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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Brûlée Key Lime Pie Bars

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I’ve been thinking about this dessert for a couple of months now. One of my favorite desserts is a good key lime pie and that is very hard to find sometimes. On my blog you will be able to find my favorite key lime pie recipe which is easy to make and the result is wonderful. I decided to create key lime pie bars which have a cookie crust, fresh key lime filling(with just 3 ingredients) and the topping is caramelized sugar using a kitchen torch (just like a creme brûlée).

One thing you should know is that key limes and limes are different. I prefer to use key limes because they’re more acidic and have a stronger fragrance which helps a lot for citrus desserts. You will know the key limes are more ripe when they aren’t too green, they should be turning a bit yellow.

About the kitchen torch. This is the one I have. Click here. But you can find others on Amazon or any other shops like Walmart. If you don’t have a kitchen torch and don’t want to buy one, just skip the brûlée topping part, you will have the crust and key lime filling.

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

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Red Velvet Marble Loaf Cake

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One of my favorite things to eat from Starbucks is their Red Velvet Loaf that is very popular during Valentine’s Day but for some reason the last time I had it, tasted weird and not very good plus it was very oily, so I decided to come up with my version and guess what… it turned out really good.

This loaf cake has 2 parts: vanilla and red velvet one (which has cocoa powder) and the frosting is vanilla cream cheese which is the perfect touch for every bite.

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

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Funfetti Chocolate Cookies

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When I moved to Texas, I packed every little thing I had in my baking pantry including chocolate chips, extracts, sprinkles, etc. I have so much of that stuff that I haven’t bought almost nothing new for baking in the last couple of months. I decided to check what I had and make something with it. I found dark cocoa powder, sprinkles and chocolate chips so I thought about creating a new cookie which turned out pretty damn good!

Why to bake these cookies?

*They’re perfect for any occasion or just like a snack.

*They are fun to make.

*You do not need to refrigerate the dough before baking.

*They taste delicious.

*They look very pretty.

Let’s start with the recipe and if you would like to see the Reel (video) for these cookies, visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales Continue reading →

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Since I was a kid my favorite ice cream treat has been ice cream sandwiches. I remember that calling the ice cream man from my bedroom window was one of my favorite Summer hobbies when I was 6-8 years old. My mom got pissed off a couple of times because I could do the same thing everyday until she explained to me that those ice cream men didn’t give away the ice cream for free plus eating that many per week was not going to be healthy for me. I am not a big ice cream eater, lactose is not my friend but when I do and I want to treat myself, I go for ice cream sandwiches. Those delicious soft sandwiches cookies filled with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Today, I’m showing you how to make the cookie part. I am NOT making homemade ice cream. I thought that I should start with just the cookie part so you can practice at home and when Summer arrives I will have a super easy ice cream recipe for you. For now, you can choose any ice cream flavor you prefer at the store.

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

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Guava Pie

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Happy Spring! Guava (guayaba) is a tropical fruit that is very popular is Mexico, Central and South America. When this fruit is ripe, you can taste a mix of pear and strawberry. Guava is perfect to make drinks and desserts. You can find 2 kinds here in the USA : white and pink but the one I prefer to use for pies is the pink one because it has a stronger scent plus it gives a nicer color to the desserts I make.

This pie is super easy to make because the filling needs just 3 ingredients: sweetened condensed milk by Magnolia, egg yolks and frozen guava pulp. I used frozen guava pulp (thawed) that I found at the frozen fruit aisle which is not very hard to find. If you get fresh guava, you can make your own guava puree. The topping is a soft coconut whipped cream frosting that gives the perfect Spring/Summer vibe to every bite.

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

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