Hello Kitty Cake 3D

What did you make for a xmas party?
I had a fun time with my husband's family in socal! They got 5 girls, so decided to make a hello kitty cake for them. I thought about making it more xmasy, like coloring  the ribbon with green x red, making a nose with red chocolate or something like that. However, I just felt like making a original version after all.

Hello Kitty Chocolate Cake (9in)

-9in sponge cake ( I made chocolate one)
-Chocolate cream
         350ml  Heavy whipping cream
         160g  Chocolate (chopped)
-Whipped cream
         one pint Heavy whipping cream
         70g   Granulated sugar
         a little, vanilla extract
-Fruits (optional, but strawberries go well with this cake I think)

-Pocky (whiskers)



1. Slice a sponge cake into 4. Line a 9in bowl with plastic wrap. Cut the 2 slices of the cake to line the bowl as shown in the picture 1. It's like a puzzle, kinda..

2. Make chocolate cream. Put 160g chocolate and 160g whipping cream in another bowl. Mix then in a double boiler. Slowly melt the chocolate. When chocolate melt, take the bowl out from the double boiler and add the rest of the whipping cream. Mix carefully until thicker. Pour it in a bowl from step 1. (picture 2)
Make ears with a slice of the cake.  Lay the extra cake between cream. (picture 3) Put fruits if you want. Pour the cream to the top. (Picture 4).

3. Put a lid with the 4th slice of the cake. Refrigerate for a couple hours.

4.  Take it out on a cake plate. ( picture 6)

                        *I took this picture when I made a smaller size cake.

5. Connect the ears and the face with Pocky.

6. Make whipped cream by mixing heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Pipe around the face.

7. Make the face parts. (eyes & ribbon: chocolate, nose: ;lemon cream covered almond)

　

Edible Gift,Tofu Meatloaf

How about healthy(?) tofu meat loaf as a holiday gift? :)


Tofu Meat Loaf
(If you don't want to use tofu, see Meat Loaf Cake. )

300g Ground beef
200g Tofu ( I used soft tofu, but medium or firm would work too)
1/2 Onion
1 Egg
1cup Panko
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Layer a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the meat on it to make a square shape.
3. Bake at 350F for about 20 mins.

 4. Cut off the edges to make a nice square. Cut into 4 small squares.

 5. Stuck 4 pieces on a plate.

Sauce
8tbs Ketchup
8tbs Worcester sauce

1. Mix all the ingredients in a pot.
2. Put the sauce on the meat.


Ribbon

3 ham
Fried pasta

Make a ribbon with a slice of ham as shown. Connect the s sides of the ham with fried pasta.

Create the rest of ribbon strings with 2 hams. See the final picture.

Found this cute meat loaf idea on Cookpad (Link in Japanese)
Thought this would be a perfect gift for holiday party:)

Pumpkin whiPOOHed 3D cake

Saw this cake on CookPad, a popular Japanese cooking website and fell in love!

Changed a recipe and direction to make it easier and healthier!!

What you need....

(cake size of Japanese rice bowl )

Base cake (12cm size)



Your favorite cream ( I used homemade black bean cream)

100g ish Mashed and strained pumpkin

1p Very firm vacuumed tofu (or heavy whipping cream)

5 Tbs Maple syrup



1. Cut the cake in 3 layers. Cut 1 of them into 4 and line a rice bowl with it. (picture top on right)

2. Put the cream in a rice bowl

3. Cut another layer of the cake to make the lid. (picture 3rd from top on right)

4. move it over to a large plate

5. Make ears with the last layer, using a heart shaped cookie cutter

6.Put the ears with toothpicks or fried pasta.

7. puree the tofu and maple syrup with FP and strain. Or whisk heavy whipping cream.

8. mix with pumpkin

9. just decorate the cake! (nose part is just creme)

10. make eyes and eyebrows with chocolate:)



Kyotofu's Chocolate Souffle Cupcakes

4/23 was my boss's 40th birthday, so I decided to make 40 cupcakes for his birthday party. I was browsing recipes online for something new to try, when I came across this Kyotofu's chocolate souffle cupcake.
It won New York Magazine's best cupcake award in 2007:"Imperceptibly enriched with soy milk, tofu, and just enough miso to give it a slight, delectable tang."

Kyotofu is a Japanese dessert bar in NY.
New York Magazine say;"with its focus on the flavors of Japan and the gracefully subtle incorporation of soy into eleven out of the fifteen items on its short menu, Kyotofu is making its own distinctive mark on an increasingly crowded postprandial market."
Zagat says Kyotofu is one of the best Japanese restaurants in the US.


Here is the recipe courtesy of New York Magazine;
Ingredients
2 cups dark chocolate (preferably Valrhona pellets, 64 percent)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon white miso
3 eggs
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup Japanese bread flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona)
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup silken tofu
1/4 cup soy milk, unsweetened (preferably Vitasoy)


Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
(1) Melt chocolate, butter, and miso in double boiler over low heat, stirring occasionally. When only small lumps remain, remove from heat and stir until completely smooth. Whip eggs until they reach “ribbon stage,” then pour chocolate mixture into mixing bowl with the eggs, varying the mixing speed to incorporate chocolate.
(2) Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, mixing together with hands or a whisk. Fold the dry ingredients into the chocolate, mixing until fully incorporated. Add tofu and soy milk slowly, mixing until fully incorporated.
(3) Scoop batter almost to the top of 24 wax-lined mini–panettone cups arranged on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating tray halfway through, until center springs back when touched. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired.
(Published 2009)

Sushi Cake!

Made a sushi cake for my friend's birthday party.

8inch sushi cake

3cup sushi rice
*5tbs vinegar
*4tbs agave (You can use sugar instead)
*1tbs salt
*1.2inch ish Dried Kombu(edible kelp) optional

Prepare sushi vinegar. Mix all the * ingredients well and let it cool in a fridge over night.
Add the sushi vinegar to hot steamed rice and mix well.

Cover the mold with plastic wrap.
Fill the mold with the half amount of sushi rice. Place plastic wrap on and press the rice.
Spread the avocado salad and put another half of sushi rice over the avocado and press the rice using plastic wrap.
Remove plastic wrap and unmold. ( the bottom-side up)
Garnish the cake.


★recommended ingredients for garnish
salmon sashimi (Roll up 2 slices of the sashimi together to make a salmon rose)
crab meat
tomatoes
egg
shrimp
avocado
okura

I used avocado and crab meat mixed with my favorite creamy tofu savory sauce from the vegetarian restaurant in Hermosa Beach, The Spot.
The recipe is here:http://www.food.com/recipe/creamy-tofu-savory-sauce-277729

Love this sauce! So good with brown rice and steamed vegetables.

Also, I put some pickled onions under the salmon roses, like Salmon carpaccio.
The pickles recipe is here:http://taste-of-japan.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-favorite-pickles.html