Baking is Love: May 2015

Lots of love,
@lputriasih

May 28, 2015

doterra peppermint chocolate-chip brownies.

Hi everyone!

I just finished my midterm exam yesterday! It was quite difficult, and that's why I had to be focused by the last weekend... and I'm so glad to have successfully done it and now be back to baking!.

Last month, I was contacted and being asked to make a healthier recipe for the doTERRA website! Soo extremely happy and at the same time feel honoured to get this opportunity, because I've been loving the doTERRA essential oils since the very first time I used it for my baking! And now, I can even create one recipe to be shared with many people all over the world. Grateful! :)

And from all the flavours they have (which I have tried so far), I personally love the Peppermint one amongst all. So, here I'm sharing with you the recipe of my Peppermint Chocolate Chip Brownies!

For you chocolate lovers... you may wanna enjoy everytime you eat chocolatey desserts, right? But sometimes, you feel guilty because they contain so much calories, and then you prefer a healthier one. Is it true? Don't worry! With this recipe, it's indeed healthier without reducing the chocolatey taste in it! Besides I used dark chocolate for the brownies, it also requires healthier oil and flour. I used the organic coconut oil and almond meal too.

The best texture of a brownies is that you'll find the texture soo chewy, gooey and fudgy. Brownies might not rise as much as other cake batters, but that's the speciality of a brownies itself. You want to have that "fudgy" or people often say their "cakey" texture.

This brownies is also loaded with extra chunks of dark chocolate chips for extra decadence! But if you find it chocolatey enough, you can substitute them into any kind of nuts. Chopped walnuts, pecan or even almonds are the best options.

If you wanna try a moist and chocolatey brownies with a bit of doTERRA peppermint flavour, and it's healthier than any other brownies you have eaten... Here's the recipe to follow!

Makes 16 servings.

Ingredients:

5 ounces (140 grams) bittersweet/dark chocolate

1/2 cup (120) organic coconut oil

1 cup (220 grams) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (50 grams) almond meal

1/4 cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1-2 drops of doTERRA peppermint extract

100-150 grams dark chocolate chips

fresh strawberries (optional)

Directions:

1). Preheat the oven to 350 degree F (180 degree C). Line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

2). Melt the dark chocolate and cocoa oil in a saucepan over low heat, stir gently.

3). In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, almond meal, flour, salt and baking soda. Make a well in the center and add the beaten eggs, vanilla extract, doTERRA peppermint extract and melted dark chocolate mixture. Beat on low-medium for 2 minutes, until the batter begins to come together. Keep beating the batter (for a few minutes) until it thickens, becomes smooth and also glossy.

4). Stir in the dark chocolate chips, mix them with a wooden spatula (slowly and remember not to over-mix!) and spread the batter into the prepared baking pan.

5). Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the toothpick inserted to the center of the cake comes out clean. The top will crack a bit, like a flourless chocolate cake.

6). Remove the brownies from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.

7). Done and serve! ( I added fresh strawberries on top of the brownies to play a bit with colour!).

Enjoy!

Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I enjoyed myself making it!

yummy and healthy!

You can find me on:

Lots of love,

@lputriasih

May 22, 2015

3-layered pink vanilla cake.

TGIF!

A lovely designer from Sydney, May Leong, who is the founder and owner of May And Baz - a design studio based also in Sydney, is all about producing cute and quirky paper good and homeware designs - gave me a chance to style her adorable tea towells and greeting cards!

"Let Them Eat Cake" tea towell,
"Spring" & "Just Saying Hello" greeting cards!

I feel very honoured to get this opportunity, because everything she made is outrageously beautiful... I'm out of words seeing her lovely creations - which you will definitely know (by seeing them) that she draws from the heart. Make sure you check out her website and blog too! -> www.mayandbaz.com :)

Today, I'm starting myself with her tea towell named "Let Them Eat Cake"! It's also a surprise from her, that she sent me the pink one!. Soo, the plan was to bake something pastel and pinky, so the colour will be matched with the towell itself. And I'm very satisfied with the result.

As a huge pink lover, styling something in pink-themed is my absolute favourite thing to do. And the joy is getting double when you're done with the baking and photoshoot, saw the result, and it brings a huge smile on your face.

If you wanna try to make this classic and simple 3-layered Vanilla Cake with Pink Buttercream Frosting, here I'm sharing my recipe with you! I'm loving the sweet buttery flavour and its moist texture... also the frosting has a sweet and buttery flavour too, with a light and fluffy texture. What's better to end the week than enjoying a slice of a cake? :)

For the vanilla cake:

Ingredients:

3 cups (345 grams) all purpose flour, sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

350 grams granulated white sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) milk, room temperature

Directions:

1). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) with rack in center of the oven. Butter or spray with a non-stick vegetable spray, a 23 x 5 cm cake pans. Then line the bottoms of the pans with parchment or wax paper, then spray the paper.

2). In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3). In another bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft and creamy (about 1-2 minutes). Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Add eggs. one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

4). With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions), beginning and ending with the flour.

5). Evenly divide the batter between the three prepared pans, smoothing the tops with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Bake to ca. 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in center.

6). Place the cakes on a wire rack to cool, in their pans, for about 10 minutes. Let them cool completely before frosting.

For the pink buttercream frosting and assembling:

Ingredients:

1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

4 cups (460 grams) confectioners or icing sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 tablespoons milk

red food colouring or pink gel paste
sprinkles, for decoration

Directions:

1). In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and well blended. Beat in the vanilla extract.

2). With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the milk and 1-2 drops of red food colouring/pink gel paste, then beat to combine.

3). Then, on high speed, beat frosting until it is light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add more milk or powdered sugar, as needed, to get the right spreading consistency.

4). Place one cake layer (bottom side facing up) on your serving plate and spread with about 90 ml of frosting. Place the other cake layer on top of the frosting, spread it again with 90 ml of frosting, then place the last cake layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting.

5). Decorate the cake with some colourful sprinkles on top or in any other way you love.

6). Done and serve!.

Cut a slice and enjoy...

deliciousss!

Hope you guys like it!

Have a wonderful weekend!

You can find me on:

Lots of love,

@lputriasih

May 19, 2015

mini vanilla & chocolate-chip cupcakes.

"Make this world a better place. One cupcake at a time!".

Oh yes! Sometimes, life isn't get any better than freshly-baked mini cupcakes!.

So these... are what I baked today. Some Mini Vanilla & Chocolate-chip Cupcakes with buttercream frosting and various toppings!.

which one is your favourite topping flavour?

These mini vanilla based cupcakes are loaded with chocolate chips in every bite of the cake. Soo yummy! Vanilla and chocolate are always going perfect together, right? And you may add the chocolate chips as much as you want too!

These cupcakes are favourite. Simply because anytime of the year is just a perfect time for chocolate. It's also really easy and quick to make. I was enjoying myself baking them, frosting and topping them with various kinds of toppings!. Also had soo much fun when styling and photoshoot-ing them too! :p

And if you have some lovely friends at school or work whom you've always wanted to bake since a long time ago, you can simply make these beautiful mini cupcakes and give it to them as a gift! They will definitely love it and crave for more (because one mini cupcake won't be enough, trust me!).

So... go try this guys! Here's the recipe to follow!

Making 30-35 mini cupcakes.

For the cupcakes:

Ingredients:

195 grams all purpose flour

200 grams granulated white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

120 ml sour cream or plain yoghurt, room temperature
100 grams chocolate chips

Directions:

1). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and lightly butter or line 30-35 small baking cups with paper liners.

2). In a bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined.

3). Add the butter, eggs, vanilla extract and sour cream (or yoghurt). Beat the wet and dry ingredients together, at medium speed, until the batter is smooth and satiny, about 30-60 seconds. Scrap down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4). With a rubber spatula, carefully stir in the chocolate chips, mix well (remember not to over-mix!).

5). Evenly fill the baking cups with the batter and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

For the buttercream frosting and assembling:

Ingredients:

1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

4 cups (460 grams) confectioners or icing sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 tablespoons milk

chocolate chips, sugar hearts, Rolo, Oreo, M&M's, almonds, matcha powder, Maltesers, sprinkles, etc. (for topping)

Directions:

1). In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and well blended. Beat in the vanilla extract.
2). With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the milk and beat to combine.
3). Then, on high speed, beat frosting until it is light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
4). Spoon into a piping bag and decorate the cupcakes.
5). At last (after all cupcakes have been perfectly frosted), top them with chocolate chips, Rolo, Oreo, almonds, matcha powder, sugar hearts, sprinkles, Maltesers, M&M's, etc. Decorate in any way you love and make them look beautiful!.
6). Done and serve!.

Enjoy!
Hope you guys like it!

Have a beautiful day everyone!

P.S.: Soon collaborating with a lovely designer from Australia, May Leong, from www.mayandbaz.com and also do a collaboration post using some lovely goodies from welovesundays.com.au. Soon! So stay tuned! :)

You can find me on:

Lots of love,
@lputriasih

May 16, 2015

banana cream parfaits with cream cheese frosting and strawberry.

A delicious combination of banana, cream, cream cheese and strawberry - I'm going fruity today with one new recipe: Banana Cream Parfaits with Cream Cheese Frosting and Strawberry!.

Trust me, you'll be wanting to get these little beauty of your list of things to make! Especially in a weather like this. Oh yes, it's already sooo warm here and I couldn't sleep really well last night because it's just too warm in my bedroom.

The banana and cream cheese frosting combined for an outrageously good flavour. It's sweet, fruity, creamy and also light. And a little touch of strawberries just take it over the top! They create a good-looking presentation, aren't they!. As I always say, strawberries never fail to help you capture great shots in any kind of desserts. :)

beauties.

I love how simple and elegant they look. Sometimes, simplicity is best. Many people also top them with Oreos or something extra-crunchy, it's also really great! You can top with buttery biscuits too, or something chocolatey, or nutty, or anything else just to give them more flavourful taste.

If you fancy giving it a try, here's the recipe to follow!

Making ca. 6 little bowls.

For the banana cream filling:

Ingredients:

1 large ripe banana

1 tablespoon honey

2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream

1/4 cup (55 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1). In a large bowl, peel and mash the banana with a fork, then add honey and mix them until well blended.

2). In another bowl, pour the heavy cream, add sugar and beat them (with an electric mixer) until the mixture forms soft peaks (ca. 1-2 minutes). Gradually whisk in the banana mixture and whisk them with a spatula until well blended (take care not to over-whip!).

3). Then add vanilla extract and whisk it once again (with a spatula) until the batter is perfectly combined.

4). Spoon the batter into 6 little bowls, cover and chill for at least 5 hours or better overnight, until the filling has completely set.

For the cream cheese frosting and assembling:

Ingredients:

16 oz. (452 grams) cream cheese (Philadelphia is best!)

2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups (250 grams) confectioner or icing sugar

1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

fresh strawberries

Directions:

1). Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer (at low speed), combine the cream cheese, unsalted butter, icing sugar and pure vanilla extract in a large bowl, and beat them until sugar is incorporated.

2). Increase speed to medium high and beat until frosting is light and whipped, about 3-4 minutes.
3). Spoon the frosting into a piping bag, decorate on top of each bowl of the chilled cream parfaits. Finally add fresh strawberries to make an even more beautiful-looking presentation.
5). Done and serve!.

Enjoy!

Hope you like it!

yummy little goodness!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

You can find me on:

Lots of love,

@lputriasih

May 13, 2015

double chocolate cupcakes with espresso frosting.

A rich, chocolate and coffee lovers' dessert: Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Espresso Frosting!

An EXTRA-CHOCOLATEY cupcakes.

Again, I baked delicious chocolate cupcakes for a special project collaborating with a Custom Print Shop from New Jersey -> Simply Love Creations! They design custom prints to decorate your home, kids bedroom, bathroom, playroom and also baby nursery. They really have beautiful custom prints with so many cute and unique designs you'll definitely love! :)

"There is always a reason to bake."

The one which was sent to me is this pink kitchen wallart with a super nice quote: "There is always a reason to bake." How can I not love this??? It has become my most favourite line at the moment. Every baker with such passion will absolutely feel the same way too. And I'm styling my cupcakes today using this wallart as background and successfully made a great photoshoot! Yaay!

Love this shot! Pink is always my thing. :)

These cupcakes, as they have been revealed by the title as "double" - have a very rich chocolate taste! And the chocolate espresso frosting is probably one of the best forms of frosting I've tried ever! So fudgy, so creamy, and has a great hint of coffee. Just a perfect accompaniment to the chocolate cupcakes!

perfectly frosted.

And the best thing about making cupcakes is they are sooo easy and also quick to make. You only need ca. 20-25 minutes to bake them, and you can make the frosting while waiting. No wasted time. They're also perfect for any occasion... like all day, everyday, holiday. Making frosting (and piping it) is also really fun, isn't it! :)

This has been one of my most favourite blog post so far. So let's give it a try, especially for you - dear chocolate and coffee lovers! Here's the recipe to follow!

Making ca. 6 large cupcakes or 12-14 normal cupcakes.

For the chocolate cupcakes:

Ingredients:

175 grams all purpose flour
50 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder
240 ml boiling hot water

113 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
200 grams granulated white sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1). Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly butter, or line 12-14 baking cups with paper liners.

2). In a small bowl, stir the boiling water and cocoa powder until smooth. Let them cool to room temperature.

3). In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3). In a medium-sized bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

4). Fill each baking cup about two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16-20 minutes, and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. (Do not over bake or the texture of the cupcakes will be dry).

5). Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

For the chocolate espresso frosting and assembling:

Ingredients:

85 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup (80 ml) buttermilk
1/4 cup (25 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
16 oz. (500 grams) confectioners' or icing sugar
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
sugar hearts, for decoration (optional)

Directions:

1). In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, cocoa powder and espresso powder, stir until the espresso powder dissolves.
2). Add the butter and beat as medium speed with a hand mixer until creamy.
3). Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and well combined.
4). Spoon into a piping bag and frosting over each cupcake. Top with sugar hearts, sprinkle, Ferrero Rocher, etc. Decorate in any way you love!.

Enjoy!
Hope you all like it!

chocolate heaven in small cups!

Tomorrow is a day-off here in Germany. How about you?
Hope you're having a blessed day! :)

You can find me on:

Lots of love,
@lputriasih

May 10, 2015

no-bake almond & white chocolate cake.

Happy Mother's Day weekend! :)

This weekend is definitely meant for all beautiful mothers out there... especially for my mom who is the best mom I could ever asked for! Even though she isn't here right now and we're thousand miles apart, but my thought and prayers are always be with her all the way. Are you guys baking something special too? Today I wanna share with you - one lovely dessert which also be requested by many readers on the blog!

This is one heavenly dessert I must say. Almond & White Chocolate Cake with confectioners' frosting and fresh raspberries! Soo happy to create my original recipe of a NO-BAKE cake once again. :)

white chocolate, raspberries & almonds.

Almond and white chocolate! Never thought that they could be such a perfect pair. I usually buy a dark chocolate more often than the milk or even white one(s). But seriously, white chocolate is just really good! Really. Good.

loving the shot from top!

The sweetness of the white chocolate cake goes perfectly with the almonds inside (I added soo much almonds because I love them!) and the addition of the pink confectioners' frosting complement the fresh raspberries on top. Also a bit crunchiness from the base is one important element for the flavour of the cake as whole.

I love making no-bake cakes. They are always be on the TOP LISTS of most readers' searching page. Hmm, but probably no-bake cake/dessert is a favourite because the weather is also going hot these days in Europe and Asia as well. We need something sweet and cold as a refreshment.

And by the way... My older post -> No-bake Dark Chocolate Ganache Cake has become so popular on the blog since I posted it last week and reached more than 800 viewers to date!. As an amateur, I'm so happy I made it. Thank you to all of you who've been reading or even trying the recipe! Thanks for constantly supporting me by liking my pictures and also leaving comments through Instagram, too. I'm beyond grateful. :)

And today, as the day-off and Mother's Day isn't over yet, you still have time to make this Almond & White Chocolate Cake which tastes not even less delicious than the ganache cake! Really. Sooo yummy and I feel like I'm gonna make this again really soon!. Craving already because it's all gone now. :p

Let's make it guys! Here's the recipe to follow!

Making a 18-20 cm cake.

For the crust:

Ingredients:

125 gr unsalted butter, melted

200 gr digestive biscuits, crushed

Directions:

1). Stir the melted butter into the crushed biscuits. Mix them with a spatula until well combined. Tip into the tin/spring form and press down well to cover the base of the tin.
2). Chill for at least 30 minutes to allow the crust to set.

For the almond and white chocolate filling:

Ingredients:

300 ml heavy cream

2 teaspoons powdered or icing sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

200 gr white chocolate, melted

100 gr chopped almonds

Directions:

1). Pour the cream into a large bowl, then add the icing sugar and vanilla extract.

2). Whisk until the mixture forms soft peaks (1-2 minutes), then gradually whisk in the melted white chocolate until the mixture thickens (take care not to over-whip the batter!). Then add the chopped almond, mix again (slowly, not over-whip) with a spatula until well combined.

3). Spoon the mixture into the chilled biscuit case and spread out.

4). Cover and chill for at least 5 hours or better overnight, until the filling has completely set.

For the confectioners' frosting and assembling:

Ingredients:

460 grams confectioners' or icing sugar, sifted
226 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons milk
red food coloring (if desired)
fresh raspberries, for decoration

Directions:

1). In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and well blended. Beat in the vanilla extract.
2). With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed. Add milk and red food coloring, beat to combine. Then, on high speed, beat frosting until it's light and fluffy and the colour turns out pink (about 5 minutes).
3). Spoon the frosting into a piping bag and decorate the top of the cake (after it's completely set and removed from the fridge). Add fresh raspberries over the frosting or in any way you like!.
4). Done and serve!.

Enjoy! Hope you like it as much as I do!

One slice???
You will definitely ask for more! :)

Have a blessed Sunday everyone!

You can find me on:

Lots of love,
@lputriasih

May 7, 2015

m&m's peanut butter fudge.

Hello Thursday! I had so much fun in the kitchen today!

Yes, sweets are everywhere... and they are sometimes really hard to avoid. One of those, which I found in the supermarket the day before, is the M&M's Chocolate!

These colourful button-shaped chocolates always remind me of my childhood times. Hmm, I bet you might feel the same too. Love the variation of colours they have! And they have successfully made my day more colourful! (and brighter, of course).

Combining the chocolates with creamy peanut butter to make a delicious FUDGE, there was indeed soo much fun - not only by baking time, but also by the photoshoot!.

Personally, I do really like it. The peanut butter fudge are so creamy, sweet, smooth and of course sooo peanut buttery. :p The original recipe which I followed has been too sweet by the taste (in my opinion), that's why I modificated the recipe a little bit, and reduced the icing sugar from 460 grams into just 375 grams. It works best for me. Sweet enough!.

A simple dessert like this is really great for sharing at class or even at work!. Or, if you have a little party at home by inviting few friends, I'm pretty sure they will enjoy it too. This also makes an easy sweet treat and a stunning edible gift.

Let's try this, my fellow peanut butter- and chocolate lovers! Here's the recipe to follow!

Making ca. 20 squares.

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 grams) creamy peanut butter

1 cup (2 sticks or 230 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

375 grams confectioners' or icing sugar, sifted

150 grams M&M's chocolate
sugar paste, for decoration (optional)

Directions:

1). Line an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with aluminium foil, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished fudge out.

2). With a microwave, melt the peanut butter and unsalted butter together (in a large bowl). Stop the microwave, then stir the mixture every minute until they completely melted and smooth.

3). Remove from the microwave and stir in the vanilla using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Add the salt, then add the sifted icing sugar and stir until completely combined. The mixture will be very, very thick and resembles cookie dough.

4). Fold the M&M's chocolates into the fudge batter while it's still warm.

5). Press the fudge into a prepared baking pan (square form), smoothing the top with the back of a spatula or spoon. Cover tightly with aluminium foil and chill for at least 4 or 5 hours until firm.

6). After the batter has completely set, remove from the fridge. Cut into squares!.

7). Decorate the top of each square with sugar paste. I used "Zuckerschrift mit Schokoladen Geschmack" from Dr. Oetker (german brand). This is only an option! So you can just eat it right away.

8). Done and serve!.

Enjoy!

Hope you all like it!

sooo yummy, sooo fudgy!

Have a lovely day!

You can find me on: