I still remember sometimes at the end of a Chinese banquet, we would get these round Chinese almond cookies with an almond embedded into them(when it wasn’t orange slices and/or fortune cookies). This recipe was my homage to those, but also combining it with a salted duck egg-creme brulee-type of situation. I had salted duck…
Tag: baking
Honey Toast-Chip Cookies
I have been seeing honey toast croissants trending, which is basically taking already-baked croissants, cutting them in half, dipping them in a honey butter, and re-baking them, which results in this kouign amann-like caramelized exterior for the croissant itself. I have even seen this technique done with toast as well(which I believe is the original…
Chiffon Cream Sandos
So when I was in Kyoto last year, we spent a decent amount of time in the Daimaru department store. In the basement, there were tons of dessert stands, and a bakery, Maleblanche, which had a long line. Upon looking at the signage further, everyone was waiting for these adorable chiffon cake cream sandwiches, literally…
Yellow Cake Baked Doughnuts with Mocha Glaze
Yellow cake with chocolate frosting is such a classic, and if there is anything about a classic that I appreciate, it’s a template that can be reinterpreted in a lot of ways. It has been a hot second since I made baked doughnuts(not counting air-fried ones), so I figured, why not go that route? So…
Sourdough Shio Pan Bagels
So I’ve been seeing videos of shio pan bagels, and it just sounded like a fun idea to use my sourdough starter to recreate! Shio pan, for those unfamiliar, is a Japanese pastry that literally translates to “salt bread”. They are soft, tender, croissant-looking bread rolls that are baked with butter in the middle, so…
Chocolate Shamrock Cake
A long, long time ago, I made a grasshopper pie using creme di menthe, which is an intense mint liquor. Think alcoholic Listerine, To be honest, outside of extremely niche usages, like maybe a mint julep, I can’t see why anyone would want to drink creme di menthe, especially on its own. That being said,…
Maple-Apple Mont Blanc Tart
It is funny to think that this recipe(and so many others on this site) came from me needing to use up leftover ingredients. It is usually those recipes where I end up getting super creative or I luck into really great flavor combinations. This recipe embraced the latter. And it all started with two egg…
Gulab Jamun Hot Milk Cake
When I think of a gulab jamun, I think of that characteristic melt-in-the-mouth texture, which is accomplished by it being made by khoya(milk fat and solids), and soaked in the rose syrup until soft and plump. I wanted to accomplish that in cake form, by using a more tender batter, in this case, a hot…
Cinnamon Roll Pie
I can’t even remember what initially inspired this idea. I vaguely recall watching something about cinnamon rolls on YouTube, writing down “cinnamon roll pie” on my to-bake list, not really giving it a second thought, then eventually re-exploring this idea 8 months later. When it came to conceptualizing this recipe, I knew I wanted to…
Delta Old Fashioned Donut
To conclude my three-part Legends Z-A Old Fashioned Donut series, and to celebrate Pokemon Day, we have the Delta Old Fashioned Donut(or doughnut, depending on how you choose to spell it, but I’m usually in the doughnut camp, not the donut camp). Able to summon the Sky High Pokemon Rayquaza, the Delta Old Fashioned Donut…
Omega Old Fashioned Donut
With Pokemon Day coming up, I wanted to celebrate with my second of three Pokemon Legends: Z-A-inspired Pokemon doughnuts! In the case of this recipe, we are going with the Omega Old Fashioned Donut, inspired by Groudon, the Continent Pokemon, from Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Omega Ruby. Groudon is a giant red dinosaur-looking creature, said…
Alpha Old Fashioned Donut
With this week leading up to the always much-anticipated Pokemon Day, I figured I would celebrate the week(in hopes that Generation 10 is right around the corner), by making three Pokemon-themed doughnuts, inspired by the most recent game, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, specifically from the DLC, Mega Dimensions! Now, I’ve been obsessed with the Legends Z-A…
Light as Air Funfetti Cake
This cake is somewhat my revisitation of the classic Milkbar Birthday Cake, but making it as light as a cloud. I still look back at my time at Milkbar fondly, just because it was a great vibe. Everyone was outgoing, friendly, and quirky, it always felt like we were a bunch of misfits and goofballs,…
Caramel Macchiato Bear Mousse Cake
Caramel macchiatos will always remind me of my old sister, Kim. When we worked together in D.C., she would always get them at Starbucks, and after I tried one myself, I understood the obsession. Sweet caramel cuts through the bitter coffee, while adding a light bitterness on its own, and the layer of milk or…
Raspberry-Pink Peppercorn Red Velvet Cake
This red velvet cake was inspired by that dreamy cake aesthetic that I’ve captured in the past with some of my other 6-inch cakes, like the hummingbird or scarecrow ones. There is just something very fun and satisfying on making a smaller 2-layer cake, and playing around with flavors, colors, and textures off of a…
Brie-Honey-Ginger-Pear Entremet
Whenever I think of the winter, I think of this honey-ginger poached pear tea that my mom would make for us. I have done some desserts inspired by this in the past, but this time around, I wanted to try using those ginger-honey poached pears as a garnish for another dessert. I figured with ginger…
Fennel-Almond-Blood Orange Panna Cotta
My friend Stephanie and I were having a pizza and pasta night(because she bought a pizza oven and I bought my pasta extruder), so we figured we would have a fun time just making pizza and pasta together! To finish up the dinner, I wanted to make an Italian dessert, just to tie in with…
Nutella Zebra Banana Bread
These banana breads were the end-result of me roasting several of them in the oven for hummingbird cake, only to realize that I roasted three times the needed amount. I didn’t want to store these, nor did I want to throw them away, so in the spirit of 2020 baking memories that I did not…
Rose Apple-Yuzu-Almond Crostata
This recipe came about because I purchased one too many hidden rose apples and I did not want it to go to waste. Hidden rose apples are a naturally pink-fleshed apple(not pink peel, like the actual color of the fruit is pink), and they are usually only available 2-3 months in the year. They have…
Polenta-Fennel-Yuzu Cake
So I was watching Next Gen Chef on Netflix and there was one contestant, Abby, who made a recipe very similar to this one for the first challenge, where the contestants had to work in teams to make a progressive tasting menu inspired by one of three famous CIA alumnus. Abby tackled the dessert making…
Freddy's Harajuku 