Vanilla Custard Cream Cake – Croatian Kremsnita

Posted on November 14, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

A cremeschnitte (Croatian: kremšnita) or vanilla custard cream cake is not one of the best, but THE BEST dessert you will ever try. It has been my favorite cake since as far as I can remember, and brings back lots of childhood memories when I used to eat 7 slices as once! No fancy decorative multi-layered cake can top this simple, heavenly vanilla cream, almost no-bake wonder. It tastes DELICIOUS and can be very addicting! Almost as if you are eating cold vanilla pudding with a soft crust and dusted with sweet powdered sugar.

It’s simple to make and requires no special baking skills – practically anyone can make this dessert. To add some pizzaz to each slice, I like to sprinkle powdered sugar on the top, drizzle with some chocolate sauce and place a few strawberries on a plate for some color. What a way to stun your guests for the holidays without too much effort!

*If you would like to share my recipe and photos please provide proper credit and a link back to this original post. Thanks!

Vanilla Custard Cream Cake – Croatian Kremsnita

Vanilla custard filled cake with puff pastry sheets as the crust.

Ingredients:

4 cups whole milk milk
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4cups white flour
2 tsp vanilla extract vanilla sugar
2 puff pastry sheets
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1.5 tbsp powdered sugar

Directions:

To Prepare Puff Pastry Sheets

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly flour a clean surface. Using a floured rolling pin, thinly roll out each puff pastry sheet.
Place each puff pastry sheet on a baking sheet and bake for ten minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

To Make Custard Cream

Separate the 8 eggs from their yolks. Using an electric mixer, mix the 8 egg yolks with 1 1/2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add in flour, vanilla extract, and 1 cup of milk until well combined.
Over medium heat, boil 3 cups of milk in a sauce pan. Fold in custard cream mix (from step 1) into boiling milk and slowly stir until thickened.
Using an electric mixer, mix the 8 egg whites until very stiff and combine with the thickened milk mixture. Place 1 pastry sheet into a pan and pour the custard over the pastry, chill in fridge for a few hours until cooled and stiff.
Beat 3 cups of heavy whipping cream with 1.5 tbsp of powdered sugar and pour over the chilled custard. Using a long, sharp and clean knife, cut the second pastry sheet into 20 squares. Place over the custard cake in place. Before serving, sprinkle each slice with powdered sugar.

Easy Post Holiday Leftover Recipes for Hog Roast

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

Put your holiday leftovers to good use with our deliciously easy ideas!

It’s no secret that a great party includes a delicious hog roast. This is the kind of food great for a party that smells great, tastes fantastic and of course, it looks spectacular when you are cooking it. Most people love a hog roast and it’s easy to see why!

You can make your own roast at home with modern spittingpig hogroast machines that can cook a whole hog or other roasted meats easily. Load up the meat onto the spit, turn it on and voila – it doesn’t get any easier! A roasted hog goes a long way, which means lots of meat left over. There is no need for any of it to go to waste with these easy solutions:

Let Your Guests Take Some Home

Slice the meat up, wrap it up in foil, and send your guests home with delicious leftovers for the next day. If you made stuffing, send them home with this too! From a food safety point of view, make sure they are keeping leftover pork in the fridge, to keep them safe during the holidays.

Cold Pork Salad and Sandwiches

Another great alternative is to slice up the leftover meat and serve it later as part of a salad. Alternatively, you can serve it sliced with a stack of bread, wraps or buns alongside some butter, a selection of sauces and maybe some stuffing. Your guests can make themselves a delicious sandwich if they get the nibbles later in the evening.

Pulled Pork Pizza

Pulled pork makes a wonderful pizza topping to replace pepperoni, bacon, or chicken. You can shred the pork and mix it with thyme, Taleggio, and lemon-dressed rocket pizza dressing. Fast and delicious!

Chinese Pork Wraps

My favourites are Chinese style wraps; just take a handful of pulled pork from the freezer let it defrost. Warm it through quickly in a frying pan with a little oil and a pinch of five spices them serve it with Hoi-sin sauce in wraps with sliced spring onions and cucumbers. If you want to save on calories, you can also make lettuce wraps which are DELICIOUS without the guilt!

Curries, Goulashes and other Beautiful Dishes

Pork in chunks is fantastic in curries, stews and goulashes. It makes wonderful pies and pasties. You just need to freeze it in a way that makes it easy for you to grab a portion and defrost only what you need.

The great thing about this style of party food is that you can dress it up or dress it down. Serve it simply with applesauce in a bun or serve it more formally as part of a roast dinner. Whatever is leftover, just make sure to use your imagination and combine it with your favourite foods. Pizza, wraps, salad, and goulash, taste a whole lot better with a dash of home roasted pork!

Spooky Chocolate Orange Spider Cake With Cream Cheese Filling

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

Chocolate lovers, you are in luck! Today we are featuring a delicious chocolate layered, cream cheese filled master piece that comes just in time for one of my favorite festivities of the year – Halloween! This spooky spider web cake is loaded with mouthwatering chocolate and orange layers with orange flavored cream cheese. It is an absolute wonder, and to make things even better, the whole cake is smothered in chocolate ganache.

To switch things up a bit, we are not going to feature the recipe here, but send you off to one of my favorite bloggers – Robin from Bird on A Cake. She made this amazing cake for Halloween and we couldn’t help but share it here!

Walnut Stuffed Oven Baked Apples – Perfect Healthy Thanksgiving Dessert!

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

Looking for a healthy low-calorie fall dessert? These walnut stuffed oven baked apples make the perfect treat for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Sunday brunch, or just about any time of the day or year! The recipe is easy to make and only requires a few simple ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry.

Not a fan of walnuts? You definitely should be! Walnuts are an excellent source of ant-inflammatory omega-3 essential fatty acids, rich in antioxidants and are a very good source of manganese and cooper. They are also the healthiest of nuts you can eat, and are very filling. I have to admit, after eating one of these apples I was definitely stuffed and satisfied!
If you are on a vegan diet or lactose intolerant, you can easily substitute the milk with almond or soya milk. Having an adults-only party? Spike these apples with rum or Irish whiskey to get the party started!

*If you would like to share my recipe and photos please provide proper credit and a link back to this original post. Thanks!

Walnut Stuffed Oven Baked Apples

Serves 6

Oven baked apples stuffed with a mixture of walnuts, cinnamon, sugar and raisins!

Ingredients:

6 medium sized apples, tops cut off and generously cored
200g ground walnuts
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp granulated white sugar or brown sugar
1 tbsp rum or Irish whiskey (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
¼ cup rum soaked raisins (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300F (150C). Mix together walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, rum, and vanilla extract (raisins are optional).
Bring milk to a boil and pour over walnut mixture and mix into a paste. If the paste appears watery, let it sit for a few minutes until thickened. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then spoon paste into apples until filled to the top. Place apple top back on.
Carefully transfer apples to a baking sheet (no need to grease it) and bake for 1.5 hours until apples are softened and cooked through (you should be able to easily poke a toothpick all the way through the apple). Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Apple Spice Walnut Cake with Caramel Icing

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

CARAMEL APPLE CAKE / SHARI’S BERRIES / CC BY

Cinnamon, apples, brown sugar, caramel, and walnuts are the perfect combination for a cozy cold-weather dessert! This apple spice bunt cake is very moist and dense, and makes the perfect after-dinner dessert or simple cake to eat with tea or coffee. Apples are super cheap this season which makes this the ideal cake to use up some in-season fruits you may have stored in the cupboard!

Apple Spice Walnut Cake with Caramel Icing

An apple bundt cake loaded with walnuts, cinnamon, and nutmeg with drizzled caramel

on top!

Ingredients:

For Cake

1.5 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
3 cups of flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of salt
3.5 cups of apples, peeled and diced into small squares
1 cup of chopped walnuts, toasted
2 tsp vanilla extract

For Icing

½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup half-and-half cream
¼ cup butter, cut into chunks
Pinch of salt
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

To Make Cake

Preheat oven to 325 F and grease and flour a bundt pan.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, combine oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract and combine it with the dry mixture.
Fold in chopped apples and walnuts. Pour into prepared pan and back for 1.5 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool in pan before transferring to a wire rack.

To Make Cake

Preheat oven to 325 F and grease and flour a bundt pan.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, combine oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract and combine it with the dry mixture.
Fold in chopped apples and walnuts. Pour into prepared pan and back for 1.5 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool in pan before transferring to a wire rack.

To Make Caramel Icing

Place brown sugar, cream, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until dissolved.
Pour into a small bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Drizzle over cooled bundt cake and enjoy!

Loaded with Sprinkles! Pink Funfetti Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

PINK FUNFETTI CUPCAKES / SHARI’S BERRIES / CC BY

Let’s admit it – who doesn’t love SPRINKLES? I always get super excited over recipes that include sprinkles, or just about anything with the word funfetti in it. These pink funfetti cupcakes are absolutely perfect for a girl’s birthday party, baby shower, wedding, or if you are just looking to add some color to your life! To make these cupcakes even better, they are piped with vanilla buttercream frosting, and garnished with pretty pearls of sugar. What are you waiting for? These are super easy to make, so let’s get started!

Loaded with Sprinkles! Pink Funfetti Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

For Cupcakes

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 large egg
¼ cup of plain yogurt
¾ cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
½ cup of sprinkles

For Icing

Two drops of red food coloring
12 ounces of unsalted butter, softened
2 cups of powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Instruction:

To Make Cupcakes

Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners and preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together butter and sugar. Slowly add in the egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth and combined. Then mix in the sprinkles.
Fill cupcake liners with batter and bake for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

To Make Icing

In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer on high, beat butter until light and creamy. Gradually add in sugar, continuously beating on medium until combined. Mix in vanilla extract and two drops of red food coloring.
Using a piping tube, pipe frosting onto completely cooled cupcakes. Add sugar pearls on top of the icing to garnish!

Easy Halloween Pumpkin-Chocolate Marble Cake

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN MARBLE CAKE / EMILY CARLIN / CC BY

Fall is here, making pumpkin a staple in our kitchen when it comes to baking. From pumpkin pie, to pumpkin strudel, muffins, and cake, what is there not to love about this sweet, low-calorie food that swings us into the Halloween spirit! The bunt cake we are showcasing today is SUPER EASY to make and makes the perfect combination of pumpkin and chocolate – marbled! After all, a cake isn’t a cake without a dash of chocolate! And did we forget to mention, the glaze is made out of cream cheese? Now we’ve definitely got you hooked…

Easy Halloween Pumpkin-Chocolate Marble Cake

Pumpkin chocolate marble bundt cake with cream cheese frosting.

Cook Time

1 hr 10 min

Directions:

Pumpkin Cake Batter

.75 cups unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups pumpkin, canned
½ cup granulated sugar
1 ¾ cups white all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg or allspice
Orange food coloring

Chocolate Cake Batter

.75 cups unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cups cocoa powder

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp milk, add more if needed

Instructions:

Grease/flour bunt pan and preheat oven to 350 F.
To make pumpkin batter, beat butter and eggs until light and fluffy. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined. Add a few drops of food coloring to make the batter more orange.
Follow the same steps to make the chocolate cake batter and then pour in half of the pumpkin batter into the bundt pan. Now pour in half of the chocolate batter, then again the pumpkin batter, and finish off with the chocolate batter again.
Use a knife to gently swirl the cake batters together and create a marbled effect. Bake for about 70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let the cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To Make Cream Cheese Frosting

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on high until light and fluffy. Slowly add in sugar and keep beating until combined. Add in salt, lemon juice and milk, and mix on low until frosting comes out smooth without clumps. If glaze is too thick to pour, add in more milk 1 tbsp at a time.