Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

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Raspberries are one of my favorite fruits, I could eat them every day. Also, I bake with them a lot not just during summertime but also in colder months.  The sweet and tart flavors of red raspberries make them truly versatile. One of the things I learnt about them is that frozen raspberries is the best way to go when you want to keep them in your fridge for a longer period of time. We are just 2 people at home so sometimes we can’t eat fresh produce very fast, buying frozen fruit has been the solution to reduce waste and perfect to use for smoothies, salads, baked goods, garnishes etc.

When talking about fresh raspberries I totally recommend Washington Red Raspberries. In the cool, marine climate of the Pacific Northwest, Washington produces approximately 90% of the nation’s frozen red raspberry crop. They are picked at the peak of ripeness and frozen within hours of being harvested, locking in flavor and nutrition.

Why frozen raspberries?

* 80 calories per cup

* Excellent source of fiber

* One of the lowest in natural sugar content compared to other berries

* Available year-round

 I decided to create cheesecake bars which are easy to make and perfect to use frozen raspberries during any time of the year. The crust is made with lemon cookies, the cheesecake filling has a touch of vanilla and white chocolate. The most important part is the raspberry sauce which gives the perfect final taste for each bite, tart and sweet at the same time. Decorate with frozen raspberries and enjoy!

 Also, Washington Red Raspberry Commision would like to invite you all to participate in their #RazzYourBaking consumer challenge where you have a chance to win $500!  Enter by sharing a picture of your creation on Instagram using #RazzYourBakingChallenge for a chance to win.

Contest ends July 31, 2022. Visit redrazz.org/razzyourbaking for more details on how to enter.

Let’s start with the recipe and if you would like to watch the video of how I made these delicious treats, don’t forget to visit me on Instagram because I’ll be posting on my stories and a reel about them @pastry_tales

This post is sponsored by WRRC.

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Summer Brownies

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One of the things that I like to eat during Summer is gelatin of different flavors. I always add some fruit or milk to make it fun. Today, I decided to create this dessert which is half brownie and half strawberry jello cream. This jello cream needs just 2 ingredients and it firms up very nicely in the fridge.

Each bite will remind you of chocolate covered strawberries.

Why making this recipe?

*Perfect for Summer and you can add some fruit to your “chocolate diet” .

*You can use my brownie recipe or you can use a brownie mix (but really, try my brownie recipe, tastes better!)

*Believe me, nobody has tried brownie and jello cream in the same dessert, make this to surprise your family and friends.

*It is quick, tasty and pretty.

Before making this dessert, you should know that because the brownie layer will be in the fridge until serving, the texture of the brownie will be fudgy which is not bad for brownies at all.

Watch the video on Instagram @pastry_tales

Let’s start with the recipe.

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Peach Muffins

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It has been so so hot here in Texas. I lived in California for 10 years and we know it is pretty hot there BUT the humidity here in Texas makes everything worse. Plus there are some big bugs flying around all the time and do not even look at my arms or legs, every morning  I woke up with new bug bites. It is something that I am having a hard time to get used to for sure. Also, If I don’t bake super early in the morning there is no way that I’m turning my oven on. Even though we have the AC on all the time, everything melts and gets sticky very fast lol. I cannot wait to go to Peru next month where I will be able to cool down for a couple of weeks. Yes! I am planning to go visit my parents and have some family time with them.

I bought some peaches last week so I decided to create something easy that would go really well with your morning cup of Joe. Muffins packed with vanilla extract and chopped peaches with a crunchy top.

For this recipe is better to use fresh peaches but if you don’t feel like peeling them, just get canned peaches, just be sure to soak all the liquid from those peaches (you can use paper towel) otherwise your muffins will take longer to bake and they will be a bit soggy.

Why making this recipe:

easy

*just a few ingredients

*you don’t need a mixer

*they look pretty

*they taste delicious

Let’s start with the recipe and if you would to see how I made them, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, you will find a video there.

Instagram: @pastry_tales

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Chocolate Red Wine Cupcakes With Blackberry Buttercream

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I posted a similar recipe a couple of years ago. By then, I really didn’t have such a big following as I have now, so I didn’t take nice pictures or made a video about these. For my surprise, this recipe became very popular on Pinterest and many people have made them in the last couple of years.

Last night was the final episode of one of my favorite shows “This is Us”. This show has been very special to me because it is all about a family where the mother has Alzheimer’s, so I sat down every Tuesday with my glass of wine and enjoyed this show. I decided to make these cupcakes to celebrate the last episode and gave it a little purple-Ish color which is the Alz color.

About these cupcakes: chocolate and wine mini cakes with a touch of cinnamon and topped with a silky fresh blackberry buttercream. They are really really good.

If you want to watch how I made these, visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales

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Easy Black Forest Cake

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One of the most popular cakes around the world is “Black Forest”. Chocolate, cherries and cream make one of the tastiest treats specially during summer season. Here on my blog, you’ll find Black Forest Cupcakes and a layered Black Forest Cake BUT sometimes we don’t have a lot of time to make a big cake or you just want a small batch. This recipe has everything that black forest has but it is baked in a square 8×8 pan. Easy, perfect to share and delicious.

I used maraschino cherries because I had one opened container in the fridge that I wanted to use but you are welcome to use fresh cherries too.

Let’s start with the recipe and if you would like to see how I made this cake, visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales

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Dulce de Leche Churro Bundt Cake

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Cinco de Mayo is a good excuse to eat delicious Mexican food. Today, I’m making burrito bowls and for dessert I want to introduce you to this cake that is perfect for a day like today or for whenever you want to indulge yourself with cake and a big cup of coffee or tea.

Churros are delicious treats covered with cinnamon-sugar coating. Sometimes, you can find them with different fillings like dulce de leche, pastry cream or chocolate. My favorite is the dulce de leche for sure.

This cake has dulce de leche flavor and it is coated with a mixture of white sugar, light brown sugar and cinnamon. Each bite will remind you of churros for sure. If you want to watch how I made this Bundt cake, visit me on Instagram so you can watch my Reel @pastry_tales

Let’s start with the recipe! Happy Cinco de Mayo!
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Torta Helada

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Mother’s Day is next week so I thought making something that I haven’t posted on the blog yet that reminds me of my mom. In older posts you can read that one of my favorite things to eat for my birthday was a fudgy chocolate cake but there is also one cake my mom used to make for my birthday, we call it “Torta Helada” which in English would be “Frozen Cake” but this is not really frozen. It has a layer of a white vanilla cake, a layer of cream which is a flavored jello mixed with super cold evaporated milk, fruit and a thin layer of regular jello.

There are other versions of this cake online but I created this one so you can make it at home. Usually you need a very deep round pan which are not very easy to find here in USA so I decided to make it in a 9×13 pan and trim some of the top and sides, it worked really good. I chose peach jello but you can use any other flavor you prefer. For the fruit I used canned peaches and maraschino cherries but you can use any other fruit you prefer like strawberries. NEVER use pineapple because your jello won’t set.

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Alfajores Marplatenses (Argentina)

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If you have visited my blog for a while, you should know that Alfajores are one of the most popular cookies in Sout America. Each country has their own version and I think each of them are very delicious and special. There is one kind that always got my attention since I was a kid in Peru, they came in a box from the Argentinian brand Havanna. They were 2 delicate cookies with a slight chocolate, orange, honey flavor filled with dulce de leche and coated in chocolate. I never imagined that someday I was going to come up with my own version but guess what, here I am with these homemade alfajores which are splendid with your cup of tea or coffee.

This is my third time trying to develop this recipe. The first time I was not happy at all. The dough was dry and the taste was not right. Second try was much better because I nailed the flavor so I decided to share the recipe here on my blog 2 years ago. But, for some reason I’ve been thinking about these alfajores and I was not very happy with the way the dough was when I rolled it out on the floured surface before cutting the circles, it was a little too delicate to work with. I really wanted it to be perfect, so perfect that I if someday I decide to share it with people from Argentina, I want them to tell me: “Yes, Sandra! This is it! You got it right!”

Today, I can tell you that this is the best recipe for homemade Alfajores Marplatenses that you will ever find. I will give you the right amounts of each ingredient plus all the tips you need to know to achieve the perfect texture and flavor.

Let’s start with the recipe and if you would like to watch the video of how I made these cookies, visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales

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Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

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Chocolate cake or cupcakes are my favorite to make for any celebration. There is a special chocolate cake that I loved to eat while growing up in Peru. It was a moist (i know you don’t like that word but it is what it is…), soft and super chocolatey cake that had a dulce de leche filling and frosted with a silky chocolate fudge frosting.  I decided to make the same chocolate cake (into cupcakes), with the same filling but I made a change… I made a delicious dulce de leche buttercream that will melt in your mouth.

About the dulce de leche filling. Dulce de leche is a milk based caramel that you can buy at the stores or make at home. The most popular brand here in the USA is La Lechera which is the same brand in many other countries. BUT, I know that Argentina has awesome dulce de leche and guess what! I found an Argentinian bakery in Irving, Tx. where they have delicious treats but they also carry products from Argentina so I had to buy dulce de leche for sure! There is a difference in the texture and flavor. The Argentinian one is thicker and has more caramel flavor than the La Lechera (which for me has more milk flavor), but that is just my opinion. If you have the chance to find dulce de leche from other countries on Amazon or other store, let me know what you think.

Also, if you can’t find/don’t want to buy dulce de leche, remember that you can make it at home. For more info about how to make your own, go to the search bar here on my blog and type “dulce de leche” or “manjar blanco”, you will get different methods of how to make it.

Finally, for decoration I found these chocolate truffles filled with dulce de leche cream, I think they are the perfect final touch for these cupcakes.

Let’s get started and if you would like to watch the video of how I made this recipe, visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales

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