Have you jumped onto the low carb bandwagon yet? If not, you might really want to considered that. Ever since I cut down on sugar and refine carbs, I feel more energetic than before! I used to feel super tired and sleepy after lunch; Now, not anymore! Well, it doesn't mean that I wouldn't want an afternoon "pick-me-up". It's just that I don't NEED it. I would enjoy one just because I can. And this Low Carb Dark Chocolate Mug Cake is definitely a perfect afternoon pick-me-up!
This Low Carb Dark Chocolate Mug Cake is super delicious. The cake itself is soft, tender, and fluffy. Best of all, it's sugar free, flour free, gluten free, and you just simply feel guilt-free after eating one! In this video, I topped the cake with a little sugar free chocolate shaves. But it's just as awesome if you add berries on top! And if you haven't watch the video tutorial yet, you need to head right to my YouTube channel and watch it! It's super easy to prepare and only need a few simple ingredients (I'll list them at the end of this post). In fact, my kids know how to make these on their own! That's how easy these Mug Cakes are.
If you tried this recipe, please let me know how it goes and tag me on Social Media! It truly makes my day when you try my recipes. Stay tuned for more easy and healthy recipes. Wish you all a wonderful start of Summer Holidays!
Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Ready for Chinese New Year? This year, Chinese New Year falls on February 16th. It’ll be the Year of Dog. To celebrate the occasion, I’ve created this authentic and traditional Chinese dessert that you'll love: Chinese Steamed Cakes – 2 Ways 傳統雞蛋糕 原味+朱古力味!
These Chinese Steamed Cakes are super spongy and fluffy. It's slightly sweet and packed with egg-y flavors. My kids enjoy the chocolate version a lot (which is not quite traditional). But I personally adore the original flavors as they bring back so many childhood memories. It's definitely a nostalgic treat for me! What are some of your childhood food that you miss? Share with me in the comment below. I can't wait to hear from you!
Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
What is your all time favorite dessert? Let me rephrase it. If you can only enjoy just 1 type of dessert for the rest of your life, what would you pick? I’m sure my whole family would have the same answer….THIS, Chocolate Lava Cake 朱古力心太軟!
If you get to taste this cake, I’m sure you would have agreed to my previous statement. This Chocolate Lava Cake is rich, decadent, and so satisfying. The edges of the cake is slightly crunchy, similar to the edges of a good brownie. And the center of the cake is light and tender. When you spoon into the cake, you’ll see the warm chocolate 'lava' oozing out! The cake itself is not overly sweet but definitely rich and deep in chocolate flavor. I love pairing it with a scoop of homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream for a contrast of temperature and texture.
This cake might look fancy and difficult to make, but it’s quite easy to prepare. I have a foolproof recipe for you and if you follow my tips and tricks in the video tutorial, you can definitely make it too. If you make this dessert for your sweethearts, you’ll definitely melt their hearts! Shhh….no one has to know it’s actually so easy to make. Let them think you spend all day in the kitchen to make this for them! Since this recipe yields 4 cakes, it might be too many for a romantic dinner for 2. If you are not planning to bake all 4 cakes, you can prepare the batter the same way and keep unbaked ones in the ramekins in the fridge until you are ready to bake. So, if you’re planning a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner at home, you can prepare the batter ahead of time and bake off the cakes at a later time.
I hope you have enjoyed today’s recipe and tutorial and will try this recipe soon. Thank you so much for stopping by and stay tuned for more fun recipe.
Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Have you heard of Russian Piping / Icing Tips before? They are my latest discovery and obsession! Think about it, for someone who is not very good at decorating with buttercream and frosting, I actually managed to create these gorgeous flower cupcakes! It’s got to be a foodie blogger’s dream comes true!
The piping tips are quite easy to use and the results are simply stunning! Look at these cupcakes for a second, aren’t they gorgeous? I say they are definitely the most beautiful cupcakes that I’ve ever created!
The icing/piping tip set that I’ve got online comes with 10 metal tips, and one plastic tip that allow you to put 3 different colored icing in 1 pastry bag. In this recipe and video tutorial, I’m only testing 2 of them and the rest have got to wait for another time. The 2 piping tips I used for this post are the roses and tulips shaped ones. The buttercream flowers that I created using these piping tips are simply breath taking! If I can do it, anyone can definitely do it as well!
Besides trying out new icing tips, I’m also testing out these “Color Cups” cupcake liners for the very first time. I’m definitely in love with them. As you can see, the cupcake liners truly stay vibrant even after baking! They are just as easy to use when compared to everyday paper cupcake liners. They are only slightly more expensive than the regular liners. In my humble opinion, they are totally worth the extra bucks especially if you’re baking for parties and gatherings!
These cupcakes are simply scrumptious! The cupcakes are dark chocolate cupcakes using my favorite Valrhona Unsweetened Cocoa Powder for the deep chocolatey flavors. The cupcakes are super easy to put together and they are moist and fluffy!
The cupcakes are topped with Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream that are smooth and silky! I dyed it into 4 different colors using some store-bought all-natural food coloring. You can see all the products that I used in today’s video tutorial above and I’ll also list them out at the end of this post for your convenience! If you’re not sure about creating your own gorgeous cupcakes for your next tea party or for someone’s birthday, think again! These Russian Piping Tips definitely boosted my confident in cake/cupcake decorating and I can foresee more cupcakes in my kitchen in the near future!
Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
We’ve been enjoying the warmer weather of Spring here in Southern California. Well, it’s actually more like Summer temperatures! It’s nice to see some sunshine rather than rain storms for sure. Today, I have a fun and adorable recipe to share with you to welcome Spring! Check out these Easter Bunny Vanilla Bean Cupcakes! Yes, they sure are perfect for the Easter celebrations as well.
Check out my video tutorial above if you haven’t done so. I’ll walk you through, step-by-step, on how to make these cuties, including the Bunny Butt White Chocolate decorations on top of these cupcakes. They are filled with Oreo cookie crumbs inside! Just the white chocolate alone makes a delicious treat.
The base is a Vanilla Bean Cupcake that I made from scratch. These cupcakes are surprisingly easy to prepare and they turned out fluffy, light, and moist! Best of all, this recipe makes exactly 12 cupcakes! You can easily double or triple the recipe if you’re making them for a party.
These cupcakes are topped with a Sweet Vanilla Bean Frosting. I piped the frosting with a Wilton Grass piping tip to mimic the fluffy fur of the bunnies. I’ll list the tools that I used at the end of the post for your reference. If you have a sweet tooth, this is a wonderful smooth and sweet frosting that you’re going to love. But if you prefer a not-too-sweet frosting, you can actually use my Swiss Meringue Vanilla Bean Buttercream recipe instead. Click here to check out that recipe if you’re interested.
See how light and fluffy the cupcakes and frosting turned out!? Each bite is packed with vanilla goodness. You’ll be amazed by how combining a few simple ingredients can turn out to be something so scrumptious!
Here’s the inside look of the Oreo filled white chocolate bunny (see picture above). As I said, it’s super cute and delicious on its own. But they sure make the most adorable topper for these cupcakes.
I hope you enjoy today’s recipe and tutorial! Stay tuned for more fun and festive recipe next week!
Easter Bunny Vanilla Bean Cupcakes: Makes 12 cupcakes Ingredients for the Oreo Filled Bunny Butt White Chocolate:
6 ounces of white chocolate
6 Oreo Cookies, finely crushed
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon pink luster dust
To Prepare the Bunny Butt Chocolate:
Temper and melt the white chocolate (https://goo.gl/Tevin2). Fill the bunny candy mold with a teaspoon of melted chocolate. With the back of a spoon, spread the melted chocolate to coat the mold.
You only want a thin layer of chocolate, carefully spoon out any excess. Let it set at room temperature for a few minutes. Apply a second coating of chocolate into the cavities of the mold.
When chocolate is completely set. Fill each cavity with half a teaspoon of crusted Oreo. Top the Oreo with remaining white chocolate and let chocolate set completely. Invert the mold and the chocolate should come out easily.
In a small dish, mix the lemon extract and luster dust with a small cake decorating brush. Paint the paws of the bunny chocolate with the pink luster dust mixture. Store in air tight container until ready to use.
Ingredients for the Vanilla Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste To Prepare the Vanilla Cupcakes:Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
In a large measuring cup, add milk, oil, butter, yogurt, egg, and vanilla bean paste. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Turn mixer on low speed and mix for a minute to combine.
Add the milk mixture into the stand mixer in a slow and steady stream. Scrape the sides and bottle of the bowl and mix for another 20 seconds.
With a large ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20-25 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack completely before frosting. Ingredients for the Fluffy Vanilla Bean Frosting:12 tablespoons softened unsalted butter (room temperature)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste To Prepare the Fluffy Vanilla Bean Frosting:In a large bowl, sift powdered sugar and set aside.
In the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter for 5 minutes until fluffy and pale.
Add half of the powdered sugar and whisk well. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the remaining half of the powdered sugar. Add milk and vanilla bean paste. Continue beating the frosting for another 5 minutes or until light, smooth, and fluffy. To Assemble:
Place frosting into a large piping bag fitted with the Wilton #233 grass icing tip. Fill the pastry bag with frosting and pipe frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Top with decorated bunny chocolate and bunny ears tooth picks. Enjoy!
What is your favorite ingredient to enjoy in Spring? Is it corn, asparagus, peas, mangoes, berries, or all of the above? I think my family’s favorite has to be strawberries! During spring break, I took the kids to a nearby farm to pick their own strawberries. It was a fun and yummy afternoon!
We’ve picked 4 big baskets full of strawberries and really enjoyed them. Besides eating them as is, I also made these delicious strawberry cupcakes, from scratch!
I added fresh strawberries into the cake batter so that they are nice and moist. Meanwhile, I mixed some fresh strawberry puree into the frosting so that they are slightly sweet and tart. I also filled these cupcakes with some strawberry preserves in the center. Be sure to check out the video tutorial on how to do that without any special equipment. And of course, a slice of fresh strawberry on top as garnish to make it more festive. These cupcakes are not too sweet but packed with wonderful strawberry flavors. This frosting is probably one of the easiest one to prepare as well.
These cutie cupcakes were baked in these individual cupcake liners (see link below on where to purchase). But you can use regular cupcake pan and liners as well. I’m sure they'll turn out just as delicious! These strawberry cupcakes will be perfect for your Spring tea party, or just any afternoon tea time since they are so easy to prepare!
What are your Spring favorite food or ingredients to enjoy? Be sure to let me know in the comment below. I can’t wait to hear from you! Thank you for stopping by today. Until next time, please take care.
Many recipes on my blog were inspired by my Kids, and this Mini Chocolate Muffins recipe (迷你巧克力鬆餅) is no exception. There was a breakfast event in my Baby Girl's class a while ago and someone brought mini chocolate chip muffins (the store-bought ones though). After my Baby Girl finished the mini muffin, she immediately asked me if I can make some for her when we get home. But she was very specific, she wanted a chocolate version with chocolate chips in them! "What a Little Foodie I have!?" was what I thought at that time.
I'm glad that she "challenged" me and inspired me to test out new recipes. These Mini Chocolate Muffins were some of the best muffins we've had. I don't usually prepare muffins for breakfast, especially not for the Kids. I prefer a savory breakfast 90% of the time (the occasional waffles and pancakes filled that 10%)! But these mini muffins were very tender, light and fluffy. Best of all, they were not overly sweet and in perfect mini sizes, a.k.a. perfect size for portion control! And they are definitely the perfect after school treats.
These Mini Chocolate Muffins also double the duty as afternoon pick-me-ups for Mommy and Daddy! With a mini chocolate muffin and a cup of latte, or espresso, I've got the energy to tackle the rest of the day! Boy, I truly miss my summer holidays! The picture below shows you the inside of these muffins and how light and airy they are.
And yup....all gone in just minutes. These are the perfect 1 or 2 biters, depending whose mouth you used as the measuring unit.
Interested to see how I made them? Follow me to my kitchen and check them out.
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line mini cupcake pans with paper liners.
2) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy.
3) Lower the speed to medium, add the egg, and then add the vanilla extract until incorporated.
4) Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl when necessary.
5) In a separate bowl/measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, yogurt, and coffee. Set aside.
6) In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
7) & 8) On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until use combined.
9) Gently fold in 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips.
10) With a small ice cream scoop (about a tablespoonful), divide the batter among the prepared mini cupcake pans.
11) Then, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on top of the batter in the baking pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
12) Cool on wiring rack and enjoy.
As always, I used Valrhona unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe, which made these chocolate muffins super dark and decadent. I love the deep and chocolate-y taste from this cocoa powder. These muffins are light and airy, yet, rich in chocolate aroma at the same time. Whether you serve them for breakfast or afternoon tea is totally up to you; and I hope you'll give this recipe a try! I guaranteed that they'll be a delicious one.
Boo….Are you ready for Halloween? Honestly, I wasn’t ready at all until my Mother-in-law took the kids out for Halloween costumes shopping last weekend. Many of the more popular costumes were either sold out or didn’t have the size for my kids. I didn’t know people get ready so early when there were more than 3 weeks before Halloween arrives. With that said, I guess I better get ready and swing into Halloween mood earlier this year as well. I was planning to dress my kids as Mickey and Minnie Mouse since they are big fans of the mouse. Unfortunately, I didn’t get those outfits this year. So, here are some Mickey and Minnie Mummy Cupcakes for the kiddos. These mummy cupcakes are so much fun to make and for sure will get you into Halloween mood. Here’s what you need:
1) Prepare some Chocolate cupcakes, of course. I used this recipe here. You can use your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe or even boxed cake mix for these.
2) Chocolate Nonpareil Candies for Mickey and Minnie’s ears.
3) Light color Buttercream or frosting. I used my favorite Meyer Lemon Buttercream recipe here.
4) Chocolate Covered Raisins for Mickey and Minnie’s eyes.
5) Marshmallows
6) Powdered sugar for rolling the marshmallows
7) Heart Shaped Confetti for Minnie’s Bowtie
Here are the steps:
1) Lightly dust a clean surface and your rolling pin with powdered sugar. With a dusted rolling pin, flatten the marshmallows. You’ll need about 3 marshmallows for each cupcake.
2) With a kitchen scissors, cut the rolled marshmallows into strips.
3) Frost the cupcakes with a thin layer of Buttercream or frosting. The frosting acts as adhesive for the marshmallow strips and chocolate candies.
4) Place a pair of the chocolate covered raisins on the upper one third of the cupcakes as eyes.
5) Press a pair of chocolate nonpareil candies, white side down, onto the top of the cupcakes as ears. Refrain myself yourself from eating all the chocolate candies before your project is done.
6) Place the marshmallow strips at an angle over the frosted cupcakes, leaving the eyes exposed. Gently press the marshmallow strips so they’ll stick onto the frosting. Trip off excess marshmallow strips around the cupcakes.
See how simple and easy that was? I really love this mummy cupcake project. Fun factor: 80 out of 100. Spooky factor: 60 out of 100. 60 is pretty much my kids’ standard. They were wondering why Mickey and Minnie were all bundled up! After a brief explanation (not too sure if my kids were really listening), the cupcakes mysteriously disappeared. Spooky, huh?
Cute factor: 100 out of 100. I’m not a fan for the mouse (guess that’s because I see them too often around the house), but I have to say, these mummy cupcakes are super adorable. Hope you like them too and maybe make some with your kids this Halloween. My little girl sure enjoyed the time with me in the kitchen today. She indulged a few Minnie's ears and Mickey's eyes here and there while having fun rolling out marshmallows with me.
When Misty from Shelf Reliance asked me to give the Thrive products a try, I was a bit skeptical about the concept/approach. However, after reading her blog "Your Own Home Store," and Shelf Reliance's website, I became convinced that the concept behind the Thrive products is sound and I decided to give it a try.
The concept is rather simple. 1) Flash Freeze the food/fruit. 2) Vaporize. 3) Package and Store.
The primary benefit of applying this methodology to food items is an Extended shelf life. And as I read Misty’s story, while holding this concept in mind, I was so touched by Misty's story and it’s a reality check for all of us, especially with today’s economy (click here to read her full story). I’m happy that I had the opportunity to try these awesome products.
Thrive Foods offers many variety/types of products, including grains, veggies, fruits, dairy, meat and beans. Can you imagine using freeze dried ground beef and powder sour cream in your recipes? I was fascinated by the wide ranch of products they offered. Don’t worry, I’ll show you a few recipes on how to incorporate Thrive products into an everyday recipes, both savory and sweet.
I love how easy it was to open the packages on the canned products. There’s a plastic lid to reclose the can so the unused portion stayed nice and fresh. The picture below was the freeze dried Strawberry Yogurt Bites. My kids love eating them as snacks. These yogurt bits are also wonderful to eat with cereals. Another way to enjoy them is to reconstitute them by adding water. (All instructions were printed on the packages and were very easy to follow.)
Products in pouches were re-sealable. I loved the freeze dried fruit. It was very versatile and easy to use. In my Very Berry White Chocolate Muffins, I added the freeze dried raspberries in the batter as the way they were (without reconstitute). Also, I added some crushed freeze dried strawberries in the batter to create the beautiful pink color naturally. Not only do the muffins turned out beautifully, the freeze dried fruit added a wonderful berry flavor as well. The freeze dried fruit in the muffins tasted just like fresh berries, if not better. The freeze dry process really concentrated the flavors of the ingredients and the aroma popped once you open the packages.
Have you ever ran out of fresh eggs in the fridge while you need a few to whip up some goodies in a recipe? That happened to me more than once! It’s frustrating because it’s not always convenience for me to drive down to the store with the kids, especially when that happened in the middle of the night. Yeah, my nick name is “midnight baker”! LOL…Anyway, no more knocking on your neighbor’s door to borrow an egg! Keep a package of the Thrive Whole Egg Powder in your pantry and you’ll always have the eggs you needed! That’s truly awesome, don’t you agree?
These Very Berry White Chocolate Muffins turned out soft, fluffy and moist! I loved the bursting of berry flavors from each bite. The tartness from the berries balanced well with the sweetness from the white chocolate. You’ve got to try this wonderful recipe. On my next post, I’ll share with you a savory recipe using other Thrive products. And maybe a bonus sweet recipe after that. For now, here’s your chance to win some Thrive products and make a batch of these berries goodness in your own kitchen. Misty was very generous and offered one of the lucky uTry.it readers up to $50 in Thrive products (retail price).
This Giveaway is now Closed.
Rules for the giveaway:
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (or with a valid U.S. shipping address). Deadline to enter is June 8th by midnight PST.
Mandatory entry: Visit Shelf Reliance’s site, leave a comment and tell me which Thrive product you would like to try the most.
Extra entries: do all or any of the following (please leave a separate comment for each additional entry).
1) Visit Misty’s blog and subscribe to her blog by email or reader, leave a comment to tell me that you did
2) Like uTry.it’s Facebook page (Here’s the link)
3) Subscribe to uTry.it’s blog as a Follower on Google Friend Connect (see right hand side bar)
4) Share this giveaway with your Facebook friends
5) Share this giveaway on Twitter
One lucky winner will be selected using Random.org. Winner will be announced shortly after the deadline of the giveaway.
Good Luck!
**Update**
A Friendly Reminder from Misty: I notice some of you shown interest in purchasing Thrive products. Please make sure you place the order through Misty's site here (http://yourownhomestore.shelfreliance.com/yourownhomestore) and you'll save 5%-45% off retail price, courtesy of Misty. Isn't it cool? If you go straight to http://shelfreliance.com you will end up paying full retail price. Thank you for the great tip and savings, Misty!
*Disclaimer: I received the free samples for the purpose of this review and I am not compensated in any way to write this post. All comments and opinions are 100% my own.
Spooky, huh?
