Cinco Leches - Tres Leches all Grown Up ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

This Tres Leches Cake - a delicious sponge cake soaked with  three different

kinds of milk - gets a grown up spin with the addition of a little rum.

Classic Vanilla Flan Bundt ~ #BundtBakers

So, we all know that bundt pans are great for making cakes, but have you ever wondered

 what else you could make in a bundt pan?

Milo Cupcakes with Condensed Milk Buttercream Frosting

My mum gives me Milo to go, and go, and go - I remember my daughters returning from a trip to Australia and singing this slogan for a popular Milo commercial upon their return.  I grew up in Australia drinking Milo, so I thought it was kind of cute that my American-raised daughters would be singing along to such and iconic Australian product - Aussie accents and all.

Milo is a chocolate and malt powder that can be mixed into milk or water (either hot or cold) to make a delicious drink, although my favorite use for it as a kid was to sprinkle it over vanilla ice cream. It is quite granular and does not completely dissolve if mixed with a cold liquid, which gives you these little crunchy bits in your drink.  It was developed in Australia in the 1930's to help combat childhood dietary deficiencies during the depression, and remains popular today.

My favorite Milo - with extra malt.

I don't know about your pantry, but mine always seems to be overflowing with items that I purchased for a recipe and either forgot about, or didn't use completely.  Hoarding also became something of a habit whilst living in Guam because I never knew when the next shipment of an item would arrive, so I tended to purchase multiples of everything.  Anyway, I noticed the tin of Milo in the back of a cupboard and thought that it would be great in a cupcake.  Well, actually I made myself a glass of milk and Milo first, and then thought about the cupcakes. A search for a recipe led me to Raspberri Cupcakes, and the idea grew from there. I had a favorite chocolate cake already, but I loved the idea of condensed milk buttercream frosting.

These really are delicious cupcakes and I loved them even without the frosting.  The Milo adds a really nice chocolate-malt flavor to the cupcakes, and I loved the crunch on the top of the frosting.  I realize that Milo is not readily available in the US, although you can buy it on Amazon, so I would suggest Ovaltine as a substitute.

Milo Cupcakes with Condensed Milk Frosting 

Milo Cupcakes with Condensed Milk Buttercream Frosting
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients
Cupcakes ~

• ¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• ¾ cup hot water
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1¼ teaspoons coarse salt
• ⅓ cup Milo
• 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
• ½ cup milo, additional

Frosting ~

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 5 tablespoon condensed milk
• ¼ cup Milo

Preparation
Cake ~

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.
2. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. 
3. Whisk together cocoa, espresso powder, and hot water until smooth. 
4. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ⅓ cup Milo.
5. Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine.
6. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl.
7. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes.
8. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. 
9. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.
10. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. 
11. Sprinkle the additional ½ cup Milo evenly over the cupcakes.
12. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
13. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely before frosting them. 

Frosting ~

1. Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed.
2. Add condensed milk and mix to combine.
3. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar one cup at a time, stopping mixer after each addition to scrape down the side of the bowl. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
4. After cupcakes are fully cool, frost and sprinkle with Milo.

Recipe adapted from Raspberri Cupcakes.

All That's Left Are The Crumbs

To Try Tuesday - Alfajores

A few days ago I was amazed to discover that I have a magic cupboard in my kitchen.  How cool is that?  All I have to do is put a can of condensed milk in there and when I get it back out a few days later, it has turned into dulce de leche.  This is so convenient since I haven't been able to buy a tin of it here. On the other hand it also shows how hot my kitchen has been, which is not so fun.

The condensed milk was to be used in a passion fruit cheesecake, so the fact that it was caramelized was not going to work in that recipe.  I quickly went out and got a new tin so I could make my cheesecake but then I was left with a can of dulce de leche.  After a quick search I found a couple of recipes for alfajores which are a soft shortbread-like cookie that has caramel sandwiched in the middle and powdered sugar sprinkled on top. They are very popular in Latin America and some areas of Spain.  I thought they would be very popular in my household too.

The first recipe that caught my attention during my search was at one of my favorite blogs, Brown Eyed Baker.  Michelle always has great recipes and amazing photos.  I did a little more research and kept seeing that some people like to add cornstarch to their alfajores, so I decided to base my recipe on the one I saw on Brown Eyed Baker, but replace a little of the flour with cornstarch.

These definitely get my seal of approval.  I would definitely describe them as moreish - the more you eat the more you want.  They are just the perfect couple of bites with a cup of coffee.  I am going to have to send them to school with my girls tomorrow or they are going to be calling out to me all day.

Alfajores
Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients

• 3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting work surface
• ½ cup cornstarch
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1½ cups unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• ½ cup cold water
• dulce de leche, chilled
• powdered sugar, for dusting

Preparation

1. Sift together the flour and powdered sugar. 
2. In a food processor, pulse together the flour and sugar mixture with the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. 
3. With the machine running, pour in the water in a slow stream, and process just until the dough comes together, about.
4. Form the dough into two flattened disks, wrap well in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350℉ and line two baking sheets with a Silpat or parchment paper.
6. On a well-floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to just under a ¼-inch in thickness.
7. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds from the dough and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. 
8. Repeat with the other disk of dough. Gather up all the scraps and re-roll and cut.
9. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Spread 2 teaspoons of dulce de leche on the bottom of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies to make a sandwich, and dust with powdered sugar to finish. 
11. Finished cookies should be eaten the same day they are assembled. Unfilled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about days.
12. Makes approximately 20-25 filled cookies. 

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker.