Pretty Little Things

 These are some of our cakes!! Over the years we've baked and decorated various wedding and party cakes .Take a look!

Spring green cake with lace cutouts and Mango calla lillies

This could be a cake for any occasion...i made it to practice draping:)

Our little sister's birthday cake!!

A basket weave Mother's Day cake

The Luau themed birthday cake we made

A wedding cake we did with grill work with gum paste orchid and calla lilies

Preacher's Cake

the actual cake double frosted!!! in no time it was gone!!

it isn't too sweet,its an oooey gooey pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting

      This cake has no fat...seriously there is no requirement for butter or oil in the ingredients..and because of this I was a tad bit reluctant to give it a try.It just seemed a bit too simple but friends,let me tell you it is a dessert worth giving a shot but don't take a slice so soon  WAIT...NO RESIST TEMPTATION AND WAIT 2 DAYS BEFORE EATING..trust me the flavours just mature into something that is a delight for the palate ..it is very moist and dense ,fruity and creamy..Truly a decadent a delightful dessert,try it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream :)

This will definitely impress friends and family  on any occasion!!

Ingredients

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

20 oz can crushed pineapple

  Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (I doubled it)

8 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

shredded coconut(optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit .Combine cake ingredients,mix by hand.

Pour into a loaf pan  or 9 x13 pan.Bake for 35-40 minutes.

While the cake is in the oven ,get the frosting ready

Beat the cream cheese and butter,add sugar and vanilla,continue beating until creamy.

Spread Frosting over cake when cooled 

Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry Cheesecake

Sweet,Creamy,Light,heavenly.....Just a few words that could be used to describe this cheesecake.It is my favourite recipe for a plain old vanilla cheesecake!!!! and instead of the usual cherry ,strawberry or blueberry,you could definitely switch things up by covering with a chocolate ganache!! Give this one a try folks,you won't be disappointed :) OOH THE SIDES ARE COVERED WITH DARK CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS AND CRUSHED PEANUTS IT WAS VERYYY GOOD!!!

Ingredients
4 large eggs
2 lbs cream cheese
3tbsp flour
3tbsp cornstarch
11/2 cups sugar
2tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter
1 pint sour cream
1 pk Graham
Fruit topping (I used strawberry)

BASE
11/2 cups Graham crackers / 12 Digestive biscuits or Tea biscuits
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter/margarine

METHOD
 For Base :
1.Mix all ingredients together
2.Press into bottom and sides of baking tin .Place in a refrigerator to set.

For Cake:

1.Cream together cream cheese and butter
2.Blend in sugar
3.Add eggs one at a time
4. Add sifted flour and cornstarch
5.Blend until smooth
6.Add sour cream and flavourings
7.Pour into 9 inch or two 7 1/2 inch foil pans (The pans will be very full)
8.Bake for 1 hour and 1/2 hour for foil pans at 325 degrees Fahrenheit
9.Turn off oven and leave cake to cool with oven door open for another hour
10.Remove and refrigerate.Top with Strawberry fruit topping.

Curried Crab and Roti

CURRIED CRAB AND ROTI

 I JUST LOVE SEAFOOD!!-crab,shrimp,oysters,lobster,fish
Chances are if its from the sea then I'll probably like it :) I think it has to do with the fact that there are so many childhood memories connected with seafood

 It evokes so many  memories, from when a was a little girl drinking water to cool down my mouth because i was eating hot peppered shrimp or getting excited when my mommy's brother (Uncle Sarjan) brought a whole crocus bag full of live crabs during crab season. My mother would curry them with pumpkin and coco,or boil them in water heavily seasoned with lots of  salt,scotch bonnet peppers, scallion and thyme.Or even the times when my parents woke me and my sister up to go to Rocky Point in St Thomas(a fishing village in Jamaica) at about 5AM where the fishermen would be selling everything from octopus to turtle soup. 

Ingredients
2crabs
1 onion sliced
1/2 hot scotch bonnet pepper(or to taste)
1/2tsp geera
5 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 stalks scallion finely chopped
1tbsp curry powder mixed with water to form a paste
2 maggi cubes or salt to taste
2 tsp black pepper
21/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup Pumpkin,optional
1/2 cup coco ,optional
Water,enough to cover crab

METHOD

Wash crabs with vinegar , clean and chop into small pieces
Heat oil in heavy bottomed dutch pot(or a round bottomed pot)
Add chopped garlic and geera,fry until brown.
Add curry paste ,along with onion, scallion and chopped scotch bonnet pepper
Cook until oil separates from the paste,then add the chopped crab
Add water to cover crab ,then add the optional ingredients
About 10 minutes before done add the maggi cubes or salt 
Cook for about 30-45 minutes ,the sauce or gravy should be thick 
ENJOY!!!!!

ROTI

1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Salt to taste
Water

Method
Sift flour,baking powder and salt.
Add water until a dough like consistency is reached ,keep kneading
Form into a ball and cover with a damp cloth for about 10 minutes.
Roll into small balls,flatten and roll into a thin circle
Cook on a heated tawa or a flat bottomed skillet
Cook on both sides ,then brush oil on both sides making sure the oiled sides have both touched the hot tawa

About My Grandmother

 

My Grandma Ruby

     My grandmother ,Ruby, was a GREAT COOK.She was a devoted wife,mother and grandmother.Though she passed away long before I was born ,I've heard so many great stories of her huge parties where the entire road was invited.At church and in my community she is still remembered as an upstanding Christian and  for her delicious food.My mother has said that whatever she cooked was great and tasted different from everyone else's cooking.Back then gas stoves weren't used but coal stoves.Her recipes included ingredients that today are no longer a part of modern Jamaican cooking .Such as Gherkins,Mustard greens,Indian kale, Jhingi,Squash, Karaili, Long beans,Cilantro(Dhania)

My mommy cutting her Birthday Cake,A two tired cake for a two year old now that is CUTE :)

A special thanks to my cousin Sunita for sending me these pictures :)

Chocolate Cappuccino Cheesecake

THE DIVINE CHEESECAKE!!

My Dahlings!! This Cheesecake is absolutely amazing.I made it for my 20th birthday last year and all my friends devoured it and some of them are not even cheesecake nor chocolate lovers. You will love it !!!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
1/4 butter ,softened
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 Tsp ground cinnamon
3 eight ounce packages cream cheese  softened
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 eight ounce semisweet chocolate
2 Tbsp whipping cream
1 cup sour cream
1/4 Tsp salt
2 Tsp salt
2 Tsp instant coffee granules dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
2 Tsp vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp confectioners'sugar
2 Tbsp coffee flavoured liqueur
1 (1 ounce ) square semisweet chocolate

Ingredients

Ingredients ...notice the Tia Maria :)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit .Butter 9 inch spring form pan

Combine the chocolate wafer crumbs ,softened butter,2 Tbsp white sugar and the cinnamon.Mix well and press and press mixture into the buttered spring form pan,set aside.

Crushing the chocolate cookies for the crust

Adding the ingredients for the crust

Pressing the crust mixture into pan

In a bowl beat the softened cream cheese until smooth.Gradually add 1 cup white sugar mixing until well blended.Add eggs ,one at a time .Beat at low speed until very smooth.

Melt the 8 ounces semisweet  with 2 Tbsp whipping cream ,stir till smooth.

Add chocolate mixture to cream cheese mixture and blend well.Stir in sour cream,salt,coffee,1/4 cup coffee liqueur and vanilla,beat until smooth.Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Batter in the pan

Bake in the centre of oven at 350degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Centre will be soft but will firm up when chilled. Do not over bake .Leave cake in the oven with the heat  turned off and the door ajar for 45 minutes .Remove cake from oven and chill for 12 hours .
Yields 16 servings

Everything put together!!

A little slice of Heaven!!!

Flavoured Whipping Cream: Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form then beat in confectioners' sugar and 2 Tbsp coffee liqueur.

Jamaican Bread Pudding

My Mother came from the countryside last weekend with a big bag of stale bread,there were hamburger buns as well in this big bag.She also brought a pack of raisins and said "you girls make a bread pudding nuh"

She had been saving the odds and ends of bread loaves just so I could do this ,so I just couldn't disappoint LOL

 My dears,it was smooth ,moist,creamy yet firm with juicy juicy plump sweet raisins!!!! I loved it and so did everyone else it lasted about 1 1/2 days ,and I'm not joking ,it was a HUGE hit with the family

Jamaican Bread Pudding

Ingredients used

4 cups of stale bread torn into small pieces
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons rose water
2 teaspoons almond essence
1/3 cup rum
1/2 cup of raisins

Mixture when poured into pan 

METHOD
Bring  the milk with the raisins ,sugar and condensed milk to a boil

Whisk eggs until frothy and slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously

Add the spices ,flavourings  and rum  and pour this mixture onto the bread soak for about 10 minutes and mash with a fork or potato masher to make sure each piece of bread is thoroughly soaked in the mixture.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle with some raisins and cinnamon and bake for about 30 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake

Its quit an attractive cake,you could also use a loaf pan instead of a bundt

    Baking,my friends is addictive as the old saying goes "once you pop you just can't stop"
    Oh boy that is so true !!
     I had wanted to bake this cake for a very long time and after Mum's birthday ,the baking bug bit me hard LOL, so I finally got around to it.I love watching Barefoot Contessa on Food Network,she is just such a classy lady and her food looks quite tasty!!

  The cake was very easy to make, I used limes instead of lemons ,the flavour was sweet and sharp, if you love limes you would've liked it, it is not for the faint of heart, that sourness is definitely there. I preferred it after three days(yes it was still very moist) with a cup of  unsweetened mint tea, by that time the flavour had definitely mellowed,and it was not quite as acidic.This is a perfect tea time cake,try letting it sit for about 2 days if you don't like the sharp taste of limes or lemons :)

Ina Garten's Lemon Yoghurt Cake

11/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup plain whole milk yoghurt
1 1/3 cups sugar divided
3 extra large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

FOR THE GLAZE
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
Sift together the flour ,baking powder and salt into a bowl
In another bowl  whisk together the yoghurt,eggs,lemon zest,1 cup sugar and vanilla
Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
With a rubber spatula fold the vegetable oil into the batter,making sure it is all incorporated
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about thirty minutes or until a knife is inserted and it comes out clean.
meanwhile cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and the remaing third cup sugar,until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done ,allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.While the cake is still warm pour the lemon sugar syrup over it.Allow it to cool .
For the glaze mix both the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.Serve!!

                     

My Mother's Birthday

 
   Honestly, we had stopped baking for a while ,so we wanted to jump on the old baking wagon again,sharpen our skills. After all if you don't use it you lose it!!!! LOL
 My mother is a tough critic,she wanted a fruitcake,hated the pudding-y texture that most Jamaicans love in a fruitcake ,"Fruitcake is supposed to be a cake ,not a pudding"were her exact words, therefore with that said, I was on a mission to please her with my fruitcake.So I used a pound cake recipe and added soaked fruits (it had been soaking for about 2 years...yummyyy) after it came out of the oven ,for about four days I kept adding wine and rum to seal in the moisture and covered it in plastic wrap .It was amazing ,the flavour was very rummyyyy :) haha and very sweet,it was lovely,and  Mummy  was very impressed.I must warn it takes a whole lotta elbow grease to fold the fruits and egg whites into the batter so brace yourselves!!

   I thought it would be a fun idea to trick her into thinking I didn't make a fruitcake but instead a chocolate one and surprise her with the fruitcake at the restaurant.She was SO HAPPY to see this cake brought out by the waiters, and the waiters were so impressed that they whipped out their phones and started taking pictures.It was a marvellous moment for us,young bakers,we felt so proud of ourselves :)

   Now,let me tell you,this was no ordinary chocolate cake it was ,OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! the absolute best recipe ever, I modified it from another blog http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/the-best-chocolate-cake.html by melting the chocolate chips,because I didn't want to be biting into them as i ate the cake, instead ,i would rather a very fudgy, super moist cake I then frosted it with chocolate Swiss meringue butter cream and dark chocolate shavings.From now on I will definitely be using this chocolate recipe as my go to favourite ,easy chocolate cake.You guys have to , I mean, HAVE TO ,give it a try ,trust me ,it will not disappoint!! BTW the date is wrong!!!!

THE BEST EVER CHOCOLATE CAKE!

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever

Isn't the finish of this frosting awesome??so GLOSSY i loved working with it!!

JUST LOOK AT HOW DARK AND MOIST IT LOOKS!!!

1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mini chocolate chips

METHOD 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Melt the chocolate chips in a heavy bottomed pot. Pour batter into cake pan of choice (I normally use two 9-inch pie pans). For cooking time, I use the cooking times on the back of the devil’s food cake box as a guide and usually add 10 mins to whatever it says. Then I do the toothpick check, and if it’s not done, I check on it every 5 mins after that. It usually takes around 45 mins for two, 9-inch pie pans. 

 Swiss Butter cream

5 large egg whites

1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar

1lb (four sticks) unsalted butter

2tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

wipe the bowl of the electric mixer wth paper and vinegar ,to remove any grease.Add egg whites and sugar and whisk over a pot of simmering wateruntil the saugar has dissolved completely.To test lift mixer with whisk and feel for any sugar grains,if mixture is smooth it is finished.With whisk attachment whip mixture until thick and glossy,switch to a paddle attachment and add butter in chunks until incorporated,and mix until it has reached a silky ,super smooth texture.Add vanilla and cocoa powder and mix again

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week,leaving out at room temperature when needed rewhipping in the mixer with the whisk attachment until the mixture is thick ,smooth and glossy.

FRUIT CAKE

1lb butter

1lb sifted cake flour

1lb granulated sugar

1tsp vanilla

2cups or more of fruits(chopped raisins.prunes and currants in rum and wine)-the amount of fruits is optional

METHOD

1.Cream butter with vanilla and sugar until fluffy

2.Beat egg yolks until thick and add to creamed mixture

3.Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites ,mixing thoroughly.

4.Fold in flour  and fruits and beat vigorously for 15minutes or longer.

After covering the fruit cake with fondant and forming our bow with little rolling pins (these had to be in for about a night until the fondant was dried)