Posts filed under 'Fruit'
Calamansi Cloud Cupcake – buttery cupcake intensely flavored with real calamansi juice and zest. Iced with calamansi curd cloud cream and topped with a glittering calamansi gelee. Price available upon request.
a healthy dose of vitamin c
After successfully creating an orange cupcake, I was inspired to do a calamansi-flavored one. This cupcake has lots of freshly-squeezed calamansi juice and finely grated calamansi rind. This is a bit heavier than my orange cupcake but it is moist and has a melt-in-the-mouth quality.
I iced the cupcakes with calamansi curd cloud which is heavy cream whipped with calamansi curd. I made my favorite lemon curd recipe but subbed the juice with calamansi. While some do not add the zest to the strained curd, I always include it to intensify the tang. The tiny green specks also contrast nicely with the yellowness of the curd.
The topper is a calamansi gelee which I adapted from a recipe that used lime juice. I got the recipe from a candy book that our neighbor S._ gave me several Christmases ago. It is very easy to make although sometimes books do not really give detailed instructions and one must rely on visual and olfactory cues to know if you’re doing things right or bungling the job. Lesson I learned from this candy project: cook over low heat. I found out that even with a candy thermometer, the sugar syrup can burn if one is not careful.
This cupcake is definitely different. Those who are partial to sweet desserts might not like the tart kick. With loads of calamansi flavor, savoring this cupcake almost seems like taking your daily dose of vitamin C!
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the little gadget that could
One of my favorite kitchen gadgets is the microplane zester. Its sharp teeth grate citrus rinds so fine that the zest is not a distraction to the palate. Originally a woodworking tool, it has found a permanent place in the kitchen after a homemaker in Ottawa used her husband’s new tool to zest an orange needed for her cake.
The microplane can also be used to grate spices and cheeses and even shave rock salt. I’m sure you are all familiar with beauty experts’ advice to look to the kitchen for some quick, effective fix for skin care emergencies (cucumber slices to soothe the eyes, a mixture of cocoa, honey and olive oil to create a color reviving mask for dark hair, and so on). Add the microplane to that list as there is a new range of models that can be used to exfoliate cracked, dry skin of the feet. Seriously. You can check it out here. Just remember, if you use one for zesting, don’t use it for any other job!
July 24th, 2009
the midas touch or how my mother turned scrap into gold
Pineapple cupcakes are in my to-bake list. Since we always have fresh pineappple in the house—my father is a devotee—I planned on making fresh pineapple preserves for the filling and frosting. But I never got around to making the cupcakes nor the preserves as procrastination took over. This noon, I was surprised to find a golden, syrupy, sticky, chunky mixture in a pan. Could it be … ? Well, my mother just beat me to making those preserves! And boy do they taste awesome!
It turned out that my mother salvaged some pineapple chunks gone sour and turned them to (edible) gold. Now, if you will excuse me, I will just go and ask her how to do it!
June 26th, 2009
Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes – soft cupcakes with a refreshing orange flavor, topped with orange whipped cream and sprinkles. Price available upon request.
freshly squeezed
I am loving oranges right now. This cupcake has the most wonderful orange flavor, from the frosting to the cupcake. Methinks the orange sprinkles have some hint of orange taste, too. The cupcake base is similar to the Mimosa and Chocolate Naranja, soft and bursting with orange goodness and heady aroma. The whipped cream topping, infused with freshly squeezed orange juice and zest, intensifies the overall citrusy flavor. The “orange segments” and “seeds” are made with white chocolate and filled with the sprinkles.
With extra cupcakes to frost, I tried a Lindt Excellence Intense Orange dark chocolate bar for the glaze to make Chocolate Naranja cupcakes. The chocolate has pieces of orange and almond slivers and while these added an interesting texture to the glaze, somehow the “intense” orange flavor diminished. Verdict: I will reserve the Lindt chocolate for my chocolate binge and will stick to using orange oil to flavor my Chocolate Naranja topping.
With the success of these orange cupcakes, I will be trying a calamansi version soon. 
May 19th, 2009
Chocolate Naranja Cupcake – tender orange cupcake topped with semisweet chocolate ganache flavored with orange oil. Price available upon request.
a taste of sunshine
Reader C._ dropped me a note asking if I can share my recipe for my Mimosa cupcake. My mimosa cupcake’s base is an orange cupcake and I put the champagne on the frosting. I’ve said that it is soft and fluffy and it is. The little cakes are very good eaten fresh out of the oven. But of course topping them with a luscious frosting elevates them to a different level.
It has been a while since I made those orange cupcakes and when I got C._’s note, I had a sudden craving for those citrus goodies. I had made chocolate orange truffles to give as gifts last Christmas and I thought at that time that I should make a cupcake with those flavors—I just love the marriage of chocolate and orange. And so I baked a batch of orange cupcakes and frosted them with semisweet chocolate ganache flavored with orange oil. Orange oil is more potent than orange extract. I bought mine here.
This cupcake is really easy to make. You dump all ingredients in the bowl and then you beat it for about two minutes on high speed of an electric mixer to ensure the light texture of the baked cake. This is my own creation, adapted from one of my recipes. C._, the recipe is on its way to your email!
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*Spanish lessons - Naranja is Spanish for the orange fruit; anaranjado is Spanish for the color orange
April 29th, 2009
As proprietor of an online gift shop specializing in fresh flower arrangements and baked goods, I often encounter love stories. We cater to folks all over the world who want to send their warm wishes to a loved one in the Philippines and majority of our clients are in a long-distance relationship. Don’t get me wrong, I do not pry into my clients’s love lives. The sentiments on the note cards reveal a lot about a status of a relationship. While I cheered for the couples who finally got married and moved together abroad, the business person in me also guiltily feels a twinge of sadness whenever this happens—another client gone! But of course love is all around and goes around and there is always a lovestruck Romeo ready to woo his Juliet with a dozen roses, a teddy bear and heart-shaped cookies. I’m just happy that we make people happy by helping them keep alive their love across the miles.
One particular love story that stood out this Valentine’s Day on the local front involved a couple named A._ and J._. A._ called me and ordered cupcakes that she said her husband loves, Chocolate Banana and Macapuno Ube. She wanted them delivered on February 14 at her husband’s place of work. We have a minimum amount for delivery and A._’s order did not meet the requirement but since she sounded like a sweet person doing something equally sweet for her husband, I agreed to have her order delivered. She didn’t put her name on the note card but she wrote a loving message.
On the very day the cupcakes were delivered, I got a call from a guy asking about the same cupcakes and how to go about ordering and delivery. Hmm, could he be the hubby? A._ texted me later and gushed that her husband loved her gift and was totally impressed. She also said her family shared and loved the cupcakes and she would want to order another batch as her kids are pestering her for more.
I got another call from the guy inquiring about the cupcakes and this time he was ready to order. He gave me his contact information and I promised to let him know when his order will be available for pick up. Was he a friend of the couple who got lucky enough to see or even taste the cupcakes? I wondered.
And so just three days after Valentine’s Day, Mr. Guy Client arrives and picks up his orders. While he merrily went on his way, A._ and I were texting each other about her orders. She is letting her kids pick the flavors they like. And then things got interesting. Just as we were texting back and forth about her payment options, A._ texted me for the nth time and said that it was her turn to be surprised. Mr. Guy Client was her husband and he ordered the cupcakes for her! She told me how J._ ordered under an alias because he feared that A._ and I are now becoming textmates and somehow, the secret might leak (but J._, I am totally trustworthy … !). Anyway, I’m sure A._, J._ and their kids were happy twice over.
This sort of reminds me of O. Henry’s short story, “The Gift of the Magi” but with a twist. Sometimes, the act of acquiring a present for our dear ones is a lot more valuable than the gift itself. To A._ and J._, a toast to you!
February 19th, 2009
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