Basic Sponge Cake

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease sides of parchment paper lined pan (12x16x1/2 inch).

2 c Cake flour
1/2 c white sugar
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
8 egg yolks
1/2 c water

Mix together all dry ingredients then add the veg. oil, water and eggyolks. Blend well using whire wisk. Set aside.

BASE 2
8 egg whites
3/4 c white sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar

Place egg whites and cream of tartar into the mixing bowl. Using wire whisk, shift the mixer to 5 until it resembles to a float/bubbly(like beer). Gradually add in sugar. Whisk until soft peaks form. NOTE: Do not over mix, the consistency of the white should be like shaving cream, not dry and a little bit stiff.

Fold the cake flour into the white mixture by using rubber spatula.

Put the batter into the greased lined pan and tap once onto working table to release air bubbles.

Bake at 350F for 30 mins. Turn the pan upside down, and peel the paper. Let it cool.

NOTE: you can also roll this cake as in jelly roll. As soon as you take the cake out of the oven, roll it w/ the paper inside. Set aside while you prepare your own filling. Otherwise, you can slice it like a cake, put some fruits and some whip cream. Enjoy.

No fail Black Forest Cake

CAKE
1 2/3 c Cake flour
2/3 c cocoa powder (unsweet or sweet)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 c shortening
1 1/2 c white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c buttermilk

MOCHA FILLING
1/2 c butter
1/2 c shortening
1 1/2 c confectioners' sugar (add more if you want it sweeter, and how you want the consistency of your filling)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp instant coffee (dissolved in 4 oz heavy cream)
bottle of maraschino cherries (reserve the syrup)

FROSTING
2 c heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp maraschino syrup
1 square semi sweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Line the bottoms of two 8 inch round pans w/ parchment paper circles. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and 1 tsp salt. Set aside.
Cream together, butter and white sugar, beat until creamy and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, until combined. Pour into 2 round 8 inch pans. NOTE: I use 1 measuring cup to pour my batter in the pans to make it even.
Bake at 350F for 40 mins. Cool completely. Remove paper from cakes. Cut each layer in half, horizontally, making 4 layers total. Brush each layer with  the reserved syrup from the cherries. set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar, salt and dissolved coffee. Beat until smooth. NOTE: If the consistency is too thick, add 2oz of heavy cream.
Spread first layer of cake with 1/3 of the filling. Top with some cherries. Repeat with the remaining layers. NOTE: You don't have to spread filling on the top layer, if you don't want to.

In a separate chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. beat in 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tbsp of cherry syrup. Frost top and sides oc ake. Sprinkle w/ chocolate curls or shredded chocolate. You can decorate the sides and put as much chocolate you want.

Coconut Salad (Buko Salad)

3 package of Shreded Coconut (thawed)
1 can condensed milk
1 can all purpose cream (buy it at Walmart store > latin or institutional aisle)
1/2 c heavy cream
1 c palm fruit in syrup (you can buy this at the oriental store)...you can use 1 jar if you like
tapioca pearl (optional)
fruit cocktail (optional)

Mix all ingredients. Chill before serving.

unfounded accusation

An accusation even if it's unfounded always leave a mark to a person. We have to be careful at all times on what we want to say or do.

Its' been a long while since I wrote my last blog. We've been quite busy, running errands here and there. And I am thinking of something to blog about, until recently my friend shared a picture she entered in a contest. In order to win, you should share it and gather votes, which my friend did! She shared it to a website where friends, friends of friends, friends and relatives..etc. should "like" the page first before they can cast their vote for her entry.  I visited the page and click the "like" button so I can vote, unfortunately the contest has expired. All I can do is look at her entry and several people's entry. She made it on top of the list after the 1 1/2 day of working in it without sleep, exerted all the effort just to win the said photo contest. Sad to say that in that contest somebody had ruin her effort to win. Somebody who is not sport enough to accept that they got lost and beaten big time, and I mean big time! He posted someting about cheating and faked accounts on the page's discussion board, referring to my friend. He requested that her profile, voter's account be checked because it is impossible to gather a lot of votes in just 1 1/2 day (he had to, I guess bec he only have 9 votes compared to my friend's 189 votes). And so the discussion went on and on like a circus, exchanging ideas and words. FYI, the voters can also read evertyhing that's in the discussion board. My friend's mom read about the accusation of this "guy", and as a mom she did her job, and that is to protect and defend her daughter regarding the matter. As goofy as this guy is, he accused the mom of having a faked account too, that this person is the same person who casted 185 votes (which means 185 accounts is solely my friends'..but that is accdg to him), and that he cannot believe a 70 yr old woman is active on that site and can speak perfect English. And now he is being a racist!!! grrgrgrgrgrg...I can't stand what he said and so I made a comment and gave my own opinion. I have to discuss outside the topic since he brought it up. I am a Filipino myself. I may not speak perfect English but most Filipinos can, just like other nationals out there. English is our second language, heck...even toddlers can speak English there, too! So, there is no question about how well our elderly can speak perfect or not perfect English. After my comment, he now accused me of being one of the faked accounts of my friend, and asked me why am I so engaged in the discussion board.