I have featured Torta Cebuana, a recipe from Mrs. Gertrudes Ybanez-Noval, the baking teacher of my mom. This is another Torta version of Mrs. Noval called Torta Banawa. Banawa is the place where Mrs. Noval lived and where she held her baking classes.

2 cups cake flour, sifted
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
3 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup corn oil
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp. aniseeds
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup sugar

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Posted: November 15th, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes.
Comments: 2

Sorry for the minimal posting these days. My house got flooded by Ondoy last week and it’s only this week that we are back to normal operations at home. (see Ondoy damage to our house.) We are all safe. Damage was minimal in the first floor. Our oven got busted but the refrigerator is in working condition. In the meantime, let me share recipes tested in our Sally’s Bake Shop. Our family bake shop, Sally’s Home Bake Shop, had always been the home of the company’s White King Test Kitchen’s nutritionists in the 1970’s during their visits to Cebu. I was a teenager then when they would test in our kitchen and I was always around to assist them.

If you have kids who don’t like to eat their vegetables, introducing chayote (which is a type of squash) as a dessert item without telling them what it is might dispel their misgivings about becoming vegetarians.

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Posted: October 7th, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes.
Comments: 1

Cheese cupcakes is now sold commercially in supermarkets for kids to bring as “baon” to school. It is not quite the same Cheese cupcake mom used to bake in our bakeshop. Cheese cupcakes are supposed to have that distinct “cheese” taste. Here is a recipe that’ll surely give you that tasty cheesy cupcake.

Ingredients

1 bar margarine (225 grams)
2/3 cup white sugar
grated cheese (around 125 grams/ less than half a box of 225 grams cheese pack. Leave some for toppings)
4 pieces whole eggs
2 cans condensed milk
5 cups all purpose flour
Vanilla flavor (mix with milk)

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Posted: June 16th, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes.
Comments: 17

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 2nd, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes.
Comments: 3

I don’t know if you drink that Milo Chocolate drink as a kid. Milo is added to hot or cold milk to give it a malted chocolate flavour and extra texture. I love also eating the Milo on a teaspoon. One day, I experimented with the Milo Brownies recipe just so I can get my dose of that Milo flavor again. It does not have the chocolate goodness apparent in most fudge brownies but it has its own unique flavor.

Ingredients

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted margarine or btter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup Milo
1/2 cup Chooped nuts

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Posted: April 4th, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes.
Comments: 2

Before Mommy and Daddy opened up the bakeshop sometime in 1965, one of Mommy’s early baking teachers was Mrs. Noval, who lived in Banawa. As a kid, I do recall going with Mommy to this home. Memories of Refrigerator Cake that Mommy made might have been influenced by Mrs. Noval. One of my favorite recipes that mom used to bake was Torta. Let me share one version here.

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 egg yolks
1-1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup pork lard (use Crisco shortening)
1/4 cup melted better
1/2 tsp. anise seeds
1 egg, slightly beaten
cottage cheese, cut in strips
sugar

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Posted: April 1st, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes.
Comments: 4

One of mom’s specialties in her Sally’s Bake Shop was Special Mamon or what Americans commonly call as Yellow Sponge Cake. Customers raved about the creamy and soft texture of mom’s Special Mamon. My sister shared this Mamon recipe which is reminescent of Goldilock’s special mamon recipe. According to my sister, this is Minna Picache Cruz’s Special Mamon recipe and a friend of Sylvia Reynoso-Gala. I hope you like it.

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Posted: March 23rd, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes.
Comments: 12

Sorry I have not been cooking or baking the past days. So many controversies in the blogosphere that kept me away from the kitchen. If you are interested, just read my post on Media in Focus: De La Paz and Blogging.

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: January 16th, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes.
Comments: 1

This recipe became a part of my mom’s bakeshop, Sally’s Home Bake Shop tradition. My sister shares this recipe to all of you. Here is what she wrote:

I wanted to make use of the eggwhites that were set aside from the eggyolks for our Leche Flan. We had already been baking Angel cake and Angel Cake cupcakes topped with Goya Chocolate Chips (my innovation of chocolate chips since American chocolate chips sold at that time in the Philippine market were frightfully expensive). I was looking for another recipe. Remy, I know, after I taught this to her, was able to perfect this flan’s delicate procedure.

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Posted: March 15th, 2008 under Baking Recipes, Cakes.
Comments: 2

My sister got this from a Southern States recipe book (I believe it was a Georgia recipe)… This is SO good — and so calorific! The calamansi will make the dish slightly sweeter. This is best made with lemons because of the grated lemon peel. I baked Lemon Squares for Christmas and it’s always one of the favorite treats in the family.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

CRUST:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsps. grated lemon peel

1. Combine the ingredients in a mixer (with the paddle attachment). Beat at low speed for 30 to 90 seconds.

2. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of a 9″ square pan, using floured hands. Make sure that the crust is evenly distributed.

3. Bake at the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly brown.

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Posted: January 30th, 2008 under Baking Recipes, Cakes, Cakes, Pastries & Desserts.
Comments: 1