Archive for DESSERTS

Cassava Cake

Cassava cake is traditionally made from grated cassava, coconut cream, sweet young coconut, eggs, sugar, butter and evaporated milk.  These ingredients are mixed together to form a thick batter, baked until firm, then topped with a mixture of sweetened condensed milk and coconut cream then broiled until the topping is a rich, caramel color.  It’s quite decadent and oh-so-delicious.

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My version is based on my sister’s recipe, with a slight variation.  While I love the traditional version, I like my cassava cake less sweet so I omit the sweetened condensed milk topping.  I also like my version to be similar in consistency to Sweet Chamorro Tamales, so I add a bit more evaporated milk to my batter.  To give my cake greater depth of flavor, I also add just a bit of vanilla extract.

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Give it a try and let me know how you like it. 🙂

Here are the ingredients you’ll need (the butter is not shown in the photo).

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Place all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Stir to combine.

imagePour the mixture into a 9×13 baking pan sprayed with butter spray.

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Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes (check after 1 hour; the top should be golden brown).

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I think it’s perfect just as it is, but see below for instructions to add a sweet topping.  Let the cake cool then cut into squares.  Serve and enjoy!

Cassava Cake
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Chamorro
Ingredients
Cassava Cake:
  • 2 pounds grated cassava
  • 1 can coconut cream or coconut milk
  • 15 ounces evaporated milk (use just 12 ounces to make it less chewy like sweet tamales)
  • 1 jar macupono, drained and chopped
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Topping (Optional):
  • ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
  • ¾ cup coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
Instructions
Cassava Cake:
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with butter cooking spray.
  2. Mix the cake ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Pour into the prepared baking pan.
  3. Bake for 1 hour (see note); if the top is not a nice caramel color, bake for an additional 15 minutes or until nicely browned on top. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting.
    Note: If adding the sweet topping, bake for 45 minutes; see instructions below for adding the topping.
Optional Topping:
  1. Mix the topping ingredients together. Place in a small sauce pan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened.
  2. After the cake has baked for 45 minutes, remove from the oven and carefully spread the topping over the top of the entire cake. Return the cake to the oven and cook for 15 more minutes.
  3. Turn the oven to broil (make sure your baking pan is broiler-safe). Broil for 5 minutes to brown the topping.
  4. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting.
Serve and enjoy!

 

 

 

Easy Strawberry Shortcake

This is super simple and classic dessert that you can put together in minutes. It’s one of the desserts that is perfect for picnics or to bring to pot lucks too.  Everyone just oohs and aahs over it!

 

Easy Strawberry Shortcake
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 small tub Cool Whip
  • 1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
  • 2 cups cold milk
  • 1 angel food cake loaf, sliced (or 12 individual shortcake cakes)
  • Sliced strawberries (1 container full, or approximately 2 dozen berries)
Instructions
  1. Whisk together the instant pudding mix and cold milk; set aside to thicken (about 5 minutes). After the pudding has thickened slightly, fold in the Cool Whip.
  2. Layer the sliced angel food cake in a shallow pan. Add a layer of the whipped topping mixture over the cake. Layer some of the sliced strawberries on top of the cake slices. Place dollops of the whipped topping mixture on top of the berries. Garnish with additional strawberries on top of the whipped topping.

 

Fruit Pizza with a Cookie Crust

This fruit pizza is one of my favorite desserts.  I have another fruit pizza version here, which adds a creamy, pudding-based filling.  So delicious!

You can make this into a fruit tart, just cut the recipe in half and use a tart pan.

It’s a fun recipe to make with kids too!

Give my recipe a try.  I think you’ll like it.

 

Fruit Pizza with a Cookie Crust
 
Author:
Ingredients
Crust:
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
Filling:
  • 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping:
  • Fresh strawberries, kiwi slices, blueberries, mandarin orange slices
Glaze:
  • 1 (6-ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust:
  1. In a food processor, combine the confectioners' sugar, flour, and butter, and process until the mixture forms a ball.
  2. With your fingers, press the dough onto a pizza pan (or if you're making a tart, press into a 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, taking care to push the crust into the indentations in the sides).
  3. Pat until the crust is even. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until very lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
For the filling and topping:
  1. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust.
  2. Cut the strawberries into ¼-inch slices and arrange around the edge of the crust.
  3. For the next circle, use mandarin slices.
  4. Add another circle of kiwis, filling in any spaces with blueberries.
  5. Cluster the remaining strawberries, mandarin, and blueberries in the center of the tart.
For the glaze:
  1. Combine the limeade, cornstarch, lime juice, and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until clear and thick, about 2 minutes. Let cool.
  2. With a pastry brush, glaze the entire pizza (or tart). You will not use all of the glaze.
Keep the pizza in the refrigerator. Remove about 15 minutes before serving. Slice into wedges and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional).

 

Banana Lumpia

Banana lumpia is a super simple dessert to make.  It requires just a few ingredients — cooking bananas, sugar, cinnamon, and lumpia wrappers.

These are the kind of cooking bananas I like to use.  There are several varieties you can buy.  The one I see at most Asian stores (you can also find them in Hispanic markets as well) are a variety called Burro bananas.  Thai bananas also work well here.  The bananas pictured below are the Thai variety.

You want to make sure the bananas are fully ripe before making your banana lumpia.  They should be a deep yellow with a few black spots.  The bananas will still be slightly firm as well.

To prepare the bananas, peel and slice 6 bananas in half, lengthwise.  Cut each half in half again, lengthwise, giving you four long pieces.  Each piece should be about four inches long.

Set the bananas aside for now while you prepare your lumpia wrappers.  The brand I prefer is Wei-Chuan spring roll shells.  I find they stay crisp longer, and they are very easy to separate, even when partially frozen.

Separate the wrappers, then cover with a clean cloth to keep them from drying out.

To assemble the lumpia, place brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Use a fork to mix it all together.

Spread about a tablespoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on one corner of the lumpia wrapper.

Lay one piece of sliced banana on top of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Another option is to roll each banana slice in the sugar mixture then place the coated banana on the lumpia wrapper.

To roll the lumpia, begin by folding the bottom corner up and over the banana.  Slowly roll upward, sort of like forming a cigar shape.

Fold each side inward, as if you were making an envelope.

Continue rolling the lumpia, as tight as you can, until there are about two inches left of the top corner.

Dip your fingertip in some water then wet the top corner along the edges.  Finish rolling the lumpia over the moistened edge, pressing slightly to seal.

Finish rolling the lumpia.  If you plan on frying them right away, leaving them out is fine.  Otherwise, place rolled lumpia in an airtight container (a resealable bag also works well) and place in the refrigerator or freezer.

To fry the lumpia, heat oil in a large skillet to 350 degrees F.

Carefully add the lumpia to the hot oil, making sure not to crowd the oil.

Fry the lumpia until golden brown. They are ready at this point—as shown in the photo below.  One popular cooking option is to create a caramelized coating by sprinkling sugar over the lumpia as it fries.  I don’t particularly care for this as it makes a huge mess in the oil.  If you’d like, you can serve up your lumpia with some caramel sauce on the side (caramel sauce used for ice cream sauce works well) for drizzling or dipping.

Enjoy!


Banana Lumpia
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A delicious, crispy dessert made with bananas and cinnamon-sugar, rolled in a lumpia wrapper and fried until golden brown and crispy.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Chamorro, Filipino
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • 6 cooking bananas, such as Burro or Thai variety
  • 1½ cups brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

    Other:
  • Water, for sealing
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
  1. Slice each banana in half, lengthwise, then slice each half in half again, lengthwise, giving your four pieces per banana.
  2. Separate the lumpia wrappers.
  3. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar together.
  4. Place a tablespoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture close to the bottom of a lumpia wrapper. Place one slice of banana over the cinnamon-sugar. Roll upward, like a cigar. Fold in the two edges, then continue rolling upward. Rub some water along the top edge of the lumpia wrapper; press to seal.
  5. Fry the lumpia in oil heated to 350 degrees until golden brown. Serve while hot and crisp.
  6. Option: serve with a side of caramel sauce for drizzling or dipping.

Crepes

Life is short…have dessert for breakfast.  😀

Okay, this is not really a dessert, but it could be.  In fact, crepes are one of those versatile foods that can be sweet OR savory (cheese, mushroom, spinach, and chicken crepes are a favorite!).

My family loves fruit-filled crepes with a sweet cream filling.  We have it for breakfast, as snacks, and they’re a special treat for dessert.

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My youngest loves filling hers with Nutella and strawberries, but add some sliced bananas (oooh, and maybe some peanut butter too) for an Oh-My-Goodness flavor experience!

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These crepes and tender and sweet all on their own, and do not taste eggy like the ones served in some restaurants.

Speaking of restaurants, I used to think that crepes were an indulgence we could only have at those popular breakfast restaurants.  Not anymore.  Crepes are really quite simple to make.

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Have I tempted you enough to make some for yourself?  No?  How about now? 😀

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So what are you waiting for?  Head into that kitchen and get started.  Here’s how to make it.  (If you’re new to my blog, you will always find my complete recipe at the bottom of my post.)

For the batter, you’ll need the same basic ingredients you use to make pancakes — eggs, sugar, butter, milk, and flour.  I also add a pinch of salt and vanilla extract my batter.

Place the eggs into a large mixing bowl.  Beat it slightly with a whisk.

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Add sugar to sweeten it a bit.  If you plan on making savory crepes, I recommend decreasing the amount of sugar or omitting it completely.

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Vanilla extract gets mixed in next.  You could also use lemon extract, or some lemon zest instead of vanilla extract, but remember that a little goes a long way.

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Add a pinch of salt to the mixture.  Did you know that salt is a natural antioxidant?  Salt also adds taste and helps bring out the flavors present in the flour and other ingredients.

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Melted butter gets mixed in next.  The butter serves two purposes in this recipe.  It adds flavor, but it also helps the crepes not stick to the pan during cooking.

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Whisk in the milk.

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Next comes the flour.  It may seem like you’re adding way too little flour for the amout of liquid.  However, unlike pancake batter, the ratio of milk to flour is 2:1 for crepe batter, which makes a very thin batter.

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Whisk until you get a smooth batter.  A few tiny lumps of flour left in the batter are okay.

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Set the batter aside while you heat up your pan.  I recommend using a non-stick skillet.  I use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet.

Lightly spray the pan with butter-flavored cooking spray (just to be on the safe side to ensure your crepes don’t stick to the pan).  Pour 1/2 cup of batter onto the heated skillet.

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Cook the crepe over medium-low heat; you may need to adjust the heat as you go along, turning it down or up, depending on how quickly the crepes cook.

Use a spatula to gently lift the edges. If the crepe feels like it is still stickng to the pan, let it cook for a little while longer.  A telltale sign the crepe is ready to be flipped over is when you see it start to “wrinkle.”

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Flip the crepe over to lightly brown the other side; this should only take a minute or less.

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Continue making crepes until all of the batter is used up.  This recipe makes 8 crepes (more if you use less than 1/2 cup of batter per crepe).

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So now that the crepes are done, it’s time to make the filling.  This recipe is for a sweet filling.

Cream together softened cream cheese and a bit of powdered sugar.

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It should resemble cream cheese frosting at this point.

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To lighten it up, mix in whipped cream.  I use Cool Whip to make things easier.  Hey, I’m all about making things from scratch, but sometimes semi-homemade is just fine. 🙂

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Okay, so let’s see where we are in this endeavor.

Crepes — CHECK.

Sweet cream filling — CHECK.

All that’s left to do is fill the crepes with filling and your favorite fruit.  We like — okay, we LOVE — fresh berries in ours.

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Spread some filling down the middle of a crepe.

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Add fruit, as much as you like.

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Fold each side over the middle, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and ENJOY! 😀

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Scroll down for my complete recipes.

 

 

Crepes
 
Tender crepes filled a sweet cream; it's perfect for breakfast or served as a dessert.
Author:
Ingredients
Crepe batter:
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 cup flour
Filling:
  • 8-oz cream cheese
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 8-oz cool whip
  • Fresh berries
Other:
  • Powdered sugar
  • Butter-flavored cooking spray
Instructions
Make the crepes:
  1. Place the eggs in a large mixing bowl; beat slightly with a whisk.
  2. Mix in the remaining ingredients for the batter. Whisk until smooth.
  3. Pour ½ cup of batter onto a heated skillet. Cook over medium-low heat until lightly browned on one side. Flip the crepe and cook the other side until lightly browned.
Make the filling:
  1. Place the cream cheese and powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix until creamy.
  2. Mix in the Cool Whip.
Assemble the crepes:
  1. Spread some cream filling down the middle of a crepe.
  2. Top with fresh fruit.
  3. Fold the sides over the middle. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
ENJOY!

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