Irresistible Soft Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe: Mini Bundt Style

Today I share an irresistible recipe for a soft and moist lemon bundt cake! Indulge in a delectable soft and moist lemon bundt cake with this exquisite cake! Boasting a unique, naturally flavored lemon taste, it's a must-try for any dessert lover. If you have lemons in your kitchen, why wait? Start baking now!

Indulge in the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess. A must-try for every dessert enthusiast. Don't let those lemons in your kitchen go to waste – embark on a baking adventure now!

Receta de Limon tipo mini-Bundt en español.  

Our farm initial lemon 2014 harvest.

For a light coat of  glaze brush it on.

Adding a few simple fondant flowers make it look sweet and pretty!

Lemon Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

Cake
¾ cup butter or margarine (170 g)
1½ cup sugar (300 g)
Zest of 2 lemons
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (352 g)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup lemon juice ( 80 ml)
7 ounces whole milk (190 ml)

Lemon Glaze
3 tablespoons lemon juice (45 ml)
2 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar) 250 g

Instructions:
1. Grease and flour pan. Preheat oven to 350 ° F (175 ° C).
2. Grate two lemons and reserve the zest. Squeeze two to four lemons to make 1/3 cup juice and mix with milk; Set aside. Note: It is normal for the milk to appear to be curdled that is the lemon juice doing its job.
3. Beat butter with sugar until it’s creamy and pale yellow, about three to four minutes. Stir in lemon zest and beat for one minute longer.
4. Mix flour with baking soda and salt and sift. Add it to the butter mixture in three parts alternating with the milk. Beat for a minute to incorporate all ingredients.
5. Fill the prepared bundt pan and bake for 40-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. The mini bundts lasts about 15-20 minutes in the oven. Once out of the oven let cool for 10 minutes and then invert cake on the serving dish.
6. Combine the lemon juice and icing sugar to form a glaze to a medium consistently to resemble Elmer’s glue. If more liquid is needed add some water but only a teaspoon at a time.
7. When the cake has cooled, drizzle the glaze over the cake enough to suit your taste, let it set and enjoy the taste of summer in a cake.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like:

Mandarin Cake 

Italian Apple Cake 

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him— 1 Corinthians 2:9

How to Peel Garlic and Its properties

En Español

In addition to the exquisite flavor that garlic adds to meals, it also has many beneficial properties for our health. In this post I will also share these properties together with tips on how to peel garlic cloves quickly and easily as well as how to process this vegetable.

Garlic is one of the most important ingredients in Dominican seasoning and in many Kitchens throughout the world. To me, cooking without garlic is like cooking a tasteless dish and is the reason why garlic is the vegetable I use the most in my cooking and it deserves to have a place in my blog's recipes index.

I always like to use fresh garlic for cooking, but to peel and mash it daily can be time consuming and tedious. A trick I learned from a TV show a few years ago is to crush the garlic cloves with a broad knife by making pressure on it with the palm of the hand. The clove will be peeled in a fraction of a second. This will avoid your hands from getting impregnated with garlic odor. If you do get stuck with some garlic aroma do not rub your hands together, just rinse with cold water or with coffee dregs.

After peeling, there are several ways to process garlic. If you will only use a small amount mashed the garlic cloves in a mortar (pilón). In my twenty something years of kitchen experience I have learned that sprinkling the garlic cloves with a little salt before mashing helps soften them a bit and prevents them from slipping out of the mortar while pounding them.

If you are going to make a large batch of processed garlic use a blender or food processor. Mix garlic cloves with a little oil and vinegar by pouring the last two by the teaspoon until a paste is formed. The final product should be stored in an airtight container and in the refrigerator. Preparing the garlic this way saves us time and makes cooking a lot easier because you have the garlic ready to be used whenever you need it by the spoonfuls.

Below you can find a list I have compiled a of the properties and benefits of garlic, but I would like to state that I share this information only for the purpose of informing how beneficial garlic is for our health, but in no circumstance it is for you to replace medications or doctor visits. Like everything related to health, you should always consult with a physician before trying anything else.

Properties:

1. Garlic is a great friend of the circulatory system.
2. It is an antihypertensive (lowers blood pressure): In high doses garlic causes a decrease in blood pressure both the systolic and the diastolic. Has vasodilator effect, it is appropriate especially hypertensive, and heart patients (angina or heart attack).
3. Anticoagulant (keeps the blood flowing): Prevents excessive tendency of blood platelets to clump together to form clots. Highly recommended for those who have suffered from thrombosis, embolism or vascular accidents due to lack of blood supply.
4. Hypolipidemic agents (lipid-lowering): Lowers LDL cholesterol. If you like breakfast with bread and butter, rub the bread with plenty of garlic before spreading the butter and this prevents the sudden morning increase in cholesterol due to eating butter.
5. Hypoglycemic: Since it normalizes the glucose level in the blood, it is highly recommended to be consumed by diabetics as a complement to other therapeutic measures, the obese, and those with a family history of diabetes, as a preventive.
6. Antibiotic and general antiseptic.
7. Stimulates Inmune System: Garlic increases the activity of defensive cells in the body, lymphocytes and macrophages.
8. Anti-parasitic: potent against most common types of intestinal parasites.
9. Tones and purifies the overall health of the body.
10. Prevents malignant tumors from forming, especially gastrointestinal cancers.

How to consume it:

• Raw: 1-3 cloves of garlic, preferably in the morning.
• Garlic extract: In capsules.
•  Infusion or tea : Boil a head of garlic in one liter of water for 5 minutes. Drink 3 cups a day.
• Alioli (garlic mayonnaise): which is the best way to consume garlic. Emulsion is obtained by several cloves of crushed garlic processed with olive oil until it forms a paste (as indicated above but without vinegar).

Source: Enciclopedia de Plantas Medicinales

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;" - Psalm 34:15

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Moro (Rice and Beans)

En Español

Baking is fun, but cooking good food is also of great joy! If you looking for something to cook for dinner or for your planned 4th of July barbecue get together with a Latin flare try this rice dish. Moro de habichuelas is simply rice and beans cooked together, but it is delicious! The recipe I share below is among the most popular moros. Black beans rice called arroz congri by the Cubans, pigeon peas rice (arroz con guandules), corn rice (moro de maiz) and vegetables rice (arroz con vegetales) are also very popular.

You can make this type of rice with canned beans, but for best flavor and healthier version I recommend using stewed beans (habichuelas guisadas) preferably the leftover of the day before. The recipe for stewed beans my way can be found in my ebook, How to Cook Dominican Style. At the end of the recipe you will find the notes of other ways to make this rice. For example, if you have no stewed beans, or no prepared seasoning, you can still prepare this rice and hopefully my notes will be of help to you.

This rice can be used as a side dish to meat or fish. It is one of those all-time favorite dish in the Dominican Republic, and if you have not yet tasted it or wish to cook it, this is the recipe you need to follow for authentic Dominican flavor. Enjoy!

Baby Shower Cupcakes

Mari's Cakes: Cupcakes para Baby Shower o Fiesta de Bebe: Hi!! I made these beautiful baby shower cupcakes for my daughter's friend. I really love the baby blue theme.

Take a look at them on www.mariscakes.net:  Here.

Have a wonderful day!

Spicy Orange Chicken

En Español

I am a picky eater, so when it comes to eating outside, especially in this country where you have to choose wisely were you eat for so many reasons, I think twice eating out and prefer cooking food myself.

Do you enjoy preparing dishes like this one? I do! They usually come out tasting so delicious that it makes me want to open a Chinese restaurant. I enjoy eating oriental style food, and this orange chicken dish is one of my favorites. I get to use oranges from our farm to prepare it which makes it even more special. I have used both, sweet oranges and sour oranges.

This American Chinese fast food dish normally consists battered fried chicken pieces coated in a sweet thick orange chili glaze like sauce. The recipe I share today is a skinny version of the orange chicken because I do not prepare the flour batter, nor fry the chicken first. It is a much healthier version, but with the same great taste! This delightful recipe can also be prepared with mandarin orange instead for a very different and exotic flavor. Enjoy!

Spicy Orange Chicken

Ingredients:
2 pound of Chicken breast (900 grams)
2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup chicken stock
½ cup orange or mandarin juice (1½ oranges)
⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon of orange or mandarin zest
4 cloves of garlic, mashed ¼ teaspoon ground ginger Pinch of red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish
Green onions to garnish (optional)
Cooked broccoli to serve

Instructions:
Cut chicken breast into cubes. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the chicken and cooked until evenly browned about 10 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

To make the sauce: while chicken is cooking mix the broth, orange juice, honey, orange zest, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Pour into heated skillet where chicken was cooked. Reduce to medium fire and cook until sauce has reduced and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat and pour over the chicken. Mixed thoroughly with a spoon, pour over cooked broccoli and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Serve with white rice or chow fan.




“For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,” - Proverbs 2:6-7

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Chanel Purse Cake

Mari's Cakes: Bizcocho Cartera: Últimamente no he podido estar cocinando y tomando fotos de paso a paso para compartir recetas con ustedes como acostumbro, pero como mi... Continue reading in www.mariscakes.net: Here.

High Heel Shoe Cake Topper

Mari's Cakes: Tacón en Fondant (High Heel Shoe Cake Topper): Un tacón hecho en fondant y pasta de goma ( gum paste ) fue unos de mis proyectos para esta ultima semana. El clima donde vivo es bien ... View: Here.

Hydrangea Cupcake Bouquet

En Español

Mother's Day is celebrated the last Sunday of May in Dominican Republic, so us bakers are still working on sweet creations inspired for mom with flowers, pastels, and all things pretty. I love flowers, and my husband always gives me an ornamental plant around this time. For several years I have gotten blue hydrangeas plants because they are my all-time favorite.

Hdrangea cupcake bouquets are beautiful! I could have one as a table centerpiece all year round, to bad the cupcakes at home do not last a long time. Whether it is in the form of single cupcake or as a cupcake bouquet, these are perfect for a birthday, baby shower, bridal shower, wedding, etc. This hydrangea bouquet will surely add a romantic and delicate touch to your party.

It is very simple to make this decoration technique. You will need tip # 2D, and also tip # 1M that is not open all the way. Most of the web post use buttercream, but this time I used butter-less Italian meringue (suspiro) which is an ideal frosting for hot weather as it does not melt like buttercream and fondant do.

If you want to learn to make suspiro and also have a great amount of information regarding this frosting at your fingertips, I recommend you the Suspiro eBook. For more information check here: Italian meringue how-to eBook.

About the tips:

Get tip # 2D: Extra Large Tip #2D
Get tip # 1M: Decorating Tip-#1M

Hydrangeas can be found in light pink, dark pink, white, blue and also in lilac, therefore, feel free to use the color of frosting you like best.

How I made these hydrangea cupcakes:

I used leaves from my elderberry tree. I have had this tree for thirteen years. I love the scent and simplicity of the elderberry flowers. I cherished this plant because in addition to it being a gift from my husband, its flowers are great to make a medicinal tea that is a fever and flu reliever. If you do have pesticide free leaves at your reach, you can make gum paste leaves or use green tissue paper.

Steps to make a bouquet of cupcakes Mari’s Cakes style check out: Cupcake Bouquet and Vanilla Buttercream.

Have a blessed day!

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." - Proverbs 16:3

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High Heel Cupcakes

En español

Hola! Yesterday on Facebook I shared the photo above of the high heal cupcake shoes I made for a client. They were very nice! My daughters and family loved it!

I will leave the answers to the questions I have received regarding the following:

• The rosette: I made the rosette ​​with the Italian meringue. I used plenty of red food gel color to get it that dark. I explain how I get these colors here: How to Make Italian Meringue in Dark Colors.  

• The heel: Royal icing was used to glue the pirouettes to the fondant covered cookie. I baked the oval shaped cookies, but you cake buy any oval shaped cookies to use as the sole. The pirulettes I bought.

• What my husband did: I mentioned in the fb post that my husband had helped me make these, and many are curious to know what he did. My hubby was in charge of deciding the height of the heels... high, very high,  glue them to the cookie and decorate cupcake shoe with dragees. 

Hope you like this idea found in the web. Thanks to this client I got to make my version of edible heels sooner than I had planned for my daughter Ruby´s birthday. For a ladies theme, sweet sixteen, quinceañera or a women's event these will make a beautiful dessert!

"Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. - 2 Corinthians 5:17

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Plantain and Salami Cupcake

Recently, I've been occupied with numerous custom cupcake orders, leaving me with little time to browse the web, which has been a refreshing change! I couldn't resist sharing my most recent order on the blog because it beautifully represents two essential Dominican foods. I believe no one has explored this idea before, and my search on the web didn't yield anything similar in fondant.

Este post en español: Aqui.

Behold, a plantain and salami (Dominican sausage) cupcake topper crafted in fondant! This creation truly underscores Dominicans' love for their plantains! At the moment, I don't have a tutorial available as I developed the concept while working. However, when I find the time, I'll resume posting recipes and tutorials as usual. If you have any questions or need information, feel free to contact me via the comments section below or through the contact tab above.

I did not get a chance to get photos of a machete cupcake before delivering it, but in the next photo you can see my husband putting the finishing touches on a fondant machete, a typical tool to work the fields in this country. I think it came out perfect, right?! It’s fun to be creative with the traditional things of any country. Flowers, bows, gum paste figures are beautiful, but this has awakened another type of interest and lots of ideas for baked sweets.

If you are looking for a plantain recipe you can find the following recipes here:

• Tostones (Fried Green Plantain)
• Mofongo
• Mangu with salami and fried cheese (eBook)
• Pasteles en hoja (Carribean Style Tamales)
• Ripe plantains canoes

Have a blessed day.

"Let your manner of living be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have. For He hath said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”- Hebrews 13:5 

Teapot and Teacup Cupcakes

En Español

Every month and every day are special to celebrate our loved ones. Since May has its specialty to celebrate mothers around the world, I try to program myself to do something special for moms to share with the blog readers. This time I made these cupcakes beauties!

As a child I remember always seeing a teapot full of coffee on the top center of the stove at home. It always was full of fresh brewed coffee. My mom always brewed coffee in the mornings and afternoons and left the teapot on the stove so that my father would have it ready to serve as many times as he pleased. Coffee was one of the first things I learned to make for my mom and my dad, and is one of the recipes I cherish. For some it may seem as a simple recipe, but for Latinos, the café has to be colado to perfection.

Mothers are special and there is so much we have to thank them for and remember them. I wonder why so many times our memories of moms are of recipes and food. Could it be because moms cook with love?

Kitchens and recipes are intertwined with many fond memories of aromas, flavors and techniques of making different dishes from our grandmothers and mothers. My mom's delicious cuisine is my inspiration for cooking delicious meals, especially Dominican dishes. She is a very special person in my life and I am forever grateful for all the good teachings and virtues. I want to be like her, but I always wonder how my mom can do everything she does for my brothers and I, for my father when he was alive, and now for her grandchildren. I feel like it is impossible, the determination, dedication, and energy that we have today is not the same as our mothers have.

I would spend many whole afternoons to thank all the beautiful things mom has given me throughout the years. I will forever keep them in my mind, in my heart and in my way of being. We are miles away, but soon we’ll be drinking a cup of coffee together. May God continue to bless with many years of health and life.

I know that for many of us teacup and teapot fill us with fond memories of the kitchens of our mothers and our grandmothers. This is the reason why I wanted to share these teapot and teacup cupcakes this month. For me it's a blessing to be able to do this type of sweet creations for clients, friends, family, and especially for my daughters, who are my reason to celebrate every day as my mother's day!

Notes:

• Learn how to decorate a cupcake with fondant: Cupcakes and musical as cover cupcake with fondant. 
•  Use gold luster dust to paint golden rims on teacups and teapot. You can find this product in different colors and buy it online here: Luster Dust Petal Craft. 
• In the Cameo cupcakes post you will find information and a video on how to I make the edges on the mini tablecloth. 

"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." -Proverbs 31:28-30

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Cupcake Toppers: Colorful Medical Theme

I did these cupcakes last week for a friend who wanted medical themed cupcakes with bright colors and these cuties are the result. Even though I favor pastel shades, these cupcake toppers look quite nice! As always, I had to share and save these in my blog.

Check out more photos of these in here: Cupcake Toppers Medicina Coloridos.

Thank you for stopping by. Coments and sharing are always welcome :)

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10 Sweet Recipes with Caribbean Flavor

En Español

10 Easy and delicious sweet Caribbean recipes you can enjoy this spring summer season! Which is your favorite?

1. Banana Mama (photo below) - . An exotic blend of tropical fruits such as strawberries, banana, pineapple and coconut.

2. Coconut Tres Leches Cake - . Exotic, delicious and incomparable. Learn to make a tres leches coconut, follow the step by step and enjoy this rich dessert at home.

3. Soursop Pastry Cream Recipe -  A delicious custard that can be used as a filling or a topping on cakes and cupcakes.

4. Dulce de Coco Tierno (photo above) - . A Dominican homemade dessert made with a tender coconut meat, milk and sweet condensed milk. I know you'll like this creamy dessert.

5. Boniato Pudding (Jalea de Batata) - A known favorite dessert in the traditional Dominican cuisine. Its main ingredient is the batata, also known as boniato, or sweet potato. There are different ways of preparering this dessert, in this post I share the recipe with pineapple or without pineapple.

6. Coconut Macaroons - These coconut macaroons aka coconut kisses in Spanish, taste so delicious you won't believe they are this easy to prepare! For coconut lovers this is one treat you won't be able to control yourself with, you'll definitely eat more than one kiss!

7. Cassava Bread - . This bread has a resemblance to cassava fritters, with the difference that it is sweet, has coconut and is baked.

8. Passion Fruit Scones - These scones make a delicious morning or afternoon snack. I've been baking these scones for many years and I have also adapted it to make a passion fruit scone cake. Find both recipes in this post.

9. Tropical Pavlova (photo above) - Are you a pavlova lover? Why not try these ´personal size tropical pavlovas topped with pineapple, papaya, melon, and sprinkled with coconut flakes. For Mother's Day these will be a special treat in your dessert table.

10. Plátanos al Caldero (photo below) - Sweet caramelized plantains are a traditional Dominican sweet side dish prepared with ripe plantains and served with the meal. He brings that sweet touch to the food you like so much.

Cheers to a happy and blessed day!

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