Friday, May 01, 2015

Smarties Birthday Cake

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Smarties
"A cute delicious pile of Smarties and Maltesers will make a perfect birthday cake for sweets addicts. More specially, if you hide a moist chocolate cake below covered with an exquisite chocolate french buttercream."

Serves 20
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Preparation time: 1 hour



Recipes included:

*Rice Krispie treats: Check our rice krispie treats video
*Sponge Cake: Check the recipe of our sponge cake and add to each 4 eggs 40 g of cocoa powder. Bake the batter in a greased bundt cake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*French butter cream: Check our recipe of vanilla butter cream. Add to each 1 cup of prepared cream, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder.



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Saturday, April 25, 2015

Génoise or Sponge Cake Recipe

sponge cake
Génoise Cake or Sponge cake.
This recipe is wonderful for cake decorating, it's luscious and fairly
firm to allow you to shape any design you want.


Makes 1
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes

4 free-range eggs
1/2 cup white granulated suagr
1 cup all-purpose flour 
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder



Sponge cake preparation
Using  large pot, bring water to a boil, top with a heatproof bowl but make
 sure the bottom doesn't touch the water.
When the the bowl is warm, add the eggs and vanilla.

Pour the white granulated sugar

Mix well using a whisk until the batter heats through ( lightly transparent and runny)

Transfer the mixture to an electrical mixer, and beat on medium speed until it cools.

Gradually pour the flour and baking powder while beating on low speed.
Once all the dry ingredients has been added,
increase the speed to high until well combined. Use a rubber spatula
to scrape the edges and give the Génoise batter a final blend.

Sponge cake Recipe
Spoon the Génoise batter into an 8 inches round cake, lined with parchment paper.
Bake on 170◦ C for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
You can add food colorant to the batter and create as many colors as you like.
In this picture I am preparing for a Frozen birthday cake and I have prepared
a shade of blue.





Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Crème au beurre- French Buttercream



french butter cream
You can use this cream to frost or fill cakes, cupcakes, pies and more. It'f fluffy and light and it's definitely healthier than the regular butter cream since the load is distributed between egg whites and butter.


Makes 5 cups
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

2 1/8 cups (510g/ 18 oz) butter
1/2 cup (125g/ 4 1/2 oz) Crisco ®, All-vegetable shortening
3 egg whites
1/4 cup (55g/ 2 oz) extra fine white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Sugar syrup
1 1/2 cups (330g/ 11 2/3 oz) super fine white sugar
1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon (75 ml/ 2 1/2 fl oz)


Preparation
1- In a medium pan, pour the sugar and water. Do not mix to prevent crystallization. Bring to a boil until the sugar reaches 110 C.
Sugar syrup boiling

2- Meanwhile, start beating egg whites in the medium bowl of an electrical mixer on medium speed. When bubbles start forming, increase the speed to fast and keep beating until the eggs double in volume. then add the vanilla and sugar in a stream, do not dump in the middle or this will make you lose the air condensed inside of the whites.
Pour the sugar syrup little by little, beating on medium-high speed until the batter is stiff and glossy.
The glossy and stiff egg whites mixture
3- Allow the egg whites mixture to cool for 1 hour, then start adding the shortening and butter beating on medium speed until all is well combined and the cream is ready to be used.


Adding the shortening

Adding the butter
This cream is super delicious and light. I personally prefer the French butter cream for one simple reason: the egg whites give it more volume and fluffiness and there is definitely less quantity of butter.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Gluten free Olives Potato Bread

gluten free dairy free bread
“A moist heavy gluten free loaf, enriched with olives and thyme flavor, makes a great accompaniment for cheese and wine.” 
For more recipes subscribe to our Channel Cook N' Bake
Ingredients
Serves 6
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1h 20 minutes


1 medium (250g/8.8 oz.) potato, mashed
¾ cup (75g/2.6 oz.) gluten- free flour mix
1/2 cup (120 ml/ 4 fl. Oz.) soya milk
1 tablespoon (15g/ 0.5 oz.) all-vegetable shortening
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano ( 1 extra teaspoon for the top)
1 cup black olives, pitted and halved
1 teaspoon Baking powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
Bakeware: 6*3*3 inches dark baking tin


Pit the olives, cut them in half and set aside.Preheat the oven to 220C (425F/ gas 7) and grease the baking tin with shortening.Boil, steam or bake the potato.
Peel and mash with 2 tablespoons of the cooking water.
In a large bowl, blend the mashed potato with shortening on high speed. Beat in the soya milk, egg yolk and salt.  Add the flour and baking powder gradually, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Combine oregano and olives with the rest of the batter. Transfer it to the greased pan and bake for 20 minutes.
Later, remove it from the oven; brush the top with olive oil and oregano.
Reduce the heat to 140
C (275F/1) and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Notes: You can store the gluten free bread in a wrapped basket, at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

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Sunday, April 12, 2015

Vanilla Custard Cream


"Whether you call it custard cream, pastry cream or crème patissière, the same directions apply to all. The only difference is that a crème patissière used for cake filling should be a bit thicker which implies the use of 2 extra tablespoons of cornstarch. Enjoy the video and please leave your suggestions."



Ingredients:

2 1/8 cups  (500 ml/17 fl oz) cow milk
2 whole eggs
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup (200g/7 oz) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

I hope you enjoy the video, and if you would like more recipes, don't forget to subscribe :)




Saturday, April 11, 2015

Banana Cupcakes



Banana Cupcakes with Raisins and Spices

Raisins and cinnamon cupcakes


"Get your recipe box ready, cause these cupcakes are gonna make their way into it! They are easy, quick and super delicious with their mixed flavors of bananas, spices and raisins. Try them and tell me what you think! "

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes 12

Ingredients

125g (4 oz) unsalted butter
½ cup (125g/ 4 oz) caster sugar
2 free- range eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 ripe medium bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup (125 ml/ 4 fl oz) milk
2 cups (250 g /8 oz) flour
¼ teaspoon grounded nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup raisins 


1. Preheat the oven to hot 200C(395F⁰). Line a regular cupcake tin with baking cupcake sheets.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a small bowl with electrical beaters until light and fluffy. Gradually, blend in the eggs, beating well after each addition.
Combine the mashed banana and vanilla. Keep blending for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally
3.Pour the milk while beating on medium speed.
4. Gradually, spoon the flour, soda and baking powder. Keep mixing until the batter is well combined for about 1 minute.
5. Using a medium ice cream scooper, fill three-quarters of each cupcake hole. Sprinkle the top with raisins.
6. Bake for 15 minutes on 180
C (350⁰F). Reduce the heat to 150C (300⁰F)and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cupcake.
7. Leave the cupcakes for 10 minutes before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

For more recipe videos subscribe to my cooking channel and let's have fun making delicious special recipes!


Robin Hood Birthday Cake

Robin Hood Birthday Cake

Robin Hood birthday theme
My daughter was a huge fan of the Disney's Robin Hood movie. So I made her this!

It was a big challenge to sculpt those characters, and kids, as you know, are one of the toughest judges in the world!!! And I had 30 of 'em that day and they were all gonna give a straight opinion about my cake talent. 
The inside was a checkerboard cake- that I will soon be teaching on my youtube channel- filled with chocolate ganache. 

Let me tell you, this was a Big success! Everyone loved the shape and taste. The details were good enough, in my opinion: the bag of arrows, the outfits, flowers, etc. 
I wish you could tell me what you think and give me additional suggestions that I can maybe use in my next cake.

I haven't thought about taking pictures of the making and this was a big loss for me and my readers. So I promise to make something similar in the future and post it on Cook N' Bake .



xoxoxo 


Friday, April 10, 2015

Smarties Bucket Cake

Smarties Bucket Cake

"Smarties and Fingers cake is my kids' favorite! This was a big success among their friends and everyone kept asking for the recipe."
Serves 30
Preparation Time: 1 h

1 40 cm round Chocolate Sponge cake
6 cups Chocolate buttercream
2 packs of Fingers®
2 large bags of Smarties®
1 medium flower cutter (optional)
Yellow cake fondant (optional)

1-Cut the sponge cake into 4 equal layers. Fill each with chocolate buttercream, topping it with the next layer until the whole cake is formed. Afterwards, frost the whole cake with buttercream. Cool in the fridge for 20 minutes before applying a second coat.

2-Cover the edges with Finger® placing them vertically, one next to the other, giving them the shape of a tight wooden fence. Leave 5 cm uncovered.

3- Randomly, drop 3/4 of the Smarties on top of the cake. 

4- As for the 5 cm edge left without Fingers® chocolate, pipe buttercream from the edge all the way to the golden tray of the cake to form a stream. Drop the smarties to cover it all and give it the aspect of a Smarties® waterfall.

5- You can cut out flowers from the yellow fondant for additional decoration but that is optional.

If you like my recipes and you wish to follow me you could JOIN my blog, SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Cooking ChannelLIKE my Facebook Page, and Follow me on Pinterest.

Soon I will show you how to make a Smarties® Birthday Cake so stay tuned!!
xoxoxox

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Dessert: Spice Cake with Nuts

Spice Cake




As a super mom, you would definitely want to have the largest choice of dessert to serve to your family and visitors. Our blog posts a large number of healthy and delicious desserts from which you can choose. Enjoy!
Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup golden syrup
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • pinch of ground cloves
  • 12 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 4 cups flour, whole wheat if possible
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup liquid milk
  • pinch of salt


Directions

  1. Combine the butter with the golden syrup in a food processor. 
  2. Beat until creamy, then add the eggs one at a time. Add the spice and the lemon zest.
  3. Mix the remained dried item in a large bowl, on the side. Flour, cocoa and baking powder and add the milk little by little while mixing or beating.
  4. the quantity of milk used depends on the consistence of the mixture. You may not need all the specified quantity. 
  5. Grease a small loaf pan, cover it with baking paper. 
  6. Pour the mixture into the pan.
  7. Bake over high heat 240 degrees C for 40 minutes.


Sugar Frosting
Mix 1 cup of confectionery sugar with 1 tbsp water.
Top your cake with the frosting and sprinkle some mixed nuts.

Allow your loved ones to help you bake this cake, you will both enjoy your time together!
Bon Apétit  from How to be Super Mom!

Paper Plate Crafts- Photo Frame

paper plate craft
Crafting with your children should be an essential part of your daily life. You might not find the time to craft every day, but try at least to create few simple projects with them at least twice a week this will help develop their creativity and imagination and you will be teaching them many needed skills.
How to be super mom posts many kids crafts to help you find many ideas for free. Paper plate crafts are easy, affordable and they don't require many supplies therefore every super mom on a low budget will be able to make them. Children are always looking for something new, especially the current  young generation who gets bored very easily so you should always refer to our blog for new and different ideas.

Supplies Needed
  • 1 White paper plate
  • 6*4"picture for your loved one
  • pink crepe paper
  • Red and yellow acrylic paint
  • Paint brush
  • Pink marker
  • Scisors
  • Glue
  • Ribbon
  • Stapler

Directions
  1. Cut the the border of the plate in v shapes forming the petal of the flower.
  2. Cut the picture in a circular shape similar to the center of the plate
  3. Paint the flower in yellow
  4. Before it dries, start applying the red to half of the petals creating the effects you see in the picture.
  5. Cut two large leaves, draw the leaf texture with a pink marker
  6. Glue the picture in the center of the dried painted flower
  7. Glue the leaves to the back of the flower


Monday, May 13, 2013

Daily Recipes: Spiced Beef and Onions

beef recipes

Beef lovers here's a free recipe you won't be able to resist from How to be Super Mom. Enjoy!

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 kg steak
60 ml olive oil
500 g baby onions
4 cloves garlic, cut in half
1/2 cup red wine
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon red vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
375 ml water
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
  1. Chop the  meat into medium cubes.
  2. heat the oil over medium heat in a large heavy based saucepan. Add the onion and stir until golden. Remove from pan and drain.
  3. Add the meat to the pan and stir over high heat until the meat is brown and its liquid has dried out.
  4. Add the garlic, wine, spice, vinegar, bay leaf, tomato paste and spice to taste with black pepper and salt. Add boiled water, cover and simmer for one hour. Stir occasionally.
  5. Return the onions to the sauce pan and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
  6. Serve with steamed basmati rice.

How to be Super Mom is always posting easy recipes to help super moms, all around the world, serve new meals to their loved ones. Bon appétit!
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Thursday, May 09, 2013

Chicken Recipes: Roasted Rosemary Chicken

chicken recipes

Don't waste time planning your weekly menu, allow How to be Super Mom to do it for you. Log on to our Facebook page where we post a daily menu with recipes to help you set up your day easily. Cooking is one of the chores that a super mom usually worries about. Wondering what is best for her kids and if the meals are correspondent and contain enough nutrient to enrich her loved ones well being. We make sure to give you and your family exactly what you need. So keep your mind rested and follow our tips and recipes thoroughly.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1.5 kg whole chicken, cleaned
4 large sprigs of rosemary
6 cloves garlic
4 tbsps oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Wipe the chicken inside and out, dry it well and season it with rosemary sprigs and garlic.
rub the outside with 1 tbsp of oil, season and place the chicken on its side in a baking pan.
Put another two sprigs of rosemary and  sprinkle oil all around the chicken.
Place the chicken in the preheated oven, keep turning every twenty minutes until well done.
Bon appétit from How to be Super Mom!