Baking Tips & Tricks

My degree is in Apparel Merchandising; I'm not professionally trained at all in a kitchen. Yet I may have a few tips & tricks up my sleeve that can help a ton when it comes to baking.

1. To change the flavor of your dessert swap out a liquid substance for another. Always make sure the two you are switching out are of the same consistency. For example, this donut recipe calls for 2 tbsp vanilla extract. To make a pina colada version of these donuts just swap out the vanilla extract for pineapple juice! 

2. Want homemade frosting but can't find the perfect recipe? Stop looking because all you need is one marshmallow per cupcake! Top each cupcake with a marshmallow & place in oven for a light broil. The marshmallow will melt in just a minute or two leaving you with a tasty & unique topping. Take it to the next level by topping a chocolate cupcake with graham cracker crumbs on top of the melted marshmallow for a s'more cupcake! 

3. Substitute milk in recipes with sour cream. I know it may sound disgusting but it actually gets your dessert to the perfect texture, especially for a cake or cupcakes!

my week in food

here's a summary of everything i made & we ate over the last week. enjoy!

monday we had leftover roast chicken with roasted sweet potatoes & creamy garlic shells. when i was a kid, i very vividly remember eating the garlic shells from a packet at the grocery store with our dinner. i liked them so much, i cooked them for my roommates and i when we lived in our apartment in college. this homemade version is just as quick with a couple easy steps to make them totally from scratch.

tuesday was this bacon wrapped roast pork (the kitchn) with peas leftover garlic shells. this is the second time i've made this pork in almost as many weeks. it was delicious both times. and came together quickly enough to make it on a weeknight!

a couple weeks ago i stocked up on sausage when it was on special at wegmans. tossed with jarred pasta sauce and whole wheat rotini, the roasted garlic and italian herb sausage made a delicious dinner on wednesday. simple, quick, flavorful, and leftovers reheat wonderfully.

thursday through saturday nights were spent out of town visiting my parents. we feasted on trader joe's ravioli, fried fish at brix in cortland, homemade corned beef & vegetable soup, easter sugar cookies made from my mother's betty crocker cookbook that's older than me, and homemade meyer lemon budino.

breakfast for dinner is always a hit at our house and the boys especially love scrambled eggs. sunday night was breakfast burritos to order - mine with black beans, eggs, cheese, avocado, and taco sauce; jason's the same minus avocado; winn's separate on his plate; and beans, cheese, and avocado for the baby. i made extra eggs and beans & bought enough tortillas to make extra burritos for jason and i to have for breakfast this week.

all pictures are copyright of their respective websites.

Easter Chocolate Swirl Bark Recipe

Ingredients:

4 8oz white chocolate baking bars

2 drops teal food coloring

2 drops purple food coloring

sprinkles

bunny candy

Easter egg jelly beans

Supplies:

3 medium mixing bowls

toothpicks

butter knife

parchment paper

baking tray

Step 1:

In mixing bowls, divide chocolate with 2 bars in one bowl & one each in the other bowls.

Step 2:

Melt chocolate for 2 minutes, stopping to stir every 30 seconds.

Step 3:

Line baking tray with parchment paper & pour melted 2 bars of white chocolate onto tray. Spread with butter knife.

Step 4:

Mix food coloring into other bowls.

Step 5:

Make vertical lines of different colored chocolate on top of the white chocolate about 1/4 inch wide.

Step 6:

Drag toothpick through chocolate horizontally creating the swirl.

Step 7:

Top with sprinkles & candy.

Step 8:

Freeze for 30 minutes & then break into bite size pieces. Enjoy!

Greek Yogurt Pretzel Crisps x Acai Bowl Recipe

It's no secret I have a major sweet tooth. Just flip through a few pages of this blog & you'll see one, maybe two "healthier" recipes. Those of which have probably been done on a featured post by someone else. So people, brace yourselves for this recipe & don't get too attached as you probably won't see another healthy post on here for a very long time.

I started this blog back in October having no idea what I was doing. I figured it was just a way for me to stop clogging my friends Instagram feeds with images of desserts I had been baking. Little did I know it would soon become my full time job & I couldn't be happier. My dentist? Not so much. In fact just one month after I started my blog I got my first cavity. Oops.

makes one bowl

Ingredients:

for acai mixture:

2 handfuls of blueberries

10-16 raspberries

1 packet Amafruits Acai Pure & Unsweetened Organic Fruit Puree

2 bananas

for toppings: (all are optional, the following is what PLSR used)

1 bag Pretzel Crisps Greek Yogurt Crunch

1 handful almonds, raw & unsalted

1/4 cup coconut shavings

1 banana, sliced

Supplies:

Magic Bullet

Serving Bowl

Step 1:

Combine all acai mixture ingredients into Magic Bullet mug. Blend until smooth.

Step 2:

Pour mixture into bowl & top with desired toppings. Enjoy!

p.s. the Pretzel Crisps Greek Yogurt Crunch are great as a spoon replacement for this recipe!

*sponsored post

Chwee kueh ( Highly recomeneded ) - By Fiona Lau

***Pls Do link back to bakingscorner if you have used any information as published in this blog. Tks Q
Chwee kueh - By Fiona Lau

150gm rice flour
15gm wheat starch
15gm corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
200ml room temp water
500ml boiling water

Method
Add rice flour, wheat starch, corn starch, salt, oil and 200ml water and whisk till mix well.
Place bowl in water bath and add in 500ml boiling water and continue to whisk till a thin layer of starch is form by the side of the bowl.
Warm the steamer with water and prepare to steam the chwee kueh.
Place the mixture in chwee kueh bowl and steam for 20 min. 

Topping

15 tbsp shallot oil

180g chopped Sweet dried radish
30g Garlic  (chopped)
50g Shrimp (chopped)
2 tbsp sugar
½ tbsp dark soya sauce
2-3 chilli padi  (chopped)

 

1-2 tbsp little water- final part 

*** Pls Do link back to bakingscorner if you have used any information as published in this blog. Tks Q

Barbie Jelly santan chocolate jelly with fondant dress - by Ang Muihoon

Recipe ..

Pot A
5tsp agar agar powder
220g sugar ( in use 150g)
200ml fresh milk
1000ml thick coconut
Panda leaves

Pot B
4tsp agar agar powder
120g sugar ( I use 80g)
150g cooking chocolate ( melt ..put aside)
50 ml fresh milk
250 thick coconut..

Boil pot A

Boil Pot B..last add in melted cooking chocolate. .stir well....

Scoop one ladle into mould layer by layer. . .

Easter Pastel Layered Cake Recipe

If you know me you know I have a major obsession with pastels. From interior design to hair color, I'd like everything in the world to be pastel colored. Seriously, my closet resembles a Faberge egg & I'm very happy about that. So with Easter just around the corner you can only assume how excited I was to have an actual reason to create some pastel desserts.

This layered cake is similar to other cakes I've made before. In fact, it is the same recipe I've used over & over to make cakes before. Hey, when you find something good why mess with it? So hop (pun intended) over to this recipe & switch up the food coloring to create your very own pastel layered cake!

Supplies:
large mixing bowl
whisk
measuring cup
offset spatula
Ateco Rotating Cake Stand
medium mixing bowl
Wilton Easy Layers! Cake Pan Set

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meyer lemon pasta with bacon

it's no surprise that i love meyer lemons. they're sweet and tart, a perfect mix of lemon and orange. i've always used them for sweet treats - meyer lemon tart, meyer lemon cupcakes with meyer lemon buttercream, and a runaway hit, meyer lemon iced raspberry yogurt cake - but they're equally as delicious in this simple pasta. if you're looking for a vegetarian option, omit the bacon. can't find meyer lemons? use a regular lemon instead. the flavor will be a bit more tart and pronouncedly lemon and definitely delicious.

meyer lemon pasta with bacon
adapted from savvy mom
30 minutes, serves 4-6

1 pound mini shells or orecchiette pasta

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

1 cup ricotta cheese

juice + zest of 1 meyer lemon

1/4-1/2 pound bacon

1. cook the bacon on the stove top or in the oven. set aside to cool slightly and crumble.
2. while the bacon cooks, cook the pasta in salted boiling water for about 1/2 of the time on the package. add the peas and continue cooking until the low end of the pasta cook time on the package. drain and return to the pot.
3. add the ricotta, lemon juice and zest and season with salt and pepper. mix to combine.
4. top individual servings with crumbled bacon. 

Coffee & Mini Donuts Recipe

I'm not going to lie to you...I didn't make this coffee. In fact I don't even like coffee. But the vast majority of you out there love it & lets face it what pairs better with teeny donuts than a cup of joe. 

So down to Starbucks I went & ordered a cup of coffee for the sake of this post. It was a funny story actually, me ordering this coffee. As I approached the counter I realized I had never ordered coffee before (do you count Strawberry & Cream Frappachinos? If so then I take that back) & wasn't sure if I had to give any special instructions. So I backed away from the counter called a friend & while they cracked up on the other end I realized legit all you have to say is "a cup of coffee please". Not so difficult, eh? 

p.s. recipe look familiar? Yes, I just shared this same recipe earlier this week but like I mentioned in that post this recipe makes so many donuts that I just had to find another use for them!

Ingredients:

for donuts:
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup milk

for icing:

4-6 tbsp lemon juice or vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1 drop food coloring 
sprinkles

Supplies:

paper straws

mason jars (I love these chalkboard ones!)
coffee
large mixing bowl
whisk
baking spray
mini donut tray
electric mixer
small mixing bowl
butter knife

Step 1:

In large mixing bowl, melt butter. Preheat oven to 350 F.

Step 2:

Add all other donut ingredients & mix until smooth.

Step 3:

Spray baking tray & fill tray 1/4 full with donut mixture.

Step 4:

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until toothpick is inserted & comes out clean.

Step 5:

Let donuts cool. In small mixing bowl, combine all icing ingredients except for sprinkles.

Step 6:

Top donuts with icing by using butter knife & immediately cover in sprinkles. 

Step 7:

Pour coffee into mason jars & place donut on straws. Enjoy!

Sesame seed & Seaweed cookies - by Vonne VI

It's Cookies not Cupcake
Sesame seed & Seaweed cookies
(Cookies in cupcake style )
~EGGLESS
~suitable for VEGETARIAN

Ingredients
90g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
25ml milk
120g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp baking powder
1 piece toasted seaweeds(3g) ~ shredded
1tsp white sesame seed
1tsp black sesame seed
( some mixed sesame for topping)~optional
Direction
1)In a bowl beat the butter and sugar untill creamy.Add in the milk and beat another 1-2 minutes.
2) Sieve in the flour,baking powder,baking soda and mixed untill combined with spatula. Add in the sesame seed and shredded seaweed and mixed untill combined.
3) Spoon 1/2 or 1 tsp mixture into the mini cupcake mould, sprinkle some mixed sesame seed on top and bake at 170°C for 20 minutes
4) Take out from oven and leave it cool before keep in air tight container
Done😀

The Cusp Event | Neiman Marcus Michigan Ave.

Thank you so, so much to everyone who attended The Cusp Event at Neiman Marcus Michigan Avenue this past week! I had the most incredible time & I hope you all did as well. 

Shanna of Celebritized in Chicago, Jade of Shadow Styling, Lauren of DVF, Julie of CUSP, & myself were panelists at The Cusp Event reporting on three major trends for this upcoming season: boho, all white, & mix don't match. Guests got to enjoy a Photo Booth provided by DVF & Krispops by your truly! Don't forget to order your Krispops for any upcoming birthdays, events, or just because! Email publiclivessecretrecipes@gmail.com to place your order!

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Public Lives: Street Style Chi | Secret Recipes: Panzanella Salad

Having started her blog roughly four years ago, Alex of Street Style Chi surely knows the ins & outs of the blogging world. As if that didn't put her ahead of the game enough, she's only a senior in college. 

From interviews to recipes Alex covers it all. Seriously, she's interviewed everyone from Kristen Cavallari to Steven Kolb &  even made this unbelievable salad below. Try out the recipe as we have a feeling you're going to be making this all summer long!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

coarse salt & ground pepper, to taste

pitted black olives, halved

3 cups day old Italian bread, cubed (5-6 oz.)

1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved

1 english cucumber, sl iced

1/4medium red onion, sliced thinly

4 oz bocconcini mozzarella balls, dried on paper towel (can substitute cubed mozzarella)

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Supplies:

large salad bowl

cutting board

knife

whisk

salad servers

Step 1:

Slice all ingredients.

Step 2:

In large salad bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar & oil. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Step 3:

Add olives, bread, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, & mozzarella. Toss to combine.

Step 4:

Just before serving, stir in basil. Serve immediately or cover & refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Enjoy!

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