Healthy Living with Anita.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups Cake flour

5 eggs, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon rum

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 can (12 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

4 cups mixed fruits

2-3 cups of powder sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 grades Fahrenheit.
2. Butter a heart-shape spring-form baking pan or any shape pan with baking spray. Set aside.
3. Combine in a big bowl cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. Whisk on high speed using an electric mixer eggs, rum, and sugar until yellow pale.
5. On low speed incorporate flour slowly. Beat until well combined.
6. Add melted butter and mix using a spatula. Do not over mix batter.
7. Transfer batter into your baking dish and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean.
8. Meanwhile, combine and whisk using a large bowl evaporated milk, whole milk and sweetened condensed milk till combined.
9. Remove cake from oven and let it cool just for 5-7 minutes in pan.
10. Use a long wooden skewer to poke top of warm cake. Pour mixed milk all over, and let cake cool and absorbed mixed milk.
11. Meanwhile, whip in a cold bowl cold heavy cream for 2 minutes. Add powder sugar and beat until creamy and soft peaks forms.
12. Release cake from spring-form baking pan and transfer into your serving dish. I always prefer to use a deep serving plate as the cake continue to release some milk mixture out.
13. Spread whipped cream evenly over Tres Leches Cake and top it with mixed fruits. Keep refrigerated. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1/4 cups almond flour, sifted

1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoon cold butter, cut into small cubes

2 egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

1/2 cup Raspberry jam or Strawberry jam

1/2 cup powder sugar + extra for dusting(sifted)

Preparation

1. Use a parchment paper and sift all-purpose flour over. It will be easier to add into machine bowl later. Sift almond flour, and salt too. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sifted powder sugar. At medium speed using paddle attachment beat and cream for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla and egg yolks until well combined.
3. Reduce speed to low, and incorporate sifted flours and salt slowly until dough comes together into a ball.

4. Flatten into a disc. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

5.Transfer dough to a slightly floured surface. Let it slightly soften on the counter for about 5 to 7 minutes.

6. Roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter(heart shape) cut out bottom of whole heart cookie and top with heart in the center. Line up bottom and top cookies into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

7. Bake into a Preheated oven at 350 grades Fahrenheit for about 10 to 12 minutes or until edges of cookie are golden brown.

8. Let them cool for about 2 minutes in the baking sheet and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

9. Assemble cookies by evenly spreading 1 Tablespoon of jam over bottom(complete shape heart cookie). Place cut out cookie with heart in the center on top.

10. Dust cookie with powder sugar. You can also dip half of a cookie in melted chocolate and decorate with beautiful sprinkles of love. Use different shapes and enjoy next to a warm cup of tea!

Ingredients for Cake

2 cups cake flour

4 eggs, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup white granulated sugar

1 cup soften butter

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon maple extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk, room temperature

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 grades Fahrenheit. Spray a spring-form 8 inches round cake pan with baking cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Cream together butter, light brown sugar and granulated white sugar until fluffy.
3. Incorporate eggs one at a time beating until well combined. Add vanilla and maple extract.
4. Add cake flour in batches alternating with the milk. Add baking powder and mix just until well combined.
5. Pour cake batter into the cake pan. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes or when inserted toothpick into the center of the cake comes out clean.
6. Allow cake to cool in pan for about 15 minutes.  Then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.    
7. Drizzle Caramel Candy Icing while warm from the microwave to be able to drizzle smoother.  Let it set for about 2 hours.

Ingredients for Easy Caramel Candy Icing

16 pieces Original Soft Caramels

2 Tablespoon milk

Preparation:

Microwave Original Soft Caramels and milk together for about 2 minutes. Do not forget to stir every 30 to 40 seconds until completely softened and melted.

For the Beautiful Sugar Garnish 

Melt 1 cup of granulated white sugar in a sauce pan with 4 Tablespoons of water at medium heat, not stirring until sugar has dissolved and slightly turned into a golden brown caramel color. Place foil paper over a baking sheet and spray it slightly with some cooking spray. With a spoon drizzle caramel sugar over foil paper and let your imagination fly to create sugar crystal shapes of your choice. Let them set and dry completely to easily be able to peel off .

Time to show your ART 🙂 creation and decorate your beautiful New or any time of the Year cake.

Celebrate Health and Good Times.. Good bye 2020, and Happy New Year 2021!

Ingredients for Tiramisu

24 ladyfinger cookies

1 cup fresh brew coffee

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2  cup homemade Eggnog or store-bought

2 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese, room temperature

semi-sweet chocolate shaves, for garnish

Ingredients for Easy Homemade Venezuelan Eggnog-Ponche de Crema

2 cups milk

1 can(14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

5 egg yolks, beaten

1/2 cup rum

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground

1 cinnamon stick

1 lime zest

Preparation for Eggnog

1. In a large pot heat milk on low . Add cinnamon stick, ground nutmeg and the zest of a lime. Mix and incorporate condensed milk. Stir to combine.
2. Remove 1/2 a cup of this warm milk mix and added to beaten eggs whisking constantly. Pour this egg mix back into rest of milk and keep stirring until Eggnog has thickened.
3. Incorporate rum, mix and remove from heat.
4. Remove cinnamon stick. Pour into a blender and blend until well combined.
5. Use a funnel to transfer Eggnog into a glass bottle. Store in the fridge. It could last up to 1 month. Enjoy with some cinnamon on top when serving!

Preparation for Tiramisu

1. Beat egg yolks using a hand mixer at medium-low speed until pale. Add sugar and mix well until creamy and dissolved.
2. Incorporate room temperature soften mascarpone cheese, 2 tablespoons of brew coffee and 1/4 cup of prepared Eggnog. Mix until combined for about 3 minutes. Set aside.
3. Mix the remaining coffee with rest of prepared eggnog in a bowl.
4. Grab each lady finger cookie and dunk for about 5 seconds into the Eggnog-coffee mix. Arrange cookies into a 12 x 12 inch glass casserole.
5. Spread half of mascarpone cream on top. Repeat with another layer of cookies and spread rest of cream on top.
6. Whip heavy cream at high speed until fluffy and incorporate powder sugar slowly until well combined. Spread whipped cream over the top.
7. Garnish with grated chocolate.
8. Store in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 cups of All-purpose unbleached flour

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon orange blossom water

2 Tablespoons freshly ground anise seed

1 Tablespoon whole anise seeds

1/3 cup fine semolina

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 grades Fahrenheit.
2. Use a small saucepan and slightly warm up the milk. Remove from heat and add yeast and 2 Tablespoon of the sugar. Stir to dessolve and set aside for the yeast to bloom.
3. Over a large bowl sift together flour, semolina, rest of sugar. Add ground and whole anise seeds. Incorporate yeast previously dissolved in the milk. Add orange blossom water.
4. Mix with your hands and incorporate extra virgin olive oil until dough is all well combined and soft. It might be a little sticky but this is the consistency to look for. Let dough rest for about 15 minutes.
5. Using your hands shape the dough into a 10 to 12 inches long rope over a plastic cutting board surface. Then, cut each rope into 3 to 4 inches length of cookie dough at a time. It could be smaller depends on how big you want your anise cookie to be.
6. Bring both ends together . Press and pinch dough to form the ring.
7. Repeat process with remaining dough. You can also use your imagination on creating shapes or use a cookie cutter.
8. Gently remove cookie rings from cutting board and place over baking sheets. Brush top with egg wash (whisk 1 egg+ 1 teaspoon milk )
9. Bake in the middle rack of oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.                            
10. Remove from the oven and cool cookies over a wire rack.
11. Store into a cookie tin or airtight container up to three weeks.
12. Enjoy next to a warm cup of tea and get cozy!

Baklava Filling:

16 ounces pack Phyllo Dough, thawed

1 1/2 cup walnuts, grinded coarse

1 1/2 cup pistachios, finely grinded

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

Hint of cloves, ground (optional)

1 cup melted butter, unsalted

2 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon of Rose Water (recipe on my site or store bought)

1 teaspoon of Orange Blossom Water

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 grades Fahrenheit.
2. Using a food processor pulse and grind all nuts, separately.
3. Incorporate cinnamon, sugar, rose water and orange blossom into the combined nuts. Mix and place aside into a bowl.

Assembling Baklava:

1. Place one sheet of thawed Phyllo Dough on the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking pan, and brush it lightly with the melted butter. You can trim the dough a little bit to fit in your baking pan.

2. Repeat the process by placing 5 more Phyllo dough sheets on top of another brushing lightly each one with melted butter.

3. Spread 1 cup of the nuts mix over in a single layer.

4. Add another 4 layers of Phyllo dough brushing each one with melted butter .

5. Spread another one cup of nuts mix over the top. Repeat process with another 4 layers of phyllo dough brushed with melted butter, last cup of nut mix over the  top. Another 6 layers of phyllo dough. So you will have approximate in total used 20 sheets of phyllo dough with 3 layers of nuts filling in between. (You can add more layers if you want). I prefer a Baklava piece not too thick.

6. Using a very sharp knife, cut baklava before baking into equal size squares.

7. Brush top with the remaining of the melted butter.

8. Bake Baklava for about 35 to 40 minutes, until slightly golden brown. Meanwhile prepare The Syrup: Use a saucepan and incorporate 2 cups of sugar dissolved into 1 cup of water. At medium heat stirring occasionally let it simmer and add the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Lower the heat and keep stirring for about 10 minutes until syrup thickened. Add 1 Tablespoon of Orange Blossom water. Remove from heat.

    9. Remove Baklava from oven and while is hot pour warm syrup(Atur) over the top.

Garnish top of your delicious Baklava with some coarsely grind pistachios.

Enjoy!

Note: Let the Baklava absorbed the syrup and will be ready to serve when completely cool after 2 to 3 hours. Baklava can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container for 2 to 3 weeks.

Ingredients

1 (17.5 ounces) package puff pastry thawed (if frozen)

2 Tablespoon of corn syrup or granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups of whole milk

1/2 cup of heavy cream

3 extra large egg yolks

1 teaspoon of vanilla or vanilla bean

4 Tablespoon sugar

3 Tablespoon of corn starch

powder sugar to dust

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 grades Fahrenheit.
2. Line a baking sheet with a silicon sheet or parchment paper.
3. Cut the sheet of puff pastry in 3 equal rectangular pieces.
4. Place cut rectangular pieces on your prepared baking sheet. Prick dough with a fork lightly. Sprinkle with granulated sugar or brush with corn syrup. Cover cut pieces with another parchment paper on top and place another baking sheet on top to avoid over puffing.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and bake with no sheet on top for another 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and place pastry sheets over a rack to cool completely. Set aside.
7. Prepare Pastry Cream: Heat the milk in a saucepan until just started to boil. Remove from heat and set aside. Mix sugar, egg yolks and corn starch in a large bowl. Add 3/4 of the hot milk slowly to this mix and whisk constantly. Pour over left milk in the sauce pan and heat at low until thickened. Remove from heat and place a plastic wrap directly on the  surface of cream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
8. Assemble: Take one sheet of puff pastry and spread cool pastry cream over the top. Place another layer of puff pastry on top of filling. Add more cream and add last top of puff pastry. Refrigerate and sprinkle powder sugar over the top or make a simple glaze of 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 2 cups powder sugar with a drizzle of a chocolate using cocoa powder and powder sugar. Enjoy! 🙂

Note: Enjoy with Raspberries too 🙂