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I already wrote before on the history of Bibingka in my mom’s bake shop. Mom, my sister and I often helped with the experiments to come out with the best bibingka recipe. Here is Bibingka Especial, one of these Bibingka variations which originally came from “Recipes of the Philippines” by Enriqueta David-Perez, 1973 printed edition:

Ingredients

1 cup thick galapong (see procedure on “How to Make Galapong” below)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsps. baking powder
2 tbsps. melted butter (My mom used regular hydrogenated margarine, out of a tub)
4 tbsps. sugar for topping
3 eggs, well-beaten
1 cup coconut milk
3 tbsps. grated cheese (Mom used Magnolia or Kraft processed yellow cheese; I’m more partial to using goat cheese and salted duck’s eggs)

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Posted: August 12th, 2010 under Baking Recipes, Bibingka.
Comments: 14

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One all-time favorite breakfast menu I love is eating fruits along with Banana bread and cottage cheese. One thing great about Banana bread is that it contains fiber and that’s what we all need to start a day. Why not have banana bread for breakfast. Baking Banana Bread is so easy even your teen-aged kids can do it. This was the first recipe my daughter baked. Try it

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups mashed bananas (lacatan variety- You can even use super-riped bananas)

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Posted: June 23rd, 2010 under Baking Recipes, Cakes.
Comments: 6

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The perfect chocolate cake has just the right amount of that chocolate-ness and fudge icing. I often bake this cake during birthday celebrations. Sometimes my relatives order this cake but I avoid baking for profit. I bake out of love.

Here I will share the cake recipe and the fudge icing.

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Posted: June 15th, 2010 under Baking Recipes, Cakes, Pastries & Desserts.
Comments: 59

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A simple, elegant, and scrumptious chocolate mousse that is both light and rich. This sensational dessert is a feast for the senses as it transports you to pure dessert bliss. Every single spoonful explodes with rich chocolate madness, melting in your mouth and making you crave for what could be the next closest thing to heaven mankind will ever know. But the best part is the simplicity of its preparation. Let me share a recipe demonstrated by Chef Joey Prats, Culinary Institute of Aristocrat (CIA) Program Development Consultant.

Yield: Serves sixteen

Ingredients:

For the Mousse:

500 grams bittersweet chocolate couverture

300 grams heavy whipping cream

5 grams instant coffee powder dissolved in

10 grams hot water

800 grams heavy whipping cream, chilled

For the Assembly:

500 grams whipping cream, chilled

50 grams confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Bittersweet chocolate couverture shavings

Bittersweet chocolate couverture can be bought locally at Chocolate Lovers

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Posted: March 22nd, 2010 under Chocolate.
Comments: 10

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Anyway, here is a guest post from my sister who is based in San Francisco.

Filipinas Magazine, (http://FilipinasMag.com), the magazine I represent, has featured —throughout the past 16 years — many aspiring and seasoned chefs. In 2002, before the book, Kape: A Philippine Coffee Cookbook by Vicky Veloso Barrera and Chit U. Juan (Anvil Publishing), was published, this recipe first came out in Filipinas Magazine. I have yet to try it out — but in the meantime, we need to hunt for this delightful cookbook.

Here is the article.

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Posted: March 6th, 2010 under Baking Recipes, Cakes.
Comments: 7

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My sister, Lorna experimented a lot of bibingka recipes so I will present a few of these recipes that she experimented. One of these was Mimi Alvarez bibingkas. Lorna says ” I had never attended any of Tita Mimi’s cooking classes but before she immigrated to the United States.

During one of my trips to National Book Store in the Philippines, I saw Tita Mimi’s cookbook for sale. I just had to grab it! Here’s her version of the Bibingka recipes. It’s a good idea to check the proportions of the ingredients that are used in the several versions that I’m presenting here so we can come up with our own unique signature Bibingka recipe.”

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Posted: February 1st, 2010 under Baking Recipes, Bibingka.
Comments: 7

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Apple pie is one of the many deserts I prepared last Christmas. I’ve already shared an Apple Pie recipe with you where you make your own crust. There is another version of Apple pie called Apple Crisp. Last year, my sister-in-law and I went to the Farmers’ Market and discovered a pile of apples on a truck. The kind lady gave us a taste of the green-yellow apples. The juicy and tart apple made it the perfect apples for Apple Pie which my sister-in-law immediately bought for a $1.00 a bag. Instead of Apple Pie, she wanted to try the Apple Crisp.

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Posted: December 28th, 2009 under Baking Recipes.
Comments: 4

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*Wendy Gaynor’s ‘Perfect’ Chocolate Chunk Cookies

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chunks (preferably imported).

1. Place the butter in a large bowl and cream at high speed until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 4
minutes, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until completely mixed.

2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture at low speed until just combined and add vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl down, until blended. Do not overmix.

3. Add chocolate chunks and mix till thoroughly combined. Refrigerate batter until cold, preferably overnight.

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Posted: December 20th, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Chocolates & Candies.
Comments: 9

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I associate Chocolate Crinkles with Christmas gift giving. These cookies have an attractive light and dark contrast perfect for an interesting addition to a cookie tray or for serving by themselves, any time of year! This year, I decided to bake Chocolate Crinkles with our native tsokalate , the tablea (Chocolate Tablets). Growing up in Cebu, the tsokalate drink is the standard drink on our noche buena. You can just imagine the tsokolate aroma as you bite each cookie.

The original recipe used for Chocolate Crinkles is based on Betty Crocker, mom’s favorite recipe book. I replaced the oil with lard as it is much easier to manipulate. Hope you enjoy baking this easy recipe.
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Posted: December 16th, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Chocolate.
Comments: 6

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Baking sugar cookies are not my cup of tea. It’s labor intensive. I’d rather bake bar cookies because they are so much easier. You dump all the dry, wet, mix and voila, one gets a yummy cookie. Not with sugar cookies. Whenever I bake sugar cookies, my kids know it’s a labor of love. It’s the love that makes me continue on with this tradition even if they are now adult children. Let me share with you the Christmas Sugar cookies that have been a continuing Christmas tradition for the past twenty years in my family. You can even prepare sugar cookies weeks ahead before you give them to your friends and relatives. Just store them in a cool, dry container.

If you are located in Manila, Philippines, you don’t have to go far to Divisoria to buy your ingredients. You can purchase at Chocolate Lover.

NOTE: The Christmas Sugar Cookie recipe can be used only for your personal use and cannot be posted in your website, blog or any other site, form or means without my WRITTEN permission

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Posted: December 10th, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes, Pastries & Desserts, Christmas.
Comments: 4

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Every Christmas season, I bake “Gingerbread Men Cookies” for my children. Even if they are much older now, the memories and the aroma of molasses, cinnamon and other spices give them a warm cozy feeling. It’s one reason that I’ve continued this tradition year after year. I will share this recipe with you if you want to bake it too.

This recipe is modified for a tropical climate. The original recipe requires immediate rolling after the dough has been made but our tropical heat just makes it gooey to handle.

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Posted: December 9th, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes, Pastries & Desserts, Celebrations.
Comments: 9

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It’s that time of the year when I plan the baked goodies that I plan to give as gifts to my friends. Food for the Gods is such a delightful recipe to bake during the holidays when one doesn’t have the time to bake Fruit Cake. It entails less preparation and baking time. It’s the perfect dessert to prepare beforehand. Baked with a delightful blend of dates and walnuts, molasses, tinge of brandy and cinnamon, the taste is reminiscent of fruit cake sans the fruit glaze. You should try it. It’s simple to bake. Your kitchen will also emit holiday aroma that gives you more reason to keep baking and baking.

Here is my recipe to start you off baking a dessert fit even for gods.

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Posted: December 2nd, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes, Pastries & Desserts, desserts.
Comments: 13