Chinese New Year Mochi Cake : Baked Nian Gao with Red Bean Paste Center

For Chinese/ Lunar New Year, it is a popular tradition to eat "Nian Gao".  "Nian" means the word "year", but also sounds like "sticky". "Gao" means cake,  but also sounds like "high".  This cake has so much meaning from new year cake to aim high for the new year.  It symbolizes a family "sticking together".

The classic version is steamed, and does not contain eggs or milk.  However, this baked version with a layer of red bean paste is my favorite, and I've eaten a lot of different "Nian Gao" over the years!   My mom used to have a great recipe, but it has been misplaced. So last night, I did some research and came up with the following recipe to recreate the optimal taste and texture that I remembered. I was a little nervous, but when it came out - it was wonderful! So good, that despite having two little boys (nearly 4 and 20 months) running wildly around me, I had to get on my laptop to post this recipe, just in case someone wants to make this for New Years today!.

Baked Nian Gao with Red Bean Paste Center

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (16 oz) bag of glutinous rice flour (sticky rice flour) *available in Asian markets, but I was able to find this in the asian section of our local Albertson's. 
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3 large eggs 
• 2 1/2 cups milk 
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar 
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 can mashed red "adzuki" bean paste (available in cans in Asian markets)   

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (about 175 Celsius).  Spray a 9x13 pan with PAM or equivalent.  
2. Mix all the ingredients (except for the azuki bean paste) with an electric mixer at low speed until blended.  Beat for 2 more minutes at high speed. 
3. Spread 1/2 of the batter on the bottom of the baking pan. 
4. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the batter is just beginning to set.  
5. Remove the pan from the oven.  Spread a layer of azuki bean paste. Since the batter isn't fully set the beans, it may be a little messy.  That's ok.    
6. Add the remaining batter over top of the beans. 
7. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for another 30 to 40 minutes, until a chopstick or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
8. Allow to cool before slicing.

This is best served the same day, slightly warm or at room temperature.  It is also good the next day, but if you store it covered, the crust will become softer.  I haven't tried this, but some people recommended reheating their nian gao in the toaster.  Happy New Year!

Funfetti Cake For Two!

It's been a while since I've posted. I've been so busy working full time and running after our two little boys (3 years old and 1 year), but recently I've tried a few recipes that are so good that I had to share!  My little one's birthday was last week, but we'll be celebrating with family and friends tomorrow. I've decided to make funfetti cakes for the party.  This morning, I whipped together this mini cake as a test run since I've never tried a funfetti recipe before. It was a huge success - the entire family approved! The taste was light and fluffy, and the sprinkles were well distributed throughout the batter.  I adapted the recipe by Christina of dessertfortwo blog.   

Mini Funfetti Cake

Serves 2-4

Ingredients
For the mini cake:

• 4 tablespoons salted butter, softened*  
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar **
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ***
• 1 large egg white
• 2/3 cup cake flour****
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup whole milk ****
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sprinkles *****

* can use unsalted butter, but then add 1/4 tsp salt

** I like to use ultra fine baker's sugar, but regular is fine

*** my baking secret is that I use Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean paste in place of vanilla extract.

****all purpose is ok, but I used cake flour for a fluffier cake

***** whole milk recommended, but I only had 2% and it worked fine

****** i used cake mate rainbow sprinkles

For the frosting:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 to 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoons milk 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 tablespoon sprinkles

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (I used the convection setting at 325F). Spray a mini 6" cake pan (I used fat daddio brand) that has 2" high sides with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper (trace it on a piece of parchment paper, cut it out, and fit it in).
2. Beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the vanilla and egg white and beat until well-mixed.
4. Add the flour, baking powder (and salt, if you used unsalted butter).  Beat for a few seconds to combine, and then add the milk. Beat until smooth, but do not over mix.
5. Gently stir in the sprinkles
6. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with only moist crumbs clinging to it. 
7. Let the cake cool slightly before placing it on a plate--it should come out easily. Peel the parchment paper off.
8. While cake is baking, beat together all of the frosting ingredients, except the sprinkles.  When the cake has cooled, frost, add additional sprinkles. 

I'll be making a sheet cake version with a slightly different recipe to serve all the guests.  Will update with that recipe after I bake it!  Enjoy!

Bake: (Best Ever) Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Vanilla/ Chocolate Frosting

Who loves cupcakes? Everybody I know, including my family :) There is something magical about a little cupcake's ability to make people happy and brighten the day.

I've been meaning to try out a recipe for chocolate cake/ cupcakes for a while now.  I decided not to wait for a special occasion like a birthday, because every day is worth celebrating with my cutie pies! Besides, our family does not restrict or limit foods. Rather, we aim for eating foods in moderation and in a balanced way. 

This recipe advertises itself as the ''best chocolate cake ever", and I have to say - it was very moist and delicious. It very well could be the best chocolate cupcakes our family has eaten (and I have tasted my share of cupcakes)! I followed the Add a Pinch cupcake recipe exactly, but modified the frosting.

Bake: Moist and Delicious Orange Cake

J and I were lucky enough to be treated for dinner, and gifted a bag of fresh off the trees (yes, there really are lots of oranges in the OC!) oranges and tangerines from our friends this past weekend, so I searched the web to find some good orange recipes to thank them. I found some interesting orange cookies and orange cakes - but this recipe one got the most rave and consistent reviews.

This is an incredibly moist and delicious orange cake. It is Ina Garten's (aka Barefoot Contessa) "Orange Pound Cake",  but I did not find it dense or heavy the way I usually think of pound cakes. Her recipe was perfect. The only modification I made was to use a mix of tangerines (more tangy!) and oranges that I had on hand. I also recommend the final icing/glaze as optional.  Be sure to read the recipe carefully as some of the measures (orange juice, sugar) are divided into different steps. 

Bake: Orangey Lemony Olive Oil Cake

Happy 2013!!! Things have been busy lately - we're expecting our baby in February (could be any day now - we're in the final stretch!),  and now live in the OC. Things will surely change once the little one arrives, but stay tuned as we continue to live deliciously - cooking and baking good foods at home, and exploring the wonders that LA/OC has to offer as our family grows. :)

I've taken advantage of my maternity leave to nest, and have recently returned to baking - something that I haven't had time for in a while.  Last night, while surfing the web, a tasty treat on Gilt Food caught my eye and suddenly I had a craving for olive oil cake! I was just one click away from buying it, when I thought, why not bake it myself?  I found this recipe online, and we had all the ingredients in our pantry.

So this morning, I satisfied by craving by baking my first Orangey Lemony Olive Oil Cake! After reading reviews, I made a few modifications and came up with the following recipe:

Bake: DIY Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcakes

A year ago, my friend Shannon requested that I bake red velvet cake for dessert for her birthday. I  received a lot of rave reviews about that recipe. This year, Shannon requested red velvet for her birthday again.  I figured I'd mix things up a bit and try this recipe. It is a totally different approach to red velvet cake. This recipe contains significantly more cocoa and rather than vinegar for the twang, buttermilk.  Shannon liked it just as much. I'm on the fence. J prefers the one from last year. If you make these let me know, what do you think?

Recipe credit goes to Carrot Top Mom! I love her tip about using a ziplop bag with corner tip cut off as a piping bag for the frosting! It worked like a charm. The only modification I made was to reduce the red food coloring to just 2/3 of a bottle.  For the recipe, please visit:
http://www.carrottopmom.com/?p=290

Bake: Irish Cream Mocha Dream Cake

 When I was in college, I was known amongst all my friends for my baked goods. One year, they encouraged me to enter the Pillsbury Bake-Off!  That is when I came up with the the recipe for my Irish Cream Mocha Dream Cake. Although I never heard back after I submitted my entry, I've been told this cake is a winner. In honor of St. Patrick's day, I'm sharing the recipe with all my blog readers!

Start off by purchasing your favorite chocolate cake mix and a container of vanilla frosting.  Prepare the cake mix according to directions, but instead of water, add brewed coffee - this is what will create a mocha tasting mix.  Bake in two round cake pans.  In the meantime, prepare the Irish Cream frosting by putting the frosting in a bowl and mixing in Baileys Irish Cream to taste (you don't want it to be too watery so be mindful of the proportions!).  When cake is cool, assemble cake by placing one layer then frosting, then the top layer. Enjoy!

Bake: Irish Soda Bread with Raisins

Happy St Patrick's Day! Today I'm sharing this recipe that always gets rave reviews!  Not only is it super delicious, it is extremely easy to make! It is great served with butter and jam for breakfast.

Bake: DeliciousLA Apple-Cranberry Crisp

Hi everyone! I'm back from a little hiatus from blogging. The past few weeks have been so busy! I have many new recipes and things to share. This weekend has been a bit on the cool side for us in LA, and it was perfect for apple crisp. I haven't made one for awhile, so I searched the internet for a good recipe, and then modified it ever so slightly to make it my own.  It came out delicious (so delicious -that I forgot to photograph it before we ate it!) and I hope you enjoy it.

Bake: Caramel Apple Tart

The other night, J and I invited our new friends Jorge and Angelica over for dinner. We decided to challenge ourselves by cooking up a new menu - from start to finish - everything we made was something we had never tried before. J masterfully created a delightful short rib main course, and together we created an incredibly complex yet comforting arugula, radicchio, fennel, blue cheese and walnut salad (those recipes will be posted soon, so keep coming back and checking the blog!) For dessert, I made this caramel apple tart which is a recipe from Susan Spungen.

Fall is my favorite season.  Being a native New Englander, I find the changing colors of the leaves and the cool and crisp air incredibly romantic and beautiful. People who aren't form the Northeast may find the idea of leaf peeping silly, but I don't find it silly at all. When I look out at a landscape awash in red, gold, and flame orange - a magical feeling comes over me and I think to myself, lucky lucky me. Life is so full of beauty.

Bake: Mam Papaul's Red Velvet Cake

Those who know me, know that my favorite cake is Red Velvet. I love it so much, that for several years I was on a quest to find the very best one. I think I found it in Truckee, CA at the Old Coffee Shop in town.  Anyhow, we're lucky here in LA - there are many options for good red velvet including Sprinkles and SusieCakes. But there is a certain joy to baking at cake at home, and a few months ago, I had some success with this recipe from scratch. 

Bake: Delicious LA Strawberry Banana Bread

One of my favorite things to bake is strawberry bread. A close second is banana bread. This week, I thought to myself - why not combine the two! My dad used to always get strawberry banana yogurt for me when I was growing up.  I always liked that flavor combo, so I decided to translate it into my latest recipe! We've been enjoying it for breakfast this past week! 

Delicious LA Strawberry Banana Bread Recipe   (Makes 1 loaf or 12 servings)

Bake: Apricot and White Chocolate Scones

J and I spent the day in London today. Yes, that's right! London, UK. We are en route to South Africa and had a 9 hour layover. We decided to be adventurous and took the Heathrow Express Train (only 15 min!) to Paddington Station and spent the day walking around and window shopping in Notting Hill, Portobello Market, Bond St and had some tea and scones at Picadilly Circus.   I will share more fun posts from our day in London, but first here is a scone recipe I've been meaning to share!   This is a blast from the past. I have to give credit to my dear friend Sarah who first introduced me to this wonderful recipe. I actually posted it on my previous blog, and am sharing it again here since these are soooo good (and quite easy to make! :)

Bake: Red Velvet Revisited. :)

For my friend Shannon's birthday, she requested my red velvet cake. I wanted to try something different, so I made cupcakes! I think they made her happy. :)  I made it pretty much made the cupcakes the same way as I made the cake, but used 3 tablespoons of cocoa and decreased the red food coloring to 1 1/2 bottles - it was definitely still pretty red! Baking time is also reduced to 19 -22 min depending on your oven.  Here is a link to the recipe.

Bake: DeliciousLA Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Most of the best recipes have a story behind them. There are many different ways to make banana bread - this is the recipe I've been using since high school.  I had a friend named Ellen with whom I'd rollerblade or bike with after school. We had a tradition of making the bread and popping it in the oven before heading  outdoors. Then about an hour of exercise later, we'd go back to her house and eat warm yummy banana bread fresh out of the oven!  This is her mom's secret recipe + chocolate chips. It yields a less sweet, light colored banana bread that pairs really nicely with a few chocolate chips.

Delicious LA Banana Chocolate Chip Bread. 

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup sugar
•  2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 extremely ripe bananas
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• A handful or so of chocolate chips (as many as you like!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Mash bananas in a small bowl - set aside
3. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl, add eggs one at a time, add vanilla
4. Mix Flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl
5. Add to dry mixture to butter/sugar/egg mixture, add mashed bananas, stir to blend (batter will be lumpy!)
6. Pour into a loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 min or until done. 

*Variations: I usually add a generous shake of ground cinnamon. Sometimes, I substitue 1/4 c of flour with 1/4 cup instant oatmeal. 

Cook: Red Lobster's Cheesy Garlic Biscuits!

This recipe is courtesy of our dear friend S, who along with her other half A, loves delicious food as much as we do.  Although she is a foodie who enjoys fine dining, she revealed recently that she has a soft spot for Red Lobster. So, when she came over for dinner the other night, she made these awesome cheesy biscuits (inspired by RL) to go with our baked cod dinner.  What a treat!

Cheesy Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups bisquick baking mix
• 1 cup cheddar cheese; finely grated
• 3/4 cup Whole milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 dash salt

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 400F
2. Combine bisquick with cheddar cheese, milk, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder in a medium bowl. Mix until well-combined
3. Drop approximately 1/4 cup portions on the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Combine 1/4 cup butter with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, parsley flakes and salt. Brush this mixture over the tops of each unbaked biscuit.
5. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until tops of biscuits begin to turn light brown. Serve warm.

Bake: Sunday Strawberry Bread

This is one of my favorite quick breads to make. Strawberries were on sale last week at Vons for $1.88 a pound so I took the opportunity to buy some.  My recipe is a healthier - less sugar and oil (and in my opinion, tastier!) version of the strawberry bread on allrecipes. As some of you may have noticed, I pretty much never follow a recipe as is, but modify it to my liking

Delicious LA Strawberry Bread Recipe 

Makes 2 loaves, or 24 servings. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb strawberries, stems removed and sliced (approx 3 1/2 cups)
• 3 cups flour
• 1.5 cups white sugar 
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 eggs, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour (or spray PAM) 2 9x5 in loaf pans (I only had one so I made one loaf, and 12 muffins)
2. Slice strawberries and place in medium sized bowl, sprinkle lightly wiht sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture
3. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in a large bowl, mix well
4. Whisk eggs, oil and vanilla in a separate bowl and combine with strawberries
5. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened (do not over-mix! This will affect the texture of your bread!!!). Batter will be dense and sticky.
6. Divide batter into pans or muffin tins
7. Bake bread loaf for 45-50 min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes until done. Let cool in pans for 10 min on wire rack. Then take loaves out to cool completely. 

Cook: Ginger Scones, Roasted Red Pepper Frittata & Mimosa Brunch!

Here are some brunch recipes to try this weekend!
Last weekend, F&J teamed up with S&A for a sunday funday of cooking! We started out with a delicious brunch. On the menu was:

• Lemon Ginger Scones by S
• Roasted Red Pepper Frittata by J
• Papaya and Blueberry (F's favorite combo)
• Mimosas

The recipe for Lemony (S added the zest of an entire lemon!) Ginger Scones is from simplyrecipes.

Makes 12 scones.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour (400 g)
• 3/4 cup sugar (160 g)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup candied ginger (chopped into 1/4-inch pieces or smaller) (3 1/2 ounces or 110 g)
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 3/4 cup buttermilk* (200 ml)
• 10 Tbsp (5 ounces, 140 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp coarse sugar for sprinkling on top (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (or 200°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. (I think we sprayed the pan instead)
2. In a large bowl vigorously whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the candied ginger, lemon zest, and fresh ginger until evenly mixed.
3. Create a well in the center of the flour, pour in the melted butter and the buttermilk. Gently mix with a wooden spoon until the flour mixture is just moistened. Don't over-mix! The mixture should look very shaggy.
4. Divide the mixture into two balls, and flatten each onto a floured surface into a 1-inch thick, 6-inch wide circle. Slice each round into 6 wedges. Transfer to the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spacing at least an inch apart. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
5. Bake at 400°F (or 200°C) for 18-20 minutes. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes before eating.
6. To store, allow first to cool to room temperature, then seal in a freezer bag   

J's Sunday Mushroom and Red Pepper Frittata (he modified it from Alton Brown's version)

Ingredients 

• 8 eggs, beaten  
• Bit of Cream/Milk 
• 1-ounce Parmesan, grated 
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
• Pinch salt 
• 1 teaspoon butter 
• 1 chopped onion 
• Sliced mushrooms  (J used 1/2 lb)
• Roasted red peppers (J used 2 whole peppers)
• Bacon or Ham (optional)  - J's version was vegetarian)
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil or parsley leaves 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to broil setting. 
2. If using bacon, pre-cook and set aside. Roast red peppers on bbq (or in oven) slice and set aside. 
3. In medium size bowl, using a fork, blend together eggs, Cream/Milk, Parmesan, pepper, and salt.
4. Heat 8-inch non-stick, oven safe saute pan over medium high heat. Add butter to pan and melt. Saute mushrooms and onions. Add peppers and bacon, then pour egg mixture into pan and stir with rubber spatula. Keep egg moving so it doesn’t set; Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the egg mixture has set on the bottom and begins to set up on top. 
5. Sprinkle with parsley or basil, grate some parmesan on top. 
6. Place pan into oven and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned and fluffy. 
7. Remove from pan and cut into 6 servings. Serve immediately (with crusty bread, optional).  

Mimosas - super easy, 1/4 part orange juice, 3/4 part Asti!

Cook: Delicious LA Red Velvet Cake

I finally did it!!! After eating dozens of red velvet cupcakes / slices of cake over the past 10 years, and making it from mixes (Sprinkles was the best), I finally decided to make it from scratch. The stakes were high, since I have judged and rated so many other versions - most which fell short of my expectations.

I started by doing research. I found all of the top rated recipes on the web, and read through the reviews until I picked what I felt was the most promising version. The winner was the family recipe from Pinch My Salt blog. I followed her recipe more or less, but made a few modifications. Here is the original recipe, below is my adaptation.

So - what did I think? Well, it's a bit awkward to judge my own baking, but suffice to say, I'm pretty happy with how things turned out, and my friends seem to enjoy it as well. (J gave it an "A'!) The cake was moist and light, not too dense nor dry (my most common complaints with RVC). The flavor was delicate with a subtle suggestion of chocolate and buttermilk. The cream cheese frosting was a nice compliment. If I make it again, I may try to increase the cocoa to 3 tablespoons and decrease the red food coloring to 1.5 oz (1 1/2 bottles), but this recipe is very solid, and definitely a keeper!

Delicious LA Red Velvet Cake:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (you can also use 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 oz red food coloring (2 entire bottles!!!)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside. (I used a small whisk)
4. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add the buttermilk.
5. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
6. Make sure you have cake pans buttered, floured, and nearby. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. It will fizz! Add to the cake batter and stir well to combine.
7. Working quickly, divide batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes for 3 pans. Check early, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. To remove the cakes from the pan, place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, then gently lift the pan.
9. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.
10. Frost with buttercream or cream cheese icing (recipe below).

Recipe Notes: *Sift cake flour once before measuring, then sift again with the other dry ingredients per recipe instructions. Wear an apron and be careful with the red food coloring–it will stain! As you’re mixing the cake batter, use a spatula to scrape down the bowl frequently throughout the entire process. Another good trick I learned from reading reviews was to put the cake briefly in the freezer (30min) so that the layers become firmer and the red cake won't crumble and mess up the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 to 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted (depending on your preference for sugar/cream cheese ratio)
• pinch of salt

Tip: *Use a large bowl as powdered sugar can get a little messy.

With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in vanilla extract, salt and powdered sugar. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting softens up, beat with mixer until smooth).

Update 3-3-11: If you do freeze the cake layers before frosting, loosen them in pan (so they don't stick to bottom when you take them out) and cover pan with saran wrap. If you do use this strategy, let cake come to room temperature before serving. We served this cake at room temperature, but it is also delicious slightly chilled out of the fridge!

Cook: Molten Chocolate Cakes

Made this last night when our friends S and A came over. Would make a fabulous valentine's day dessert too :)

Molten Chocolate Cakes (recipe adapted from Epicurious.com)

Ingredients:

2 ounces bittersweet, 3 ounces unces bittersweet (or any combination of the two = 5 oz), chopped

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon brandy

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

5 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

Large pinch of salt

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions:

Generously butter four 3/4 cup souffle dishes or custard cups.

Arrange on baking sheet

Stir chocolate and butter in heavy saucepan over low heat until smooth.

Remove from heat; stir in brandy. cool 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Using electric mixer, beat eggs, yolks, 4 tablespoons sugar, vanilla, 1 teaspoon espresso powder and salt in medium bowl until very thick ribbons fall when beats are lifted (about 6 min). Sift flour over batter; fold in flour. Fold in chocolate mixture.

Divide batter among dishes, filling completely. Preheat oven to 400 F. Bake cakes until tops are puffed and dry, about 11-12 minutes. Cool cakes 5 minutes. When cool flip and transfer to plate and serve with ice cream of your choice (we used green tea to go with our asian fusion dinner theme).