Orange Chiffon Cake with Orange Glaze

Last February was the celebration of the Chinese New Year.  I bought 13 oranges for good luck for the coming year. As to the number 13, I have no idea because the superstitious people perceive this number as not a good one and the color orange I guess is auspicious to the Chinese during this holiday.

Note: This cake can be drizzled with orange glaze or covered with the Seven Minute Frosting. 

Prepare a tube pan (this pan is usally used for chiffon cakes).

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cake

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/c cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup orange juice or water

7 egg yolks

1 teaspoon orange extract 

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

Note: if you are using 3/4 cup water instead of orange juice make the orange extract

         2 1/2 teaspoons instead of 1 teaspoon 

Sift together the first 4 ingredients and put in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add the

following: oil, yolks, orange juice or water, orange extract and vanilla. Beat with a wire

whisk until smooth. Pass thru a strainer to make sure the mixture is lump free. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Pour yolk mixture very thins tream into the egg whites.

With a rubber spatula, fold gently until well incorporated. Pout onto ungreased tube pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or when cake tester comes out clean.

Turn over in a plate and let cool.

Orange Glaze

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate

Mix. Drizzle on the cake.

or you can cover with

Seven Minute Frosting

3/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp light corn syrup

2 tbps water

3 egg whites.

Mix all ingredients and put on top of double boiler.

get a candy thermmometer and wait till it reaches 160 fahrenehit..

mix with high speed of electric mixer on top of double boiler...

when fluffy remove from heat...and beat some more...

 

Pastillas de Leche Cheesecake

Fusion.

New York Cheesecake baked with a dash of freshly squeezed lemon, sprinkled with
grated lemon zest and topped with chunks of  Pastillas de Leche, a soft milky candy
from the Philippines.

Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap the bottom of a springform pan with
aluminum foil. Reassemble the pan with the foil wrapped base. Set aside.

Crust

1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

Combine the graham and sugar in a bowl. Pour the melted butter and mix well. Press the

mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan covering it completely. Set aside.

Filling

4- 225 grams bars cream cheese

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 whole eggs

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Topping

Whipped cream

Pastillas de Leche, broken into chunks

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and

and continue to beat until blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each

addition. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon rind.

Pour the cheesecake mixture over the crust. Level with a spatula. Place the pan in a

larger baking pan half filled with water. The water level should be about halfway up the

pan to make it an effective water bath.

Bake for two hours and 15 minutes or until the center is set. Transfer the cake pan to

a wire rack to cool completely.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Cover the top of cheesecake with whipped cream and decorate with rosettes.

Sprinkle the Pastillas de leche chunks on top.

Empanada

This is similar to the Turnover that is known in the West. Here in Manila we call it Empanada.
The filling is savory, meat (either pork, chicken or beef) with raisins. It is fried instead of baked.

I used pork as filling.

Filling:

3 pcs garlic, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons corn oil

1/2 kilo lean ground beef

2 potatoes, diced small

1 big carrot, diced small

  1/2 cup raisins, sliced in half

2 tablespoons pickle relish

Saute the onions and garlic in the corn oil. When soft, add the ground beef and cook until

light brown. Remove fat/oil. Add the potatoes, carrots, raisins and pickle relish.Cover and
cook for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Occasionally, stir.

Set aside to cool.

In the meantime, make the dough.

Dough:

3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 cup margarine

1 egg

4 tablespoons cold water

Mix all the dry ingredients. Cut in the margarine. When they are pea size, add the egg.

Mix in the water. Knead for 3 minutes.

Flatten with rolling pin. Get a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut into the dough.

Makes approximately 2 dozens.

Put a tablespoon and half of filling in the center.

Fold the dough over and seal the sides using the tines of a fork.

Deep fry in medium fire until golden brown.

Half Moon

I recently went to Bacolod.  Went on a food trip....ooohhh the food esp those indigenous are YUMMY


My friend who was my host in Bacolod asked me to taste her fave cake since her childhood days.

I did and it was delish but sinful.  The cake is sooo rich because of the frosting that was
oozing. Guilty pleasures.

I tried to replicate the recipe but of course the original is still the best.

It is called Half Moon because of its shape. It is spongecake with a very rich goooey frosting
or topping.

Cake

6 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup melted butter

Pre-heat oven to 325 Farenheight.

Line 9 x 13 inch pan with wax paper.  Set aside.

Beat eggs until fluffy.  Add sugar and continue until thick. FOLD in flour and salt, then  FOLD
in the melted butter.

 Pout into prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.  Cool for  5 minutes and invert in a cake
rack and let cool.

Topping

10 large egg yolks

1 can condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons butter

In a double boiler, combine egg yolks, condensed milk and vanilla. Cook over medium heat,

stirring continuously until thick enough to spread. Remove from heat and add the butter.
Set aside.

Get round cookie cutter 3" inch.  Cut several from cake.  Cut the round cakes in half to look
like half moons. Spread topping on top of each half moon.