Yes, it's OK to have seconds!
Recipe #46: Boston pie

I love cakes with butter or whipping cream. However, due to the increased awareness of nutrition and calories, I tend to think twice before going for that second serving.

With our modified version, though, I don't have to worry about nutritional guilt!

There are different ways to make Boston pie. I tried two different methods, and I noticed that the pie is a lot finer, softer and silkier if I used the method for making the chiffon cake.

Ingredients

1. 4 eggs, whites and yolk separated
2. 3/4 c. sugar, divided into 1/4 c. and 1/2 c., plus an additional Tbsp.
3. 1/2 c. oil + 1 Tbsp.
4. 1 Tbsp. rum
5. 1 c. milk
6. 1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. cake flour
7. 1 tsp. baking powder
8. 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
9. pinch of salt
10. 3/4 c. heavy cream
11. powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Put egg whites and yolks in separate, clean bowls. They should not come into contact with any other liquids.
3. Mix egg yolks and add 1/4 c. sugar. Mix well, add oil rum and milk, and mix further.
4. Prepare another bowl, and mix flour and baking powder and sift.
5. Put the two mixtures together. Using a mixer, beat the egg whites at high speed. Add half of the 1/2 c. sugar (or 1/4 c.), to the egg whites. Beat for about ten seconds, and add the cream of tartar and remaining 1/4 c. sugar. Continue beating until small peaks form.
6. Mix about 1/3 of the meringue into the flour mixture (in a folding motion) at a time using a spatula, until no white streaks remain.
7. Pour batter into a tube pan. Cut through it to release air. Put in preheated oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes.
8. Remove the cake, turn it upside-down and let it cool completely. Take out the pie from the mold.
9. When base is cool, remove from mold and cut into half from the side horizontally.
10. Beat heavy cream and 1 Tbsp. sugar and beat at high speed until foamy.
11. Add mixture to cake base, thick at the center and thinner at the edges.
12. Put other half of cake base on top and add powdered sugar.

Tips

1. Most people like two layers of cream. If you want two layers, you can increase the amount of heavy and and sugar.
2. If you want a pie with two layers, a 7" pan is the best choice.

How to enjoy a cake without getting fat
Recipe #43: green tea chiffon cake

Every year, my parents would take me to a well-known bakery on my birthday to buy me something I want. I would usually pick something with a lot of chocolate, mousse, tiramisu or something with a lot of whipping cream.

My mother loves these desserts as well, so the two of us would quickly finish them.

However, after learning some recipes, I started paying more attention to the nutrition value of many ingredients. This year, I decided to celebrate my birthday in a different way: I tried making my own dessert, a "healthy" green tea chiffon cake with reduced fat and sugar.

Recent studies have shown that green tea has many health benefits. For example, it it lowers cholestrol and has antiozidizing properties. If you like angel food cake, you will love this recipe as well. It is full of the aroma of green tea and fresh eggs. Although it looks simple, it is actually quite elegant.

Ingredients

1. 4 egg whites and 3 yolks
2. 1 c. sugar, divided
3. 1/4 c. oil
4. 1 Tbsp. rum
5. 1 c. + 1 Tbsp. water or milk
6. 3/4 c. minus 1 Tbsp. cake flour
7. 4 tsp. green tea powder
8. 1 tsp. baking powder
9. 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
10. pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Put egg whites and yolks in separate, clean bowls. They should not come into contact with any oil or water.
3. Mix egg yolks and add 1/2 c. sugar. Mix well, add oil rum and milk, and mix further.
4. Prepare another bowl and mix flour, green tea and baking powder using a fork and a sieve.
5. Put the two mixtures together. Using a mixer, beat the egg whites at high speed. Divide the remaining sugar into two parts. Add one part the egg whites. Beat for about ten seconds, and add the cream of tartar and remaining sugar. Continue beating until small peaks form.
6. Mix about 1/3 of the meringue into the flour mixture (in a folding motion) at a time using a spatula, until no white streaks remain.
7. Pour batter into a tube pan. Cut through it to release air. Put in preheated oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes.
8. Remove the cake, turn it upside-down and let it cool completely. Take out the cake from the mold.

Tips

1. We personally reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup.
2. We also substitute the milk with soy milk.
3. When a stick inserted into the cake comes out clean, the cake is ready.
4. The egg whites and yolk much be separated carefully. If there is any yolk in the whites, you must remove it; otherwise, the recipe will not turn out well.

recipe #28: almond sour cream coffee cake

A taste of the countryside
Recipe #28: Almond sour cream coffee cake

Whenever almond extract is used, there are no desserts that I don't like. Not only does it make the dessert less rich, it also is very refreshing. It has a special aroma.

I wanted to ask my mother to teach me how to make sour cream coffee cake, and we accidentally measured the wrong amount of sour cream. My mother adjusted the ingredients a bit, and we did not know how it would taste. Contrary to our expectations, it was incredibly delicious!

Here, I will share the new recipe that we created.

Ingredients

1. 2 3/4 c. cake flour
2. 2 tsp. baking powder
3. 1/2 tsp. baking soda
4. 1/4 tsp. salt
5. 3/4 c. butter at room temperature
6. 3/4 - 1 c. sugar
7. 3 extra large eggs
8. 1 1/2 c. sour cream
9. 2 tsp. almond extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour four mini-loaf molds.
2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Beat butter using high speed until fluffy. Add sugar and continue beating at medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until contents become fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
5. Beat in sour cream, vanilla and almond extract until mixture is well blended.
6. Gradually beat in flour mixture using lowest setting until blended.
7. Pour mixture into molds.
8. Put in center levle of oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Tips

1. After mixture becomes fluffy, you can add 1/2 cups of froen blueberries.
2. Some people prefer using 1 tsp. vanilla extract and 1 tsp. almond extract.
3. You can use any mold you like, such as a Bundt cake or a bread loaf pan.
4. If you prefer, you can add some sugar glaze, using the recipe below.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2. 1 tsp. milk
3. 1 tsp. almond extract

Directions

1. Mix milk and almond extract. Slowly mix sugar with a small spoon until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. You can adjust the ratio of liquid and sugar to your liking. Drizzle glaze over coffee cake.