker Who

Red Velvet Cake

I swear, my laptop may be my best friend of all times. It's a bit sad to say but it's true!! I spent my whole day today cleaning up the house or watching reruns of Revenge. I recently got super into that show since all my other shows are over for the season. Which leaves me nothing to watch. I am a serious tv show connoisseur. Okay, maybe I'm not REALLY, but I definitely do watch a ton of tv shows. I need to fill up my day somehow since I spend about 70% of the week baking and the other 30% sleeping. Here is a list of the tv shows I absolutely love watching.

• How I Met Your Mother
• Dexter
• The Office
• Doctor Who
• Grey's Anatomy
• Private Practice
• Walking Dead
• Big Bang Theory
• The Bachelor/Bachelorette
• Suits
• Pretty Little Liars
• Mistresses
• Community
• Once Upon a Time
• Modern Family
• Beauty and the Beast
• New Girl
• Bones
• Scrubs
• Breaking Bad

I swear there's a ton more but most of the shows that I've watched are probably completely finished (such as Scrubs and The Office). Okay.. maybe I don't love ALL of the tv shows I am currently watching, but I am the type to finish what I started... with tv shows that is. Blogging, not so much. It's very difficult for me to keep up a good habit of blogging since I am attempting to achieve too much at once. This may be my millionth time of attempting a blog. Here's to a new start, and utter boredom. :)

Red Velvet cake is one of my most favorite cakes ever! Especially in a cake pop form. I swear, I can't get enough red velvet cake pops from my work (at sweet tooth confections). Love it so much that I had to forced myself to start clean eating, which is somewhat working out for me.

So a client of mines was interested in me making them a Golden State Warriors themed cake. I am not too great at cakes, but I definitely needed the practice! What do you guys think? What could I have done to make it better? I could possibly do cake tutorials to show everyone how I do my cakes and to get feedback on how to do it better, quicker or simpler.

Anyway, this recipe of red velvet cake has been my favorite for years, but I feel that I may have to look elsewhere for a favorite red velvet cake. Mainly because this batter doesn't do well sitting in the fridge overnight and being baked the next day. The texture is strange and the taste isn't all that there. It's important for me to find recipes that I love and are good the next day if I plan to run a bakery. 

Mix the dries!

Whisk the liquids. Ooohhhh, lovin' that red color :)

Combine the liquids to the dries. No lumps + Nice thick batter = a happy baker :)

I doubled the recipe, which gave me 2 - 10 inch pans

The finished product. Look how beautiful the cake turned out to be!

So this Red Velvet cake is taken straight from Bakerella. I love the simplicity of putting it together. It literally takes me about 2 minutes to prep and make the batter! It breaks my heart knowing that I need a new recipe. Luckily for the cream cheese frosting, I love it soo much! It is really nice and white, unlike the other recipes I used which was gross and yellow. This recipe also holds itself up really nicely! It is thick and not too sweet. Here are 2 links to a printout of these recipes if you want to print it out yourself. I found this template online and I absolutely just LOVE using it. Red Velvet Cake and Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting (hopefully these links work! I'm still new to this scene)

Okay okay, here is the oh-so amazing red velvet cake recipe that I love so much!!!

Red Velvet Cake 

2 1/2 cups All Purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 oz red food coloring

1. Mix (sift) flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda together in a bowl

2. In a seperate bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and food color. 

3. Slowly add liquids to the bowl of dries, whisking together to make sure that there are no lumps. 

4. This batter will make 24 perfect cupcakes or even 2-8 inch cake pans. 

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes (for cupcakes) and about 30 minutes for cakes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting (My favorite!! I will never change this recipe)

8 oz cream cheese, room temp

1 cup butter, room temp

6 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Beat cream cheese and butter on high

2. Slowly add in 6 cups of powdered sugar. It does not need to be sifted. Be sure to NOT weigh out 6 cups of powdered sugar (which would be about 3 lbs per 6 cups). I made that mistake and the frosting came out to be too thick and too sweet.

3. Add vanilla

xo Baker Who