cakes

Electric Lunchbox #92: Bananas Foster Cheesecake

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Bananas Foster Cheesecake! Minus the flame as I had never done it, so it’s still scary for me to light up my food and watch the flames dance on it. 😊

This cheesecake has bananas in it too so you get to taste a hint of it, but together with the caramelized sugar and bananas ever so slightly toasted in butter…pure heaven in every bite!

Making it in the ELB makes sure you only get a small portion, not too much, so that there is no need to summon much will power. 😊

*NOTE that this recipe uses regular sized measuring cups, NOT the tiny ELB cup, unless specified.*

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Ingredients for the crust:

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar, optional

Ingredients for the filling:

1 bar (8oz) cream cheese

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 small banana

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

Ingredients for the topping:

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 banana, sliced

1 tablespoon Bacardi rum

Procedure:

1. For the crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs,

2. Butter, and brown sugar (if using) together.

3. Place in the big ELB bowl. You can line the bottom with a parchment paper, cut to fit, to make it easier to remove the cheesecake later. You can also add parchment paper slings to make it even easier.

4. Press the mixture down with a spoon. Set aside.

5. Make the filling: In a bowl, place the cream cheese,

6. and brown sugar.

7. Beat well with a hand mixer until mixed.

8. In a small bowl, mash the banana for the filling.

9. I use a fork and just press down on the bananas until they look like this.

10. Add the mashed bananas to the cream cheese mixture.

11. Add the vanilla,

12. Salt,

13. And egg.

14. Beat everything together until well mixed.

15. Pour over the prepared crust and smooth the top using the back of a spoon.

16. Cover with foil and place in the ELB base. Add 3 ELB cups of water to the base, cover and let steam until it shuts off, about an hour.

17. Carefully open the ELB and set the cheesecake aside to cool while you make the topping.

18. Melt butter in a small saucepan.

19. Sprinkle the brown sugar over.

20. Add the cinnamon next.

21. Cook over medium low heat until it melts completely.

22. Place the banana slices on the mixture.

23. Lower heat and cook for a couple of minutes, flipping the bananas over once.

24. Pour the Bacardi rum over and let it heat for a few seconds.

25. Remove cheesecake from the bowl and place on a serving plate.

26. Pour the caramelized bananas over the cheesecake.

27. Serve and enjoy!

Electric Lunchbox #88: Chocolate Lava Cake

Theresa Pizarro2 Comments

Good morning everyone!

It’s already the 5th day of February! Oh my goodness! Is it too early to post a Valentine’s recipe?

Well, I am posting a Chocolate Lava Cake recipe today so you can make a few trial runs of it before the actual Valentine’s Day – you know, for quality control or testing purposes! 😉 Think of it this way…I can’t be the only one eating all these yummy experimental food and sacrificing my figure for a good recipe, right?

This recipe will make the perfect dessert to finish a special meal for two, as the size of this little cake is just right.

It is rich and chocolatey that you’ll only need a dusting of powdered sugar to decorate it. Feel free to use a stencil to make it prettier. You can also top it with chocolate dipped strawberries! Double yum!

*NOTE that this recipe uses regular sized measuring cups, NOT the tiny ELB cup, unless specified.*

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Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract

2 eggs

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Procedure:

1. Grease the big or medium ELB bowl.

2. Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl.

3. Add the chocolate chips to the bowl.

4. Melt butter and chocolate chips in a microwave for 30 seconds.

5. Stir and microwave again using 30 second increments until smooth.

6. Make sure to stir as residual heat can sometimes be enough to melt the last few bits of chocolate. Careful to not burn the chocolate. This will take only about a minute or two total.

7. Mix in vanilla,

8. Eggs,

9. Flour,

10. And powdered sugar.

11. Mix well until blended.

12. Pour batter into prepared bowl. Cover with foil and place in the ELB base.

13. Add 2 1/2 ELB cups water to the base. Cover and let steam until it shuts off, about 45 minutes.

14. Carefully open the ELB and check the cake. It should be set but the center should jiggle like the video below. It should NOT be set all the way.

15. Cool the cake on a wire rack. Run a knife along the edges and invert onto a serving dish.

16. Dust the top with powdered sugar to make it look pretty.

16. Serve and enjoy!

Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

Theresa Pizarro2 Comments

Espresso muffin is one of my favorite treat, as are blueberry, cappuccino, and chocolate chip! I had been playing with recipes to make this just right – with the taste of coffee coming through strong and blending well with chocolate.

I used instant coffee at first but that didn’t taste like espresso so I purchased a jar of instant espresso powder. That made it taste better. Semi sweet chocolate chips plays well with the bitter coffee to round out the taste of this delicious muffin! Perfect to start your day right!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup instant espresso coffee powder

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Combine flour, espresso, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, brown sugar, melted butter, eggs, an vanilla. Add dry ingredients to the large bowl, fold just until mixture is evenly moistened. Do not over mix.

4. Divide evenly among the muffin cups. sprinkle chocolate chips on top of each muffin.

5. Bake until edges begin to pull away from the sides of the muffin cup, 20-22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before removing from pan.

6. I like this still a bit warm for breakfast, with a cup of hot coffee or tea! Enjoy!

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Decadent Chocolate Bundt Cake

Theresa Pizarro1 Comment

I made this cake for my friend’s birthday as she requested a chocolate cake for our potluck (of course, that was pre-COVID-19).

This is super easy to prepare, totally delicious, can be frosted or left as is, dusted with powdered sugar or coated in a chocolate or vanilla glaze.

I drizzled it with chocolate ganache and sprinkled with a lot of sprinkles, to reflect my friend Mae’s fun, playful, childish personality.

INGREDIENTS

For the cake

  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa
  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup espresso or strong coffee
  • ¼ cup cream or whole milk

For the ganache

  • 3 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream

Procedure:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Generously spray a 10 cup bundt pan with nonstick spray which also contains flour. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, beat sugar and eggs using a hand mixer, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. Add oil, vanilla, and sour cream. Blend well.

4. In a bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5. In another bowl, mix together espresso and milk.

6. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, blend well. Add half of the liquid ingredients next, then blend well. Continue adding dry and wet ingredients alternately, blending well before adding the next.

7. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for around 35 to 40 minutes. Test by piercing with a skewer, it should come out clean.

8. Let cake cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. Invert cake onto a serving dish and cool completely.

9. For the Ganache: melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl using 30 second increments until shiny and soft. Stir until smooth. Add cream and stir until combined. Pour over cooled cake. Sprinkle with desired topping.

10. Enjoy!

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Electric Lunchbox #75: Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Cake

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Pumpkin infatuation not over yet! Happy Monday everyone!

I used chocolate cake mix for this as I adore chocolate BUT…

1. if you want a just a pumpkin spiced bread, feel free to use a yellow cake mix instead of the chocolate cake mix. AND…

2. if you want it super easy, and you have a Spice Cake mix handy, just mix with the pumpkin puree and omit the spices!

Of course chocolate chips are still recommend for either variation. 😊 I hope you like this easy to make cake! Enjoy!

*NOTE that this recipe uses regular sized measuring cups, NOT the tiny ELB cup, unless specified.*

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See Itaki’s offerings here! https://www.itakico.com/theresa

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Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate cake mix

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 tablespoons chocolate chips, optional

3 ELB cups water

Procedure:

1. Grease large or medium ELB bowl. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine cake mix, pumpkin puree, oil and pumpkin pie spice. Mix well.

3. Stir in chocolate chips if using. pour batter into prepared bowl. Smooth top. Cover with foil and set on the ELB base.

4. Pour 3 ELB cups water in the base, cover and let steam until it shuts off, about an hour.

5. Carefully open ELB and remove bowl to a wire rack. Pierce with a toothpick to check if it is done. The toothpick should come out clean. If not, steam for a little more time.

6. Cool completely on a wire rack. Invert onto a serving dish.

7. Enjoy!

Apple Cream Torte

Theresa Pizarro2 Comments

Before COVID hit, my son and I regularly visit the local library and enjoyed checking out books and magazines. I love to read and was hoping my son would too, so even if I’m tired, just came from work, running on fumes before picking him up from school, I try to make it a point to enjoy the library days we have.

This recipe is one that I saw while thumbing through a Sunset Magazine, waiting for my son to select his books to check out. I often snap photos of recipes and my phone has more than 10,000 pictures that I need to sift through soon. My Fuji apple tree has some ripe fruits right now and I remembered this recipe, and just had to try it!

Lovely flavors, easy to make and just delicious! This will be a regular dessert in my home! I hope you try it as apples are in season and tastes really good right now!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Fuji Apples

3 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

1 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar for dusting

Whipped cream, or ice cream, for serving

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan. Set aside.

2. Cut apples in half, remove core and stems. Peel apples and slice into 1/4 inch slices crosswise. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until light and thickened, about 2 minutes. Lower speed and add cream and vanilla paste. Beat until blended.

4. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the bowl with wet ingredients and beat until combined.

5. Carefully stir in apples, coating and separating the slices with the batter. Pour into the prepared pan and level the batter in the pan.

6. Place the pan on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for about 1 hour, until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

7. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the rim to cool completely.

8. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve plain, or with whipped cream, or ice cream if desired. Enjoy!

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Electric Lunchbox #72: Lemon Cake

Theresa Pizarro1 Comment

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Thank you for visiting my blog and trying my recipes!

Please don’t forget to extend kindness and help to others if you can. My heart has a soft spot for animals, as they cannot tell us when they’re mistreated or neglected, and they still give us unconditional love even when they’re treated badly. I donate regularly to a couple of rescues and do a Christmas wishlist gift for some local shelters. I encourage you to do the same, it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to help. It’s a been a challenging year so far, but hang in there…we are in this together!

Back to this recipe…I have some fresh lemons ripening in my garden just now, so I am showing you how to make a lemon cake in the ELB today! After all the feasting tonight, this little, refreshing flavored cake will satisfy your sweet tooth without making you feel too heavy. And since it’s small, portion control is guaranteed!

Lemon is one of my favorite flavor to mix with berries but since fresh berries are long gone, I think the lemon can handle this cake on it’s own.

I’ll give it a little help with some sweet-tart glaze so that lemon can shine in all it’s summery flavor!

I hope you like this cake! I know I do, specially with a cup of hot tea!

*NOTE that this recipe uses regular sized measuring cups, NOT the tiny ELB cup, unless specified.*

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See Itaki’s offerings here! https://www.itakico.com/theresa

Cake:

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup sourcream

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1/2 cup unbleached, all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 – 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Lemon zest, for decorating

Procedure:

1. Grease the large or medium ELB bowl with nonstick spray.

2. In a medium bowl, place egg, sugar, sour cream, oil, lemon zest, and lemon extract.

3. Mix wet ingredients well.

4. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the wet ingredients.

5. Mix until well blended. Pour into the prepared ELB bowl. Cover with foil and place in the ELB base. Add 3 ELB cups water in base. Cover and let steam until it shuts off, about 55 minutes.

6. Carefully open the ELB and check cake for doneness by inserting a skewer in the middle, it should come out clean.

7. Cool completely on a wire rack. Run a knife along the edges to release cake. Invert onto a serving dish.

8. Prepare glaze: In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until it is of thick but pouring consistency. Spread over completely cooled cake.

9. Sprinkles with lemon zest. You can let the glaze set before serving or just serve it right away.

10. Enjoy!

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Electric Lunchbox #70: From Scratch Rum Cake

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After I posted the Bacardi Rum cake, I got some messages telling me that instant pudding mix and yellow cake mix is not readily available where they are.

Hhhhmmm….let’s see what I can do with that. So I tried making a rum cake from scratch. 🤔

This time, unlike all the other testing for this recipe, I used Malibu Rum (coconut is one of my favorite flavors!). But…you can barely taste the coconut or the rum in this recipe. Even with the added glaze. So, bad choice. Next time I’ll stick with Bacardi.

You can definitely add coconut flakes to the batter (1 tablespoon or so) if you are going to use the Malibu rum. And if you want a more pronounced flavor, try adding 1 teaspoon of coconut flavoring too.

OR you can also replace the rum with the original BACARDI, and sprinkle the greased bowl with pecans before pouring in the batter.

The cake looks pretty and is fluffy, so that was great. It tastes really good with a tender crumb too.

This cake rises high so I only recommend using the big ELB bowl when preparing it.

This is it’s own Rum Cake. It doesn’t taste like the original Bacardi rum cake made with boxed mixes, but it is delicious and light. If you want a more strongly flavored cake, use the optional glaze.

If you do not have buttermilk, you can use 2 1/2 tablespoons milk and 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar. Let that sit a few minutes until it curdles, then use in the recipe.

I hope you like this recipe! I made use of ingredients that, I believe, is accessible wherever you are, so that anyone can prepare this. And it’s super easy to make.

*NOTE that this recipe uses regular sized measuring cups, NOT the tiny ELB cup, unless specified.* Follow me for more recipes for the ELB! See Itaki’s offerings here! https://www.itakico.com/theresaFollow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/At-Home-With-Theresa-100255438410727/

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoons buttermilk

2 tablespoon rum (I used Malibu Rum)

3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons Malibu rum

Procedure:

1. Grease the big ELB bowl and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until thick. Add egg, buttermilk, and rum. Mix well.

3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until blended.

4. Pour into the prepared bowl. Smooth top and drop on the counter a couple of times to get rid of air bubbles.

5. Cover with foil and place in the ELB base. Add 3 ELB cups of water to the base. Cover and let steam until done, about 1 hour.

6. Carefully open the ELB, remove the foil and insert a skewer in the middle of the cake. It should come out clean.

7. Cool on a wire rack.

8. Prepare glaze if using: In a small saucepan, place sugar, water, and butter. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly. When sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and add in the rum. Stir.

9. Pour the glaze over the cake, 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until it absorbs before adding the next.

10. Enjoy!