Tag: cake

New Favorite · Nicaragua

Tres Leches Cake…delicioso!

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Tres Leches (Three Milk) Cake was not on my radar screen until 8-10 years ago.  A friend served it for the Holidays and I was instantly in love!  When my sister and I traveled to Puerto Rico a few years ago, we couldn’t get enough of it!

On my way home from Nicaragua several weeks ago, I wasn’t ready to let go of the cuisine and was happy to discover Tres Leches at the Miami airport.  It was good, but not of the quality I truly wanted to experience.

Once home in Colorado, I had to make it from scratch.  It tasted wonderful, but not the most beautiful presentation I’ve ever seen.  Oh well, I’m more about the taste, especially when fresh strawberries graced the top of each serving.

TRES LECHES CAKE

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9 inch square baking pan.
  • In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.
  • Use an electric mixer to beat egg whites, in a large bowl, until forming soft peaks.
  • Add sugar a bit at a time and beat until well mixed.
  • Add egg yolks one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each egg yolk is added.
  • Continue beating and add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk.
  • Mix very well then add the remaining flour, milk and vanilla extract.  Assure all are mixed well together.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.  Use a toothpick, fork, or skewer to poke several holes in the cake.

THREE MILK SYRUP:

Three Milk Syrup

12 ounce can evaporated milk
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream

  • Mix the evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream together until well blended.  Pour over top of prepared cake.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or more.
Pouring Three Milk Syrup over Cake

I served the cake without the following frosting but with strawberries.  Just in case you are more of a frosting person, here it is:

FROSTING:

1 cup cold whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

  • Before serving the cake, whip together the cream, sugar and vanilla in a chilled bowl.  Use an electric mixer to beat until stiff peaks form.
  • Spread frosting over cake.  Cut into squares and service.  Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
New Favorite

Blueberry Coffee Cake for your morning coffee!

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Fresh blueberries are coming into season and a wonderful time for a warm, Blueberry Coffee Cake.  I served this yummy cake for my annual Mother’s Day Coffee.

It’s easy to make and I LOVE the crumb topping.  Great with a hot cup of coffee or tea with family and friends.

I typically double this recipe for a larger coffee cake.

BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

CAKE BATTER:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 1/4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

CRUMB TOPPING:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup soft butter

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse and drain the blueberries.
  • Combine 3/4 cup sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. Add 1/4 cup soft butter, egg and mix. Add 1/2 cups milk and mix well. Stir in 2 cups of flour. The batter will resemble thick pancake batter. You may have to finish mixing by hand. Add the blueberries and gently mix in.
Blueberry Cake Batter
  • Grease and flour pans (9″ square pan or two loaf pans). Pour batter into pans, about 1/2 full.
  • Mix topping. Crumble evenly on top of batter.
Blueberry Coffee Cake ready for the oven
  • Bake for 45 minutes. If not brown on the top, bake a bit longer, checking every 3 to 4 minutes. Set the coffee cake on a rack to cool and enjoy.
Yummy baked Blueberry Coffee Cake
Family Favorites

Pound Cake…with strawberries for me!

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Pound cake is one of the recipes I make ‘once in a blue moon’ but enjoy it as long as it is dense and moist. No dry pound cake will match up!

Poundcake and strawberries (2)

As you probably can see, cakes are often the base pedestal for the fruit I really want. Once again, strawberries and whipped cream top this cake. I truly didn’t realize until I started this food blog, that almost every cake I make MUST have syrup or fruit on top. Hmmm…this blog may turn into a self-realization confessional.

Poundcake and strawberries (1)

POUND CAKE

3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 grated lemon peel
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

  • Cream butter & peel; gradually add sugar, creaming till light, about 6 minutes at medium speed on electric mixer.
  • Add vanilla, then eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
  • Sift dry ingredients together; stir together with egg mixture.
  • Grease bottom only of 9x5x8 inch pan; turn in batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or till done. Cool in pan. Optional:  Sift confectioner’s sugar lightly on top.
  • Mandatory for me:  Fruit on top!
New Favorite · Nicaragua

Nicaraguan Perrerreque (Corn Cake)

cathysmaha7 Comments

During my trip to Nicaragua, I had the opportunity to stay with a host family in San Ramon. My roommate, Sally, and I had the great pleasure of staying with Neyda and her family. We enjoyed many wonderful meals at Neyda’s home. One evening our ecotour group were treated to an evening of native Nicaraguan food and music. It was wonderful and highlighted by a light shower and a gorgeous rainbow.

Rainbow over San Ramon Nicaragua

The food served that evening included an unusual, sweet yet savory corn cake, baked in an outdoor wood-fired oven. The cake was baking when we arrived and like hungry baby birds, we all flocked to see what was in the oven. Our hostesses were kind enough to share the cake while it was still warm.  Heavenly! The three photos below were taken the night of our dinner in San Ramon.

Our Nicaraguan hostess serving corn cake
Nicaraguan Corn Cake

Once returning home, the hunt was on for corn cake.  My sister-in-law, Betty, discovered a similar recipe and shared it with our ecotour group.  I baked the corn cake to share with my gal pals.  By chance, I also brought a bowl of fresh pineapple and found it to be a wonderful side dish to serve with the bread.  This recipe is slightly sweeter than the cake in Nicaragua, but delicious.  A winner!  However, I will continue my search to match the exact experience of our memorable Nicaraguan dinner.

NOTE: During our special evening in San Ramon we were also served the traditional Nicaraguan Nacatamal, a steamed corn cake filled with meat and vegetables, steamed in banana leaves. They, too, were fabulous and will be covered in a separate post at a later date.  Stay tuned!

Cathy’s Nicaraguan Corn Cake

PERERREQUE (CORN CAKE)

1 pound fine white corn meal  (I used regular white corn meal and ground again with the food processor)
1 pound crumbly cheese, grated finely (try Monterey Jack or Wensleydale)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons margarine
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 ½ cups milk

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the corn meal with the cheese and sugar. Cut/crumble in the margarine.   Mix the baking soda into a little of the milk and pour into the dry ingredients.   Add the remaining milk until the mixture is well blended.
Corn Cake: Adding milk to cheese and dry ingredients
  • Place the cake mixture into a greased baking pan. The mixture should be about 1 inch thick.
Corn Cake batter ready for the oven
  • Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the cake is golden brown. After this time, remove it from the oven, allow to cool and then cut into small pieces or squares before serving. I found the bread to be at it’s best when served warm, about an hour after baking.
Baked Corn Cake

Adapted from The New Internationalist Food Book