VERY MANGO CUPCAKE

Its mango season!  I always love mango and I consider it as one of my favorite tropical fruit. Its always been part of my family's meal and I have grown eating mango from raw to ripe. 

Mangoes are generally sweet and it is widely used in cuisines specially in southeast Asia. In Philippines, unripe mango may be eaten with fish sauce (bagoong) or with a dash of salt. Dried strips of sweet, ripe mango are also popular and it is being exported internationally. Mangoes may be used to make juices, mango nectar, and as a flavoring and major ingredient in ice cream.

So to make the most of it, I have decided to bake a cupcake made up of mangoes. I used a regular cupcake recipe and I added mango as a main flavoring which is perfectly turned out moist and divine. The aroma of sweet mango can certainly smell even after it was baked. Its softness, fluffiness and distinct mango taste can make you even crave for more.

The thought of baking another mango dish comes up next.

Makes: 20-24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 18-20 minutes

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 6 medium eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 large mangoes (pureed)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 C. Line 2 (12-cup) standard size muffin pans with chocolate liners. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla extract, making sure to scrape bottom of the bowl with spatula.
4. Combine cake flour and baking powder in another  bowl. Gradually add half of dry ingredients to the batter.
5. Add milk making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the rest of the flour mixture.
6. Puree the mango, makes up to 2 cups. Add  1 cup of the puree in the batter and mix until combined. Reserve the rest of the puree for the filling.
7. Fill the cupcake 2/3 full and pip the filling at the center of each cupcake. Bake in the preheated oven for  20 to 22 minutes or until a cake tester inserted at the center comes out clean.
8. Cook cupcakes completely on wire racks before frosting.

Tip: You can put a small slice of mango at the center of cupcake before baking and skip the frosting.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

There is so much in my head that I want to put into action and that include keeping up this blog as you can see I haven't put any entry for a couple of months.

Baking for me is happiness, more if I share what I bake to my love ones.  Its my pastime, my escape to stress and worries. Baking is a magic for me.

Honestly, I'm a newbie with no experience at all and never had a decent study. As I remember the last time my mom ask  me to hold a whisk  is when I was a preschooler. It was long ago and I'm very glad that oven is back in our life just recently, and since I have a free time I want to bake as much as I could specially on a very important occasion.

I am sharing with you my baking experience, blues, success and failures, fun and new discovery in baking. If you are a professional, your thoughts are highly appreciated. This is for you. To all baking enthusiast out there. To you who just want to learn how to bake. Come peep into my blog. Its free. You are very most welcome and somehow this CUPCAKE SENSATION can make your day even brighter! Enjoy!

These brownies prove that peanut butter and chocolate is the ultimate combination!

Makes 1 8x8 - inch square pan
Prep Time 45 minutes to 1 hour
Baking Time 30 to 35 minutes

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (60 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (112 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups and 2 tablespoons (275 grams) brown sugar
• 2/3 cup (180 grams) creamy peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 (42-grams) pack chilled Reese's peanut butter cups, diced into 16 pieces and refrigerated until ready to use 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease the pan. Prepare a pipping bag with a 1/4 inch hole; set aside.
2. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar in 3 minutes. Add peanut butter and continue to beat for another 5 minutes. Use a  spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and beaters; mix well. Transfer 80 grams of this mixture to the prepared piping bag and set aside.
4. Add eggs one at a time to the remaining peanut butter mixture, beating 30 seconds on medium speed after each addition. Add vanilla extract.
5. Lower  mixer speed to the lowest setting. Add the dry ingredients in three additions. Mix just until no dry streaks remain, but avoid over beating the mixture.
6. Pour butter into the pan. Smoothen the surface with a rubber spatula.
7. Pipe the reserved peanut butter mixture on top, making a continuous "U" shape winding up and down from left to right, including corners and edges to ensure even distribution. Evenly distribute the diced peanut butter cups on top.
8. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or just until the center is set but still moist. Test by inserting a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, the brownies are easy.
9. Let cool for about 20 minutes before cutting into squares.

TIP : Baking is an exact science, so you'll get the best result if you use a scale.