Tag Archives: dad

Candy Bar Creations: Almond Joy

14 Nov

Snickers for Dad.

Almond Joy for Mom.

That’s what I remember getting at the convenience store when I was old enough to start spending my own money and buying things for my family.  Dad loved Snickers.  Mom loved Almond Joy.

For the longest time I stuck to eating Snickers with my dad.  I always thought coconut, since it’s a fruit (right?), was at best healthy (i.e. good for you) which meant it was incompatible with something as naughty as chocolate and at worst was just plain gross in both taste and texture.  Somewhere along the line I had gave it a try and had an epiphany, it’s pretty good.  And coconut is too.

So now that I’m baking … A LOT… and have found a niche for muffins and cupcakes… and am learning to be adventurous and make my own creations I’ve been trying to figure out how to take candy bars and make them into a dessert.  It’s essential that whatever dessert I create be inspired by the candy bar and not just a chocolate cupcake with a miniature candy bar throw on top or baked inside.    While perhaps delicious that seems a bit too simple and lacking some creativity.

Well this morning I put together my first rough draft of my first Candy Bar Creation: Almond Joy Cake(s).

Without further ado, here it is …

Chocolate Cake Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tsps vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
Coconut/Almond Filling Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped up a bit**
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tsps vanilla
  • 2 cups coconut
Whipped Topping Ingredients
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp coconut extract
  • 2 tbsps powdered sugar
Chocolate Topping Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup Semisweet chocolate, OR 1/4 cup milk chocolate OR 2oz unsweetened chocolate baking pieces
  • Small spoonful of vegetable shortening if needed
Kitchen Tools
  • 2 Mixing Bowls
  • 1 Saucepan
  • Mixer
  • 1 Wooden Spoon
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Baking/cooking spray
  • Muffin pans, bread pans, or 13×9 pan
Baking Directions
     First the cake,
  1. Grease bottoms of baking dishes you are using.  I used three mini bread pans and 1 regular bread pan.**
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside.
  4. In another bowl, beat butter for about 30 seconds on medium to high speed.
  5. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at time, until combined.
  6. When all the sugar is added, beat for about 2 minutes at medium speed.  You want to achieve a light, fluffy texture.
  7. Add 1 egg at a time, beating after each egg is added.
  8. Add in vanilla and beat.
  9. Add in flour and coconut milk, alternating between the two.  Beat on low speed and beat after each addition just until combined.
  10. Once all the flour and milk have been added, beat for about 20 seconds more on medium to high speed.
  11. Pour in dishes.
  12. For mini bread pans, I recommend 25-30 minutes.  Check at 25 and do the additional 5 minutes if needed.  You want to avoid the top getting dry and crumbling.  For larger bread pans, I recommend 30-35 minutes and for a 13×9 pan, 35-40 minutes (again checking at the minimal time needed and adding time in the oven as needed).
  13. When done let cool on wire rack in pans for 10 minutes.
  14. Remove from pans and let cool for another 10 minutes.**
Next the filling,
  1. Place the cream, sugar, pinch of salt, and almonds in the saucepan and let simmer until sugar is dissolved.  About 3 minutes.**
  2. Remove from heat and add vanilla and shredded coconut.
And now the whipped topping, 
  1. Mix cream, coconut, and sugar with mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.  About 10 minutes.  Be careful not to whip too long and make butter.  :)  You are basically looking for it to thicken up.
For the chocolate drizzle,
  1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or on stove top, your preference.
  2. Add shortening if needed to make it more fluid like.
To assemble:
  1. Slice cake in half length-wise.**
  2. Remove top half and set to side.
  3. Spoon coconut/almond filling on bottom half.  Be generous.
  4. Replace top half.
  5. Pour whipped topping over top of chocolate cake (spoon it on or use pastry bag or plastic bag).
  6. Drizzle chocolate on top
  7. Wala!  You’re done!**
**Tips:
  • You can use more almonds if you want.
  • If you chop up a bit more, you are not looking to grind them up or have tiny pieces, just smaller pieces.
  • I would lean toward using the mini bread pans or the 13×9 dish.  They seem to bake up better.
  • Letting cakes cool completely, though it seems a pain, is essential to the assembling process.
  • You can roast the almonds before hand if you wish.
  • You also don’t have to add the almonds in until you do the coconut.
  • Use a bread knife.
  • When I do this again I will either use a muffin pan or a 13×9 pan.  If you use a 13×9 pan you can use a round or square cookie cutter to cut cake.  If you do this leave cake in the 13×9 pan.
  • When done you could add a few almonds on top for additional fun and taste.

 

Inspired by the following recipes (I took a little from all three and made a few adjustments to come up with my cake):

 

 

 

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Tasty Tuesdays: Bango Muffins

24 Aug

I’m so excited to be posting my very first post.  The writer in me wants to give you some great paragraph full of witty, creative sentences that inspire you to go out and create deliciousness.  But I’m so excited about my first post and my first step to someday owning my own baking business that I’m going to just dive on in and give you this amazing recipe for my Bango Muffins (plus I figure you can go read my About page if you are looking for some deep, spiritual pining about food and baking) :)

I got brave and created these after baking a few muffins following different recipes and looking over a few different recipes in my cookbooks and online. This is what I have created with their guidance and some of my own originality.

Muffin Ingredients

  • 1 2/3 cup of flower
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • 1 1/3 cup mango pureed
  • 1 med-large banana pureed
Topping Ingredients 
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp cold butter, divided
  • 1/4 macadamia nuts
  • Shredded Coconut
Kitchen Tools
  • Three bowls
  • 1 Wooden Spoon
  • Pastry Blender
  • Muffin Pan
  • Butter or Baking Spray or Paper Muffin Cups
Baking Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease muffin pan or line pan with muffin cups and set aside.
  3. Mix dry ingredients (first 5 ingredients) in bowl.
  4. Make well/hole in center of flour mixture and set aside.
  5. Break eggs in bowl and beat lightly.
  6. Add in milk, oil, lime juice and pureed mango and banana.  Mix together.
  7. Pour egg mixture into center of flour mixture all at once.
  8. Stir with wooden spoon until moistened.  Be sure to not over beat/mix.
  9. Spoon into prepared muffin pan or cups.
  10. Add Muffin Topping** evenly on top of batter.
  11. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
  12. Place on wire rack for 5 minutes to cool.
  13. Take out of wire rack and cool for 2-3 more minutes.
**Muffin Topping Directions
  1. Mix all dry ingredients (not nuts).
  2. Cut butter into small slices.
  3. Using pastry blender, cut into mixture until it looks like little crumbles.
  4. Add in nuts and mix some more using pastry blender.
  5. You can add coconut now or wait and add after they come out of the oven while they are still warm which is what I did.
Makes 6 Jumbo Muffins or 12 Regular Muffins
I got to share these with some pretty cool people today.  But the coolest person of all (who I thought might just like these with me) was my dad who was celebrating his 71st birthday today.
Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Shout Outs to:  www.allrecipes.com and this amazing cookbook 

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