Single Layer Cake

A double layer cake leaves too much leftover so I found this recipe for a simple single layer. Made on 6/12 and 6/15. The first time I used fine patentbloem and the second time I used Amerikaanse tarwebloem.

• 
  250 g flour (about 2 c, depending on type)
  
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 113 g butter, room temp
• 65 g grapeseed oil
• 215 sugar
• 1 egg + 2 egg whites, room temp
• 1 T vanilla
• 200 ml karnemelk (buttermilk) 

1. Generously butter a 9" cake pan and coat with sugar.
2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
3. Beat butter, oil and sugar for 5 min.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time. With the last egg, add the vanilla.
5. Alternate folding flour and buttermilk starting with 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the buttermilk. Only fold until flour is incorporated, and no more!
6. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 min or until a toothpick comes clean.
7. Let cool for 10-15 min. Flip onto plate to finish cooling.
8. Top with whipped cream and fruit.

• 350 ml slagroom/whipping cream
• pinch salt
• 1/6 c sugar (1/4 c was too sweet)
• 1 t vanilla

Related

• Double Layer Vanilla Cake
• Double Layer Lemon Cake
• Single Layer Lemon Almond Cake

Angel Food Cupcakes

I've been craving angel food cake for a while but I don't have the pan to cook it (nor a reliable oven). I had a bunch of leftover egg whites from making a double batch of empanadas and found a recipe for angel food cupcakes. However, they turned out terrible. My egg whites might not have been enough or improperly whipped, since it only made 4 cupcakes instead of 6 and they turned out incredibly dense. If I ever have leftover whites again I would still want to give it a another try. I also tried using my new food processor to do the whites. It was quite handy, but it was hard to scrape it all out. So perhaps a hand mixer in a bowl would be a better choice. I also didn't have bleached flour.

• 1/4 c flour, bleached
• 1.5 t cornstarch (to ensure tender crumb)
• 1/8 t salt
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 t cream of tartar (to stabilize whites)
• 5 T sugar
• 1/2 t vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place 6 paper liners in a muffin tin. Do NOT grease.
2. In a medium bowl sift the flour, cornstarch and salt. Sift into another bowl back and forth for a total of 3 siftings. 
3. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy (~30 sec). Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form (~2 min). Slowly stream the sugar, 1 T at a time, while beating. The mixture should be bright white and glossy. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.
4. Add the flour mixture to the whites and fold together. 
5. Divide the batter into 6 liners. The filling should go to the top of each liner. 
6. Bake for 17-19 min, until the tops are slightly brown and a toothpick comes out clean
7. Let cool completely in the pan before moving to a wire rack.

Pastitsio

I took a trip to Athens and discovered Greek moussaka, which was different from Serbian moussaka earlier in the summer. But I was more impressed with a pasta bake called pastitsio, which is similar, but with pasta instead of potatoes, and no eggplant. It is hard to find the ingredients here so I substituted lots of items and the kids enjoyed it enough. They still aren't a fan of the cheese but they really enjoyed the rest of it. Later I found the correct pasta shape in my local grocery store. I couldn't monitor it while baking so it came out over cooked on the top but still tasting great. I also couldn't fit everything in the dish I used, so left out half the sauce. Since the kids aren't a fan, I've cut the sauce amount below in half.

• 
  400 g Greek bucatini (sustitute Italian bucatini, ziti, penne, macaroni)
  
• 120g feta, crumbled
• 2 egg whites

Meat Sauce

• 2 T olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red onions, finely chopped (or substitute yellow or brown onions)
• 1 kg ground beef
• 3/4 c red wine
• 800 g (28 oz) canned crushed tomato
• 2 beef bouillon cubes, crumbled
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 t sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 t cinnamon powder
• 1 cinnamon stick (or extra 1/2 t powder)
• 1/4 t ground cloves
• 3/4 t salt
• 1 t pepper

Greek Bechamel (halved)

• 50 g (3.5 T) butter
• 3/8 c flour
• 2 c milk
• 1/16 t nutmeg
• 1/4 t salt
• 50 g Kefalotyri Greek cheese (or substitute Romano or Parmesan), finely shredded
• 1 egg yolk

Topping: 75 g Kefalotyri Greek cheese (or sub Parmesan, Romano), finely grated

1. Meat Sauce
1. Heat oil in large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2-3 min, until onion is softened.
2. Add beef and cook, breaking it up until it turns brown.
3. Add wine and cook until it is mostly evaporated, ~3 min.
4. Add remaining meat sauce ingredients. Stir, bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low so it simmers gently. Cook for 45min-1hr until liquid is almost gone, stirring occasionally. It should be a thick mixture with little liquid.
5. Remove from stove and cool for at least 30 min (to room temperature ok).
2. Greek Bechamel
1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. 
2. Add flour and stir 1 min.
3. While stirring, pour in half the milk. It should turn into wet paste. While stirring, pour in remaining milk. The lump should easily dissolve until it's lump free. Whisk vigorously.
4. Cook for 5 min, stirring so the base doesn't stick. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and you can draw a path across it with your finger.
5. Remove from stove. Stir in nutmeg, cheese and salt.
6. Let cool for 5 min.
7. Whisk in egg yolk quickly. Cover and set aside. If sauce gets to thick to pour, just reheat on low until pourable.
3. Pasta
1. Cook the package according to instructions, MINUS 1 min.
2. Drain, return to pot. Let cool 3 min.
3. Stir in egg whites. (Do this just before assembly so they don't dry out. This helps the pasta set better to get neat slices)
4. Gently stir in feta.
4. Assemble and bake
1. Preheat overn to 180C/350F.
2. Place pasta in 9x13 tall baking dish. Arrange bucatini so they are going in the same direction.
3. Top with meat sauce and smooth surface.
4. Pour bechamel over.
5. Sprinkle with cheese.
6. Bake 30 min or until crust turns golden.
7. Cool for 10 min before serving.

Waffle Machine Treats

MM got a panini machine with extra inserts 2 weeks ago. I've been busy making UFE (unidentified flying eyeball), egg bubble waffles, waffle shells, fusion taiyaki...these are some of the names we've given to the various creations. I've been using the flat ball insert and the shell shaped one to make various waffle creations reminiscent of NYC egg waffles. The grill I have is a much larger ball, and flatter. The device does not flip. The cooking time is only 65-90 seconds, but it's time consuming to fill each crevice precisely. I've found using the shells is easier, and can easily be filled like a Japanese taiyaki. They take 3 minutes to cook.

Essentially any waffle/pancake recipe can be used. For the taiyaki like ones a thinner batter is better so the filling can be covered quickly. I don't use vanilla since it ends up tasting like a fortune cookie (see old mjwaffle recipes for experimentation).

Batter 1 - Regular

I made as listed and also substituted coconut milk and egg whites. Cut in half easily for smaller batch size. Makes about 80 balls or 8 shells.

• 
  200 g flour (all purpose or glutinous rice)
  
• 8 g baking powder
• 80 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 140 ml milk
• 20 g melted butter
• optional: one chocolate chunk per ball

Batter 2 - Chocolate Delight

This is a thick batter but makes a deliciously rich dessert ball. Microwave the cocoa and butter until melted. Stir and add rest of ingredients one at a time. Makes 44 balls. (I also experimented with adding flour/milk/baking powder, but the original recipe is best).

• 45 g cocoa powder
• 80 g butter
• 40 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 40 g flour (all purpose or glutinous rice)

Batter 3 - Egg White only

I had leftover whites from making empanada dough so wanted to try an explicit egg white recipe. This came out very soft. It made 6 shells (5 filled, 1 plain).

• 
  1 c flour (150 g)
  
• 25 g sugar
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 3/4 c milk + 1.5 T lemon juice, sit for 5 min (or buttermilk)
• 1/8 c butter (healthy slab)
• 2 egg whites

Filling Options

• chocolate chunk (kids love this in the ball, but I prefer them plain because they remind me of NYC days)
• banana slices + chocolate chunks (this was loved by all, in the shells)
• jam: cherry, raspberry, strawberry (XBD preferred cherry over raspberry)
• raisins
• red bean paste
• custard
• chocolate cream

Lemon Cake

DBD wanted a lemon cake but not a lemon almond cake. So I had to try yet another recipe. As usual, I did assembly of cakes and icing, but let the party kids decorate with choice of sprinkles or fruit. ***

10/14/20 Made this again with substitutions and it came out very moist and light. Filled it with lemon custard and topped with raspberries. Much improved - ****

• 2 1/4 c cake flour, sifted [substitute: all purpose flour with cornstarch]
  
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1 1/4 c low fat buttermilk [substitute: lactose free milk with lemon juice]
• 4 egg whites
• 1.5 c sugar
• 2 t lemon zest
• 1 stick butter, room temp
• 1/2 t lemon extract

1. Grease the sides of 2 8" pans (or one 8" and one 9"). Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.
2. Sift together the cake flour, powder and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg whites.
4. In a large bowl, rub together the zest and sugar.
5. Add the butter to the sugar mixture and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
6. Mix in the lemon extract.
7. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture alternating with 1/2 the buttermilk mixture, ending on the flour mixture, beating on medium speed. Then beat an additional 2 minutes.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans evenly. Smooth the tops.
9. Bake 30-35 min until well risen, the center springs back when lightly touched and a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Rest on wire rack for 5 minutes. 
11. Flip out, remove the paper, and cool to room temperature on wire rack.
12. Wrap airtight and keep at room temperature for up to a day before icing. Otherwise freeze.

Lemon Icing

• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 2 3/4 c powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T zest
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/8 t kosher salt

1. Combine the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until no more lumps (about 3 minutes).
2. On low speed combine the powdered sugar. Once incorporated, beat on high for 3 min
3. Add in the lemon juice, zest, vanilla and salt.
4. May be kept in airtight container in the fridge or used to ice the room temperature cake.

Lemon Custard

• 1/2 c sugar
  
  
  
• 1/4 c cornstarch
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 c water
• 2 T butter, softened
• 1/3 c lemon juice
• 1 t lemon zest

1. Prepare all the ingredients before starting. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt.
2. Add the egg yolks and mix until completely mixed in.
3. Stir in the water until mixture is smooth.
4. Cook over medium low heat until just boiling. It will become quite thick. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the butter.
5. Gradually stir in lemon juice until smooth. Stir in the zest.
6. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30-60 min before spreading on cake.

• 
  

Egg White Crepes

Needed to use up 4 egg whites from Banana Coconut Cream Pie recipe, so found this as a quick option. Many other recipes using egg whites require whipping them to a froth which I just didn't have the patience for.

• 4 egg whites
• 1 c milk
• 1 c flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 T oil
• filling: berries (fresh or defrosted and drained), banana, mini chocolate chips

1. Whisk together egg whites, oil, milk, flour and salt in a large bowl.
2. Pour 1/4 c and spread thin in pan. Cook for 2 min over medium heat until lightly browned.
3. Flip and cook another 2 minutes.
4. Put ~2 T filling in crepe and fold in half.
5. Makes about 8 crepes (depending on size).

Variations

1. Add a dash of cinnamon to batter.
2. If too thick, add more milk or coconut milk.
3. Cut recipe in half if only have 2 egg whites to use up, to make 4 crepes instead of 8.