Black Heart Baker

Next Stop on my Quest for Pie

2011-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

So my next stop on my quest for the perfect pie in San Francisco, was Chile Pies (& Ice Cream). I read mixed reviews about the service at this place from Yelp, but lucky for me I had the place all to myself when I stopped in for a mid-afternoon snack. I've been mainly trying seasonal fruit pies, because I like them. So I tried peach pie again, like at my last stop at Mission Pie. Except this experience was entirely different. To start, the atmosphere of this shop is adorable. Kind of country, kitschy, and cozy all at the same time. They had lots of seating and huge windows, great for people watching.

The crust of the pie was much better than Mission Pie's peach pie. This one had more of a crumble topping, which I'm not a huge fan of, but it went well with everything. I actually wanted a simple peach pie with a double crust, bottom and top, but they didn't have that. Instead, I ordered the only peach pie they had, country peach pie with blueberries and cream fraiche baked inside. I decided to go all out and order mine a la mode with madagascar vanilla from Three Twins Ice Cream. The ice cream was a perfect match with this pie. In fact, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much sans the ice cream.

I will definitely head back to Chile Pies (& Ice Cream) to try their other pies. I'm looking forward to the fall season for the apple pies....love, LOVE apple pie!

The Quest for Amazing Pie in San Francisco

2011-08-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

About four years ago, I began the search for the perfect cupcake in San Francisco. Something moist, delicious, with the perfect amount of frosting on top. Some of my favorites include, That Takes the Cake, Kara's Cupcakes, and Miette. I have eaten many, many cupcakes and still try more as new bakeries pop up in the city.

Lately, I have a new love...pie! So I've been slowly starting my quest for the perfect pie in San Francisco. Just like with the cupcakes, the plan is to stick to local bakeries and small shops. I know there may be some restaurants out there with delicious pies, but I'm looking for things on a smaller scale.

I began my search at Mission Pie because they mainly serve pie of course! Since I was heading to a friend's house for dinner I bought a whole peach pie. The cost was $20, which seemed reasonable since it was a local shop using quality ingredients. The organic peach filling was by far my favorite part of the pie, but the crust was pretty bad. I want pie crust to be buttery and flaky and this was just dry and tasteless. I found myself digging inside for the filling and eating around the crust...so I don't think I'll be heading back there again.

Beijinhos (Portuguese Kisses)

2011-07-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

Portuguese Beijinhos

Beijinhos translates to little kisses in Portuguese and these little delicacies are one of my favorite desserts...well, I guess technically they are a candy...I think? Who cares, they are the SO good! Growing up, we only had them for special occasions because they took a bit of time and skill to make. My mom makes the best beijinhos, in my opinion. She takes her time and doesn't rush the process. I've seen and helped her make them several times as a child, but never got to see the recipe from start to finish. I finally had the opportunity to make them with her, while translating the recipe into English. I am so excited to share this recipe with all of you and my relatives, so that we can make these little treasures again and again. They are that good!

Peeling the almonds...this used to be my job as a kid.

The traditional way to make beijinhos requires the use of a meat grinder to grind the almonds and the cookies. Eventually, I'd like to experiment with using a food processor to do this job or just using almond flour instead because I do not have a meat grinder. I would also like to convert the metric units to customary the next time I make these.

The ground almonds


The ground "Bolacha da Maria" Cookies

Cook until it forms a "rua com uma colher", as my mom said. Which translates to forming a road with a spoon. Just wait until you can see the bottom of the pan.

Beijinhos cooling, hard to resist.

Traditionally cut tissue paper.

Rolled in sugar and wrapped up


Sweet little bit of heaven, aka beijinhos!

Beijinhos de Amêndoa (Avó Luisa’s recipe) Portuguese kisses/candy

Makes about 60 beijinhos

Tips: Use a wooden spoon that has only been used for baking. When grinding the almonds and cookies, grind the almonds first. Use a scale when measuring grams.

Ingredients:

125 grams almonds

500 grams sugar

2 cups of milk (1% is fine or other)

1 package of Bolacha de Maria Cookies (250 grams)

4 egg yolks + 2 whole eggs (6 total)

Splash of vanilla

Grease 9x13 Pyrex

Directions:

1. Pour boiling water over almonds; let sit for a while, then peel skins off of almonds.

2. Grind almonds & cookies

3. Heat sugar & milk in large pan on medium heat; bring to boil then lower heat to low and cook until thickens and a “road” forms with a wooden spoon (basically until you can see the bottom of the pan when stirring).

4. Take off heat & stir in almonds, cookies, vanilla, and eggs (be sure to temper the eggs when you add them)

5. Put back on low heat & boil until thickened and forms a “road” about 15-20 minutes.

6. Pour in greased 9x13 Pyrex to cool overnight (don’t refrigerate)

7. Roll balls into sugar and wrap in tissue paper

Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

2011-06-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

To keep with the mexican food theme for our work party, I made dulce de leche cupcakes. Well, actually, I just made regular cupcakes and then dulce de leche buttercream. I made two dozen chocolate using my favorite recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I also made one dozen vanilla using a new recipe from my Real Simple magazine. I wasn't sure about this new cake recipe, but everyone said it was great. I'm really picky when it comes to vanilla cupcakes and I'm still working on finding the right recipe.

For the buttercream, I made my standard buttercream and added a couple spoons of dulce de leche. This was my first time using dulce de leche and it made the most amazing buttercream. The cupcakes were a huge hit with everyone.

SF Food Bloggers Bake Sale

2011-05-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Just delivered about 4 dozen oatmeal carmelitas, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, and chocolate cupcakes for the SF Food Bloggers Bake Sale today, May 14. Show your support by stopping by and picking up some sweet treats in support of Share Our Strength a great organization working towards ending childhood hunger. The Bake Sale will be at 18 Reasons in the Mission and Kiehl's in Pacific Heights.

Bake Sale Saturday

2011-05-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 14th, Bay Area food bloggers will unite to help end childhood hunger one treat at a time. Come show your support for Share Our Strength by stopping by at one of the two San Francisco locations: 18 Reasons (593 Guerrero St.) from 10-6pm and Kiehl's (2360 Fillmore St.) from 12-4pm.

Coconut Macaroons

2011-05-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

These are the fastest coconut macaroons ever! They are dangerously delicious plain and even better dipped in chocolate.

Coconut Macaroons Recipe

This recipe makes a small amount. I usually double it for about a dozen or so macaroons.

Preheat oven to 325°

1 package of Coconut (7 oz)

⅓ cup of Regular sugar

3 Tb. Flour

⅛ tsp. Salt

2 Egg whites

Splash of almond or vanilla extract

Combine dry ingredients and then add wet. You don't even need a mixer, just stir with a spoon or spatula. Spoon, or use an ice cream scoop, to put them onto greased and floured cookies sheets, or just use parchment paper/silpat to create non-stick surface. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes.

Bake Sale for "Share our Strength"

2011-05-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Come support the national non-profit Share our Strength in the fight to end childhood hunger this Saturday, May 14th, at the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale. There are two San Francisco locations 18 Reasons at 593 Guerrero/18th St. and Kiehl’s at 2360 Fillmore Street. There will be lots of yummy treats from food bloggers from all over the city, including yours truly. I will be bringing my white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, oatmeal carmelitas, cupcakes, and maybe more.

Oatmeal Carmelitas

2011-05-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

These Oatmeal Carmelitas were a holiday tradition for many years, made by my great aunt Mary. I wanted to help keep her tradition alive by making them for Easter this year. They were incredibly easy and a big hit with everyone, including the new additions to the family. They are like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, but better because they have a layer of caramel in them. So good! I didn't get a good picture of them after I cut them into bars, just one with really poor lighting-sorry.

Oatmeal Carmelitas Recipe

Preheat oven to 350°

Combine the following and press HALF of mixture into a 9x13 greased casserole dish. A kitchen aid mixer works great for combining these ingredients.

2 cups Flour

2 cups Quick cooking oats

1 cup Brown sugar

1 tsp. Baking soda

½ tsp. Salt

1 ½ cups Melted unsalted butter

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

While still warm, sprinkle a 12 oz. Bag of chocolate chips and 1 cup of chopped walnuts.

Combine 6 Tb. of flour with a 12 oz. Jar of Caramel Topping, then pour on top of chocolate chip & walnuts. Top with remaining HALF of oatmeal topping and bake for 20 minutes.

Let cool completely before cutting into small bars.

Share Our Strength Bake Sale

2011-05-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

Easter Sweets

2011-04-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've had the opportunity to spend Easter with my extended family. I love seeing them because it always brings back memories of my childhood, being surrounded by Portuguese food and desserts. Living in San Francisco, I don't get many opportunities to eat Portuguese desserts. Needless to say, I stuffed myself and loved every minute of it. This Easter was filled with some traditional Portuguese sweet treats. We had Massa Sovada (sweet bread) and my mom's fillozes (cream puffs).

Easter Cupcakes

2011-04-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Made these carrot cake cupcakes with orange cream cheese frosting. They were topped with toasted coconut and malt ball Easter egg candies. I used a recipe from an old Everyday Food magazine. I really liked the addition of the orange zest to the cream cheese frosting.

Asparagus Pizza

2011-04-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

This was my attempt at recreating the delicious asparagus pizza we had at Ragazza in the Western Addition. I used pizza dough from Trader Joe's. Then, I sauteed some garlic, basil, and asparagus. I put a thin layer of mozzarella before adding the asparagus. Finally, I topped it off with parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of salt, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Bake Sale For Japan

2011-04-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

The idea started out small and then grew and grew to a nationwide event! Through the collective bake sales, we raised about $124,000 for Japan's earthquake/tsunami relief efforts!! Click here to read more about how this amazing bake sale began. I was lucky enough to volunteer at the SPQR location and had a great time being surrounded by sweet treats and good company.

Baby Shower and Birthday

2011-04-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

This past month was busy with birthdays and baby showers. Here are some of my contributions to the events. I made vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with blue butter cream for the baby shower. Then, I made ocean cupcakes to go around my nephew's store bought pirate cake. They were a big hit.

Sprinkles Cupcakes

2011-04-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

So it took me a while, but I finally went to Sprinkles cupcakes in Palo Alto. I had the red velvet with cream cheese frosting and my friend had the lemon blueberry with cream cheese frosting. They were both super yummy, but the red velvet was my favorite. I'll definitely have to go back again to try the other flavors.

Tempeh Tacos

2011-01-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

I had the best tempeh tacos at The Natural Cafe, while visiting Santa Barbara this past summer and I have thinking about them ever since. Since it has been so cold and rainy in San Francisco, I wanted to bring back memories of being warm in the Santa Barbara sun...and of course those amazing tempeh tacos! This was my first attempt and they turned out pretty darn close to the real thing! I just sauteed the tempeh with a taco seasoning packet, some water, and red salsa. I choose the standard lettuce and cheddar topping for my tacos. I think these are going to be my new staple for dinner-so good!

Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake

2011-01-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

I'm always looking for any excuse to use my bundt pan. I just love the look of the cakes that come from it, whether they are dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled in a milky, white glaze, I'm always in love. I tried out this lemon cream cheese pound cake from the Joy of Baking and it turned out great. Even though the recipe didn't call for it, I topped it with a lemon glaze-yum! I cut the cake into chunks so I could freeze some and give some away.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

2009-12-30T20:26:00.000-08:00

The Flavor of the Month for December was cookies. I choose one of my standards, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. People always rave about them and I absolutely LOVE them!

Portuguese Rice Pudding

2009-11-29T18:35:00.001-08:00

November's flavor of the month was traditions. Portuguese rice pudding is one of the traditional desserts we have during the holidays or for special occasions. I was always intimidated to make it, but gave it a shot a few months ago. It was actually pretty easy and turned out almost as good as my mom's. Just takes a little patience as you sit by the stove stirring until the rice is just right with the milk. Most rice puddings I've seen around have raisins in them and are a slightly different color than the kind I grew up eating. The Portuguese version doesn't have raisins-yay! It does have more egg yolks, hence the yellow color and a sprinkling of cinnamon on top. Yum!

Pumpkin Cookies

2009-10-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

These pumpkin cookies are my go to recipe whenever I need cookies fast. I love their cakey, pumpkin-y goodness! They are my number one favorite cookie! The recipe is so simple and fast. No matter where I take these cookies, they are always a BIG hit. I’ve given out the recipe to so many, so why not keep passin’ it on through Flavor of the Month at Bake at 350. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookies- Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients

2 ½ c. flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter (1 stick) at room temp.

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

3. In a separate bowl (I use my kitchen aide), cream together butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to butter mixture.

4. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Breakfast Club Cupcakes

2009-09-29T19:53:00.001-07:00

As soon as I heard that the Flavor of the Month was to make something as a tribute to John Hughes, I immediately got excited. I love his films! My top three favorites include, Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Sixteen Candles.

I knew I wanted to make some sort of cupcake and I didn’t want to just make pink cupcakes. Then Natalie, from Bake and Destroy, reminded me about her French Toast Cupcakes. It was the perfect idea for my crazy, busy schedule.

I decided to make a basic buttermilk vanilla cupcake and throw in some cinnamon. For the frosting, I initially started with a maple buttercream, but didn’t like the taste at all. So that one went in the trash and I started again. The cupcakes were topped with cream cheese frosting and a dusting of cinnamon. Really the cupcakes weren’t much like French toast at all, but more like cinnamon cupcakes, but who cares because they were so good!

Lemon Glaze Cupcakes

2009-08-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

I've been on the search for the best vanilla and chocolate cupcake recipes for the past two years. I feel like I have to get these basic recipes right before I can get creative with other flavors. I've already found a favorite chocolate recipe from the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, but vanilla has been much more difficult. I've tried recipes from Magnolia Bakery, Billy's Bakery and Martha Stewart, but they all seemed to be lacking the flavor and texture that I expect in a cake.

While browsing the cooking section of my favorite bookstore, the Green Apple, I stumbled upon a cupcake book that I had not heard of yet. I flipped through it and thought "Do I really need another one?". Thankfully, I had already been wanting to make lemon cupcakes for the Flavor of the Month carnival over at Bake at 350, but I knew I didn't have any good cupcake recipes. So $5.00 later (I know, can you believe that sale price!), I had yet another cupcake book to add to my collection.

I decided on making the buttermilk cupcakes. The Flavor of the Month for August was lemon, so I added some lemon zest to the batter and a lemon glaze on top. This recipe was quite different then the others I tried in that it had more butter, more sugar, and more eggs. The end result was totally not what I was expecting...they were DELICIOUS!! I can't stop thinking about how great they were. Finally, I have found my go to vanilla cupcake recipe-HOORAY!!

Buttermilk Cupcakes

3 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

zest of one lemon (optional)

Preheat oven 350°F. Line 24 cupcake tins with baking papers. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, lemon zest, and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir the vanilla. Alternating add the flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.

Fill each baking cup 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Lemon Glaze Icing: whisk 2 cups powdered sugar with 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice or more if needed for pourable consistency.

Lemon Cream Pie Oh My!

2009-07-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

My poor little blog gets neglected during the months of September through June while I’m teaching. It’s always during my summer vacation that I get inspired to do more with it. I always have the desire, but sometimes I need a little nudge…so I decided to join Flavor of the Month carnival from Bake at 350. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to keep up with the monthly flavor posts.

For the month of June, we had to make pie. The thought of making a pie immediately intimidated me because of the crust. Making a crust is much easier when you have a food processor and I do not. Someday, I’d love to whip up a flaky, buttery crust from scratch, but this was not the time. So I cheated and went with store bought. I know it’s terrible, but the rest was definitely homemade. After flipping through my collection of magazines, I decided on a lemon cream pie from Martha Stewart.

This was such an easy pie to make, especially since I bought the crust (shame on me). The hardest part was waiting for the pie to cool so that I could add the whipped cream topping and eat it! If I were to make it again, I think I’d use a little less lemon juice. The lemony taste was good, but a bit too much for me. This pie recipe was excellent, now I just have to work on making my own pie crust from scratch. For the recipe go here. Enjoy!

Check out more pie ideas and recipes here.

Cupcakes 2008

2009-02-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

Baking has been a hobby of mine for a long time, but I've never invested as much time and money into it as I have in the last two years. I guess it has a lot to do with finally living alone and having the time and freedom to play around with it.

Cupcakes have taken center stage in my baking for the last two years. I'm now known by my friends and family as the cupcake baker. I love these miniature creations! Here is a sampling of my favorites that I've baked this year. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes w/Vegan Buttercream

Oreo Cupcakes

Chocolate Banana Monkey Cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Ganache

Vanilla Cinnamon Cupcakes w/Cream Cheese Frosting

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes w/Buttercream

The Farm

2008-04-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

Even though I have been focusing my search on cupcake bakeries in the bay area, I also can't help but check out places when I am out and about traveling. The Farm is located near my old stomping grounds in Santa Cruz. I have visited The Farm many times for various things. The Farm is a bakery and shop all in one. They have so many neat things for gifts and lots of Mexican folk art. The Farm is known for their delicious fruit tarts, but I decided to give their cupcakes a try.

To start the cupcake was cold....I hate that! This has happened to me before and I just don't get why a bakery would sell a cold cupcake - what is the deal? I was really disappointed and the cupcake was terrible. I think I'll just stick to their fruit tarts and cute little gifts.

Belgano

2008-04-15T15:52:00.001-07:00

I was not satisfied with the cupcakes at Noe Valley Bakery, so I continued my stroll and stubbled upon Belgano. Their cupcakes looked homemade and delicious. I choose the white cake with vanilla buttercream. The cupcake was moist and simple, but soooo good! I think the best cupcakes are the ones that are simple and have a balance between the flavors and textures. This cupcake had it all! It turns out these cupcakes are brought in fresh daily from the bakers at Kookez Cafe. Delicious...I will definitely be returning here for more cupcakes.

Tea Cake Bake Shop

2008-04-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

Once I found Tea Cake Bakeshop, I was a little disappointed to find that they are located in an outdoor shopping area/strip mall. I guess I was hoping for something on a smaller scale since the decor is so cute.

Tea Cake Bakeshop is cute, but the lay out seemed a bit awkward. The display case did not have any cupcakes, but instead had some other decent looking sweets. The cupcakes were all on display along the windows on cake stands. The cupcakes themselves were gorgeous,but we weren't allowed to take from the ones on display. That seems weird to me...if I go into a bakery I expect the baked goods to be rotated through not just sitting on display.

After selecting a few basic flavors to try, I headed home to do some taste testing. I roped my boyfriend in to get his opinion on the flavors too. We agreed that the cupcakes were too sweet. Some might object that a cupcake can never be too sweet, well I disagree. I was really disappointed because these cupcakes were so cute. Ah well, back to my search for the perfect cupcake....

Kara's Cupcakes

2008-04-15T15:20:00.001-07:00

Well, I finally made it over to Kara's Cupcakes and this time I remembered to bring my camera. I love that Kara's is an actual cupcake bakery that uses local organic ingredients. The decor is very sophisticated, but at the same time cute. On my first visit I had the Chocolate Velvet, which was delicious. Not too sweet, but very tasty.

My second visit wasn't as great. I decided to try their Sweet Vanilla and Kara's Karot. The sweet vanilla cake was decent, but had a funny taste to it. I think it might have been almond extract, which I don't get because it's a vanilla cupcake. The vanilla butter cream was light and airy, but lacked flavor. The carrot cake was moist, maybe a little too moist-it was falling apart! It had nuts and raisins, which didn't seem right in a cupcake. The cream cheese frosting was probably the best part.

I'll visit Kara's again because I'm curious to try the other cupcake varieties they have, like the Passion Fruit filled cupcake.

Citizen Cupcake

2008-04-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

Citizen Cupcake in the Virgin Megastore downtown was my second attempt. The cupcakes were actually quite delicious & the views were nice, but something just didn't feel right about this place. Maybe it was the fact that we had to go up several escalators, then weave our way through the racks of books and CDs to find ourselves in this very simplistic & modern cafe. I don't think I'll be going there again.

Miette Patisserie

2008-04-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

I've been on the hunt for the best cupcake in San Francisco. My first stop was Miette Cakes in the Ferry Building. I fell in love the moment I stepped foot inside. Everything was beautifully displayed in pinks, greens, and polk-a-dots. Their chocolate cupcake was moist and had an intense chocolate taste. It was topped off with a strawberry buttercream which was delicate and not too sweet. Their Parisian macarons are what will keep me going back for more. The rose geranium macaron was chewy and had a slight hint of rose & geranium in the filling...Mmm. It was my first time having one of these and they were so yummy. On my second visit, I tried the chocolate cupcake with marshmallow frosting. The cake was flavorful and moist and the frosting was so delicate. Oh my, I'll definitely be going back for more of these. So far Miette's is at the top of my list.