Brown Sugar Coconut Bubble Tea

I have an unadulterated love for chewy things. Chewy bread is my first love. Chewy desserts are second up and probably the reason why I navigate myself towards tapioca pearls and mochi cake.
I saw this recipe and I made it immediately, mostly for the fact that it reminds me of one of my favorite Vietnamese dessert/ drinks called "Suong Sa." It's basically a lightly sweetened coconut milk based drink filled with grass jelly and tapioca pearls. That's probably why I love tapioca pearls so much, because a LOT of Vietnamese desserts use tapioca pearls and I grew up chewing on the stuff and now it's my crack!

See how pretty they are? Glassy, gelatinous and chewy. This drink was really good, and almost exactly like my favorite Vietnamese drink! I really loved it. Next time, I'll probably add some grass jelly to complete it. The coconut milk makes it really smooth and rich, so the fact that it's lightly sweetened is smart, because it could get very heavy, very easily.

Mmmm, rich & refreshing!

Brown Sugar Coconut Bubble Tea

Yields: 2 servings

Adapted from here.

1/2 cup large pearl tapioca

1 tbsn. honey

2 tbsn. brown sugar

1 cup black tea, cold

1 cup ice

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup almond milk, or regular milk

Cook the tapioca pearls according to the directions on the package, drain, then stir in the brown sugar and honey. To make the bubble tea, combine the black tea, coconut milk and almond milk. Divide the ice and tapioca pearls (along with the syrup) among two tall glasses, then top with the tea. Add more sugar if desired.

German Chocolate Cake

I haven't done a food post in ages! I miss them but recently I haven't had the urge to bake, let alone take photos of it all. Since I was 'forced' to bake for my godfather's birthday, why not at least take a photo of what ended up to be a beautiful cake. Well, forced sounds horrible, I was happy to make the cake but it was however, under deadline... eek! 

To be honest, I'm not the hugest fan of German chocolate cake. I love chocolate cake. I love chocolate cream cheese frosting. I love coconut and I love pecans. But the combination of all of those things together just does not do it for me for some reason.

So when I tell you I didn't like this cake, please don't be discouraged or swayed away from trying this recipe! I made it for my dear Godfather's birthday and he loves German chocolate cake. That being said, he said this was one of the best ones he's ever had. I can't tell you if he was saying that to be sweet to me  or if it was true, but since he's a pretty honest man, I think it's probably true - whew! Let me just say though, the cake alone was fabulously moist and the frosting was deliciously smooth and tangy.

German Chocolate Cake

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Original recipe here.

For the chocolate cake:

1 box Devil's food cake

3 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

For the German chocolate frosting:

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

For the chocolate buttercream:

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsn. milk or cream, if needed

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two muffin tins with liners, set aside. In a large bowl, combine the oil, eggs and vanilla. Sift about 1/3 of the cake mix and mix until combined. Add the buttermilk and stir until combined. Add another 1/3 of the cake mix, stir to combine. Add the sour cream, then the remaining cake mix and stir until combined. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 18 - 22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

  

To make the frosting, over medium heat in a saucepan, constantly stir the evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks and butter until thickened (basically until it boils, about 15 minutes). Stir in the vanilla, pecans and coconut. Let cool. To make the chocolate buttercream, beat the cream cheese and butter for 4 minutes, add the cocoa, powdered sugar and vanilla. Let beat for 3 minutes. If it is too thick, add some milk. If it is too thin, add some more powdered sugar. Pipe the chocolate buttercream along the edges of the cooled cupcakes to create a barrier, then add a small scoop of cooled German chocolate frosting into the center. 

Coconut & Mango Curd Cupcakes

Don't you just love summer? It's starting to get hot in my part of town and even though I live for cold weather, the sun just has this way of making everything seem right in the world doesn't it? My favorite part of summer is all of the seasonal foods that come along with it - bright citruses, light salads and sweet mango! My all time favorite fruit is definitely the mango. I usually resist doing anything to it at all since it's perfect as is, but I wanted to try baking with it at least once before I resumed consuming them 5x a day.

So... I decided to make some lovely mango curd. I'm a big fan of curd - it's velvety, sweet and decadent. Mango curd just sounded ten times better! After successfully making a delicious mango curd, I then decided it would be an awesome idea to stuff some into some light coconut cupcakes. I wanted to try this small batch recipe for cupcakes I'd seen because sometimes you just want cupcakes... without having to eat all 24 of them or having to pawn them off on friends (haha... like that's ever been a problem).


The mango curd recipe yields much more than needed to fill these cupcakes, but I'm sure you'll find many more uses for it. This recipe for small-batch cupcakes is nothing short of amazing! The cupcakes came out fluffy, light and delicious - I could not believe it. The combination of the light cupcakes, velvety curd and fresh coconut on top is beyond. BEYOND! Really, you could use a light shmear of any type of frosting on top, but I just wanted something to moisten the tops just enough so that the shredded coconut would stick. Thinking about it now, you could just smear some curd on top to stick the coconut on and skip making the frosting all together.

Coconut & Mango Curd Cupcakes
Yields: 6 cupcakes

Coconut cupcakes adapted from here. Original curd recipe here. Frosting adapted from here.

For the cupcakes:

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

4 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1/4 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

1/4 cup coconut milk


For the mango curd:

1/4 + 1/8 cup sugar

1/8 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup mango puree

2 egg yolks

1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

1/2 stick (4 tbsn.) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

For the flour frosting:

2 tbsn. flour

1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 tbsn. unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup shredded coconut, for topping

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with 6 liners, set aside. In a bowl, whisk the egg and sugar until well combined. Add in the vanilla and melted butter and whisk until combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and combine until no streaks remain. Mix in the coconut milk until smooth, then fold in the coconut flakes. Divide the batter among the 6 liners and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely. 

To make the mango curd, in a saucepan, whisk the sugar and cornstarch to combine. Whisk in the mango puree, egg yolks and vanilla seeds. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until thick, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, 1 tbsn. at a time until incorporated. Scrape the filling into a glass bowl and press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a film from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. 

To make the frosting, in a small saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of brownie batter. Remove and let cool completely to room temperature. Once cool, whisk in the vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until completely smooth and almost no sugary graininess is left. Add the flour mixture and beat the living daylights out it. If it looks separated, this means you still need to beat it some more. When finished, it should resemble whipped cream. 


To assemble the cupcakes, use a knife to scoop out some of the center of the cupcakes (set aside to consume later). Use a spoon to fill the hollowed cupcakes with 1 tbsn. of curd for each cupcake. Use an offset spatula to smear a thin layer of frosting across the tops of each cupcake. Dip each cupcake in the shredded coconut to cover. Enjoy!

Thai Mangos with Coconut Sticky Rice

Sticky rice has been one of my long time loves. Really, I grew up on the stuff. We (Vietnamese people) have all kinds of variation on sticky rice, whether it be sweet versions or savory - both of which I am enamored with deeply. But I think one of my absolute favorite versions is the one the Thais have perfected.

Yep. It's utterly heavenly. Sweet rice that's mixed with some lightly sweetened coconut milk then topped with some perfectly ripe mango. Really, I don't think it gets better than this. Seriously though, it doesn't.

This recipe is overall pretty simple. I steamed the rice but I think it would easier and perfectly fine if you just used a rice cooker to cook the rice. Also, in the recipe I used it had a comment about soaking the rice overnight as opposed to 1 hour. Since the rice I made was a bit toothier than I wanted, I suggest soaking it overnight!

Thai Mango with Coconut Sticky Rice

Yields: 2 larger or 4 smaller servings

Original recipe here.

1 cup Thai sweet or sticky rice, available in Asian grocery stores

1 can coconut milk, unshaken

3 tbsn. raw or white sugar, divided

1 tsp. salt, divided

1/2 tsp. cornstarch

2 ripe mangos, peeled, seeded and sliced

toasted sesame seeds and mint, to garnish

Soak the sticky rice in some water overnight. When ready to use, drain the rice and rinse it thoroughly. Then pour 1 cup of water into a saucepan and place the rice in a steamer insert inside the saucepan. Cover tightly and steam over low to medium heat for 20 minutes. White the rice is steaming, make the first sauce. You will make two coconut sauces to go on the rice: one thin one to mix into the rice itself and a thicker sauce to spoon over the top. Start by opening the can of coconut milk and spooning out the thick cream on top. Place the thicker coconut cream into a small bowl (you should have about 1/2 a cup). Pour the thinner, lighter coconut milk left in the can into a small saucepan (it will be a little over 1 cup). Stir in 2 tbsn. sugar and 3/4 tsp. of salt. Warm over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Do not let the sauce boil.

By now the rice should be done and the grains should be tender and shiny. Spoon the rice out into a bowl (the rice should be clumpy). Slowly pour the warm coconut milk over the rice in the bowl, stirring frequently. You want the milk to coat the rice but not leave puddles. Keep stirring, and stop pouring the coconut milk when it looks like the rice is saturated. You may not use all of the milk. While the rice is standing, make the coconut topping sauce. Rinse out the coconut milk saucepan and pour in the coconut cream. Stir in 1 tbsn. sugar and 1/4 tsp. salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together a few tsp. of water and the cornstarch. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the coconut cream and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes or until the mixture thickens considerably. Set aside. To serve, place about 1/3 cup of cooked sticky rice onto each plate, arrange mango sliced around it and top with the coconut sauce, sesame seeds and mint. Enjoy!

Dig in!!!!

Olive Oil Granola

As a baker, you get a lot of praise, because well, you make things that people love and then that love transfers over to you. Nice huh? Well with that said, sometimes I feel like a cheat. Most of the time I use recipes rather than making things of my own doing because baking is a science and one that I haven't particularly mastered yet. I know, I know!

It makes me sad to say I do not whisk these ideas up in my own head and I nod my head in shame when people say, "I love YOUR recipe." Well, thanks but no thanks because it's not my recipe, but that's fine by me too because the joy of spreading good recipes is a reward all in itself. My favorite kind of recipes are the ones you can change to your liking, that way I can feel like the recipe has just a little bit of me in it.

For example, this olive oil granola. I don't even know the path this granola took to find me but the last hand off was Shannalee of Food Loves Writing and boy I'm glad I was next in line for this one! I don't usually eat granola often. Granola bars? Yes. Oatmeal? Yes. Regular ole' granola? No. After reading Shannalee's awesome blog post on this beauty, I knew I had to make it. Well, I did and guess what? I simply love it. Wholesome and filled with all kinds of customizable goodness. Add/ subtract/ change what you'd like, and even with all that math, you still end up with some good eats!

Olive OIl Granola

Yields: about 5 cups

Adapted from here.

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1 cup coconut flakes

1/4 cup flax seeds

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

heaping 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

heaping 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped

Preheat oven to 300 F. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, flax, coconut, maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer (use parchment paper or a silpat to make it easier to transfer the mixture later). Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and toasted. Transfer granola to a large bowl and add apricots and cherries, tossing to combine.

Coconut Macadamia Cookies

HEY guess what? I'm getting better! I can actually, semi-decently bake a cookie now! I've perfected some cookies before but that's just because they were really simple, hard-to-mess-up recipes. But these? I've been making these my whole life because they are one of my mom's favorites and ever since I can remember they've always been too browned on the bottom or weird-shaped, but still yummy nonetheless.

Well this time I actually made these babies perfectly! They perfectly spread on the baking sheets, weren't browned on the bottom, golden brown on top and soft and chewy on the inside! I guess practice really does make perfect. I love life lessons come to reality!

This cookie dough scoop really makes life easier:

The perfect shade of golden brown!

Coconut-Macadamia Cookies

Yields: about 30 cookies

Original recipe from Betty Crocker's Cookbook

1 cup margarine or butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup flaked coconut

1 jar (3 1/2 oz.) macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix butter, sugars and egg. Stir in flour and baking soda, dough will be very stiff. Stir in coconut and nuts. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I suggest rolling into a ball, then flattening to about 1/2 inch thick with your two palms). Bake until light brown, 8 - 10 minutes (centers will be soft). Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet and cool completely.

Coconut Mochi Cake

This summer I attended a little party. Everyone brought a little something to contribute. I brought my Ferrero Rocher cupcakes and Empanadas, which were delish but not as delish as this Mochi cake. Of course I knew what mochi was, but mochi cake!? I've never tried it or even heard of such a thing before! Well thank gosh I did because it's now one of my favorite cakes ever!

If you've never tried mochi or mochi cake, it has a pleasantly chewy and dense texture. I warn you, to some, this might seem odd, but to me it's utterly delicious. Well I begged my friend for the recipe and here it is, so enjoy everyone! I knew I would have to, have to make this cake for my family on Thanksgiving and I guess you're wondering WHY on Thanksgiving? Seems odd doesn't it?
Well my family hates, loathes, protests overly-sweet baked goods. Never will I ever make them a cupcake or other baked goods for them! Well I was right, this cake was perfectly sweet but not overly so. The texture really resembles some Vietnamese bakery goods as well so I knew that that would also be familiar to them. Anyways, I love this cake! Plus, did I mention how easy it is?! Just mix and bake, and you're done folks!

Mochi Cake

Yields: 1 large bundt cake

Original recipe from Kim, my friend.

Printable Recipe

1 stick butter, melted

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten (or 3, if you prefer a more dense cake)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 16 oz. box Mochiko flour

1 12 oz. can evaporated milk

1/2 cup water

1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk

Mix everything together and put in a greased baking pan. Put in a 350 F oven for an hour, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely then enjoy.

Mmmmm my favorite!

Toasted Coconut Cupcakes

My sister baked some cupcakes for her little kids the other day with some to spare. No she doesn't have actual children yet! I am referring to the children she teaches. Anyways I had some extra cream cheese frosting from some Red Velvet cake I baked and topped her extra cupcakes with them. Oh and added some toasty coconut as well! They were yummy so I'd thought I'd post them here. They had just a slight note of coconut but it paired nicely with the tangy cream cheese and moist chocolate cake!

Toasted Coconut Cupcakes

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Cake recipe from here, frosting recipe from here.

1 recipe of Black Magic Cupcakes

1 bag of coconut, toasted lightly

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. cream cheese (2 sticks), room temperature

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

pinch of salt

With an electric mixture, blend together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. Turn mixer on high until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, before use bring back to room temperature.

Samoa Cupcakes

Samoa! Ohh how I love the word, the cookie, the legend. For Cherish's 310 Purple Screenings I made these delicious beauties as one of the options. What can I say about these to make you drool, dream and covet? I don't think I have to say anything... they speak for themselves:

Samoas Cupcakes

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Slightly adapted from The Cooking of Joy, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

For the cupcakes:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup water

3 eggs

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

For the ganache:

8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. instant coffee

1 tsp. vanilla

For the coconut topping:

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

6 oz. good quality chewy caramels

1/8 tsp. salt

3 - 4 tbsn. milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with liners, set aside. Prepare cupcake batter according to the box. Fill each tin about 3/4 full and bake according to directions on the box. Once done, let them cool completely. 

To make the ganache, stir the cream and chocolate over a double boiler and stir until melted. Add the vanilla and instant coffee and mix. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. 

To make the coconut topping, unwrap the caramels and place them in a large microwave safe bowl with 2 tbsn. milk and the salt. Microwave on high for 3 - 4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt (I had to add some more milk to make it smooth and creamy). When smooth, add the toasted coconut and stir until combined.  

To assemble, inject some caramel into the center of each cupcake. Next, smooth on a light coating of ganache and then let them refrigerate about 15 minutes to let it harden. Next, use a spoon to spread on the coconut topping evenly, top with some more toasted coconut and drizzle with some more ganache (you might have to re-warm the ganache to get a drizzling consistency).