Cotton Candy Cheesecake Minis

I use a mini cheesecake pan for these with 12 cavities. First, lightly grease the cavities with butter or baking spray and place one side of an Oreo in each cavity.

Preheat the oven to 250F

For the filling:
1 block of full fat cream cheese
1/2 cup of cotton candy floss sugar (or regular sugar and add cotton candy flavoring)
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
a pinch of salt

Mix cream cheese and sugar on medium for about 2 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients.

Fill a pastry bag (and use a round tip)so you can easily fill in the cheesecake cavities.

Bake for about 20 minutes but keep an eye on them. They bake quickly since they are small. You can test them by also moving the pan back and forth. Cheesecakes should only slightly wiggle at that point and spring back when touched.

Cool for about 4 hours in the fridge before serving.


If you would like to top with buttercream as pictured, here is the basic vanilla recipe:

1 stick of butter
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs milk

Mix both butter and sugar on low speed and then add the remaining ingredients, mixing until well incorporated.

Chocolate Cake with Oreo Buttercream and Nutella frosting layers

For the chocolate cake, I use the recipe found here. I just love this recipe and among all of the recipes, I tried, tested, and concocted, I always go back to this one :)


http://addapinch.com/cooking/the-best-chocolate-cake-recipe-ever/


For the nutella buttercream layers:

*1 stick of butter
*2 cups of confectioner's sugar
*1 tsp vanilla
*1 tbs milk
*2 tbs of nutella


Mix together butter and sugar on low speed so sugar doesn't fly! Then add the nutella, milk, and vanilla and mix on medium until all ingredients
are incorporated.



For the outer Oreo buttercream:

*take about ten oreo cookies and crush them with a food processor until they are fine (I crush all the cookie even with the cream inside)

*4 cups of confectioners sugar
*2 sticks of butter
*crushed oreo
*1-2 tbs milk
*1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together butter, sugar, and Oreo on low speed. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix on medium until well incorporated.


Spread the nutella BC between the layers of your cake. Then frost the outside of your cake with the Oreo BC.

Add toppings you desire like caramel or melted chocolate. I used marshmallow flavored Wilton candy melts. I melted the candies using the double boil method and topped on my cake after it had been chilled for a bit.

Happy Baking!

Ube Cake with Strawberry Buttercream and Matcha Buttercream layers

Ube confetti cake:

3/4 cup of unsalted and room temperature butter
1 1/2 cups of sugar
5 large eggs at room temperature
2 1/2 cups of cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup of milk (I use whole)
1 tbs of ube extract
Confetti sprinkles

*Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy (about 2-4 minutes on medium speed)
*Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed
*Add the dry ingredients together in a bowl and alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk with the ube extract added to it on low speed so mixture doesn't fly everywhere.
*Then do a final mix on medium speed to ensure it's incorporated. Stir in sprinkles

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes - an hour or until you insert a toothpick in it and it comes out clean.



Strawberry Buttercream:

2 sticks of butter
1 tsp of strawberry extract, strawberry puree OR 1/2 cup of finely chopped strawberries, whichever strawberry flavor you have or prefer
4 cups of confectioner's sugar
1 tbs milk (more or less depending on the consistency you want)

Mix butter and sugar on low speed. Add the strawberry and milk until incorporated.

If you prefer Swiss Meringue, you can find a great recipe here!
http://www.woodlandbakeryblog.com/strawberry-buttercream/




Matcha Buttercream:

1 stick of unsalted room temperature butter
1 tbs matcha powder
1 tbs milk
2 cups confectioner's sugar

*Mix butter and matcha powder
*Slowly add in sugar and mix until well-beaten
*Add milk *if it's too stiff, add more, it's it just right, you can skip the milk



Chocolate ganache to top it off:

1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Boil heavy cream over medium heat. Once it comes to an immediate boil, pour the heavy cream over a bowl of chocolate chips. Stir until fully incorporated. If you find that it doesn't melt fully, you can always use the double boiler method. I just prefer this way for myself ;)

Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Caramel Chantilly Cream Cheese Cream

Some people have asked me what recipe I use for chocolate cake or cupcakes. Truth: I actually LOVE the taste of chocolate box cake over the chocolate cakes I've tried over the years whether I made them or purchased them at restaurants or bakeries. I found this amazing chocolate cake recipe that tastes like moist box cake and I have been using it ever since. I hope you like it! (Usually when I find recipes, I adapt them, but this is perfect as is)!


http://addapinch.com/cooking/the-best-chocolate-cake-recipe-ever/

For the Caramel Chantilly Cream Cheese Cream as seen in my YouTube video:

-2 cups of heavy whipping cream
-1 package of cream cheese
-2 tsp of caramel or caramel extract
-2 tbs of sugar

*With a whisk attachment, mix on low speed the whipping cream until you begin getting peaks
*Add the cream cheese, sugar, and caramel and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form


For standard vanilla buttercream:

-1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
-2 cups of confectioner's sugar
-1 tsp of flavoring extract
-1 tbs of milk (more if you need a softer consistency)

Mix butter and sugar on low speed so sugar doesn't fly everywhere! When it starts to mix well, speed up to medium and add the remaining ingredients
until well incorporated

Chocolate Coffee Cheesecake
Preheat over to 250F.



1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate, melted
1 brick of full fat cream cheese
1/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp of sour cream
1 egg
1 tsp coffee extract

*First, melt the chocolate (over a double boiler).
*Mix softened cream cheese and the sugar until well combined.
*Then add the remaining ingredients including the melted chocolate, first a bit slowly so the mixture doesn't fly everywhere. Then gradually speed it up.

For the crust, keeping it simple! Just use an Oreo cookie bottom!


Lightly grease a mini cheesecake pan with butter or spray with baking spray. Place the Oreo on the bottom. Add your cheesecake filling and bake
for about 20-30 minutes!

Here is a photograph of what the pan looks like..

YouTube video on handpainting roses

Hello, 2015

Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks for checking out my blog and recipes. My resolution is to try to keep more current with it. Some recipes I posted way after I made them! Also, please check out my YouTube videos if interested in learning decorating techniques. You can click on the video title below to directly link you or subscribe to the right! ---> Thank you xo!

Meringue Cups

I love meringue and even better, meringue cups that you can fill with whatever you like! For these, I filled them with chocolate ganache.


Recipe for meringue cups is as follows:

*2 eggs whites at room temperature
*1/2 cup of sugar
*1 tsp of vanilla extract
*1 pinch of cream of tartar

Beat eggs whites on low-medium until frothy.
Add tartar.
Beat for about a minute then gradually add sugar.
Beat on high speed until glossy peaks form (about 5-7 minutes).

Using a star tip nozzle, go around in a small circle and pipe the base and the bottom.

Then pipe upwards making walls around the center.

Bake on 200F for about 1 1/2 hours. Let them sit in the over after you turn it off for about 30 min. Fill as you desire!