Condensed milk frosting (easy buttercream)

Rarely is frosting given half the hurrah meted out to the cake it's about to gild. Its spotlight is limited to balancing flavors, crumb coatings and smooth finishes. Today's feed serves the purpose of showing off this decorator element; the simplicity in which it can be achieved as well as the virtue of pulling together a three layer Oreo- vanilla construction without a major breakdown. Suffice to say at mere glance, you can gauge the largesse of the mentioned project.

There could be a couple of reasons why this topic makes my Significant Favorites' list:

1. It consists of two ingredients. Read again: TWO. ( vanilla extract is a noncount)

2. It's the easiest way to frost a cake.

2. Creamed texture smooths on like a dream.

3. My infinite love of condensed milk is in exact measure to the love for the people I gave birth to.

A sizable bucket of stable frosting and a legion of time are essentials to a perfectly reliable cake. Admittedly, whipping buttercream is labor intensive and dealing with mountains of sugar and butter may not be as desirable as most of YouTube makes it out to be.

The texture of condensed milk buttercream most resembles Swiss Meringue. A not so insignificant amount of butter is what gives it the look and feel of pure velvet, ie, if velvet was consumable. The two components listed and the twelve minutes it takes your stand mixer to demonstrate who's boss produces stuff worthy of song and dance. It's the happily ever after of icings, ya'll, one that truly seals the crumb (pun, yes!). No longer will sharp edges and near flawless exteriors remain the lot of pastry designers and Michelin star chefs. Your time has come.

Here it is, a quick recipe with outstanding payoffs and yours to keep till the end of time.

Consequently, cake making will be the most enjoyable part of your existence and decorating a fifteen pound structure won't be a dilemma at all. 

Although I like American buttercream a bit more than I care to admit, I think this version is the answer to those pastries erring on the sweeter side.

Ingredients:

Adapted from Sweet & Spicy's condensed milk frosting

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 1 can condensed milk (room temperature)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

• Beat butter in a stand mixer on medium speed, until smooth and fluffy for 4-5 minutes.
• Add condensed milk. Continue to beat until blended and completely smooth, about 7 minutes.
• Add vanilla extract and beat for an additional minute.
• Use immediately to frost cake or refrigerate.

Notes~

I tripled the recipe for three layers, six inches inch. You can portion it accordingly.  

Since the flavor is more butter forward, sweeten it with an additional cup of powdered sugar towards the end of beating, if desired.

Cake recipe can be found on Sugar Geek Show's website.

The Oreo cake was a repeat order I did for a bright twelve year old who's commissioned me his personal baker. This year marks 4 birthday cakes in a row! I'm guaranteed employment until his wedding day:-)

Let's peruse the past~

2020: tiki cocktail cake

2019: red, white and blue cake

2018: ela appam (Kerala coconut pancakes)

2017: coconut ice cream

2016: cheesecake

2015: mango kulfi

2014: ghee

2013: savory crepes with shrimp

2012: smoked salmon rolls

******

"And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately seek him." 

Hebrews 11:6

Falooda in red, white and blue

How could I resist the idea to celebrate American Independence with an iconically Indian dessert? If you're, in any way, familiar with my ways, the answer should come pat.

Some call it a drink, others say it's a frozen ice cream meal. Falooda is a combination of this and more, but really can't be defined. It's a favorite sweet course that spans across the Indian subcontinent and is shared by many of its Asian neighbors.

What is falooda? Served in a glass, it is a rich, textured cream( think ice cream Sundae on steroids). Ingredients most often include sweet basil seeds, vermicelli, flavored gelatin, rose syrup, milk, ice cream and fruits. Although you can toy with a number of ingredients, you really shouldn't get past the ones just mentioned.

A large enough display is essential to layer falooda components. Sheeted and wedged together, the visual alone is spectacular, sending the truth that you really do eat with your eyes first. Elements build in exponential awe with each potential bite. 

In no uncertainty,  all the distinct factors shine, transcending to a more magnificent end product, much like the country I live in. Isn't it good to see a motley of components, quite amazingly different, stupendous as a whole while retaining their individual identity?

It makes me happy to know today's story might be the only result in Google searches tag-lined  "red, white and blue falooda".

Here it is, our Fourth of July centerpiece imported from Asia, aflush in the day's patriotic color.

Besides its simplicity, the recipe is highly tweakable and can adjust to many a holiday theme or midnight craving relegated to icebox leftovers.

Finally, I'll raise my glass, a betoken to my first heritage in making my second  heritage a bit more special.

Namaste and happy birthday, America!

❤️🤍💙

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup sweet basil seeds( can sub with chia seeds)
• 4 cups water
• 1 ½ milk ( 2% and higher)
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup cooked vermicelli noodles
• strawberry gelatin ,  prepared  from the .3 ounce box and refrigerated
• 4 -6 tbsp rose syrup 
• vanilla ice cream
• ¼ cup slivered almonds or pistachios
• maraschino cherries, separated from syrup.

Directions and assembly:

• Soak the basil seeds in 1 cup water until gelled and larger in size, about 20-30 minutes. Strain and keep aside
• Heat the milk with the sugar. Boil and reduce flame until mixture  is slightly thickened, about 5-6 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Cook the vermicelli noodles in the remaining water. Boil 5 minutes. Strain vermicelli. Keep aside. 
• Refrigerate the basil seeds, thickened milk and vermicelli at least an hour before assembly, until cold.
• When ready to assemble, have 3-4 serving glasses ready 
• Take out falooda ingredients from the refrigerator.
• Cut the gelatin into half inch cubes.
• Spoon rose syrup into the bottom to coat the bottom and sides of each glass.
• Layer with 1 tablespoon vermicelli, 1/2 teaspoon basil seeds, pinch of rose syrup, thickened milk, and a few gelatin cubes.
• You can repeat the layering, depending on the length of the glass. Top with one to two scoops of ice cream.
• Garnish with almonds/pistachios and cherries.

Notes: You may have more than enough to make faloodas for a few more days. Chill surplus ingredients until ready to use.

I've used blueberries and strawberries for color.  You can use any number of fruits/dry fruits to make yours  pretty/delicious too.

Fourth of July recipes~

2020: white vanilla cake with berries

2019: red, white and blue cake

2017: star spangled meringues

2016: sponge cake with strawberries, Nutella and cream

2013: Crostata di marmellata

2012: Fourth of July tarts

******

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” -Galatians 5:13

Strawberry hibiscus cake

Here we are, in the dregs of summer, a few call it desert terrain's most blah time of the year. Suffice to say, most of us searing living here are not fans of mid year weather. We make the best of it, owning the season with a vengeance as fierce as the heat. A climate declaring three digit temperature readings a way of life can, apparently, be quite boastworthy. These 3-4 months, when folks mere miles across State lines enjoy blissful backyard barbecues, we sweat, burn, and Tiktok our way by frying eggs on the sidewalk. 

On brighter notes, I'd set up birdhouses/ feeders/ a veritable living area for feathered buddies to keep cool. It gives a semblance of the airy summers reminiscent of a Midwest life too long ago. In addition, the flower beds I planted in early Spring did not incinerate and the zucchini garden actually yielded squash as big as my arm. Greenthumbwise, within our habitat, that's a notable feat, and since my planter skills are so limited and rarely thrive, the said zucchini sits in my fridge as a monument for posterity.

Coming to point, some time ago, my social media feed was infiltrated with a lineup of globe cakes. Bakers of all sorts celebrated Earth Day with desserts  that looked like the world atlas. It was not exactly the do or die project I had on my baking bucket list. Yet, after careful consideration, and because my day job is teaching English and History, I came to the conclusion an edible 3D map could make for a fine visual aid. I mean, what better way to have students excited about learning other than bribing them with an object lesson they can slice and eat?  

Pulling the project off and later waxing poetic about it is one of the reasons for the manuscript. Although,  it's the contents inside I'd like to expand upon. Even if it took a couple of months to bring to surface.

Strawberry cake with a surprise element should definitely be a thing. Performatively in contrast from the fault line production featured a couple of years ago, this recipe is a derivation sourced off an extensive Google search( read: cycling the web for hours and losing focus) and slightly different owing to the surprise ingredient. 

Most of us agree berries are fairly delicious solo. Likewise, a sticky reduction imparts pure fruit flavor, and sets the line between cakes made with chopped fruit and those expansively infused. In addition, experimenting with a harmonious accent or two could take it to another level. 

So, before we forward on, let me introduce you to today's game changer. In case you'd never come across powdered hibiscus, come over and say hi!

The burgundy powder has amazing cranberry -like notes. Tart and ever so floral, a spoonful results in a hmm... factor, leading you to speculate whether strawberries alone can reach such depth. The synthesis of the two create deep rosa-pink and the prettiest crumb, worthy of grand centerpiece glory.

These are dimensions we don't normally predict in baking, where vanilla and chocolate run the flavor gamut. Such interventions from techniques/elements render unique and rather lovely compilations, breathing life into routine cake menus.

In all hopes, today's script should encourage you too, maybe in similar manner, to model your own rendition of the earth from the list below.

Although, I'll tell you, the blueprint can be just as enjoyable in a 13x9 sheet cake and/or layered round.

Cake~

Ingredients:

(Adapted from Live Well Bake Often)

• 3 ¼ cups quartered fresh strawberries with stems removed
• 3 cups cake flour 
• 1 tbsp hibiscus powder
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup  buttermilk (at room temperature)
• ¼ cup canola (or vegetable) oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 6 drops red liquid food coloring (optional)
• ¾ cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs (at room temperature)

Directions:

• Make the strawberry puree: place quartered strawberries in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Pour the  puree into a large saucepan and stir over medium heat. Cook until the mixture has reduced to ¾ cup, stirring so it doesn’t burn. This will take about 8-10 minutes. 
• Remove from the heat, scoop the reduced strawberry puree into a heat-proof bowl, and set aside to cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk the flour, hibiscus powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together until well combined. Set aside.
• In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together 3/4 cup of strawberry puree, buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, food coloring(if using) together until well combined.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy and pale.
• Beat in the eggs, scraping bowl between each addition.
• In three increments add in the dry ingredients with the wet, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Mix between additions until just combined, avoiding overbeating.
• Pour batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until firm in the center and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Place pans on wire racks for 10 minutes then invert onto racks to cool completely.
• Once cooled decorate as desired or wrap in plastic wrap  and freeze until ready to assemble and frost.

Strawberry- hibiscus buttercream frosting~

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp strawberry puree
• ½ tsp hibiscus powder
• 2-3 tbsp heavy cream

Directions:

• Mix butter and sugar on medium in a stand mixer. Beat until pale.
• Add strawberry puree, hibiscus powder and cream. Beat mixture on medium- high beat until light and creamy.
• Mix in cream by tablespoons and beat to preferred consistency.

Assembly:

If doing a layer cake, smooth frosting on the tops of one cake and stack the second one over the other. Frost the sides and top of the layered cake with the remaining icing. 

Notes: No cake flour? No problem. Start with one level cup of AP flour, remove two tablespoons of the flour, and add two tablespoons of cornstarch in its place.

Cutting cake. If you look closely, you can see the the cutest "Don't Touch " sign one of my students made .

Layered in whipped cream and Oreo crumbles.

For instructions on making an earth cake, click here.

I hope to be on track in sharing some of the cakes I've done in the past months and portions from the unremitting flow of recipes in mental queue.

2020: vanilla cake with rasgulla filling

2019: cake with caramel fudge filling

2018: easy butter chicken

2017: coconut ice cream

2016: oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

2015: steamed dumplings with chili dipping sauce

2014: homemade pastry tarts

2013: baked chaat masala fries

2012: tender coconut lychee pudding

******

"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,

    the world, and all who live in it;

2 

for he founded it on the seas

    and established it on the waters."- Psalm 24:1-2